Cruise line pushes back return of two ships, cancels sailings amid COVID-19 surge

Princess Cruises is pushing back the return of two of its ships and is canceling several sailings amid a recent surge in coronavirus infections.

The cruise line said in a statement that it is canceling its 2021-2022 South America & Antarctica Program on the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship.

The Diamond Princess garnered International attention last year after it was forced to quarantine after a coronavirus outbreak led to 700 people testing positive for COVID-19.

Diamond Princess will return to service in Spring 2022 with a season of sailings in Japan, where it was forced to quarantine.

In addition, two Island Princess cruises scheduled for December have also been canceled. That vessel will now return to service in Spring 2022 with a series of Caribbean cruises prior to its 14-day Panama Canal voyage next April.

The cruise industry has been hit hard by the pandemic. Aside from the Diamond Princess, several other cruise ships were forced to quarantine at the beginning of the pandemic due to coronavirus outbreaks.

At the beginning of the month, Princess Cruises concluded its first successful voyage following a pause in operations after the Majestic Princess returned to Seattle from Alaska.

Princess Cruises said it was taking additional measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, including requiring passengers to test negative for COVID-19 in order to board. Passengers and crew members are also required to be vaccinated and wear masks in shared spaces.