LIVES OF THE LINERS: CRUISING, CRUISE SHIPS & THE COVID PANDEMIC – APRIL 28, 2021
From Bill Miller
April 2021
Mon Apr 19thUK-basedSaga Holidays has experienced a 127-percent increase in the number of booking inquiries to its contact centers in the week after the UK government released a report suggesting that international travel can be resumed from May 17th.
Wed Apr 21stRoyal Caribbean Group CEO Richard Fain expressed optimism Monday that cruise lines will be able to resume operations this summer, more than one year after the industry effectively shut down in the coronavirus pandemic.
AIDA Cruises will begin offering seven night cruises out of Corfu on May 23rd. The cruises will travel through the Greek islands to Crete and Rhodes, as well as to Katakolon (Olympia) and Piraeus (Athens).
Thu Apr 22Small-ship operator American Cruise Lines is now operating six of its 13 vessels in eight states around the country. The U.S.-flagged company, based in Connecticut, was the first line to resume operations in the U.S. on Mar 13th when the 100-guest Independence began coastal cruises from Florida.
Royal Caribbean: The first voyages of the biggest cruise ship ever built are now available for booking. Royal Caribbean on Tuesday began taking reservations for the initial sailings of its much-awaited, soon-to-debut Wonder of the Seas (below), the fifth vessel in its groundbreaking Oasis Class series. At 236,857 tons, the Wonder of the Seas will be nearly 4% bigger than the current size leader in the cruise world, Royal Caribbean’s three-year-old Symphony of the Seas. It’ll be able to hold up to 6,988 passengers — a new record for a passenger ship.
Cruise Saudi, a public investment fund-owned business that seeks to develop Saudi Arabia’s cruise industry, and MSC Cruises have announced the launch of Red Sea cruises in the coming winter 2021-2022 season. Under the terms of the agreement, the MSC Magnifica will homeport in Jeddah, the commercial hub and one of the largest cities of Saudi Arabia, as well as the second-largest port in the Middle East with a historical centre that has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Operating seven-day Red Sea cruises from Nov 2021 to Mar 2022, the vessel will visit a selection of ports and destinations in the region and three Saudi ports including weekly calls to the port of AlWajh, the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage site of AlUla. As the Kingdom prepares to host the inaugural Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2021 on Dec 5th in Jeddah, MSC guests will have the chance to follow this global sports event during their trip aboard the Magnifica.
Cheap Fares! A recent survey of more than 3,000 past cruisers found that health and safety tops the list of factors shaping that decision. It’s not surprising, considering a global pandemic has shut the industry down for over 13 months and travel restrictions are still in place in many parts of the world. But it is interesting that when asked about the most important factors in deciding whether to book a cruise, the top six on the list are all COVID-related. The ability to get a discount ranked number eight! And who doesn’t want a discount?
Seabourn will homeport in Barbados this summer, starting Jul 18th. Carnival Corporation’s ultra-luxury brand will sail two different Southern Caribbean seven-day itineraries with the Seabourn Odyssey. The Odyssey marks the second Seabourn ship back in service as the Seabourn Ovation will start cruising in Greece in early July.
Mon Apr 26th MSC Cruises may be the biggest cruise brand based on confirmed resumption plans (as of late Apr 2021) with ships and berths back in service by Aug 31st. On a corporate level, Carnival Corporation will have the most ships and berths back in service, with six brands set to operate 13 ships by late Aug at press time, and indications are that more announcements are forth coming.
Returning MSC Ships:MSC Virtuosa, MSC Grandiosa, MSC Seashore, MSC Seaview, MSC Seaside, MSC Preziosa, MSC Splendida, MSC Magnifica, MSC Orchestra and MSC Musica. Total Berths: 37,066. Regions: Europe – Western Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean and Northern Europe. After announcing a massive restart plan, MSC intends to have ten ships in service in Europe by August.
UK-Based Cruise ships sailing in UK waters will be limited to 1,000 passengers when operations begin on or after May 17th. All travelers must also be residents of the British Isles, according to new regulations issued by the department of transport. The rules also state Covid-19-secure guidance will continue to apply.
Carnival Corporation: The road to a resumption of cruising worldwide is not as easy as it may sound. To that effect, Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise operator, has now contracted Bureau Veritas to support the ships that will be sailing in the upcoming months and those that are sailing already with various health and safety measures. The company will be supporting Carnival Corporation with health and safety services to facilitate the return to cruising, protecting passengers and crew.
Travel restrictions are evolving for those who have gotten a COVID-19 vaccine. Fully vaccinated Americans looking to travel this summer will now be able to add the European Union to their list of potential destinations.
Tue May 27th Viking Cruises has added two more departures to its program of short UK coastal cruises for June. The additional cruises were added after the first three cruises sold out, and will be operated using the same ship, the 930-berth Viking Venus. The new cruises will start at £3,690 per person. Sailing from Portsmouth, calls are being scheduled for Liverpool, Tresco in the Isles of Scilly and in the bay of Falmouth.
Cunard: This month Cunard Line announced three centenary voyages that will celebrate Cunard’s first World Cruise by the Laconia in 1922-23. And sales are already strong!
Cunard has noted: “2023 marks 100 years since the RMS Laconia completed Cunard’s first World Voyage and to celebrate we’re sailing on a season of global adventures inspired by this pioneering feat in ocean travel.”
