Royal Caribbean International has taken all cruises in early January off sale in order to reduce capacity and accommodate physical distancing onboard following a surge in Covid cases globally.
The line has removed all the affected sailings from its website. The first cruise that is available to book is a five-night Caribbean and Bahamas sailing on Mariner of the Seas departing on January 15.
The move affects new bookings in early January only. Those who are already booked can go ahead with their cruises.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently investigating, monitoring or observing 62 cruise ships – up from 40 on Monday – due to the number of Covid cases reported on board.
A Royal spokesperson said: “Royal Caribbean International has a set of multi-layered health and safety protocols that safeguards the well-being of our guests, our crew and the communities we visit.
“Cruises departing through early January 2022 are unavailable to new reservations because our ships will continue sailing with a limited capacity to accommodate physical distancing.”
All Royal passengers aged two and above are now required to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status, unless eating and drinking after the line tightened its Covid protocols this week.