Princess Cruises Cancels 11 Trips Citing Labor Shortages

Princess Cruises, a division of Carnival Corp., has postponed 11 voyages on board the Diamond Princess due to staffing concerns, which have been prevalent in the cruise business this year. According to a statement from the firm, the cruise line has had “labor problems” as customers have rushed back to vacations and as ship capacity has increased as sailings have restarted.

In order to give the cruise line “additional time needed to overcome its labor difficulties,” the Diamond Princess’ roundtrip San Diego itineraries from September through November 13 will be canceled.

The affected passengers have three options: rebook a different voyage with additional onboard spending credit, obtain future cruise credit, or receive a complete refund.

Princess is not the only cruise operator that has experienced difficulties filling positions. Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Carnival Cruise Line disclosed similar challenges prior to the summer vacation boom that led to the cancellation of itineraries, reduced guest capacity, and closure of onboard food establishments.

The COVID-19 outbreak that the cruise ship hosted in February 2020, which resulted in over 700 illnesses and more than a dozen fatalities, was the event that first brought attention to the Diamond Princess.

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