Issue #
222
|
Volume
14
January 29, 2021
In this Issue
Here are some of the news articles we are following:
- Carnival Aims to Have All Ships Sailing This Year
- When Will Cruising Resume In 2021? Here’s the Good News….
- Virgin’s Voyage Well Plan
- Norwegian Cruise Lines Fights to Survive
- Carnival Corporation has enough cash to survive cruise-less 2021
- Vasco Da Gama to Sail Under Nicko Cruises
- 'I am ecstatic': COVID-19 vaccine inspires confidence among cruise passengers, industry
- Largest cruise ship on the Great Lakes will make seven trips to Thunder Bay (3 Photos)
- Carnival Releases Big Update, More Ships Being Offloaded
- Marella Extends Operations Pause Again
- These cruise ships are set to debut in 2021
- Carnival Cancels March Cruises and More
- Norwegian Spirit: Inside cruise ship's $129m upgrade before its first Australian sailing
- Heritage Expeditions introduces 2 new summer 2021 New Zealand cruises
- SOMETHING FOR LAST… Memories from one year ago…
Cover Image by:
Photo by Ameer Basheer on Unsplash
Carnival Aims to Have All Ships Sailing This Year
“We hope to have all of our ships operational by year end,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation, speaking on the company’s fourth quarter and year-end earnings call. Donald said that he hopes that early 2021 is just a hangover from 2020, and the company hopes to restart in a phased-in approach, relying on the regional nature of its brand portfolio. Already, the company has seen startups from its AIDA and Costa brands, although on a regional level with trimmed occupancy and with just a couple of ships. Donald noted the company is in discussions with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but said it was too early to determine when test cruises may happen in the United States. The company is still waiting on technical guidance from the CDC. While waiting on more guidelines from the CDC, Donald said the company was bringing ships back to the U.S. to be in a good position to restart.
When Will Cruising Resume In 2021? Here’s the Good News….
It’s the question on every cruiser’s lips: when will cruising start again in our region? And the answer may come as a pleasant surprise: Ponant already has journeys slated to start next month in New Zealand, and is fervently hoping that will open up the Kimberley here in Australia. Coral Expeditions is expanding, with new voyages this month, including the Great Australian Bight. The cruise line’s flagship Coral Adventurer will return to operations from Cairns later this January after a 10-month hiatus, having recently completed an eight-voyage season alongside Coral Discoverer on the Great Barrier Reef.
Virgin’s Voyage Well Plan
“There is no silver bullet to fight COVID-19, this is a multi-level approach,” Frank Weber, senior vice president of hotel operations for Virgin Voyages told Cruise Industry News. “The first step is to keep it off the ship, and then it comes down to the mitigating factors we have onboard, detection, and to be prepared if someone does test positive. “We will screen and test our sailors (guests) before they come onboard. We will also sanitize the terminal, boarding will be staggered and with health questionnaires, temperature checks and other touchless technologies. “And that covers anybody going on the ship, whether sailors, crew as well as contractors and authorities.” The second barrier is onboard. Weber said Virgin has measures in place, including temperature checks, to detect and avoid the potential spread of the virus. “Onboard it will also come down to mitigating factors,” he added, “such as physical distancing, sanitation, monitoring, health care, cleaning, and air treatment.”
Norwegian Cruise Lines Fights to Survive
I continue to follow the plight of the cruise industry with much interest. I hope the industry can revive once the pandemic is in the rearview mirror. I'm not sure we've ever had an industry in near complete shutdown mode as long as this one. Yet the markets appear to be looking forward, through all of the damage, and ignoring how much the capital structures of the cruise lines have changed as they fight to survive. Let's focus on Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCLH) . NCLH has issued sizable amounts of both debt and equity since the pandemic began. Shares outstanding have increased from 215 million at the end of 2019 to the current 315 million. Debt increased from $6.8 billion at the end of 2019, to nearly $11 billion as of the most recent quarter end (Q3 September). Since then, NCLH raised an additional $850 million in debt. Cash was higher than normal at the end of Q3 ($2.35 billion), however, some dry powder to fund cashflow needs.
Carnival Corporation has enough cash to survive cruise-less 2021
Carnival Corporation had enough cash to survive a cruise-less 2021, according to CEO Arnold Donald who talked with investors on Monday, January 11. The company reported a net loss of US$2.2 billion during the final quarter of last year but ended 2020 with US$9.5 billion in liquidity, which was enough to endure at least 12 more months without sailings, Donald said. In order to tighten supply, the company had divested of 15 cruise ships from its pre-pandemic fleet of 105 and planned to bid farewell to 4 more in the coming weeks. Carnival has returned 30 of its vessels to U.S. waters since the U.S. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) lifted its months-long no-sail order in October 2020, replacing it with requirements cruise lines need to meet in order to resume passenger sailings. Carnival Corporation had removed all of its ships from U.S. waters in June 2020.
Vasco Da Gama to Sail Under Nicko Cruises
The Vasco Da Gama will be operating under Mystic Cruises’ German-based cruise brand, Nicko. “With the popular Vasco Da Gama, the latest addition to the fleet in the Nicko Cruises family, you can discover the world from 2021. Small enough for a family atmosphere, big enough for a fantastic onboard experience and personal freedom,” the cruise line wrote on its website.
