Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line announced an extended suspension of its passenger shipping operations.
The official statement of the company's CEO Oneil Khosa says that upon announcing that they would resume cruising in late July, the company saw a great deal of demand, demonstrating that there was "a strong appetite amongst travelers for our unique short-cruise ‘microcation’ product."
Khosa added that at this time, they remained the only cruise line in the country to have received a “green status” from the CDC on their No Sail Response plan, meaning they had met all requirements in providing a safe environment for their crew members to work and disembark via non-commercial travel.
Over the past few weeks, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line had continued preparations to return to Grand Bahama Island while keeping an eye on the overall landscape, which continued to evolve. In recent days, amidst a spike in COVID cases in many states across the country, they had seen "mounting pressures to modify reopening plans and consideration of the return of stay-at-home orders."
Additionally, new restrictions from the Bahamas had been announced, requiring travelers to present a negative swab test prior to entry.
"In an effort to provide the safest environment for our passengers and crew, we have no choice but to further postpone our sailing schedule.
Our current plan is to resume cruises on August 28th, 2020. This is incredibly disappointing to our entire team, but the decision was made after very careful consideration of all factors, and we believe this is in everyone’s best interest. We look forward to welcoming guests back onboard and appreciate everyone’s patience throughout this process.”