“On the morning of Nov 21st 1922, if you were a bit posh and more than a little adventurous, you might have boarded the luxury liner Laconia for her inaugural around-the-world cruise. For 130 glorious days, you’d visit some of the world’s most exotic destinations — Yokohama and Shanghai, Rangoon and Bombay, Egypt, and Naples. You’d steam through the Suez Canal, visit the Taj Mahal, and pass through the Valley of the Kings.“
“Although the ship could carry up to 2200 passengers, this excursion was limited to just 450 travelers who were assigned to only the largest and most well-appointed cabins on board.”
World cruises boomed in 1922-23, with the Laconia being only the first of four ships to leave New York on world cruises that winter. The others, booked either by travel agent Frank C Clark or by American Express, were United American Line’s 19,653-ton Resolute, Canadian Pacific’s 18,481-ton Empress of France and Cunard Line’s 19,602-ton Samaria, which sailed in the opposite direction from the other three, proceeding from west to east. The rest, as they say, is history.
Thank you to all our readers, correspondents, those “agents” in faraway places!
LIVES OF THE LINERS: CRUISING, CRUISE SHIPS & THE COVID PANDEMIC – APRIL 17, 2021
From Bill Miller
April 2021
Sun Apr 11th St Vincent: The Serenade of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International arrived in St. Vincent on Friday to help evacuate residents following the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano. It’s one of two ships on the scene from Royal Caribbean Group, as the company also sent the Celebrity Reflection to help, while Carnival Cruise Line sent two ships as well: the Carnival Legend and Carnival Paradise.
Venice Seems there have been lots of cheers about keeping big cruise ships out of Venice.
Mon Apr 12th Resumptions! From our keen agent here in the US, Charles Dragonette reports: “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offered a rare glimmer of hope for the cruise industry this week, with the agency that the latest aspect of its phased return to U.S. cruising ‘aligns with the desire for resumption of passenger operations in the United States expressed by many major cruise ship operators and travelers, hopefully by mid-summer’.”
The comment came only after hard criticism from the cruise industry followed an announcement on Apr 2nd that the agency was releasing technical guidance to inform port agreements and deal with Covid-19 outbreaks. With no indication regarding when cruise lines might finally receive the green light to sail—or even when they could begin to conduct simulated sailings, or “test cruises,” to assess new health protocols—it barely advanced the industry’s stalled position.
The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) called the instructions “disappointing” and “largely unworkable,” noting that before the pandemic the cruise industry supported almost 450,000 American jobs and contributed some $56 billion annually.
In several ways, the CDC’s updates may be too little, too late. Many cruise lines, fed up with waiting, are ditching the U.S. entirely—at least for their busy summer seasons—and moving that lucrative industry offshore to ports around the Caribbean. Since Crystal Cruises introduced the tactic on Mar 11th, similar announcements have been pouring in from nearly every major line: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Windstar Cruises, and even Viking. All plan to restart business in the region this summer.
As a result, it’s Caribbean nations, not the CDC, setting the tone for a safe return to cruising. Some, such as Bermuda, are limiting the number of cruise passengers; on that island, only 3,000 visitors can disembark weekly. Others, including Anguilla—which has earned recognition for having a remarkably small number of Covid cases during the pandemic’s duration—are requiring that all shore excursions be limited to specific parts of the island and be run only by approved, Covid-compliant vendors.
One requirement has been consistent across the board: vaccines for all adult guests and crew.
Tue Apr 13th More on Restarting! And more from the astute Charles Dragonette: Restarts for cruising will come with known and unknown risks. In Antigua and Barbuda, as well as other islands, the resumption of tourism and the return of higher numbers of nationals have sent Covid-19 cases soaring. Poor access to vaccines in some countries means that locals are exposed to greater risk than the traveling public. While the prospect of transmission among the vaccinated set has proven to present a low risk, the CDC continues to recommend against large group settings, a probable reason why it has yet to approve cruising from U.S. shores. But money talks! For Caribbean countries, allowing vaccinated cruisers is a seemingly low risk that comes with significant economic rewards.
Bermuda is estimating a potential economic boost this summer of more than $40 million if it can get three ships to use it as their primary port. That’s far short of the $170 million in economic benefit the British territory has reaped from its typical average of 185 ship calls per year, but it beats the island’s rewards from the four cruise ships that visited in 2020. Royal Caribbean’s 2,500-passenger Vision of the Seas will be based in Bermuda from June to August for seven-night sailings to the cruise company’s private Bahamas island, “Perfect Day at CocoCay”. Itineraries include an overnight docking in Bermuda so cruise passengers have time to explore the island—and spend money. Also sailing from Bermuda will be a vessel from Viking Ocean Cruises.
St Maarten has also jumped on the opportunity to host ships that might normally sail from Miami and other U.S. ports. The Netherlands island territory welcomed 1.6 million cruise passengers in 2019 and is anxious to get back to business. Homeporting will be an important step in the recovery of the island’s economy. Celebrity Cruises’ 2,220-passenger Celebrity Millennium will sail weekly from St Maarten this summer on routes to the Southern Caribbean.
Of the five islands homeporting ships this summer, all have so far required vaccines, forcing the hands of cruise lines that were not already planning to enact the requirement. There will be a zero-tolerance policy for rule-breakers, and even small offenses will get violators sent back to the ship.
