Author: Alfredo Casuso

LIVES OF THE LINERS: CRUISING & CRUISE SHIPS – JUNE 12, 2021

Written on June 12, 2021.

LIVES OF THE LINERS: CRUISING & CRUISE SHIPS – JUNE 12, 2021

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From Bill Miller

June 6-12^th 2021

Sun Jun 6th: The once innovative 52-year-old Skyward is now gone! The Singapore-based Leisure World was delivered on Dec 1969 as the Skyward for cruise services along with her near-twin sister Starward. Both the Skyward and Starward were the first purpose-built ships of Norwegian Cruise Line. They were also supportive & helping sisterships: In 1979 a boiler room fire broke out on board the Skyward, and consequently her engines had to be stopped and her passengers transferred to the Starward. She was operated by her original owners until 1991, when the Skyward was purchased by Johnson Sembawang Ship Management (with Nassau registry) to become the Shangri-la World and afterward operated short, often overnight cruises out of Singapore. After going through several name changes in the 1990s, the now renamed Leisure World was rebuilt and renovated in Jacksonville, Florida and sold to so-called Queenstown Investments in 1995. In 2000 she was sold to New Century Cruise Line, who operated her as a casino/entertainment ship out of Penang. But following the opening of the two legal land casinos in Singapore, ship casinos’ business suffered badly. As a result, all the casino ships closed down except for the Leisure World. In April 2021 New Century Group sold the vessel for $3 ½ million for scrap, with the intention of breaking the ship in Alang and, by early June, was en route to India.

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line today announced it has received a green light from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a simulated sailing. Following all requirements outlined in the CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order, a closed-group test cruise will include a full evaluation of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s cleanliness and safety protocols, according to a press release. A small, private group of pre-selected, fully vaccinated passengers will join a group of fully vaccinated crew members onboard the Grand Classica, departing Jun 25th for a two-night round-trip cruise from the Port of Palm Beach to Grand Bahama Island.

Florida & the CDC: The parties were ordered to mediate by Jun 1^st and began meeting May 27^th. The mediation period was extended by a day, to Jun 2^nd, and today an impasse was reported. This sends the case back to a US district judge in Tampa. According to legal sources, since Florida is seeking a preliminary injunction, a hearing on the case would be expected soon and a ruling shortly. Florida’s lawsuit charges that the CDC lacks the authority to shut down the cruise industry and claims ‘each day that cruises — a singled-out industry — cannot operate, Florida suffers irreparable harm.’

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Above: MSC Fantasia & Adonia at Tripoli

Royal Caribbean, the world’s 2^nd largest cruise operator, posted a loss of $1 billion for the last quarter. Meanwhile, RCCI start-up cruises in Europe and Asia have carried 125,000 passengers to date, but with only 21 reported cases of Covid. The company also put a halt on the rehiring of Indian crew members during the recent outbreak in that country.

Viking Ocean’s Viking Sun has changed hands – in a cooperative with China Merchants, she has hoisted the Chinese flag, changed names to Zhao Shang Yi Dun and has become China’s first fulltime luxury cruise ship for cruising from the port of Qianhai.

Gambling ships: The market for Far East gambling cruises has declined considerably in recent years and has spelled the end for two more veteran passenger ships (see mention of the Leisure World above). The Amusement World, built back in 1967 as the Swedish cruise ship-ferry Patricia, has now gone for scrap. Following in her wake is the Hong Kong-based Metropolis, which began her career in 1976 as the Soviet cruiseship Kareliya (and later renamed Leonid Brezhnev).

Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras (below) made her U.S. debut this morning, docking for the first time at Port Canaveral’s Cruise Terminal 3, built specifically for this vessel which is the first in the Americas powered by eco-friendly Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and also features the first roller coaster at sea.

Bits’n Pieces: Royal Caribbean international has received approval from the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) for two more simulated sailings with volunteers onboard. The CDC has approved the giant Allure of the Seas and even bigger Symphony of the Seas for test cruises. The Allure will depart on Jul 27^th from Port Canaveral, while the Symphony will sail from PortMiami on Aug 1^st. … MSC is now resuming cruises from Spain after a 16-month pause. … In New York, commuter ferry traffic jumped by 50% between May 1^st and Jun 1^st.

