Carnival Cruises Cancels Trips Into Spring 2021, Will Sell at Least 18 Ships

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(People.com) – Carnival Cruise Line is continuing to deal with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The cruise line, which has been financially crippled due to the ongoing pandemic, announced in a press release on Wednesday that additional voyages would be canceled into the spring of next year.

Four ships — Carnival Magic, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Valor, and Carnival Spirit — have all been delayed voyage until between March and May 2021.

“As we continue to work through issues related to our eventual return to operations, we are committed to providing our guests and travel agent partners with certainty where we can, although we regret disappointing our guests,” Carnival Cruise Line President Christina Duffy said in a press release, according to multiple outlets.

In addition, Carnival will be selling at least 18 ships, which amounts to 20 percent of the company’s fleet. Two ships, Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination — both of which launched in the 1990s — have already been sold.

In July, the company sold Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration.

“The ships being removed are our older, less efficient ships that would’ve been removed over time,” Carnival said in a statement to Good Morning America.

In June, Cruise Lines International Association — a leading cruise industry trade association that accounts for major companies like CarnivalDisney Cruise LineRoyal Caribbean International, and Princess Cruises — announced that its members chose to continue the suspension of operations from U.S. ports until at least Sept. 15. The ban is expected to be extended, though the company has not yet issued a press release confirming as such.

At the end of March, Carnival Corporation, which is the parent company of major cruise lines including Carnival, Princess and Holland America, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to issue $6 billion in stock in order to hopefully shore up its finances.

Carnival Corporation had a net income of $2.99 billion in 2019, the filing detailed. But this year, it said, “We expect a net loss.”

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