“We hope to have all of our ships operational by year end,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation, speaking on the company’s fourth quarter and year-end earnings call.

Donald said that he hopes that early 2021 is just a hangover from 2020, and the company hopes to restart in a phased-in approach, relying on the regional nature of its brand portfolio.

Already, the company has seen start ups from its AIDA and Costa brands, although on a regional level with trimmed occupancy and with just a couple of ships.

Donald noted the company is in discussions with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but said it was too early to determine when test cruises may happen in the United States. The company is still waiting on technical guidance from the CDC. 

While waiting on more guidelines from the CDC, Donald said the company was bringing ships back to the U.S. to be in a good position to restart.

“We have weekly calls, or as often as we need, with them,” Donald said. “What I can tell you is we are on track to be able to be able to do whatever we need to do in a timely manner.”