Queen Mary in Long Beach: For the first time in over 40 years, the City of Long Beach regained full control of the Queen Mary, effective, Jun 4th. The City is committed to preserving the historic Queen Mary, ensuring the ship is properly restored and cared for. “For the first time in decades, Long Beach has full control of the Queen Mary. We will be fully engaged in the preservation of this historic landmark and are incredibly grateful for this opportunity,” said the Long Beach mayor Robert Garcia. .

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Above: Final sailing in Sep 1967 (Des Kirkpatrick Collection)

Royal Caribbean International has announced that six of its ships will begin sailing from major US cruise ports in Florida and Texas in Jul and Aug. The full fleet will be in operation by the end of 2021, according to the company. The cruise line’s comeback will kick off on Jul 2^nd in Miami with the 3,600-bed Freedom of the Seas embarking on a special Fourth-of-July weekend sailing to CocoCay according to an announcement.

Germany: The MV Werften Shipyard has received a loan commitment from the German Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF) following several months of negotiations with federal and regional government representatives. This includes federal guarantees for the post-delivery financing of Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Endeavor. This means that the expedition style Crystal Endeavor will be delivered in June and that construction of the 208,000-ton, 1,122-ft long, 4,700-passenger Global Dream (below) will continue. The Dream and a planned sistership will use artificial intelligence and robots for many customer-facing services, with extensive use of voice and face recognition.

Mon Jun 7^th Carnival Cruise Line today confirmed its plans to return to guest operations from Port of Galveston on Jul 3rd with the Carnival Vista, followed by the return of operations on the Carnival Breeze on Jul 15th.

Tue Jun 8^th Italy: Anti-cruise ship campaigners in Venice claim they were “deceived” by the Italian government as hundreds protested against huge vessels docking in the historic city’s port on Saturday. Residents were caught by surprise on Thursday when a cruise liner sailed into the lagoon city for the first time since the pandemic began, despite Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s government declaring that the ships would be banned from the historic centre. The 92,000-ton MSC Orchestra took on 650 passengers before leaving for Bari, in southern Italy, on Saturday.

The Millennium at Juneau

Wed Jun 9^th Norwegian Cruise Line announced additional summer voyages from New York, Los Angeles, Port Canaveral and Miami. In addition, the line is putting the Norwegian Encore, its newest ship, in Alaska in place of Norwegian Bliss. Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings’ 28 ships, including Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, will resume beginning in July and phasing in through early 2022. NCL’s newly announced deployments include, from PortMiami, the Norwegian Gem on seven-day cruises beginning Aug 15^th and a four-day voyage to the Bahamas in November. The Norwegian Escape will start sailing Nov 13th to the Caribbean from Port Canaveral. Additional itineraries on the Norwegian Breakaway are open for sale to Bermuda starting Sep 26^th from New York.

MSC Cruises announced yesterday a resumption of sailings out of US ports. The world’s third-biggest cruise brand said it would restart departures out of PortMiami on Aug 2nd with a single ship, the 4,500-passenger MSC Meraviglia. The line said a second vessel, the 3,502-passenger MSC Divina, would resume sailings out of Port Canaveral, Florida, on Sep 16th.

The Viking Sun at St George’s, Grenada

Barbados welcomed the first commercial cruise in 15 months when the Celebrity Millennium sailed into Bridgetown early on Tue Jun 7^th.

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Above: The Silver Whisper at Sydney, Nova Scotia

Thu Jun 10^th Saga Cruises’ Spirit of Discovery is preparing for her re-launch on Jun 27th. The ship was initially launched on Jul 10^th 2019, but had only recently taken to the waves when COVID-19 locked down the country. Her first sailing as restrictions lift will see her depart Tilbury on Jun 27^th on a six-night Scottish Highlands & Islands cruise. The ship will then go on to complete two 6-night itineraries from the Northern Isles to the Fjords on Jul 3^rd and 25^th respectively, and in between will take in a Great British Isles Adventure cruise from Jul 11^th for 14 nights.

Royal Caribbean International’s Adventure of the Seas made its arrival into Nassau today ahead of its Jun 12^th sailing, the first cruise for the Royal Caribbean brand in North America since Mar 2020. It will leave Nassau on Sat Jun 12th, at reduced occupancy, commencing the first in its “7-Night Bahamas & Perfect Day” summer series.