Bermuda’s Ministry of Health has developed a step-by-step process in the event a passenger tests positive, Burt says. This includes a pre-arranged isolation and quarantine accommodation for 14 days in Bermuda, with close monitoring and care from a local doctor appointed by the cruise line. Similarly, St Maarten has made shots the backbone of its health precautions. Vaccines will be essential for passengers and crew, as well as the local community, in order for the return of cruise ships. Government officials envision inoculated passengers can explore the territory freely as long as they respect standard public health policies such as wearing masks and social distancing. Those policies have encouraged small ship line Windstar Cruises to sail its recently stretched all-suite 312-passenger Star Breeze, on sailings from St Maarten to ports that include Saint Barthélemy, Jost Van Dyke, and Anguilla. The vessel would normally spend the summer in Europe.
The president of Regent Cruises noted, “If you get sick on our ship with Covid, we will put you in a hospital, we’ll pay your bills, and we will make sure you get home. We’re not going to drop you off at the side of the road! Trying to counter images of Covid-exposed passengers stranded at sea or in unexpected ports at the start of the pandemic. Regent notes, “It’ll be the safest leisure activity on the planet.”
TUI Cruises has carried more than 84,000 passengers since resuming last summer with just four COVID-19 cases that were handled without disruption. TUI is Germany’s 2nd largest cruise operator following Carnival-owned AIDA.
Rising Return! The return of cruising gained even more momentum last week with Viking Cruises (below) announcing its Viking Orion for Bermuda departures and Virgin Voyages its Scarlet Lady for Portsmouth.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is today (Apr 9th) celebrating one year since it set sail on its first Virtual Cruise, as it looks ahead to a return to sailing with a new-look fleet this summer. Fred. Olsen set sail on its first virtual cruise on Apr 9th 2020 on a Norwegian fjords voyage that celebrated the line’s heritage. Since then, it has set sail on 51 further virtual cruises, with destinations including the UK, Iceland, Caribbean, Canary Islands and a World Cruise, to name a few.
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line has announced resumption of cruising and will be accepting bookings for sailings starting Jul 2nd.
Wed Apr 14thSaga Cruises has announced that its inaugural launch of the Spirit of Adventure, as well as three of the four British Isles cruises on the Spirit of Discovery were sold out only two weeks after going on sale. The British cruise line is geared to the over 50s. The first cruise departs from London/Tilbury on Jul 26th. The itinerary for15 nights visits Newcastle, Newhaven, Dundee, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Ullapool, Cruise St Kilda, Greenock, Belfast, Douglas, Holyhead, Bristol and Falmouth.
UK cruising: Other lines such as P&O, Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity & Disney are reporting very strong bookings for 4-7 night cruises only for vaccinated UK citizens.
Fri Apr 16thNews from MSC: One of the world’s biggest cruise lines, MSC Cruises, announced on Thursday it would resume operations with more than half its fleet over the next three months. The 18-ship brand already has restarted sailings out of Italy with one ship, MSC Grandiosa. But, it now plans to have at least 10 ships sailing by Aug. 1.
For now, all 10 of the ships will operate in Europe, where government officials have been more open to a resumption of cruising in recent months than officials in some other regions of the world, including North America. The governments of both Canada and the United States continue to ban cruising from their ports due to worries about the spread of COVID-19.
Viking Ocean: Fincantieri has delivered the new Viking Venus to Viking ahead of the ship’s debut in the UK in May. The 930-guest ship was delivered on Thursday in Ancona. It’s the seventh in a series of up to 16 930-guest ships being built for the Torstein Hagen-led cruise company. The Viking Star was delivered in 2015 and was quickly followed by the Viking Sea, Sky, Sun, Orion and Jupiter, with another nine ships set to follow, plus two 378-guest expedition ships from Fincantieri-owned VARD Shipyard.
More on Re-Starting! The continuing negotiations between cruise lines and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took a few more steps this week, although nothing solid toward answering the question that all cruisers have — when are we going to sail?
Words from Holland America: “As Holland America Line moves closer to the 150th Anniversary of our founding in 2023, this past year has taught us the importance of celebrating the smallest of milestones. So, we’re proudly commemorating our 148th Anniversary on April 18, 2021. As one of the longest-serving and most experienced cruise lines in the world, Holland America Line has grown into an award-winning, premium cruise line. Though transportation and shipping were the mainstays of our business in the 19th century, in 1895 we offered our first vacation cruise. Today, we are proud to operate 10 ships that visit more than 500 ports across all seven continents.”
“The next big milestone is the introduction of a new ship to the fleet in July 2021. The Rotterdam (below), the third Pinnacle Class ship for our cruise line, joins sisters Nieuw Statendam and Koningsdam. The name has special meaning — Holland America Line’s first ship was Rotterdam, which sailed its maiden voyage from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to New York City, Oct. 15, 1872. This ship will be the seventh to bear the name for Holland America Line.”
Thank you to all our readers, correspondents, those “agents” in faraway places!
LIVES OF THE LINERS: CRUISING, CRUISE SHIPS & THE COVID PANDEMIC– APRIL 10, 2021
From Bill Miller
April 2021
Sun Apr 4th Miami Mayor Daniella Levine Cava posted on social media that she had a conversation with the CDC Director, who informed her the agency will be providing cruise lines “shortly” with new guidance.
Wed Apr 7thMiami The president of Carnival Cruise Line, the world’s largest cruise company, is turning up the volume on warnings that the company will move its ships out of the U.S. With no end in sight to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s cruise industry shutdown, cruise companies say it’s a matter of survival to get business somewhere else. Carnival Cruise Line has more ships based at Port Canaveral than any other cruise company, making its cancellation of all cruises at least through June 30 a big deal. An even bigger deal is its threat to take its ships out of U.S. ports because of the CDC’s cruise industry shutdown.
