Carnival Cruise Line plans to have the majority of its US fleet back in service by early in the new year.
Ninety per cent of capacity is scheduled to be operating from American home ports by February.
The company is working towards the return of its full fleet sailing from the US in spring 2022 – two years after the start of the pandemic – as it moves to have 17 ships sailing by the end of this year.
Carnival will continue to operate vaccinated cruises under its current protocols as it relates to ships operating in January and February, the line said.
The company expects Carnival Sunshine to return to service from Charleston on January 3 and Carnival Liberty from Port Canaveral on February 11.
The restart will see ships sailing from Galveston, Miami, Port Canaveral, New Orleans, Long Beach, Baltimore, Tampa and Charleston.
However, cruises on Carnival’s three remaining US-based ships – Carnival Ecstasy from Jacksonville, Carnival Paradise from Tampa and Carnival Sensation from Mobile – have been cancelled until February.
Carnival Splendor from Sydney in Australia is cancelled until February 7 and Carnival Spirit from Brisbane until February 20.
Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy said: “Our restart plan continues to excel across all metrics, and we are looking forward to completing the restart of the fleet in the new year.
“We appreciate the support and patience of our guests, travel agents and port and destination partners who have been key to this successful restart.”
Carnival continues to monitor the status of public health and adjust its operating protocols accordingly.
“We are optimistic that vaccines will be approved for children between the ages of 5-11 before the end of the year and we look forward to welcoming more families back on board,” Duffy added.