Carnival Cruise Line will have its Carnival Vista back in operation from Galveston in July and the company will require 95 percent of guests aboard to have proof of a COVID-19 vaccination, according to a letter sent to guests. Carnival said 95 percent of guests will need to have had their final approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to sailing and will be required to present proof of vaccination at time of check-in. Vaccinated guests will not be required to wear masks or maintain physical distancing.

Fri Jun 11^th Australian Cruising: The international COVID-19 situation continues to pose an unacceptable risk to public health and, in an “appropriate response to that risk,” the emergency period that has been in place since Mar 18^th 2020, will now continue until Sep 17^th 2021.

Holland America Line is canceling the remainder of the summer 2021 European sailings aboard two ships, Nieuw Statendam and Volendam. This affects cruises that were scheduled to depart from Sep through Nov, along with the Collectors’ Voyages (combined cruises) associated with those departures. In addition, after an expected on-schedule delivery from the Fincantieri shipyard Jul 30^th, new Rotterdam will remain in non-guest operations until its Sep 26^th cruise from Amsterdam. Plans for the Rotterdam’s naming ceremony are being finalized.

Celebrity: In a release: “The moment we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. This past Saturday, the Celebrity Millennium led the entire industry back into service in the Caribbean from St. Maarten after 15 long months. It was an emotional experience for our guests and crew alike and we couldn’t be more excited. And there’s more to come!”

Celebrity has added news: The long-awaited debut of our most revolutionary ship — the Celebrity Apex^. Bookings are now open for exciting new sailings this summer to the captivating destinations of Greece, Israel and Cyprus.

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Bygone sailings: The Nieuw Amsterdam at Boston

Fri Jun 11^th News from the UK: Dave Smith in Southampton reported yesterday: “The cruise ship MSC Virtuosa was refused permission this week to dock at Greenock in Scotland as the cases of the virus are rising.”

Sat Jun 12^th Caribbean Waters: Yesterday, two people on a fully-vaccinated cruise ship tested positive for COVID-19, Celebrity Cruises said in a statement. The two guests were sharing a room onboard the Millennium, the first ship with paying customers to sail from North America since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, reports said. The two passengers are asymptomatic but in isolation while the cruise line conducts contact tracing, the statement said. All passengers and crew have to show proof that they’re fully vaccinated, reports said.

Out of the old shoebox:

Below: The Mauretania berthed at Naples (1964)

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

San Francisco’s First Legacy Business Tour Company

Written on June 11, 2021.

Media Contact: David Perry / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Cruisin’ the Castro Walking Tours Goes Virtual!

San Francisco’s First Legacy Business Tour Company
Expands Access to LGBTQ Culture

https://cruisinthecastro.com/virtual-tours/

11 June 2021 – San Francisco, CA. Dorothy clicked her heels to find her way home. But for lesbian entrepreneur Kathy Amendola, she’s bringing people to her home, San Francisco’s historic Castro District, with the click of a mouse via her Cruisin’ the Castro Walking Tours (www.cruisinthecastro.com) – San Francisco’s first and only officially recognized “Legacy Business” tour company – virtually!

“Cruisin’ the Castro has never been easier,” said Amendola who has been running the internationally-known tours for over 16 years. “For those who can’t walk the walk with us, our LGBTQ history is only a click away. We are now offering a virtual tour for purchase on our website with a feature titled ‘The Castro – A Community Advocating for Equality”, entailing over 70 years of LGBTQ activism in San Francisco.”

When the COVID pandemic shut down Kathy’s acclaimed and internationally-known walking tours of San Francisco’s LGBTQ community, she heard from a lot of people who missed them. That’s when she made a decision. When in-person tours returned, she’d also expand their reach – right into people’s laptops. She spent the first few months of lockdown doing research, and preparing her online offerings, now ready for launch.

“This is just another way for history lovers to discover how many brave sexual and gender diverse individuals pushed beyond boundaries in the ongoing effort to obtain equality and civil rights in America,” says Amendola who moved to San Francisco in 1999. “Our virtual video tour spans from the early 20th century through 2020 and includes tremendous feats of local individuals advocating for positive social change.”

