SINGAPORE - Major cruise lines are cancelling their sailings from Singapore or pulling out of Asia entirely for the remainder of the season, putting the brakes on one of the region's fastest-growing tourism sectors.
Its Celebrity Constellation voyages on March 3 and 17, originally scheduled to disembark and embark in Singapore, will now make a round trip from Dubai instead. After nearly two weeks at sea, the MS Westerdam, carrying more than 2,000 passengers and crew members, received permission to dock at the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on Thursday morning. A spokesman said no Singaporeans were on board.
Mr Strine, whose girlfriend flew to Singapore from the Philippines for the cruise, said:"We found out less than 24 hours before we were to depart that it was cancelled via e-mail... We planned this cruise during the summer and were really looking forward to it." The Princess Diamond remains under quarantine off the coast of Japan, with more than 200 passengers now confirmed to have the virus.
Guests will receive a 50 per cent refund if they choose to proceed, or a full refund if they cancel by Feb 14.