Celestyal Cruises has announced the further suspension of its sailings until July 30, 2020 due to the ongoing travel restrictions and temporary port closures within the region in which the cruise line operates, the company announced, in a press release on Tuesday morning.

The Greek government recently announced that the Greek tourism season will gradually recommence in the next few weeks with international flights from select countries resuming in July.

Celestyal said it will continue to monitor the phased opening of Greece to North American travelers while working closely with the Greek authorities on the development of enhanced health and safety protocols. 

Leslie Peden, chief commercial officer for Celestyal Cruises, said: “Unfortunately we had to make this difficult decision as a result of the evolving situation in the region in which we operate. We apologize to our valued guests and travel partners for the inconvenience this further temporary suspension will cause. However, I’m confident they understand that we take into consideration all aspects that will ensure the health and safety of our guests and crew. It’s encouraging to see that Greece is prudently commencing it’s reopening for international tourism in a phased manner following the country’s globally acclaimed best-practice handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the time is right, we look forward to recommencing our operations and welcoming guests back onboard.”

For all named and paid individual guests impacted by this temporary suspension, Celestyal Cruises is offering a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) valued at 120 percent of original booking value. Guests will have until the end of December 2021 to redeem their Future Cruise Credit against any of Celestyal Cruises’ itineraries through end of December 2022. For additional flexibility should guests choose not to redeem their FCC by end of December 2021, they will automatically receive a full refund equal to the original amount paid to Celestyal upon the voucher’s expiration..