Highlights of the new online offering include:

Evolution of a diverse culture
Heroes and heroines of LGBTQ activism
Harvey Milk and the Castro Community
The AIDS Epidemic
The Rainbow Honor Walk
Community Landmarks, Art & Murals
The Future of LGBTQ Rights in America

Cruisin’ the Castro Tours was founded in 1989 by local historian Trevor Hailey who was inspired by the social and political upheaval of gay and lesbian rights in America. Trevor became an icon as well as, the orator of the Castro community for 16 years. Upon her retirement in 2005, Amendola, purchased Cruisin’ the Castro Tours and continues to educate and empower people from around the globe on LGBTQ history and lack civil rights. In 2019, Cruisin’ the Castro Tours was officially recognized a Legacy Business, for providing 30 consecutive years as a longstanding, community-servicing business and a valuable cultural asset to the City and County of San Francisco.

“It’s been a tremendous opportunity for me to call the Castro community my home. So much of LGBTQ history, activism and culture started in San Francisco. Over the past 16 years, my job went from being a tour guide to a civil rights activist. And following pioneers like Del Martin, Phyllis Lyon, Harvey Milk, Cleve Jones and Carol Migden is a tremendous honor,” says Amendola. “As a diverse culture, we don’t have visibility or equal rights in America nor many parts of the world where homosexuality and diversity are still illegal or a worse, a death sentence. My tour gives people the education and knowledge to make differences in their lives and communities. This is how we change the world, one heart at a time.”

Or, said another way starting this 2021 Pride Month: one easy click at a time!

https://cruisinthecastro.com/virtual-tours/

SAN FRANCISCO TO FULLY REOPEN BUSINESSES AND ACTIVITIES ALIGNING WITH THE STATE’S REOPENING PLANS BEGINNING JUNE 15

Written on June 10, 2021.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Contact: San Francisco Joint Information Center, dempress@sfgov.org

*** PRESS RELEASE***

SAN FRANCISCO TO FULLY REOPEN BUSINESSES AND ACTIVITIES ALIGNING WITH THE STATE’S REOPENING PLANS BEGINNING JUNE 15

Thanks to San Francisco’s successful COVID vaccine roll out and decreasing cases and community spread, the City intends to align with the State Beyond the Blueprint guidance that removes nearly all local COVID-19 related restrictions beginning June 15, with some narrow exceptions for mega events

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed and Health Officer Susan Philip today announced that starting Tuesday, June 15, San Francisco will fully reopen and eliminate capacity limits and almost all local restrictions on business operations in alignment with the State’s Beyond the Blueprint for Industry and Business Sectors – effective June 15. Based on draft guidelines that the State has released in advance of the June 15 reopening as well as masking guidance issued today by the State, San Francisco has determined that it will fully align with the State plan with some limited exceptions pertaining to extremely large events and specific institutional settings with heightened risk, such as acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and jails. In these instances, additional health and safety requirements may be implemented in San Francisco.

“The people of San Francisco have done an incredible job during this pandemic of listening to our public health experts and following the guidance to keep each other safe,” said Mayor Breed. “Together we have saved thousands of lives. On June 15, we will be taking an incredible step forward by aligning our reopening with the state. I’m excited that the City is coming alive again and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for San Francisco. Please continue to do your part make sure that you and everyone you know—friends, families, neighbors—are getting vaccinated so we can finally end this pandemic. “

Businesses are encouraged to review the State’s framework in order to prepare for the changes. With the impending elimination of the State’s tiered reopening system and local health directives for industry sectors, it is expected that many aspects of San Francisco businesses will return to usual operations for attendees, customers, and guests. Most notably, health order changes include the elimination of local capacity limits as well as local requirements for physical distancing, masking, and operational procedures and protocols in almost all instances.

With the exception of schools, childcare, and youth activities, San Francisco will lift much of its health order sector-specific restrictions and rescind all business sector directives. State and Federal entities are expected to continue to put forward public health guidance. Additionally, some regulatory agencies like the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) and industry specific regulatory agencies such as Alcohol Beverage Control, California’s Child Care Licensing Program, etc., will maintain requirements related to the prevention of COVID-19 in the workplace and other specific contexts.