Thu Apr 8th Cancellations! Cruise fans on Tuesday faced another barrage of cruise cancellations from some of the world’s biggest cruise lines. Industry giant Carnival Cruise Line said it had pushed back its return to service by another month with the cancellation of all June sailings. Also canceling all June sailings was Disney Cruise Line, and Disney also canceled all of its Europe sailings through Sep 18.
More cancellations also came on Tuesday from fast-growing Viking, which canceled all June and July sailings that had been on its schedule. In their place, the line announced plans to operate a very small number of voyages out of Bermuda and Reykjavik, Iceland, in addition to a handful of U.K. sailings.
In addition, as part of a return-to-service plan announced early Tuesday, Norwegian Cruise Line canceled all July and August sailings aboard eight of its 17 ships: Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Spirit, Norwegian Star and Norwegian Sun. Norwegian also canceled voyages on two more ships — Norwegian Epic and Norwegian Pearl — through Sep 1st and Nov 7th, respectively. For now, Norwegian only plans to restart operations over the summer with three vessels.
Norwegian’s two sister brands, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, also canceled more voyages on Tuesday, removing all July sailings from their schedules. Both lines now plan to restart operations in August.
The flurry of cancellations came even as more cruise lines announce plans to restart cruise departures in very limited ways over the summer. Norwegian’s announcement on Tuesday included plans for new sailings out of Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Greece starting in July and August.
Fri Apr 9thVirgin Voyages is the latest cruise line moving sailings abroad as the timeline to resume cruising in U.S. waters remains unclear. “Virgin Voyages has been looking forward to sailing, and we’re so excited to announce our plans to sail from the UK,” said Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, in a statement.
The cruise line had a slow start because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which squashed Virgin’s plans to launch in April 2020. But after multiple delays, its first ship, Scarlet Lady, will make its debut in August in the United Kingdom with a series of voyages open to residents of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Scarlet Lady will be departing from Portsmouth, England, with all passengers and crew required to be fully vaccinated.
Viking Ocean Cruises will require all passengers to be vaccinated for its summer cruises, making it the latest cruise line to make the jab mandatory on board. The cruise line will open up summer sailings to Bermuda and Iceland in June, requiring guests to be both inoculated as well as undergo saliva PCR tests at embarkation and “frequent” testing throughout the journey. Additionally, Viking will add more sailings to its “England’s Scenic Shores” cruises in the United Kingdom, which it started offering in May for British citizens.
Carnival Corporation will have nine ships operating soon between its AIDA, Costa, Cunard, Princess, P&O UK and Seabourn brands, and hopes to continue with a staggered restart. How many ships will it take before the financials start looking better? Using 2019 as a baseline, a fleet of 25 ships operating may be the magic number, according to David Bernstein, chief financial officer, speaking on the company’s first quarter business update call on Wednesday.
Bernstein said that using 2019 numbers, if the company had its top 25 ships operating, at full occupancy, they would generate enough cash flow to cover the pause costs of 60 to 65 other ships Full occupancy will take time however, as Arnold Donald, CEO, said that initial sailings from the UK would start at modest occupancy levels.
Sat Apr 10th The Long Beach City Council moved forward this week on a plan to possibly transfer control of the land that encompasses the iconic but financially beleaguered Queen Mary to the Long Beach Harbor Commission, which governs the Port of Long Beach.
Cruising remains the only sector of the economy that is prohibited by the U.S. Government from operating at this time. This is due to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Conditional Sailing Order, which bans cruise ships from sailing from ports in this country.
This has been a great source of frustration not only to cruise lines and cruise fans but also to the State of Florida, where many homeports, such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral, are located. On Thursday, TPG reported that the state of Florida had filed suit against the federal government to force it to allow cruise lines to resume sailing out of U.S. ports.
Celebrity and the Sunshine State aren’t alone in this fight, though. Major players in the industry, from Norwegian Cruise Line to Royal Caribbean to the industry’s CLIA association, are all asking Congress to take action. They believe it’s necessary to restart cruising from U.S. ports and their customers agree. According to Celebrity’s email, more than 300,000 jobs have been lost in the U.S. because of the suspension of cruise travel.
Royal Caribbean Group and Carnival Cruise Lines are sending empty ocean liners to the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent to assist with the evacuation of thousands of people as an eruption from La Soufriere volcano appears likely.
“An explosive phase of the eruption may begin with very little warning,” the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Center said in a statement to the Associated Press. The Carnival Legend and Carnival Paradise vessels along with Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas and Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Reflection (RC and Celebrity have the same parent company) are expected to dock at the island Friday to help transport some of the 16,000 people who live within the volcano’s red zone and have been forced to evacuate.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday the state will file a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, demanding cruise ships be allowed to resume sailing immediately.
Princess Cruises has announced that it will be leveraging new satellites for what it’s calling “super-charged internet connectivity,” and is now promoting its ships as the perfect “remote workstation” for virtual workers who need fast internet for their jobs.
Upon its return to sailing, every ship in the Princess Cruises fleet will feature land-like connectivity as part of its MedallionNet wifi service. MedallionNet’s seamless integration will ensure that passengers can work from their deck chairs as efficiently as in their office back home, with access to their cloud-based applications such as storage, videoconferencing, and email.
There will be an access point in every stateroom and every public area across the ships, meaning passengers wishing to go online won’t have to be sitting in that one corner of the lounge to get high-speed wifi.
