Issue #
169
|
Volume
9
September 25, 2020
In this Issue
Here are some of the news articles we are following:
- Will CDC Extend Pause on Cruising & Is A Vaccine Actually the Answer?
- It’s official: Cruising will resume in the Caribbean in just 7 weeks
- Royal Caribbean Completes Crew Repatriation
- Causation is an issue in suits against cruise lines by passengers who contracted COVID-19
- Carnival Cruise Ship Completes Final Journey Before Scrapping
- Stranded cruise workers in Brazil finally going home; 300,000 others await repatriation
- Color Line Cruise Ship Back in Service After COVID-19 Scare
- To cruise or not to cruise. Loyalists face a dilemma
- Ponant: sailing into a new era of cruising in France and Iceland
- Carnival cruises posts $3bn quarterly loss due to Covid
- Carnival Now Eliminating 18 Cruise Ships from Different Cruise Lines
- How MSC Cruises Is Operating Safely in the Mediterranean
- NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line to restart operations on select sailings in November 2020
- Marella Cruises announces winter 2021-2022 itinerary program
- MS Berlin handed over to Dreamliner Cruises
- AIDA Moves Restart Forward, Cruising from Italy In October
Cover Image by:
Will CDC Extend Pause on Cruising & Is A Vaccine Actually the Answer?
"When it comes to travel, few come close to the knowledge and experience of Emmy award winning investigative reporter and travel editor for CBS News, Peter Greenberg. A member of the U.S. Travel Association’s Hall of Leaders for his contributions to the travel industry, Greenberg is an authority on all things cruising. He joined Porthole Cruise Founder and Editor-in-Chief Bill Panoff for an in-depth discussion on the state of cruising and the hurdles yet to come. Greeberg offered his thoughts on when cruising will return, new COVID-19 compliant changes onboard, and how cruising is portrayed in the national news cycle. You can watch the whole interview with Peter Greenberg …"
It’s official: Cruising will resume in the Caribbean in just 7 weeks
"The comeback of cruising in the Caribbean is finally at hand — at least in a small way. Small-ship specialist SeaDream Yacht Club on Tuesday became the first cruise company in the world to definitively say it will resume cruises in the Caribbean in the coming weeks. During a Zoom call with travel media, travel agents and top SeaDream customers, SeaDream vice president for itineraries and destinations Emilio Freeman said the 112-passenger SeaDream I would begin a series of 22 voyages out of Barbados to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada, on Nov. 7 — just over seven weeks from now."
Royal Caribbean Completes Crew Repatriation
"Royal Caribbean Group has come a long way since the start of the global pandemic and suspension of all cruises. The company faced unprecedented challenges during the repatriation of its crew members, however, they managed to overcome all travel restrictions and health protocols established by many countries and safely return crew members back home. With the final charter flights on September 10 and 13, for 240 Mauritian crew members, Royal Caribbean successfully completed the repatriation of the last remaining crew stranded on board. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Royal Caribbean repatriated 29,930 crew members on over 100 charter flights, and over 2,600 commercial flights, as well as using their ships to repatriate crew in Indonesia, India, Philippines, and other countries around the world."
Causation is an issue in suits against cruise lines by passengers who contracted COVID-19
"Two federal judges last month dismissed cases filed by passengers who blamed Princess Cruise Lines for their COVID-19 illness. The August rulings were among the first in the nation to address issues of injuries and causation, Law.com reports. The cases demonstrate the difficulties of proving causation, according to Christopher Robinette, a professor at the Widener University Commonwealth Law School, who spoke with Law.com. If people confined to a cruise ship for several weeks can’t demonstrate causation, it will be even more difficult for those suing other businesses for contracting COVID-19, Robinette said. Miami lawyer Spencer Aronfeld, who has sued cruise lines in other COVID-19 cases, discussed the August rulings with Law.com."
Carnival Cruise Ship Completes Final Journey Before Scrapping
"The Carnival Imagination has completed her long journey across the Atlantic to Turkey where she will be beached and scrapped. The Fantasy-class Carnival cruise ship has finally arrived just off the coast of the Aliaga ship breaking facility in Turkey. This comes after the vessel was docked in Curacao for some time offloading important equipment and items."
Stranded cruise workers in Brazil finally going home; 300,000 others await repatriation
"It's been a long six months since the coronavirus outbreak was declared a global pandemic, especially for the maritime crew members who have been stranded on cruise ships since mid-March. Now, repatriation for over 100 Mauritian seafarers has reportedly been finalized between MSC Cruises, Emirates Airlines and government authorities – though over 300,000 others are still waiting to go home. About 101 cruise workers were stuck on three MSC ships anchored near Santos, Brazil, since mid-March, when cruise companies suspended international movement due to the COVID-19 crisis, The Guardian reports. One unnamed worker alleged escalating tensions because stranded crew has not been paid in over six months."
Color Line Cruise Ship Back in Service After COVID-19 Scare
"The cruise ferry Color Magic has resumed her normal schedule after a coronavirus scare on board. One of her crewmembers tested positive during a routine check on September 10, and Color Line canceled the vessel's scheduled Saturday departure as a precautionary measure. All other crewmembers were also tested to determine if there might be additional cases, and all passengers who were on board for the affected voyage were notified. However, the suspected case turned out to be a false alarm. The individual who tested positive was retested and showed no evidence of infection, and the Color Magic has resumed her normal Oslo-to-Kiel round trip service."