“With much of the health risk contained, the most important thing we can be doing now is supporting the economic recovery and revitalization of our commercial and downtown corridors and the city,” said Kate Sofis, the Director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. “The Office of Economic and Workforce Development will continue to support businesses as they rebuild, recover, and start anew in this post-COVID environment. Our focus remains on strengthening our city’s economic drivers with equity, partnering with our small business community to provide the tools and resources to adapt to our full reopening, and investing in services that our residents, workers, artists and every other San Franciscan needs in order to thrive.”

San Francisco’s reopening and recovery is, in large part, due to the availability and successful rollout of vaccines in San Francisco. The effectiveness and availability of COVID-19 vaccines has dramatically driven down case rates, hospitalizations and community spread. Currently, 79% of San Franciscans eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination have received at least one dose; and as of June 7, our case rate was 1.5 per 100,000, 25% lower than the state and representing a 96% decrease in San Francisco COVID-19 diagnoses since January. Likewise, hospitalizations are at their lowest point since the pandemic began.

“Our successful uptake of COVID vaccines has been a game changer and it’s why we are able to fully reopen our City,” said San Francisco Health Officer Susan Philip. “I encourage anyone who is not yet vaccinated and is able to do so, to make an appointment or drop in to one of our many access points today. We still need to be vigilant and use the knowledge and behaviors we’ve developed over the past year to make safer choices for ourselves and our families, especially those of us who live or interact with people who are not able to get vaccinated or are at greater risk of severe illness from COVID-19.”

The Public Health Department encourages all those eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible, so that San Francisco and the entire Bay Area can safely reopen. The public can make an appointment or find a drop-in site by calling (628) 652-2700 or by going to sf.gov/get-vaccinated.

Because of San Francisco’s identity as a national and international destination, and because the pandemic is less controlled elsewhere, the San Francisco Department of Public Health will require proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test at indoor mega events of over 5,000 people; unvaccinated attendees must wear face coverings per state requirements. If only self-attestation is required, all attendees must wear face coverings.

Additionally, in very high-risk congregate living settings such as skilled nursing facilities, acute care hospitals, homeless shelters, and jails, San Francisco will require that personnel in these facilities are vaccinated. This requirement will go into effect after the United States Food and Drug Administration gives full approval to one of the COVID-19 vaccines which currently have emergency use authorization.

In school, youth and childcare settings, San Francisco intends to align its face covering requirements with the State and otherwise maintain its existing guidance while it awaits anticipated further reopening guidance from the CDC and State. Over the coming days, San Francisco will review the State’s Beyond the Blueprint for Industry and Business Sectors guide as well as the Masking Guidance that the State issued earlier today to consider any additional guidance or requirements it feels are necessary to protect residents, workers, and visitors and safeguard our reopening and economic recovery.

San Francisco plans to release the finalized health order on Friday, June 11^th to be effective as of 12:01 am on Tuesday, June 15^th.

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CITY HALL CELEBRATES REOPENING WITH MAYOR LONDON BREED’S ANNUAL LGBTQ PRIDE MONTH KICKOFF AND FLAG RAISING CEREMONY

Written on June 7, 2021.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Monday, June 7, 2021

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

*** PRESS RELEASE ***

CITY HALL CELEBRATES REOPENING WITH MAYOR LONDON BREED’S ANNUAL LGBTQ PRIDE MONTH KICKOFF AND FLAG RAISING CEREMONY

San Francisco celebrated its 51^st Pride celebration as City Hall opened its doors to the public for the first time since March. Also, Mayor London Breed and City Officials commemorated Pride Month by releasing plans for historic new LGBTQ community investments and programs.

San Francisco, CA —Today San Francisco celebrated Mayor London N. Breed’s annual LGBTQ Pride Month Kickoff and Flag Raising at City Hall in honor of the City’s ongoing leadership and commitment to LGBTQ rights and equality. The in-person and streaming event included honoring this year’s Pride grand marshals, remarks by LGBTQ elected officials and community leaders, and featured special performances by the Gay and Lesbian Freedom Band – the official band of San Francisco—and renowned opera singer Breanna Sinclairé.

Mayor Breed raised the Pride flag on the Mayor’s Balcony with Senator Scott Wiener, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Treasurer Jose Cisneros, and Fred Lopez and Carolyn Wysinger from SF Pride.