Crystal Cruises: Less than a month after announcing its roundtrip Bahamas sailings for this summer, Crystal is back with another 2021 cruise option: Iceland. The Crystal Endeavor is Crystal Expedition Cruises’ very first ship, and she will be spending her inaugural season circumnavigating the beautiful landscapes of Iceland. The vessel will operate five 10-night immersive voyages in the region beginning July 17th.
More from Crystal: Crystal continues to be at the forefront of the cruise industry’s return as the company announced that the Crystal Symphony will sail a series of 15 10-night Luxury Caribbean Escapes round-trip from St. John’s, becoming the first ship ever to homeport in Antigua. Beginning August 5 through December, including a holiday sailing on December 23, the Crystal Symphony will visit the island locales of Barbados, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago*, St. Maarten and British Virgin Islands, offering travelers tropical luxuries and ample wide-open spaces to discover the local cultures with plentiful air options from most major U.S. cities. Crystal Symphony’s return to sailing marks the resumption of service for 97 percent of Crystal’s oceangoing fleet in the summer of 2021.
Out of the old shoebox: Above: Independence at Pier 84, New York, 1966; below: Angelina Lauro at Capetown.
Thank you to all our readers, correspondents, those “agents” in faraway places!
LIVES OF THE LINERS: CRUISING, CRUISE SHIPS & THE COVID PANDEMIC – April 4, 2021
From Bill Miller
March 2021
Sun Mar 28th Hiatus! During this long gap, many cruise lines are taking the opportunity for overhauls and refits. The Oosterdam & Eurodam are seen below at the Damen shipyard in Brest.
Beating the Scrappers: Change in plans: The 70,000-ton Satoshi has been saved from Indian scrap merchants and now seems to have been sold to a new startup cruise company. Having been arrested in Panama late last year, the 1991-built ship was recently released and arrived in Bar City in Montenegro last week, a port that has been commonly used for crew transfers and warm layups during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ship originally entered service as the Regal Princess in 1991, transferring to P&O Australia in 2007 for year-round service in the Australian market. She was built at Fincantieri and was originally ordered by Sitmar Cruises.
Norwegian Cruise Lines has a very diverse schedule of itineraries. But here’s one departing on Jan 2nd 2022 onboard the Norwegian Jade (below). The 12-night voyage begins at Cape Town and then touches several African ports: Mossel Bay (South Africa), Port Elizabeth (South Africa), Richard’s Bay (South Africa), Durban (South Africa), Luderitz (Namibia) and Walvis Bay (Namibia)
Mon Mar 29th: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shot down calls from the cruise industry to allow business to restart in July,
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is threatening to sue the federal government if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) doesn’t allow cruises to restart by the summer.
The Italian Government has announced that it will be temporarily diverting the flow of large cruise ships from Venice to Marghera, a mainland industrial port across Venice.
Tue Mar 30th Around Britain cruises for the upcoming summer season are now also being offered by MSC Cruises, Celebrity and Saga (below). These voyages are for vaccinated UK citizens only.
Wed Mar 31stOceania’s seventh ship will named Vista. And as with last week, the return of cruising is gaining momentum with Royal Caribbean Group adding two more ships in the Mediterranean, while further operators examine joining the UK coastal trades to English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh and Manx waters. The 30,000-ton ship is one of the R-Class from Renaissance Cruises and later sailed as the Pacific Princess.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has a beef with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He says if the CDC doesn’t lift its “conditional sailing order” on cruise ships soon, allowing them to resume sailing out of U.S. ports this summer, his state will sue the government entity.
French News! Our good friend Philippe Brebant reported yesterday: MSC Virtuosa forced to leave St Nazaire to give room for the next to be launched Celebrity Beyond yesterday is now en route to Le Havre where she is due to arrive on April 2nd for more than one month lay up. She will sail then to Southampton where she is due to be based for summer time cruising around Britain instead of North Sea as previously planned from Kiel. She will become then the largest vessel operating out from Southampton at 181,548 tons and with total accommodation for 6,344 passengers. She will be also the largest ever to enter Le Havre. Another meeting has been cancelled today: We were waiting for Jewel of the Seas to switch a portion of crew to the newly delivered Odyssey of the Seas. But due to pandemic alerts onboard, this meeting has been cancelled. This Papenburg-built ship meeting will take place somewhere else instead.
Thu Apr 1st Royal Caribbean International has confirmed a summer 2021 cruising season in the UK on the Anthem of the Seas. Select key workers will have an opportunity to sail for free.
Lindblad Expeditions announced plans today to resume operations in June for the 2021 season in Alaska and Galápagos.
Japan: NYK Grouphas ordered a new 744-guest cruise ship from Meyer Werft for its Asuka Cruises brand, which currently operates the luxury Asuka II (ex-Crystal Harmony). The 51,950-ton ship will be delivered in 2025. NYK is the former owner of Crystal Cruises.
Fri Apr 2nd Carnival Corp: Like many others, Arnold Donald is missing cruises. “I’ll be on the first cruise ship I can get on as soon as restrictions lift!” says the Carnival Corporation president and CEO. “I can’t wait to feel the sea breeze and catch up with our amazing crew members to let them know how grateful we are for everything they have done, and continue to do, for our business and for our guests. I’m also excited to meet our guests and see the happy expressions on their faces as they enjoy our innovative ships and delight in the life-changing experiences we offer.”
