Cruises are cancelled AGAIN in Australia despite hopes eager travellers could set sail before Christmas - with trips not back on until at least April
Royal Caribbean Cruises has extended its suspension on trips in Australia until April at the earliest, dashing hopes of summer sailing holidays.
The cruising juggernaut took to Twitter on Thursday to make the announcement to the disappointment of keen travellers who had hoped to set sail before Christmas.
Global sailing trips with Royal Caribbean have now been suspended through to February 28, 2021, excluding journeys in Singapore and China.
Australians trips won't restart until April 30.
The move has left holidaymakers, who had booked trips for when the cruising ban expires, in limbo and likely to be waiting months for a refund.
Royal Caribbean has suspended its global sailing trips until February 28, 2021 (pictured, passengers enjoy the sun on board the MSC Magnifica in Fremantle on March 24)
Angry customers took to social media to vent their frustration at the extension of the cruise ship ban.
'Why couldn't they say two weeks ago when they suspended bookings? It was obvious,' one tweet reads.
'Now months waiting for refund. Can't really get cruise credit for health reasons.'
'Another cancelled cruise for me. I'm so frustrated. It's to the point I feel we are never cruising again. There seriously is no end in sight,' another wrote.
Cruise ships have been banned from Australia since the Ruby Princess disaster (pictured, NSW Police officers prepare to enter the Ruby Princess in Port Kembla on April 9)
Australian domestic sailing trips with Royal Caribbean were due to resume on January 1, but have now been suspended until April 30, 2021.
A ban on any cruise ship docking in Australia is due to expire on December 17, having been brought in on March 27 following the Ruby Princess disaster.
Industry experts now fear Royal Caribbean's announcement is a signal the ban will likely be extended.
There were 2,700 passengers allowed to disembark in Sydney from the Ruby Princess ship on March 19, with more than 600 of the travellers later testing positive for COVID-19.
The cruise ship set sail from Sydney on March 8 for New Zealand and returned 11 days later, with coronavirus cases from the ship later linked to 28 COVID-19 deaths.
The Ruby Princess farce and growing pandemic led the federal government to close Australia's international border to all non-citizens and non-residents on March 20.
The ban on foreign-flagged cruise ships entering Australian waters began on March 27 and is in place until December 17, but the Department of Health website reads 'this does not mean the ban will be lifted at that time'.
The announcement dashes hopes of Aussies who were keen to hit the water before Christmas. Pictured: the Ruby Princess docks in Port Kembla in April
Timeline of Ruby Princess fiasco
March 18: The Ruby Princess issues an urgent mayday call for an ambulance for two of its passengers presenting with coronavirus-like symptoms 24 hours before the ship is allowed to dock in Sydney.
March 19: The Ruby Princess arrives in Sydney Harbour. More than 2,700 guests are allowed to disembark without adequate health checks.
March 25: Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram says New South Wales Health is responsible for letting coronavirus patients disembark the ship.
March 29: Several crew members are evacuated and taken to hospital after being diagnosed with coronavirus.
April 2: A 66-year-old crew member is taken off the Ruby Princess for medical treatment. More than 200 crew members are sick and in self-isolation.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian defends the actions of NSW Health and the Australian Border Force and points the finger at the Ruby Princess. She claims staff onboard may have misled NSW Health about the extent of illnesses in passengers.
April 3: Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton alleges Ruby Princess' operators weren't transparent about the health of crew: 'It was 'clear that some of the companies have been lying about the health of passengers and crew on board'.
April 4: Leaked emails show NSW Health knew of the coronavirus risk on board the Ruby Princess before allowing its thousands of passengers to disembark.
April 5: A criminal investigation is launched into how passengers were able to disembark without health checks
April 8: A team of 30 detectives from state crime, counter terrorism and marine area command start investigating the handling of the Ruby Princess coronavirus scandal. The first briefing into the investigation is held.
April 9: NSW Police clad in PPE equipment raid the vessel, questioning its captain and searching for evidence in a rapid escalation of the criminal investigation.
April 11: NSW Health confirms that at least 46 crew members of the Ruby Princess cruise ship have contracted COVID-19
April 13: NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller says patient zero on board may have been a crew member serving meals to hundreds of passengers
April 15: NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian announces an independent special commission to investigate the Ruby Princess fiasco
April 23: With 500 crew left on board, the Ruby Princess left Australian waters to sail to Manila in the Phillipines
Crew of the beleaguered Ruby Princess cruise ship depart a charter bus at Sydney Airport on April 23
But overseas in Europe, cruises have enjoyed a gradual return with strict new health and safety measures in place for passengers and crew.
Switzerland-based MSC was the first major cruise company to set sail, taking passengers on the Grandiosa from the port of Genoa in northern Italy for a seven-day trip around the Mediterranean on August 16.
MSC implemented a slew of safety precautions to prevent the ship, which was christened last year and can carry more than 8,000 passengers and crew members, from becoming a breeding ground for the virus.
There were 3,000 travellers on board who were subject to pre-boarding COVID-19 testing, face masks and social distancing in common areas and strict restrictions for port excursions.
Cleaning protocols on the ship were ramped up with the additions of hospital grade disinfectant and the use of UV-C light technology to detect the virus.
The ship managed to complete its journey without any reported coronavirus cases - providing hope that the cruise industry could safely return sooner than most people expected.
A lone passenger stands on the deck of the MSC Grandiosa wearing a mask as it departs from Genoa (pictured on August 16) as some cruises restarted in Europe