All CMV ships have returned or are in the process of returning to their disembarkation home ports in the UK and Germany.
Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) announced at 15.00 GMT time on 6 April that it will extend its suspension of cruise operations until 24 May 2020 due to the escalating nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This will apply to CMV cruises across the globe and affects passengers booked to embark from 24 April – the original suspension cut-off date – until 24 May 2020.
Cruise & Maritime Voyages is Britain and Australia’s leading, privately-owned independent cruise line and together with its sister brand, TransOcean Kreuzfahrten in Germany, is a business built on solid foundations with a huge and loyal customer base and valued international travel trade support.
“Due to this fast-evolving global pandemic, we are still unable to perform our scheduled itineraries and to deliver the travel experience normally enjoyed by our valued passengers,” said CEO Christian Verhounig.
“We have therefore taken the decision to temporarily further suspend all cruises until 24th May 2020, when we very much hope to be able to resume service.”
The cruise line’s top and overriding priority is the health and safety of passengers and crew. As such, all CMV ships have returned or are in the process of returning to their disembarkation home ports in the UK and Germany, with the ongoing repatriation of international passengers as required. There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on any CMV ships across the globe.
Dean Brazier, Managing Director of Cruise & Maritime Voyages Australia, said that the announcement would not come as a surprise for most of the guests booked on cruises during the suspension period.
“We thank our guests and agents for their continued support and patience through this period, and we trust that their focus will currently be on the health and wellbeing of themselves and their families at home,” Mr Brazier said.
“This is an unprecedented situation, one that changes from day to day, and on behalf of our team, we’re doing our best to stay on top of events that are unfolding across the world, as well as in the countries that we usually have the privilege of visiting.
“We were so pleased to be able to return a ship full of healthy guests and crew to Fremantle the previous weekend on board Vasco da Gama – with the crew currently on their way to London – and we want to ensure the wellbeing of our passengers and staff continues to be at the forefront of how we operate.”
Vasco da Gama is scheduled to return for her Australasian season in late November 2020 while CMV’s other ships are currently based in Europe, with the exception of Columbus, which is due to arrive in London, Tilbury on 14 April 2020.
Columbus has 907 passengers on board, mostly European, with neither passengers nor crew having gone ashore for 24 days as of today, and all on board are currently healthy with no confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19. The most recent port Columbus had visited was Semarang, Indonesia, on 14 March 2020, and the ship exchanged its Australian and New Zealand passengers for European passengers with Vasco da Gama at sea on 18 March 2020.
All travellers affected by today’s announcement will be contacted with their offer of compensation, which will include a future cruise credit of 125% of the value of their cruise. This credit can be used against the best deal of the day including the current 2021 Buy One Get One Free Offers.
The future cruise credit can be used to purchase any cruises currently featured in CMV’s 2020 & 2021 cruise programs, as well as any yet-to-be-released cruises departing in 2022 and must be booked by 31 December 2020. Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ Adelaide-based office and sales teams will continue to be available during this time to assist guests and agents affected by the suspension as well as to make new bookings and service existing bookings.
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