It’s been a year since Donald was forced to halt all cruise operations across Carnival Corporation’s AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, P&O Australia, Princess Cruises and Seabourn brands due to the global Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. Neither Donald nor anyone else in the cruise industry expected the virus to still be ravaging countries around the world after 12 months.
Cunard: From over in England, our “agent” Alan Parkhurst reports: The launch of Cunard’s Summer at Sea luxury UK voyages has driven the busiest booking day in the UK for a decade. Cunard’s Summer at Sea voyages onboard the Queen Elizabeth (below), sailing between July and October 2021, comprise scenic cruises along the UK coastline, voyages that include ports of call around Britain or those that simply sail to wherever the sun shines brightest. All are round-trip from Southampton.
“This record-breaking day follows a phenomenal response to our Centenary World Voyages, onboard the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria in 2023, which went on sale a few weeks ago. In perhaps an indication that guests are upgrading having not traveled for a while, suites onboard these voyages pretty well sold-out at the end of the first day of sales, with only one top suite remaining,” said Cunard President Simon Palethorpe. “We are delighted by this response from guests and particular thanks to all of our agent partners for their continued work supporting guest bookings. We’re really looking forward to welcoming guests back on board this summer.”
Below: The three Queens departing from Lisbon in spring 2015 as part of Cunard’s 175th celebrations.
Sat Apr 3rd Storylines has announced that it will build its new residence cruise ship concept, the MV Narrative (below), at the Brodosplit shipyard in Croatia. The ship features fully furnished residences ranging from 237 sq. ft. to 2411 sq. ft., priced from $300,000 to more than $8 million for a premium two-level penthouse suite. Owners and invited guests will have the opportunity to live a sustainable life of luxury and freedom while at sea. Owners have the option to make their unit available through the Storylines rental program.
Positioned as the greenest ship in the market, according to a press release, Storylines’ MV Narrative utilizes LNG fuel along with innovative reusable energy technologies and energy storage and recovery systems. The ship also includes a waterfront marina, microbrewery, art studio, hydroponic gardens, and more.
MSC Cruises has opened bookings for its new UK cruise holidays this summer with sailings from $550 pp including premium drinks, luxurious cabins, and heaps more. In fact all of the sailings will be offered on brand new flagship MSC Virtuosa, which boasts some swanky staterooms, a large top deck pool, and even a sci-fi themed bar complete with a robotic bartender.
Above: The mammoth MSC Virtuosa & the Ship’s Gallery
Out of that old shoebox: Very top: Sat afternoon departures – Home Lines’ Atlantic (left) and Oceanic (1982); Below: The brand new Queen Mary arriving in New York’s Lower Bay, June 1936
Thank you to all our readers, correspondents, those “agents” in faraway places!
LIVES OF THE LINERS: CRUISING, CRUISE SHIPS & THE COVID PANDEMIC – March 2021
From Bill Miller
March 2021
Mon Mar 19th West Coast: In a big development for West Coast cruising, Royal Caribbean last Wednesday announced plans to base a ship in Los Angeles — something it hasn’t done in a decade. The world’s largest cruise line said its 3,386-passenger Navigator of the Seas would sail year-round to Mexico from the city starting in June 2022, offering a range of three- to seven-night voyages.
Costa Cruises announced that it will start cruising again in May, citing restrictions in place in Europe and other European countries to contain COVID-19. In line with the new plan, the Costa Smeralda’s departure from Italy is planned for May 1, with three- and four-day mini-cruises or alternatively a seven-day cruise, calling at Savona, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina and Cagliari. From June 12, the Costa Smeralda will return to sailing one-week cruises in the Western Mediterranean, with visits to Italy (Savona, Civitavecchia and Palermo), France (Marseille) and Spain (Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca).
The departure date of Costa Luminosa, the second Costa ship scheduled to resume service, is now postponed to May 16 from Trieste, and the following day from Bari, confirming its program of one-week cruises in Greece and Croatia.
Tue Mar 23rd: AIDA Cruises is back and cruising as the AIDAperla has departed on the first cruise for the German brand in 2021 in the Canaries. Carnival Corporation’s German brand will offer week-long cruises in the Canaries on the AIDAperla, departing from Gran Canaria. The voyage then features a sea day, call in La Palma, an overnight call in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and stops in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote before heading back to Gran Canaria.
Wed Mar 24th The American Society of Travel Advisors called on the Biden administration to allow cruising, citing rising COVID-19 vaccination rates and the fact that other activities are resuming.
Italy: Fincantieri is back with a big bang! The Italian shiopbuilder has a very healthy order book for 2021 and beyond – and sees a quick return to profit amidst the pandemic. Fincantieri is the biggest and busiest producer of cruise ships in the world.
Cunard: Get your flapper dresses ready — or your Jay Gatsby-esque pinstripe suits. Cruising, 1920s-style, is about to make a comeback. In an announcement this week that will no doubt excite ocean liner history buffs, the storied Cunard Line said it would operate two around-the-world voyages in 2023 that will mirror its first world-circling trips of the 1920s.
Designed as a celebration of the UK-based brand’s first two circumnavigations of the globe in 1923 — which also were the first circumnavigation of the globe by any line — the voyages will feature many of the same port calls that were on Cunard’s first two around-the-world sailings. Cunard’s original around-the-world sailings took place on Cunard’s Laconia (above) and Samaria — two grand ocean liners of the 1920s. Both of the vessels had just debuted in 1922.