“After a long year for our City, we are honored to commemorate the 51st Pride Month celebration in San Francisco, which embodies the strength of the LGBTQ community and our City’s commitment to LGBTQ rights and equality,” said Mayor London Breed. “The day also marks the first day that we are opening the doors to City Hall to public services that had been offered remotely during the pandemic. This is a great day to celebrate both our pride for our City and for the LGBTQ community.”

Although, Pride Month looks different this year due to the pandemic, communities are still coming together safely to celebrate LGBTQ history and the community through a series of in-person and virtual events. Check out additional events here and visit San Francisco Pride for additional information here.

“I’m thrilled to kickoff Pride this year in a time of optimism and positivity, as our communities start to reopen and move past the darkness of the pandemic,” said Senator Scott Wiener. “I am excited to celebrate Pride in person and virtually, and to be with our diverse and wonderful LGBTQ community here in San Francisco.”

“After more than a year of isolation, gathering together to mark the beginning of a month of Pride is more meaningful than ever,” said Treasurer José Cisneros. “As we raise the flag today, let us remember all those we lost from AIDS, from COVID-19, from racism and from transphobia.”

“San Francisco is ready for Pride 2021! Our City’s data-driven, science-based response to COVID-19 saved lives and has allowed us to reopen just in time to welcome Pride to the ballpark, Frameline to the Castro Theater and customers back into queer-owned small businesses,” said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman. “With the Mayor’s announcement of historic investments in our LGBTQ community – including the world’s first trans basic income program, mental health support services for LGBTQ seniors and a home for the worlds’ first LGBT museum right here in San Francisco – this year’s Pride is a season to celebrate indeed!”

“Today, we come together to reopen our City and celebrate our LGBTQ community in San Francisco and around the world as we raise the Pride flag—a continued symbol of our hope and resiliency during Pride Month and beyond,” said Clair Farley, Director of the Office of Transgender Initiatives. “We are grateful for Mayor Breed’s quick action during the pandemic and her ongoing support for the LGBTQ community, both through her words and actions including investing resources and services for those most impacted by the pandemic specifically our LGBT seniors, Black and Latinx Transgender women, small businesses and artists.”

The City of San Francisco celebrates Pride month by recognizing the strength and resilience of its LGBTQ leaders, and by making real investments into the community. Last week, Mayor Breed announced her proposed citywide budget that includes several new critical LGBTQ community investments including:

First of its kind Guaranteed Income Project for the Trans Community, prioritizing San Francisco residents most impacted by the pandemic and those disconnected from other benefits. The proposed program provide monthly direct payments and wrap around financial coaching for up to 150 community members per year. The proposed budget includes $2 million for the program over the next two years.
LGBTQ Senior Tele-mental health program and expanded digital access services. The new investment will increase services for up to 500 LGBTQ seniors while adding much need mental health resources to community members who have experienced increased isolation, depression and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pilot project would be funded at $900,000 over the next year.
Support for small businesses and arts and cultural programs including $12 million for the acquisition of a site to house the country’s first full scale LGBTQ Museum.
Addressing homelessness and housing instability for the transgender community and LGBTQ youth through continued investments. This includes an annual investment of $1.8 Million for the Our Trans Home SF initiative that provides housing navigation services, transition housing, and rental subsidies for low income trans community members.
Continuing to enact policies and initiatives that aim to break the cycle of violence and discrimination against our LGBTQ communities, especially against Black trans women that experience disproportionate levels of violence. That is why as part of Mayor Breed’s reinvestment effort, the Dream Keeper Initiative, is investing $2.2 Million for Black transgender equity programming over the next two years.

For more information about the services offered by the SF Office of Transgender Initiatives, please visit here. And to learn more about the Vaccine Pride campaign, visit here.

LIVES OF THE LINERS: CRUISING, CRUISE SHIPS & THE COVID PANDEMIC – June 6, 2021

Written on June 6, 2021.

