Author: Alfredo Casuso

LIVES OF THE LINERS: CRUISING, CRUISE SHIPS & THE COVID PANDEMIC – APRIL 25, 2021

From Bill Miller
May 2021

Mon May 17^th  P&O  Cruises The new 5,200 guest Iona sailed into Southampton on Sunday ahead of her naming ceremony.  The $1 billion ship was completed a year ago, but has yet to see any commercial service.  

Costa:  The Costa Luminosa is back in service  as the ship sailed on Sunday from Trieste, becoming the company’s second ship to resume operations in 2021 after the Costa Smeralda re-entered service earlier this month from Savona.  The 2,800-bed Luminosa will offer Adriatic Sea itineraries and also call in Greece as part of Costa’s four-ship sailing plan for summer 2021, all operating under the company’s Costa Safety Protocol. 

Above:  Crystal Symphony & Oosterdam at Turks & Caicos

Fresh Face!  When Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Mardi Gras, arrives to her new home in Port Canaveral, Fla. on Jun 4th, she will be flying the Bahamian flag to designate the new ship registry for the first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) ship to operate in North America.  The Mardi Gras has been the most highly anticipated new ship in the cruise industry for more than a year, with her arrival and inaugural impacted by the extended pause in cruise operations from U.S. ports. But with more and more hopeful signs of a return to guest operations and constructive discussions between the industry and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Carnival is moving the ship to Port Canaveral to get her ready for sailing.  The ship will depart from Barcelona on May 21st to start her transatlantic voyage and eventual arrival.

Crystal Cruises announced yesterday:   “This is a bittersweet moment as we say goodbye to Crystal@Home, our virtual connection for the last year, and say hello to our return to cruising this July. Indeed, from our early-on yoga sessions to our weekly Wednesday travel stories and Thirsty Thursday concoctions, we learned to balance our wellness and our wanderlust during an extraordinary time.”  

Above:   P&O’s Iberia at Fiji (1966)

Another Naming Ceremony:  Viking Cruises’ newest ship, the  Viking Venus,  will set sail from Portsmouth today (Mon) on its maiden voyage and naming ceremony. The ship will be christened by journalist and broadcaster Anne Diamond as godmother. The first passenger sailings will start on May 22 as Portsmouth becomes the homeport for Viking Venus’ initial five UK sailings.

Resumptions!  Seven cruise line brands from Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company, have announced plans to resume guest cruise operations this summer, with AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn and P&O Cruises (UK) sailing from global ports in Europe and the Caribbean

Tue May 18^th Alaska!  The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill last Thursday that could allow cruise ships to return to Alaska ports this summer. The Alaska Tourism Recovery Act would temporarily suspend the requirement for cruise ships stop in Canada. Canada is closed to cruise traffic through Feb 2022, making a stop there impossible.

Pulling Up the Anchor!   All far too long to list here, almost all cruise lines are now posting re-start dates – from Southampton to Singapore, from Antigua to Auckland.   

Carnival Cruise Line intends to restart service in the United States without requiring passengers to have the COVID-19 vaccine, according to President Christine Duffy, in an interview on NBC Nightly News on Monday. “There is no mandate for any other business to have that requirement. We wouldn’t be able to have kids under 12 onboard,” said Duffy, standing at Port Canaveral near the Carnival Liberty. Duffy said they are working to restarting in July as the brand is currently continuing its discussions with the CDC.

Above:  The Carmania at Port Everglades (Jan 1966)

Thu May 20^th  Princess Cruises, Holland America Line & Carnival Cruise Line expect to resume US cruising in July with Alaska sailings from Seattle. The news immediately follows Congress’s passage of a cruise ship cabotage temporary waiver for Alaska operations which is on its way to President Biden to sign into law. Plans for the lines’ itineraries to fulfill obligations under the Passenger Vessel Services Act waiver are expected to be approved.

