Issue #
171
|
Volume
9
September 30, 2020
In this Issue
Here are some of the news articles we are following:
- CDC Agrees to Extend “No-Sail” Order
- 2nd Carnival Corp. Cruise Ship Resuming Cruises
- Michael Bayley hopeful things have entered a 'new phase'
- Cruise Line Says They Will Resume Caribbean Cruises on November 7
- Photos of the First Cruise Ship from a Major Cruise Line to Resume Cruises
- Noble Caledonia and Salen Go with Resco Thermal Monitoring
- Peace Boat to Modernize Cruise Fleet with Newer Ship
- Richard Fain provides a beacon of hope for the global cruise industry
- Royal Caribbean CEO warns anti-cruise group is flooding CDC to extend no-sail order
- Carnival Cruise Line Cancels Trips Into 2021
- Person tests positive for COVID-19 onboard Hurtigruten’s ms Finnmarken
- Azamara Cruises introduces late 2022-early 2023 sailings
- MSC Cruises - Health & Safety on board (Video)
Cover Image by:
Photo by Kai Pilger on Unsplash
CDC Agrees to Extend “No-Sail” Order
The CDC agrees to extend 'no-sail' order through Oct. 31 in a compromise with White House Task Force.
2nd Carnival Corp. Cruise Ship Resuming Cruises
"A second cruise ship from Carnival Corporation will resume cruises today when Costa Diadema departs from Genoa, Italy. Costa Diadema will be the second ship from Costa Cruises to return to service and will sail a cruise to the Western Caribbean. On October 10, it will be the turn of the flagship Costa Smeralda to set sail again while December 27 sees the debut of the new fleet member Costa Firenze. The embarkation of guests on Costa Diadema for today’s first departure from Genova has been carried out in accordance with the procedures set out in the Costa Safety Protocol, which contains new operational measures in response to the COVID-19 situation, dealing with all aspects of the cruise experience both on and off the ship."
Cruise Line Says They Will Resume Caribbean Cruises on November 7
"Starting on November 7, a cruise line will begin offering a series of 22 cruises to the Caribbean from Barbados. SeaDream will offer six to eight-night sailings from Barbados that includes ports calls to St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. All three countries are open to Americans. This announcement comes after a successful summer season sailing in Norway. “Sailing during these times undoubtedly presents some new challenges. But as the first luxury line to begin sailing again, we have learned many lessons and are confident we can provide a safe environment without sacrificing luxury,” said SeaDream’s Andreas Brynestad. “We are thrilled to offer our guests a much-needed escape and the dream vacation they deserve onboard SeaDream.” SeaDream I’s Barbados winter season begins with a spectacular 21-day transatlantic voyage set to sail from Oslo. The ship will stop in Skagen, Denmark and Southampton, U.K before heading to the West Indies."
Michael Bayley hopeful things have entered a 'new phase'
"With Monday's release of the 'Healthy Sail Panel' recommendations, Michael Bayley is feeling more optimistic about cruising's return from the US. COVID-19 infections are down, testing is improving and there are promising signals on vaccines. Altogether, he hopes 'this is the beginning of the end to this terrible journey everybody's been on.' Finally, there's some momentum. The president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International spoke to Seatrade Cruise News about advances in addressing the virus, details about the new protocols, the public's reaction to them, what kind of tests will be required and what he tells people who grumble about masks."
Photos of the First Cruise Ship from a Major Cruise Line to Resume Cruises
"MSC Cruises was the first major cruise line to resume cruises when one of their cruise ships sailed on a week-long cruise last month. MSC Grandiosa is about to complete her fifth successful cruise since restarting. The cruise ship has implemented a comprehensive health and safety protocol to keep crew and guests safe. The new measures include universal testing for all guests before embarkation, rigorous health screening of crew before they commence their contract as well as ongoing health monitoring on board, protected ashore visits following the same high standards ashore as on board as well other measures such as enhanced sanitation of the ship, social distancing and use of face masks in public areas, best practices of personal hygiene, to name a few."
Noble Caledonia and Salen Go with Resco Thermal Monitoring
"Noble Caledonia and Salén Ship Management are implementing Rescompanys' (Resco) Concierge Thermal Screening system to enhance the health measures at check in and onboard the company's three small expedition ships, all formerly Renaissance vessels. Using a hand-held device, this module will allow the crew to quickly and efficiently check-in their guests while taking their temperature and quickly identifying and isolating any potentially affected guests and crew."