For 2023, Cunard’s 2,081-passenger Queen Victoria will visit many of the ports that Laconia visited on its first-ever around-the-world cruise, including Hong Kong; New York; Singapore; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Colombo, Sri Lanka; San Francisco; Hilo and Honolulu in Hawaii; Manila; and Naples, Italy. Other destinations on the schedule include Aruba, Jordan, Tonga and a full transit of the Panama Canal.
Add Bermuda to the list of places where Royal Caribbean is restarting cruises. The world’s largest cruise line on Tuesday said it would begin seven-night sailings to the Bahamas out of Bermuda’s Royal Naval Dockyard as soon as June 26.
The unusual routing, which the line will offer through August, will be Royal Caribbean’s first foray into out-of-Bermuda cruises in its 52-year history. The trips will take place on one of Royal Caribbean’s smallest vessels, the 2,514-passenger Vision of the Seas. Like new voyages out of the Bahamas starting on June 12 that Royal Caribbean announced a few days ago, the Bermuda sailings will not originate in or involve any stops at U.S. ports. This means they will not require the approval of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They only require the approval of officials in Bermuda and the Bahamas, which the line now has. The CDC has blocked cruise ships that carry more than 250 people from sailing in U.S. waters since March of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The agency has not yet announced when cruise lines will be able to restart operations in U.S. waters.
Thu Mar 25th The cruise industry is ready to sail. And it’s calling out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for what it views as unfair treatment more than a year after being shut down by the health authority in U.S. waters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cruise Lines International Association, the industry’s leading trade organization, is urging the CDC to lift its “framework for conditional sailing order” to allow cruising to resume in phases by the start of July.
“The outdated CSO, which was issued almost five months ago, does not reflect the industry’s proven advancements and success operating in other parts of the world, nor the advent of vaccines, and unfairly treats cruises differently,” said Kelly Craighead, president and CEO of the association, which represents 95% of ocean-going cruise capacity, said in a statement.
Celebrity Cruises announced its return to cruising in Europe today as the Celebrity Apex will make its debut in Greece this summer beginning June 19, sailing roundtrip week-long cruises from Athens.
The new ship will call in Rhodes and Santorini, Greece; Limassol, Cyprus; and Haifa and Jerusalem, Israel. The sailings will open for booking on March 30. The Celebrity Apex will sail with all crew and guests above the age of 18 vaccinated against COVID-19, and those under the age of 18 with negative PCR test results. The announcement comes just days after Celebrity Cruises announced its Caribbean comeback with seven-night summer cruises departing from St. Maarten also beginning in June.
Silversea: Did these people tell their bosses they’re taking a long vacation? Silversea says it’s sold every spot on a five-month cruise around the world, set to sail around the Southern Hemisphere in 2023.
The Monaco-based line, which is owned by Royal Caribbean, announced the news Tuesday, teasing the quick bookings for the South Side Story – All the World’s a Stage trip as the most successful in the brand’s history. The Silver Shadow (above) ship will depart Sydney, Australia, on January 10, 2023, making stops in 66 destinations in 34 countries on five continents, with a final destination of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, set for May 28.
Cunard is reporting strong bookings for its long winter cruises in 2022.
Fri Mar 26thRoyal Caribbean International has announced a new program of seven-night cruises onboard the Jewel of the Seas from Limassol, Cyprus and around the coastlines of Greece and Cyprus starting from July 10.
Container Cargo: According to the latest figures (as of last Friday), there was 401 container ships totaling 3.63 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) on order. The order book is 15.3% of the on-the-water fleet’s capacity measured in TEUs, up from a multi-decade low of just 9.4% in mid-2020.
Queen Mary: Dr Nelson Arnstein reports: “Long Beach’s Queen Mary has seen many operators struggle to make the historic ocean liner profitable over the decades.
There was Joe Prevatil, who signed a lease to run the ship in 1993 and later filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy when the city demanded several million dollars in unpaid rent. There was Save the Queen LLC, which bought the lease out of bankruptcy and then defaulted on its loan in 2009. There was even the Walt Disney Co., which once operated the ship but bailed on its lease after a 1992 marine survey identified $27 million of needed repairs.
Long Beach has owned the Queen Mary since it arrived from England in 1967 as a hotel and tourist attraction. It leases the ship to operators who are responsible for its care and daily maintenance. And now the ship could see yet another new caretaker when the Queen Mary’s lease goes up for auction next month after its current operator, Eagle Hospitality Trust, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January. In a March 9th announcement, Singapore-based Eagle Hospitality Trust said it will sell its interest in 15 of the 18 hotels in its portfolio, including the Queen Mary, Sheraton Pasadena and Holiday Inn Anaheim for a starting price of $470 million in an auction set tentatively for May 20.”
Suez Canal: Marine traffic through the Suez Canal remained blocked on Friday for the fourth consecutive day, with dozens of ships stuck at both the north and south entrances to the shortest route between Asia and Africa. Efforts to dislodge one of the world’s largest cargo vessels, Evergreen Line’s 220,000-ton, 1,312-ft long Ever Given, stuck sideways across the narrow canal since Tuesday, were picking up.
Virgin Voyages: Restart dates are now posted as July 1, 2021 for Scarlet Lady; and for its second ship, Valiant Lady, November 14, 2021.
Continuing the trend of vaccine mandates, Virgin Voyages announced that it would require all passengers and crew to have a COVID-19 vaccine before sailing when cruises resume in the U.S. The move makes Virgin Voyages the first mainstream cruise line to implement a vaccine requirement for passengers and crew in the U.S., although cruise inoculation mandates have begun in other countries.