Fri May 21^st  Alaska:  Following passage of the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act, work with Alaska government officials, and recent guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Holland America Line is announcing plans to restart cruising to Alaska in July roundtrip from Seattle, Washington, aboard Nieuw Amsterdam. Bookings are open for the 11 Saturday departures that will operate from July 24 through Oct. 2. The seven-day “Alaskan Explorer” itinerary calls at Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka and Ketchikan. Scenic cruising in Alaska’s iconic locales includes Glacier Bay and Stephens Passage. 

MSC Cruises:  Cruising from the UK is back after a 14-month hiatus as the MSC Virtuosa is set to cast off from the port of Southampton for a four-night sailing on Thursday.  Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises, said: “We are very proud that MSC Virtuosa’s first ever sailing marks the resumption of cruising from British ports after an enforced break of more than a year and effectively heralds the next phase of restart for our industry.

Southampton:   Dave Smith reported: “Yesterday (Thursday) we had Ventura docked at QE2 Terminal 38th berth & around 5pm yesterday we had the first cruise ship sailing from Southampton for over 14 months. The ship was the MSC Virtuosa.  She is 1,087 feet long, launched in 2019, has a capacity of 4,842 (double occupancy) or 6,334 maximum capacity, and her gross tonnage is 181,541.  The ship is only carrying 1,000 guests, however, and is on a 4-night cruise along the South Coast of England, then more 3 & 4 day cruises to follow. Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth & the P & O Iona will shortly set sail on cruises around the coast of the British Isles, getting back to normal we hope!”

More News from the UK:    Alan Moorhouse reports:  “In Southampton yesterday, it was a new day, a new page and a new start of the post pandemic era. Hopefully! The new Iona had just been named. The new MSC Virtuosa left on the first ‘seacation’ out of the UK.  Britannia led a P&O ‘hornfest’ as she passed Iona and Ventura. Meanwhile, the new, recently named Viking Venus was nearby in Portsmouth and which will soon host the almost new Scarlet Lady.”

Sun May 23^rd Turkey: Justin Zizes has shared a recent view (below) of 4 large cruise liners being scrapped at Aliaga.

Tue May 25^th Update from California:  Long Beach bought the Queen Mary in 1967 for $3.45 million, and for decades the city has leased the ship to a string of operators who have failed to make a profit. The ship’s latest operator, Eagle Hospitality Trust, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January and the city is now battling with the leaseholder in bankruptcy court over the Queen Mary’s future. A city-commissioned inspection report released in court documents last week says the historic vessel is in worse condition than previously thought and will need an additional $23 million in urgent safety repairs to keep it viable in the next two years. The ship could be in danger of flooding or even capsizing if the repairs aren’t addressed, according to court documents. The Queen Mary in the meantime remains closed until further notice.

Barbados & Beyond:  The Caribbean may be the cruise market coming back in the strongest and quickest manner, backed up by the North American source market wanting to stay close to home.  The Caribbean commanded an average of 38.9 percent of the global deployment of the cruise industry prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that number is expected to grow in the future as the industry returns to sailing. Cruise guests from North America will want to stay closer to home, with homeports in Florida, Texas and Louisiana driving the majority of deployment to the Caribbean on big ships.

Above:  Carnival Splendor at Cabo San Lucas 

Wed May 25^th Viking will expand its Mediterranean presence this summer by adding a third ship for round-trip cruises from Malta.  The Viking Star will now join sister ships Viking Venus and Viking Sea there and will sail a new 11-day itinerary, Malta & the Western Mediterranean.

Another One Gone! Formerly with the Fred Olsen Line, the 48-year-old Boudicca (below) was last serving as an accommodation vessel at Pendik, near the Tuzla Shipyard in Turkey. She was built in 1973 by Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard, Finland as Royal Viking Sky.  But earlier this month, the 21,500-ton the ship was beached for scrapping at nearby Aliağa. 