LIVES OF THE LINERS: CRUISING, CRUISE SHIPS & THE COVID PANDEMIC – June 6, 2021

From Bill Miller

June 2021

Tue Jun 1^st MSC Cruises: Adam Coulter, UK Managing Editor of Cruise Critic, was on the very first cruise from a British port (Southampton) onboard the MSC Virtuosa (below). While a short cruise, it gave an insight into what might be cruising for the immediate future. Mr Coulter’s observations in brief:

Buffets: all foods and drinks handled by servers

Mask wearing in all public areas

Enchanced shipboard cleaning & cleansing

Fresh masks provided each morning

Great spaciousness with only 1,000 out of 6,200 passengers onboard

Different entertainments offered at same time to offset crowding

Fitbit, watch-like device to open stateroom door, booking entertainment & bill paying

Menus given through mobile phone

Lifeboat drill done through stateroom video

Passengers allowed ashore only on strictly guided tours

Mr Coulter concluded that while it might all seem strange at first, passengers adapt very quickly and easily. Everyone is just happy to be back aboard a big, beautiful cruise ship and traveling. And PS: Staff & crew are more pleasing & caring than ever – they too are happy to be back!

Carnival: Sprucing up! The 2,800-passenger Carnival Victory sailed her final cruise last Feb but due to the pandemic, the ship’s transformation/refit was delayed for over a year. Now, the vessel is currently in dry dock receiving a massive remodeling and will emerge as the renamed Carnival Radiance.

British Connection! One of our top agents, Dave Hutchings sent photos of P&O’s new Iona in Southampton waters. While German built, the 184,000-tonner is the largest British owned passenger liner yet. She can carry 5,200 passengers. Quite a contrast from, say, the 83,000-ton, 2,233-passenger Queen Elizabeth of sixty years ago.

Captain Stubing: Gavin MacLeod, a TV sitcom veteran who played seaman “Happy” Haines on McHale’s Navy, Murray on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the very different, vaguely patrician Captain Stubing on The Love Boat, died on May 29th. He was 90. The hugely successful Love Boat series was often featured onboard the Pacific Princess (seen below at Sydney), built in 1971 but now scrapped. Sensibly, MacLeod became a long-standing spokesman for both Princess Cruises and the entire cruise industry.

Moving About: From over in England, Nick Braddock reports the giant ferry Silja Europa (below) is heading to Falmouth for G7 accommodation purposes.

Wed Jun 2 Mid East Bound! The 205,000-ton MSC World Europa is set to debut at the end of 2022 sailing in the Middle East with bookings opening for MSC’s first World class vessel. She will set sail in Dec 2022 and will spend her inaugural season in the Gulf. Her season will commence with a special four-night sailing from Doha in Qatar to her new homeport of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The 6,850-passenger MSC World Europa will offer seven-night cruises from Dubai to the nearby Abu Dhabi and then onto Sir Bani Yas Island. Her program in the Gulf has also been enriched with calls in the port of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, visiting Al Ahsa oasis. The ship also calls Doha, the capital of Qatar, before returning to Dubai with an overnight in the city.

Silversea has announced new summer voyages in Alaska and Iceland, starting in Jul 2021.With the passage of the U.S. Alaska Tourism Restoration Act, which enables cruises to Alaska without required stops in Canada, the Silver Muse will resume round-trip sailings from Seattle starting Jul 29th, making Silversea the first luxury cruise line to operate in Alaska this summer.

Spain will allow cruise ships to dock in its ports from Jun 7^th, the transport ministry said on Saturday, hoping to salvage the country’s battered tourism sector in time for the summer season.

UK Cruising: Our super agent Dave Hutchings has sent along the photo below of Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth, back to cruising and seen in Southampton Water.

TUI Cruises is set to grow in size and reach. It is reported that British cruise line Marella Cruises, which is currently owned by TUI Group, will be integrated into TUI Cruises – a joint venture between TUI Group and Royal Caribbean Group. The handover of Marella will expand TUI Cruises, which currently operates in the German market, into a European cruise line. Earlier, in 2020, another cruise line, Hapag Lloyd Cruises, was integrated into the TUI Cruises brand in a similar fashion. Marella Cruises currently has a fleet of four ships – the Marella Explorer, Marella Explorer 2, Marella Discovery and Marella Discovery 2.