Sat Mar 27th Cunard is offering UK guests the opportunity to spend this summer at sea, with a series of UK voyages on board Queen Elizabeth. Voyages will be round-trip from Southampton, between July and October 2021, and comprise of British Isles scenic cruising and special Sun Voyages, sailing to wherever the sun shines brightest.
10 British Isles Voyages and three Sun Voyages, lasting between three and twelve nights, are available. Guests will be able to experience the most luxurious summer at sea enjoying exquisite fine dining, the onboard spa and spectacular entertainment while having the opportunity to see the UK’s coastline from a unique vantage point. British Isles Voyages include scenic sailings along Britain’s coastline including The Jurassic Coast, England’s only natural UNESCO world heritage site, Cornwall including Land’s End and Scotland including the Isle of Arran, Mull of Kintyre and Sound of Mull. Four voyages will make various port calls, including Liverpool, Greenock, Invergordon, Belfast, Newcastle as well as a maiden call for Cunard’s fleet to the Welsh port of Holyhead.
Carnival Cruise Lines’ president said in a video message to travel agents that the brand has no plans to move its ships from their U.S. homeports.
“I have always said that Carnival Cruise Line is America’s cruise line,” she said.
“We sail from 14 U.S. homeports, 50 percent of our itineraries are less than seven-day sailings, and a significant number of our guests drive to their Carnival cruise vacation. We also sail more families with children than any other cruise line. And as you know so far the vaccines are not approved for anyone under the age of 16. Duffy said as more Americans are vaccinated, her focus is on securing a decision (from the CDC) to allow for a resumption of cruising from U.S. homeports, consistent with other forms of travel returning for the summer. She noted that she is optimistic travel will resume in time for the summer.
American Queen Riverboats resumed sailing mid-month and this week, after a year since its completion at Gulf Island Shipyard last March, American Countess of American Queen Steamboat Co. is up and running. And that means a lot to river towns like Natchez.
Steady flow of visitors:The economic impact is ‘significant,’ Mayor Dan Gibson said. ‘Cruises provide a steady flow of visitors to our area on an annual basis.’ This helps support businesses like the historic homes, restaurants, shops, tours, carriage rides and the growing offering of African American history tourism.Natchez loves the American Queen and we had the American Duchess last week as the first paddlewheeler back, and I’m thankful we now have American Countess,’ Gibson said. ‘Three of the finest boats in America, cruising the Lower Mississippi and coming to Natchez every week.’With the three — after American Queen starts later this year, and American Countess gets up to full capacity, 245 passengers — that will be 832 AQSC passengers weekly, plus crew.
‘This means large numbers for Natchez,’ the mayor said.
Southern hospitality: Gibson was aboard American Countess this week for his first cruise of any kind, and he extolled the boat’s library where he remotely conducted mayoral affairs, the Sun Deck walking track, the dining room with its ‘exquisite crystal chandeliers,’ the ‘breathtaking Grand Lobby, impressive yet also very comfortable,’ the staff and entertainers and the Southern hospitality. He even took a turn at the piano.
Disney Cruise Line has become the latest cruise operator to confirm UK home sailings in summer 2021. According to a press release, United Kingdom residents will be able to sail on the new Disney Magic at Sea “staycation” sailings from UK ports this summer for a limited time. Featuring enchanted entertainment and with multiple layers of health and safety measures, the Disney Magic (below) plans to sail mostly two- and three-night voyages, as well as limited four-night sailings round-trip from London Tilbury, Newcastle, Liverpool and Southampton.
Up in the Skies! Airlines are expanding their schedules and more passengers resume traveling. Chicago-based United Airlines announced a significant increase in domestic and international flights but it’s still a fraction of pre-pandemic service. The airline announced it will fly 58% of its domestic schedule and 46% of its international schedule this May compared to May 2019.
Above: Painting of air/liner contrast 1957 by Stephen Card
End of the Line! Nick Braddock reports: The Columbus, formerly with CMV, arrived at Alang yesterday – but as the renamed Colus. Another one gone and soon to be rubble!
Return to Cruising! It’s been a confusing week in the ongoing saga between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and cruise lines hoping to resume operations in North America. The CDC has said it wasn’t the sole actor holding things back. She suggested that the Department of Transportation and other agencies were also part of the decision making. That was news to the cruise lines, who have been waiting for direction from the agency, under its Conditional Framework for Sailing order for the past six months.
The lack of any action by the CDC has effectively banned all sailings in the largest cruise market in the world. Cruising is the only sector of the U.S. economy that remains prohibited, even as most others have opened or continued to operate throughout the pandemic.
The outdated CSO, which was issued almost five months ago, does not reflect the industry’s proven advancements and success operating in other parts of the world, nor the advent of vaccines, and unfairly treats cruises differently.
In response, the agency simply reiterated its former position that the order remains in effect until Nov. 1, 2021. Returning to passenger cruising is a phased approach to mitigate the risk of spreading Covid-19. Details for the next phase of the CSO are currently under interagency review. What it didn’t mention: under the order, the agency can drop it at any time.
New Face: Scheduled to debut in the Mediterranean, the MSC Seashore (below) will arrive in Miami on Nov 17th. Described as giving guests an enhanced version of the MSC Seaside, the MSC Seashore will feature some new venues, more massive outdoor spaces and the largest MSC Yacht Club. Starting in November, the MSC Seashore will be offering 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean and Bahamas cruise itineraries. These will include stops at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.
Thank you to all our readers, correspondents, those “agents” in faraway places!