The ship certainly had a diverse history.  In 1991–1992, she began sailing for Norwegian Cruise Lines as the Sunward – and then alternating, in summers, as the Baltic-based  Birka Queen.  Between 1993 and 1997, she sailed for Princess Cruises as their Golden Princess.   Then, it was to Hong Kong-based Star Cruises in 1997–1998 as the SuperStar Capricorn followed by a charter 1998–2001 as the South Korean-operated Hyundai Keumgang. She went back to Star Cruises in 2001–2004, again as the SuperStar Capricorn, before  going on charter in 2004–2005 as  Grand Latino for Spain’s Ibero Cruises.  She joined Fred Olsen in 2005, becoming the Boudicca. 

Above:  Victoria & United States at New York (1965)

Out of the old shoebox:   

Above:   The classic Michelangelo seen at Genoa – with Lauro Lines’ Roma & the Rumanian Transylvania also in port.

    Below:  A splendid painting of the outbound Aquitania

Thank you to all our readers, correspondents, those “agents” in faraway places! 

LIVES OF THE LINERS:   

CRUISING, CRUISE SHIPS & THE COVID PANDEMIC – MAY 18, 2021

From Bill Miller

May 2021

Thu May 13^th  Norwegian Cruise Lines’ next new ship initially will sail in Northern Europe before moving to North America for voyages out of New York City, the line announced on Monday. Scheduled to debut in Aug 2022, the 3,215-passenger Norwegian Prima (below) also will offer voyages out of Galveston, Texas; and Miami and Port Canaveral, Florida, during its first year in operation. Currently under construction at a shipyard near Venice, Italy, the $950 million Norwegian Prima will be the first of a much-awaited new series of vessels for Norwegian that are scheduled to debut over the next six years.  Norwegian has announced few details of the new vessels other than that they’ll measure around 140,000 tons — about 15% to 17% smaller than the Breakaway Plus Class ships the line has unveiled in recent years. 

Among the inaugural voyages planned are:  A 12-night, transatlantic sailing from Southampton, England, to New York starting on Sep 23rd, 2022, with calls at Lerwick, Scotland; Reykjavík, Iceland; and Halifax, Nova Scotia; and  a five-night, roundtrip voyage to Bermuda out of New York on Oct 10th.

Fri May 14^th Holland America:  It was smooth seas and fair winds for Holland America Line’s newest ship, the 100,000-ton Rotterdam, which returned in the evening of May 6 to Fincantieri’s Marghera (Venice) shipyard in Italy, after successfully completing two sets of sea trials off the country’s Adriatic coast. 

Europe Bound!  With the European Union poised to reopen to Americans and an eventual travel corridor between the U.S. and U.K. remaining likely, airlines are cautiously excited over the possibility of summer travel to Europe boosting their bottom lines. But just how big of a boost remains to be seen, with the window to capitalize on the usually busy summer travel season starting to close — partly thanks to the strong resurgence of domestic travel demand.

Above:  MSC Orchestra at St Petersburg, Russia

Norwegian Cruise Lines is about to up the ante when it comes to the suite life on megaships. The world’s fourth-largest cruise brand on Wednesday announced that its next series of vessels would have the largest variety of suite categories available at sea, including three-bedroom suites that are larger than anything that has emerged from other lines in recent years. The six-ship series also will boast a higher staff-to-passenger ratio and a higher space-to-passenger ratio than other recently built big cruise ships, allowing for a higher-end experience across the board.

Royal Caribbean:  The annual “Monsters of Rock Cruise” is set to sail on the Freedom of the Seas in 2022, marking the sailing’s 10th anniversary Departing out of Miami, Florida, promoter On The Blue announced the five-night full ship charter cruise will set sail Feb 9th to 14th  and visit two ports in CocoCay, Bahamas and Labadee, Haiti, and feature performances from Alice Cooper, along with performances from over 35 artists.

