Of the 2,700 rooms sold, only 35 have been canceled since Jan. 1, Campbell said.
For guests unable to travel due to government restrictions or lockdowns, Atlantis is showing more flexibility and issuing credit toward future cruises, Mr. Campbell said. Due to the rapidly changing circumstances of the pandemic, he said the company is taking cancellation requests on a case-by-case basis and trying to accommodate as many people as possible.
“We’re here to take care of people and we’re doing our best,” he said. “But if someone comes to us and just says they want their money back because they don’t feel comfortable on the cruise, then we recommend they take out ‘cancel for any reason’ travel insurance.”
updated
Jan 14, 2022 3:26pm ET
Since the United States resumed operations in June, many cruise lines and tour operators have implemented flexible cancellation policies, offering credits or refunds to customers who wish to make itinerary changes due to the coronavirus.
Prior to the pandemic, Atlantic Events hosted more than 25,000 guests each year and organized special gay and lesbian events on cruise ships and in resorts around the world. Over the past year, it has had to cancel or postpone several events, including its 30th anniversary cruise.
“We’ve had almost two years of no income and we’re a tiny, self-funded business. It was a big challenge to survive,” said Mr. Campbell.
Though the company doesn’t offer refunds, it says the health and safety of its guests is its top priority and will enforce Royal Caribbean’s health and safety protocols, which include a mask requirement indoors except for eating and drinking and in crowded outdoor spaces . Royal Caribbean officials say that while the Omicron variant has led to an increase in cases on board their ships in recent weeks, most infections have been mild and have not progressed to serious illness. With a growing number of crew and passengers contracting the virus, the cruise line, like other cruise lines, canceled several voyages this month as they represented “an abundance of precautionary measures” as a result of “ongoing Covid-related circumstances.” “
Passengers who have booked the Atlantis cruise are keeping a close eye on the Celebrity Millennium cruise ship, which was chartered this week by another LGBT travel company for a seven-day Caribbean cruise. Capacity for this ship is much smaller at 2,218 passengers, but coronavirus cases have been reported to the CDC and reached their threshold for investigation.
