Carnival Cruise Line has canceled the remainder of its ship sailings to Alaska this summer and Norwegian Cruise Lines announced on Tuesday that its future is in substantial doubt due to crushing debt.
Carnival announced it would phase in other North American cruises beginning Aug. 1, but those are for trips from Miami, Port Canaveral, and Galveston.Â
“In connection with this plan, our pause in operations will be extended in all other North American and Australian markets through August 31,” the company said.
 Carnival is the world’s largest travel leisure company, with a combined fleet of over 100 vessels across 10 cruise line brands, including Holland America and Princess. This week, 18 of the Carnival ships will rendezvous in the Bahamas to enact plans of repatriating more than 10,000 crew members back to their homelands in Asia, Africa, Europe, India and Latin America.  Nine ships will be used to ferry the workers home. Details at the company’s news blog.
Norwegian Cruise Lines warned investors that the COVID-19 pandemic has “raised substantial doubt” about the company’s ability to continue operations.
Norwegian said in its Security and Exchange Commission filing that there’s no guarantee that cruise enthusiasts would return any time soon.
“The suspension of cruise voyages and decline in advanced bookings, as well as debt maturities and other obligations over the next year, and the fact that management’s plan to obtain additional financing has not yet been completed, have raised substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, as the Company does not have sufficient liquidity to meet its obligations over the next twelve months, assuming no additional financing or other proactive measures,” the company wrote.
Norwegian offered seven- and 15-day cruises to Alaska from Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. before the pandemic hit in January.