Viking Ocean Cruises announced the “restart of limited operations” from locations including Bermuda, with the cruises “available exclusively for vaccinated guests.”  The cruise line’s website shows sailings from Bermuda in June and July of this year, and the itinerary shows the ‘Bermuda Escape’ 8-day cruise will visit all three Bermuda ports – Hamilton, Dockyard and St George’s — with prices starting at $1,799.

Update from Southampton:   Dave Smith reports “The P & O ship Britannia has been docked in the Ocean Terminal on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, but do not know when she is sailing.  Rumor has it that the brand new Iona [also P&O] is due in port next week.”

Sat May 15^th New Guidelines:   In a major win for cruise fans, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention updated its Conditional Sailing Order on May 12 to loosen mask-wearing requirements for fully vaccinated cruise passengers. The update also allows vaccinated cruise passengers to explore independently on shore at ports of call.

In the updated rules for the resumption of cruises, the CDC says cruise ship operators “at their discretion, may advise passengers and crew that — if they are fully vaccinated — they may gather or conduct activities outdoors, including engaging in extended meal service or beverage consumption, without wearing a mask except in crowded settings.” The CDC further says cruise lines may allow fully vaccinated passengers to explore ports on their own. The agency says those who are vaccinated “may engage in self-guided or independent exploration during port stops, if they wear a mask while indoors.” The CDC notes, however, that foreign countries could have their own requirements concerning independent port exploration.

Immediately, lines began putting out information. Masks will not be required at Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, Vicki Freed, the line’s senior vice president of sales, said in her Wednesday Coffee Talk. The CDC has been meeting frequently with cruise lines since it updated its guidance for test cruises and restricted startup cruises last week. The updates included rules for mask wearing, social distancing and shore excursions.

Cruise line officials, including Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, had criticized the agency for not issuing separate guidance for passengers who are fully vaccinated, as opposed to those who are not. Norwegian Cruise Line has committed to sailing ships with 100 percent vaccinated passengers and crew through October. Cited as particularly onerous in the original guidance were restrictions on how long cruise passengers can take off their masks to dine, as well as rules to wear a mask outdoors by the pool. The updates appear to address some of these concerns.  

Carnival Cruise Lines this week notified its guests and travel advisor partners of cancellations for additional sailings as it works toward plans for a possible July restart in the U.S. on select ships.  Carnival hopes to begin operating sailings on three ships from Florida and Texas, including Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze from Galveston, and Carnival Horizon from Miami.  Further, if Carnival can find a solution to allow cruise ships to visit Alaska, the Carnival Miracle will assume some of Carnival Freedom’s departures from Seattle. Given that there is still some uncertainty in our ability to operate these cruises, guests booked on those sailings who wish to make alternate summer vacation plans may cancel without penalty by May 31, 2021 and receive a full refund.  The company is cancelling sailings on all other ships through July 30th.   Guests whose cruises are cancelled are eligible for a future cruise credit (FCC) and onboard credit (OBC) or a full refund.    Separately, late last week Carnival notified its guests that the Carnival Splendor’s pause out of Sydney was extended another month, as it cancelled sailings from Aug 19th to Sept. 17th.

Further CDC Update:  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has seemingly lightened up on its complex cruise regulations, releasing an update to its COVID-19 operation guidelines for cruise lines wanting to operate from U.S. ports under the agency’s Conditional Sail Order. While the CDC stressed its mask order remains in effect, it said that “cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may advise passengers and crew that—if they are fully vaccinated—they may gather or conduct activities outdoors, including engaging in extended meal service or beverage consumption, without wearing a mask except in crowded settings.”   The CDC also noted that cruise lines may allow fully vaccinated passengers to go ashore on their own, instead of having to participate in organized group tours.

New Cruise Line:  Former Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) bosses have reunited to launch Ambassador Cruise Line, a UK-based operator aimed at the over 50s market which plans to start sailing with one ship in Apr 2022. Ambassador will operate cruises on the Ambience, formerly known as the Regal Princess and then Pacific Dawn,  a P&O Australia-based ship, which had been set to become CMV’s flagship under the name Amy Johnson.