Further Return: AIDA Cruises today announced that bookings are now open for AIDAcosma’s voyages over Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with AIDAcosma embarking Dec 22^nd 2021, on a unique positioning cruise from Hamburg to Gran Canaria. Guests will experience New Year’s Eve while anchored in the harbor of Madeira with a perfect view of its famous fireworks display. The cruises are now bookable and can be combined for an extended holiday in the travel period Dec 22nd 2021 to Jan 8th.

Island Princess & Millennium at Ketchikan

Hurtigruten: With booking levels almost 50% higher than pre-pandemic levels, Hurtigruten Group reports record strong demand for 2022 small-ship experiences. As Hurtigruten Group reports its first-quarter results, the expedition cruise operator’s updated booking report shows very positive signs on the travel industry’s post-pandemic comeback. Across Hurtigruten Expeditions, the world’s largest expedition cruise company, and Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express, bookings for 2022 are currently 45% ahead of bookings for 2020 as of the same time in 2019.

Thu Jun 3^rd Queen Mary: In the 85 years since its maiden voyage, the RMS Queen Mary has survived rogue waves, transatlantic crossings and even a world war. For the last five decades, it’s enjoyed a second life docked in Long Beach, riding waves of popularity and tough times as a tourist attraction. But the historic ship is now facing its most challenging voyage yet. After years of neglect by a string of operators, the Queen Mary is so creaky and leaky that it needs $23 million in immediate repairs, according to a trove of court documents and inspection reports released last month. There is growing concern that if something is not done soon, the ship could fall into critical disrepair and be in danger of sinking.

Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wish is to feature the Wish Tower Suite, a penthouse situated in the forward funnel of the ship, when she debuts in summer 2022.

Chinese Owners: The 2,600-passenger Carnival Fascination, which was sold by Carnival Cruise Line in 2020 due to the impact of the global pandemic, is currently undergoing a refurbishment to restart cruises out of mainland China.

The Star Pisces at Hong Kong’s Ocean Terminal

Thu Jun 3^rd Silversea has announced a return to sailing with new summer voyages in Alaska and Iceland, starting in Jul 2021. The Silver Muse will resume 10- and 11-day roundtrip sailings to Alaska from Seattle starting Jul 29th and 10-day roundtrip Reykjavik itineraries onboard the Silver Shadow showcasing Iceland will begin on Jul 30th.

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P&O Cruises’ Oceana at Southampton

MSC Cruises: It won’t be quite the world’s biggest cruise ship. But it’ll be close. MSC Cruises on Monday said the massive new vessel it has on order for delivery in late 2022, the MSC World Europa, would be 22 decks high — four decks higher than the current size leader in the cruise world, Royal Caribbean‘s Symphony of the Seas.

It’ll also be 1,093 feet long, making it longer than any other MSC Cruises vessel ever built. Still, it won’t quite top the Symphony of the Seas as the world’s biggest cruise ship. The Symphony of the Seas and its three sister vessels — Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas — will remain the queens of the megaship world thanks to greater lengths and widths. In all, the MSC World Europa will measure about 205,000 tons — about 10% less than the four Royal Caribbean ships, known as the Oasis Class. Like the Oasis Class ships, MSC World Europa will be able to hold nearly 7,000 passengers with all berths filled — 6,762 to be exact.

Buzz along the Manhattan Waterfront: Like others, Royal Caribbean is supportive of resumption of service. So, we’ve “heard” that they plan on doing a 2-day test cruise via Bayonne on Aug 17^th and then resume a weekly service as of Aug 29^th. Yes, things are indeed looking up!

Queen Mary 2 & Costa Fortuna together at St Kitts

Disney Cruise Line will conduct a test and simulation cruise for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with volunteer guests aboard the 2010-built Disney Dream out of Port Canaveral for a two-night cruise. Disney follows Royal Caribbean International as the second cruise line to get CDC approval for the test cruise option, which will lead to letting a ship operate with non-vaccinated passengers under health and safety protocols.

Dream Cruises’ recently announced restart of cruises onboard the Genting Dream in Hong Kong has been met with an enthusiastic response from the public. After just one week of sales since bookings officially opened on May 27th, Genting Dream’s first two high seas “Super Summer Seacation” cruises departing on July 30th and Aug 1^st are close to 90 percent while Friday night departures throughout August are at nearly 50 percent capacity.

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The Azores at Reykjavik