Peace Boat to Modernize Cruise Fleet with Newer Ship
"Japan Grace, which operates the Peace Boat cruise operation, announced it has chartered a new, modern cruise ship that will replace the Ocean Dream and Zenith pairing. Starting in 2021 the Pacific World will replace both the Ocean Dream and Zenith as Peace Boat's sole vessel. It is believed the ship is the current Sun Princess. "We believe that this vessel upgrade will give those already registered for the cruises from Spring 2021 onward a better and safer cruise experience," the group said. As for the ship, Japan Grace did not name a vessel, but used a photo of the Sun Princess in an announcement and mentioned the Pacific World would be 77,000 tons with capacity for 2,419 guests, with a large number of balcony cabins, and a ventilation system bringing in air from the outside, plus ample interior space for a properly physical-distance cruise."
Richard Fain provides a beacon of hope for the global cruise industry
"Rebecca Gibson asks the Royal Caribbean Group's chairman and CEO how he is safely navigating its brands through the stormy waters caused by the Covid-19 pandemic
For more than five decades, Royal Caribbean Group’s innovative cruise ships have taken millions of guests to thousands of destinations around the world every year. However, for the majority of 2020, the 62 ships belonging to its four cruise brands – Azamara, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Silversea Cruises – and its joint venture TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises have been forced to sit idle in ports, harbours and open waters due to travel restrictions and ‘No Sail’ orders triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the wake of the industry shutdown, Royal Caribbean Group had one key priority: to ensure that its more than 45,000 crew members were safely returned home. “We’ve worked with governments and other organizations to coordinate the monumental effort to repatriate our crew members,” says Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. “There have been very complex ongoing conversations and incredibly difficult logistical challenges to navigate together, but we’ve all been driven by one common goal – ensuring everyone’s wellbeing. I’m pleased to say that more than 98 percent of our crew members have now been safely reunited with their loved ones in more than 90 countries around the world.” Royal Caribbean Group has also implemented several key measures to help protect both the physical and mental wellbeing of crew members and their families. Among the new services on offer is an employee edition of the RCL Cares programme."
Royal Caribbean CEO warns anti-cruise group is flooding CDC to extend no-sail order
"Royal Caribbean International President & CEO Michael Bayley took to social media to urge cruise fans to share their thoughts on cruises restarting, following a number of comments by a "a small anti-cruise group" against cruise lines."
Carnival Cruise Line Cancels Trips Into 2021
"Carnival Cruise Line is canceling sailings into early 2021 and is also selling two of its ships as COVID-19 continues to tremendously affect the travel industry. Announced this week, the cruise line canceled cruises on both their Carnival Magic and Carnival Paradise ships until March 2021. Carnival Valor's itineraries are also canceled through April 29 and cruises on the Carnival Spirit are canceled through May 16. Currently, all 27 Carnival cruise ships are currently paused until at least the end of September, and Carnival CEO Arnold Donald said its cruise ships likely won’t be at full capacity again until at least 2022. Meanwhile, British cruise line P&O Cruises, which is part of the Carnival Corporation, is also canceling early 2021 sailings."
Person tests positive for COVID-19 onboard Hurtigruten’s ms Finnmarken
"Hurtigruten cruise line has confirmed Saturday afternoon, September 19, that a person onboard its ms Finnmarken (Otto Sverdrup) cruise ship had tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19). The person is a foreign citizen associated with the charter assignment Hurtigruten rents out the cruise ship to. MS Finnmarken is leased and used as a hotel ship in connection with the "Mission: Impossible" recording, after replacing ms Fridtjof Nansen. The infected person arrived at the ship in Hellesylt Saturday morning and has no virus symptoms. The result of a second test is expected on Sunday. The person in question is currently isolated on land."
Azamara Cruises introduces late 2022-early 2023 sailings
"The ultra-luxury brand Azamara Cruises announced new itineraries for 2022-H2 and 2023-Q1. The program includes 80+ new itineraries with 170 overnights and a total of 300 late-night port stays. Some of the highlights include maiden port calls (Dakar Senegal, Aberdeen Scotland, Tinos and Syros in Greece) and more "Country-Intensive Voyages" scheduled. Azamara calls at 275 ports of call worldwide, among which 26 are Greek. Azamara Quest is due to operate a "Greek Intensive Voyage" roundtrip from Piraeus-Athens on October 15, 2022, with calls at Tinos, Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, Agios Nikolaos (Crete), plus Kusadasi Turkey."
MSC Cruises - Health & Safety on board.
To access the video visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX2F2X6qkN4
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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