The 1,400-passenger ship’ maiden voyage will be a “short-break cruise” out of Tilbury to Hamburg, Germany, starting on Apr 6th next year. The ship’s debut full-year program, running from Apr 2022 until May 2023, will include 33 sailings, calling at 88 ports across the Baltics, Greenland, the Arctic and Iceland. During the winter months, Ambassador plans to offer “expedition-style voyages” to the Canaries, Cuba, the Caribbean, Cape Verde and Scandinavia. All passengers and crew will be required to be vaccinated for Covid-19 prior to departure, the line confirmed.

Sun May 16^th Alaska:  The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that will allow foreign-flagged cruise ships to operate in Alaska without calling on a Canadian port as the Alaska Tourism Recovery Act was passed on Thursday. It’s a huge step to saving part of the 2021 Alaska cruise season. 

Update on Restarts:  The three largest cruise brands are targeting different restart plans should get the green light to cruise in July from U.S. ports, according to recent announcements and comments from executives.

Carnival Cruise Line said earlier this week it is hoping for a July restart in the U.S. on select ships. Carnival hopes to begin operating sailings on three ships from Florida and Texas, including the Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze from Galveston, and Carnival Horizon from Miami.  

Royal Caribbean International   “We believe we are now seeing a clear way forward to safe cruising in the near future,” said Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of the Royal Caribbean Group, on the company’s business update call in late April.

Added Michael Bayley, CEO and president of the Royal Caribbean International brand: “With what (CDC letter) we received last night July looks very realistic (for restarting cruises in North America).”  As for the Alaska season, Fain noted there are uncertainties and that service resumption may require a waiver from the Passenger Vessels Service Act as long as Canada will not allow ship calls. Alternatively, Canada could allow technical calls. “Given the momentum, there is reason for optimism,” Bayley added.

Norwegian Cruise Line had intended to restart in the United States on Jul 4th, having submitted what it referred to as an ironclad plan and letter to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in early April. But as of early May, and with no reply from the CDC, company executives said that a July restart from U.S. ports won’t be happening. “The July U.S. launch at least from our company, it’s just not possible,” said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO, on the company’s first quarter earnings call in early May.

More News from the UK:   Two of our top UK agents,  Dave Smith & Nick Braddock report that P&O Cruises’s brand new Iona (below) will arrive today (Sun May 15^th) at Southampton for the first time.  German built, the $1 billion ship has been laid-up (mostly in Norway) since delivery last year.  The 184,000-ton Iona is the largest British owned passenger ship yet, measures 1,130 feet in length and can carry up to 5,200 passengers.  A sistership, the Arvia, is now under construction.   

Mon May 17^th   Getting Closer!  The cruise industry is getting closer to a restart in the United States as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released another update to its Conditional Sail Order late last Friday. The update added new sections for the screening of embarking passengers for restricted voyages, testing of embarking and disembarking passengers for restricted voyages, test selection and specifications for passenger screening testing on restricted voyages, and onboard COVID-19 testing for symptomatic passengers and their close contacts. In short, the changes continue to open the door for cruise lines to operate with ease if passengers and crew are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Late last night we received multiple updates to the CSO from the CDC,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, in a Saturday morning social media post.  “All reflect the significant progress made with the vaccines. Reading the updates last night and this morning give me increased optimism. Today the light at the end of this long dark tunnel is bright. One step at a time!”

Change at Royal Caribbean:  With an ongoing conflict involving Israel, Royal Caribbean International is expected to cancel or at least significantly adjust its summer season from Haifa on the new Odyssey of the Seas.  According to a report from Crew Center, staff aboard the ship have already been informed the season has been scrapped. Industry sources indicated earlier in the week that the company would need to at least delay the season amid ongoing violence in the region. Now it appears the ground-breaking home-porting operation, which was set to see Royal Caribbean make history by putting a brand new ship into Israel, will need to wait.

Thank you to all our readers, correspondents, those “agents” in faraway places!