'I am ecstatic': COVID-19 vaccine inspires confidence among cruise passengers, industry
Nancy Sobel, who calls herself a "cruiseaholic," is ready to get back out to sea and started getting ready to do so once news of the COVID-19 vaccine's distribution broke. Sobel had four cruises booked for 2020 before the pandemic struck, including one transatlantic cruise with her son from New York to Rome in May, which was canceled. "When the vaccine became a reality, I booked the same trip, but in reverse for November 2021," Sobel told USA TODAY. Many cruisers were willing to get back on board cruise ships even before vaccine distribution began. But now, with vaccines being distributed rapidly around the nation, more cruise passengers, along with the industry officials and health authorities, have voiced confidence.
Largest cruise ship on the Great Lakes will make seven trips to Thunder Bay (3 Photos)
For the first time in the modern era, Thunder Bay will be a turnaround port for a Great Lakes cruise ship starting next year. Viking Cruises will send its newest vessel, the Octantis, from Milwaukee to Thunder Bay seven times in 2022. After passengers disembark, they will return by air, and the Octantis will pick up another group of travellers who have been flown to Thunder Bay to meet the ship for a voyage to Milwaukee via Duluth. The vessel will be in port for about 48 hours on each visit. The Octantis is nearing completion in a European shipyard.
Carnival Releases Big Update, More Ships Being Offloaded
Carnival Corporation released its preliminary financial information for Q4, which ended November 30, 2020. While the news is, in general, what could have been expected with heavy losses, some surprises have been released. Instead of the 18 ships that were previously reported to be sold or scrapped, the company says it will be getting rid of 19 vessels.
Marella Extends Operations Pause Again
Marella Cruises today confirmed that due to "continued uncertainty as a result of COVID-19, it has extended its pause in operations until March 31 for all European sailings and until April 30 for all long-haul sailings," in a press release.
These cruise ships are set to debut in 2021
The cruise industry is hoping for a major do-over in 2021. Thanks to COVID-19-induced shipyard delays and sailing suspensions, several brand-new ships from major cruise lines including Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity missed their planned 2020 debuts and are now set to join their respective fleets in the new year. They'll be joined by ships from a brand-new line, Virgin Voyages, as well as specialty brands, including Silversea, Crystal and Seabourn. Scroll ahead to check out the most-anticipated cruise ships of the year.
Carnival Cancels March Cruises and More
Carnival Cruise Line is notifying guests of additional cruise cancellations, including extending its pause in all operations in the U.S. through March 31, 2021, as well as select ships and homeport operations related to itineraries and drydock work, according to a press release.
Norwegian Spirit: Inside cruise ship's $129m upgrade before its first Australian sailing
As COVID called time-out on sailings last year, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) used that window to reimagine the standard across its fleet. The Norwegian Spirit was given a luxurious $129 million+ (US$100 million) facelift in Marseille, France over 43 days, with the adult cruiser at the heart of its refreshed design — making it the most extensive revitalization of any ship in the company's history. The result? As well as bow-to-stern enhancements in the public areas and a brand-new hull, guests can look forward to 14 new venues, and some very swish new and updated staterooms.
Heritage Expeditions introduces 2 new summer 2021 New Zealand cruises
The small-ship cruise company Heritage Expeditions introduced 2 new summer expedition cruises targeting "adventurous Kiwis." The Christchurch-based company announced two new itineraries scheduled to explore NZ's rarely visited parts - "Unseen Fiordland, Stewart Island and The Snares" and "Auckland Islands and The Snares - Subantarctic Wonderland" (also visiting Enderby Island). The new voyages replace the "January Ross Sea" itinerary which was cancelled after NZ's Ministry of Health denied permission for Spirit of Enderby (Professor Khromov ship) to sail back to New Zealand from Antarctica at the completion of the voyage.
SOMETHING FOR LAST… Memories from one year ago…
JANUARY 2020:
Costa Smeralda, the line's newest and largest vessel, was held in Civitavecchia, the port for Rome, with suspected cases of coronavirus onboard. The passenger was later diagnosed with the common flu and the ship was cleared to sail. https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/22350-italian-authorities-quarantine-costa-smeralda-on-coronavirus-concern.html
Update: 30 January, 2020: Costa Smeralda, Quarantined in Italy. ANSA reports 6000 passengers on an Italian cruise ship are currently blocked at Civitavecchia after a Chinese woman came down with a fever raising fears, she had contracted the new coronavirus. Her husband did not present symptoms. The couple, from Hong Kong, were tested by experts from Rome’s Spallanzani Hospital, which specializes in infectious diseases and viruses. The woman is being held in isolation in the hospital ward aboard the Costa Crociere ship. The couple arrived in Italy at Milan’s Malpensa Airport on January 25. They boarded the ship at Savona earlier this week.
Update: 31 January, 2020: The passengers were found to not have the coronavirus and all passengers were allowed to disembark.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the articles above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this e-Newsletter
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the articles above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this e-Newsletter
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