Celebrity Cruises cancels Dubai-Singapore cruises, will cruise nearer Dubai instead

Celebrity Cruises has announced that three of its open-jaw sailings between Dubai and Singapore will be cancelled and replaced with roundtrip Dubai cruises in the Arabian Gulf instead.

The announcement comes as the novel Coronavirus continues to cause widespread disruption to the cruise industry across much of Asia.

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Norwegian Cruise Line has cancelled the Asian season for Norwegian Spirit, which was due to reposition to the region after cruising from Dubai to Cape Town, while Diamond Princess remains under quarantine in Japan.

Now Celebrity Cruises has followed suit, cancelling the rest of Celebrity Constellation’s cruises from Dubai to Singapore. She was due to sail a further three cruises between the two cities, but will now remain in the Gulf instead.

Celebrity Cruises has also cancelled the rest of the 2020 Asia program aboard Celebrity Millennium and plans to reposition the ship to the United States earlier than scheduled, but did not elaborate on possible replacement deployment plans.

For Celebrity Constellation, she will be cruising from Dubai on two-week itineraries to India and as far east as Sri Lanka, visiting Muscat, Mumbai, Goa, Cochin and Colombo.

Port times in Cochin, Goa and Mumbai have been extended, to give passengers more time to enjoy each destination, the cruise line said in a travel advisory.

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“As compensation for these changes and missing our visit to Thailand, you will be receiving an onboard credit equal to the rate of one cruise day. This credit will be applied to your onboard guest account,” the line said in a letter sent to booked guests.

In addition, Celebrity Cruises will be offering up to $500 in compensation for passengers with flight bookings taking them into Singapore, who will now need to change their flights to arrive in Dubai.

Celebrity Cruises also reminded guests that in addition to its new health screening measures prior to boarding (such as non-touch temperature scanners), it will also be asking passengers to declare their travel history before boarding.

“Any guest who has transited through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau, 15 days prior to departure will be unable to board our ships,” Celebrity Cruises said. “As well as coming in to contact with people who reside in these areas – this includes guests who had connecting flights in China, Hong Kong or Macau.”

“As a result, it is imperative that you check your air travel itinerary closely to ensure you do not transit through any gateway in China, Hong Kong or Macau,” the advisory added.