To cruise or not to cruise. Loyalists face a dilemma
"The cruise industry has been in free fall since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March. Not only are vessels unable to sail, but the swirl of bad publicity has also left the public believing that cruise ships are deadly incubators of disease. Will travelers ever want to sail again? Cruise junkies say yes; experts say it might take a long time for the industry to recover. Carol and Dennis Bingham are fans with an unusual perspective. They lived through a highly publicized coronavirus voyage; nevertheless, they can’t wait to go again. The Las Vegas couple would be looking forward to their next trip, a 28-day South Pacific holiday in October. But the voyage, like thousands of others, was scratched because of no-sail orders from both the cruise industry and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that suspended passenger operations."
Ponant: sailing into a new era of cruising in France and Iceland
"Founded in 1968, Ponant has gained a reputation for five-star cruising on innovative, environmentally conscious yachts. As the first company to restart ocean cruising in France in following the Covid-19 lockdown, we take a look at what protocols the company has put in place and how science and technology combine to create a safe and hygienic environment on board."
Carnival cruises posts $3bn quarterly loss due to Covid
"Cruise giant Carnival has announced a near $3bn (£2.3bn) quarterly loss – but signaled fairer waters ahead with its first sailing since March and bookings currently at the “higher end of historical curves” for holidays in the second half of next year. Most of Carnival’s global fleet remains in harbour with cruises suspended due to the pandemic, but the corporation said that were signs of recovery and that demand for cruise holidays was back to 2018 levels. It paused all operations in March, after coronavirus broke out on several of its ships and implicated Carnival in the global spread of Covid-19."
Carnival Now Eliminating 18 Cruise Ships from Different Cruise Lines
"Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company operating nine cruise lines and over 80 cruise ships, has provided a business update that covered everything from the elimination of cruise ships to bookings for 2021. Carnival is now eliminating a total of 18 less efficient cruise ships, five more than originally announced. This represents a 12% reduction of pre-pause capacity. Eight of these 18 cruise ships have already left Carnival’s fleet."
How MSC Cruises Is Operating Safely in the Mediterranean
"MSC Cruises has so far — knock on wood! — been operating safely in the Mediterranean. The MSC Grandiosa departed Aug. 30 on its third voyage since the COVID-19 pandemic began. TravelPulse discussed the resumption of operations with Ken Muskat, executive vice president and COO of MSC Cruises USA."
NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line to restart operations on select sailings in November 2020
"NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line announced it is planning to restart operations on select sailings in November, including some that depart from Miami Florida, and stop along Mexico's Caribbean coast. The first of the cruises is a ‘Caribbean Round-trip Miami’ voyage aboard Norwegian Joy that is scheduled to depart from PortMiami on November 21, sailing over 7 days to Honduras and Belize prior to stopping at Cozumel and Mahahual in Quintana Roo Costa Maya region."
Marella Cruises announces winter 2021-2022 itinerary program
"TUI's UK-based brand Marella Cruises' winter 2021 itinerary program has gone on sale from September 10. The company revealed details of new itineraries and call ports. From December 2021 the company’s "A Taste of the Tropics" (Caribbean) program will be out of homeport Bridgetown Barbados to new ports of call in the USVI - Saint Thomas Island (Charlotte Amalie) and Saint Croix Island (Frederiksted-Christiansted) - before continuing to Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and St Vincent-Grenadines. Marella Discovery 2 has scheduled 2 new itineraries around Asia in 2022 including "The Lights of the Orients" (homeport Hong Kong) and Eastern Experience (homeport Singapore). Both itineraries visit the new call ports Manila (Luzon Island, Philippines), Bandar Seri Begawan (Muara, Brunei) and Da Nang (Vietnam)."
MS Berlin handed over to Dreamliner Cruises
"Dreamliner Cruises - brand and subsidiary owned by Royalton Investment, is taking over the MS Berlin cruise ship from FTI Cruises with immediate effect and is scheduling a complete drydock renovation. Following the refurbishment, the Malta-flagged liner will be renamed to "Dream Goddess". Royalton Investment is a holding company with operations in Europe and Asia (Middle East), with assets in industries like Yachting/Cruising, Real Estate, Hospitality/Travel, Technology. The Valletta Malta-based holding, which owns the world's largest fleet of superyachts, is expanding its fleet in what is today a rapidly growing ship cruise segment via the purchase of the vessel MS Berlin from FTI Group. FTI Cruises departures in September-October 2020 have already been cancelled."
AIDA Moves Restart Forward, Cruising from Italy In October
"AIDA Cruises will expand its range of cruises this fall with new voyages visiting the highlights of Italy, starting on Oct. 17, 2020. Carnival's German brand is thus moving up its restart from November to October. The new seven-day itinerary departs from Civitavecchia near Rome and travels to Palermo and Catania in Sicily, Naples and La Spezia. In Rome, an overnight stay is planned. AIDA did not say what ship will be put into service first. The voyages will be offered weekly until Nov. 28, 2020."
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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