While Prime Minister Scott Morrison indicated a restart of international travel for states which reach 80 per cent double dose vaccination, which could happen as soon as next month for NSW, ACT and Victoria, cruise lines told the media they have still no updates on when the ships can return to Australia. 

Officially, they’re banned until at least December 18 as part of the ongoing travel ban in place since March last year.

These reasons made Royal Caribbean to pull the plug on Ovation of the Seas 2021/22 summer season out of Sydney.

Royal Caribbean released the following statement:

"A clear pathway for the return of foreign-flagged ships and cruising, in general, is yet to be established by governments in Australia. Due to this, Royal Caribbean has made the decision to cancel all sailings on Ovation of the Seas from Sydney, 13 Dec. 2021 through 31 March 2022. We know many of our guests look forward to a return to cruising, and we regret the inconvenience this may cause. Booked guests and travel partners impacted will be contacted with further details. 

"As Australia opens up, we are committed to progressing the proactive conversations with federal and state governments on recommencing cruising in Australia and hope to provide an update soon."

The Quantum Class ship was scheduled to offer 10-night domestic sailings from Dec. 13, 2021, through Mar. 31, 2022. Ovation of the Seas is slated to return to Alaska in 2022, with the 4,180-passenger ship sailing from Vancouver.