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Carnival Cruise postpones Charleston tours through February

Staff //November 19, 2020//

Carnival Cruise postpones Charleston tours through February

Staff //November 19, 2020//

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The Carnival Sunshine, which is homeported in Charleston, won't be sailing from the Holy City very soon. (Photo/File) As coronavirus cases surge again nationwide, Carnival Cruise Line has postponed its embarkations out of Charleston through Feb. 28, the company said Wednesday.

The cruise line notified guests and travel agents that it is still building a gradual, phased-in plan that meets requirements of the Framework for Resuming Cruise Ship Operations Order, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Oct. 30.

There are 16 ships that have postponed guest operations following the CDC process for resumption, including the Carnival Sunshine, which launches out of Charleston.

Additional postponements include embarkations from Carnival’s Florida home ports between Jan. 1-31; from Baltimore, New Orleans and San Diego through Feb. 28; and for Carnival Legend cruises out of Tampa through March 26.

“We are committed to meeting the CDC requirements and keeping our guests and business partners informed of our progress,” Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a statement. “The entire Carnival team appreciates the great support of our guests, travel advisors and business partners, and local officials in our homeports and destinations.”

Earlier this month, Carnival Corp. & PLC, the leisure travel company that owns Carnival, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and six other cruise companies, announced it would postpone all December voyages.

CEO Arnold Donald said the company’s focus was on compliance and the health and safety of its guests and crew. His team has been working with the CDC, global government and other health authorities to develop “a comprehensive plan for the eventual restart of cruising in North America.”

“With their collective guidance, we have developed and continue to update our enhanced health and safety protocols that are in the best interest of our guests, crew and overall public health,” Donald said. “Whenever we restart our cruise operations in the U.S., we certainly look forward to welcoming our guests on board.”

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