The most pertinent cruise news came out of the White House and CDC yesterday. The CDC initially wanted to extend the cruise No Sail order until February 15, 2021. Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the C.D.C., had recommended the extension, worried that cruise ships could become viral hot spots, as they did at the beginning of the pandemic. Is that a fair assessment when hotels, casinos, and flights are all seeing increased bookings? Only time will tell, but a few ships have starting cruises successfully in Europe so far. The White House blocked that order, and instead, a compromise was reached to extend the no sail order until October 31, 2020. This was to allow time for the Coronvarius task force to meet with cruise line representatives to implement a plan on how cruises could resume safely in the coming months.
When cruises resume, you should expect it to happen in a gradual way, with capacity and sailings slowly increasing as the cruise industry continues to amend policies to keep guests and crew safe. The restart plan calls for safeguards including universal testing, the mandatory wearing of face masks when physical distancing cannot be maintained and the offering of shore excursions only authorized by the cruise lines to preserve a desired level of protection.
The new Enchanted Princess cruise ship has been delivered to Princess Cruises. The 3660 passenger ship was scheduled to enter service in June, but the delivery of the ship was delayed due to the shipyard’s closure due to the pandemic. The ship offers more dining options, pools, and entertainment venues than any other Princess ship. Enchanted Princess is home to exclusive dining experiences at Crafted by Curtis Stone, using the freshest ingredients at sea. The first few months in service will be quite different from the usual with a new cruise vessel, but the heart and soul of the ship are always its team. The staff will be thoroughly trained for the planned return of cruising in the near future.
Carnival Cruise Lines has decided to cancel all sailings from its US home ports except for Miami and Port Canaveral Florida through the end of the year. The health and safety of guests and crew remain the cornerstone of Carnival’s decision but they are optimistic that cruises could safely resume with a couple of ships in November out of Florida.
The new Carnival Mardi Gras cruise ship will break the mold of the traditional cruise ship atrium designs. Grand Central is a three-deck-high space built into the starboard side of the ship. Most cruise ship atriums are built in the center of the ship, but Grand Central will span Decks 6, 7 and 8 and feature 3000 square-foot glass panels on the ship’s starboard side offering views of the ocean and ports of call from seating and tables on all three decks. The space will change from dawn to dusk, by day being a place to have coffee and light fare, with live music and games like trivia. At night there will be performances and experiences on 16 individually controlled 6 by 14-foot LED screens displaying video and special effects. The multilevel Grand View Bar will offer custom cocktails and a virtual waterfall on translucent panels. Java Blue will serve espresso drinks, while Cherry on the Top will be a sweets shop. Retail stores and the casino will all be connected by a series of promenades and bridges. The idea behind the design was to create a functional and eye-catching space to give passengers a “take your breath away” moment, be the main hub and the heartbeat of the ship. The unique design allows Carnival to “bring the outside in” with sea views. Every time someone walks through the atrium, the experience will change by nature of the lighting and the programming throughout the day. The Mardi Gras will be Carnival’s largest ship and the first North American cruise vessel powered by liquefied natural gas. Feb. 6, 2021 will be debut day from Port Canaveral, FL operating 7 day Caribbean itineraries.
Cunard Cruise 2021 is introducing a new series of cruises in the Mediterranean on Queen Elizabeth during a nine-month program. The ship will feature three to 14-night voyages around Europe before making her way through Asia to Australia. With the new program, the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship will sail from Southampton and later in 2021 from Barcelona. Guests will experience captivating journeys from a scenic exploration of the British coast to sailings visiting Norway to Iberia. The Queen Elizabeth will then sail the Mediterranean, departing from Barcelona and calling on the French Riviera, the west coast of Italy and the islands of Majorca and Corsica. The season will end with a transit through the Suez Canal, crossing the Indian Ocean to Singapore before venturing to Australia. The new program will start in Southampton on April 27, 2021, and end on December 19 in Melbourne, Australia. Overnight ports will be featured and late evening departures, as well.
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection has released the first pictures of its newest super ship, La Venezia. The main structural design adds two grand suites, a private dining room with a demonstration kitchen used for pairing dinners, cooking lessons, and a seating banquet with shade umbrellas on the top deck. The ship was designed to complement and enhance its Venetian itineraries with Fortuny fabrics and Murano glass. La Venezia riverboat is one of four new Uniworld ships with plans to sail next year. The new Mekong Jewel, sailed briefly before the pandemic. The Uniworld Sphinx ship will sail the Nile and the S.S. Sao Gabriel, Portugal’s Douro.
Avalon River Cruises is planning to launch six Christmas Market Cruises for the 2020 season this November. At this time, the cruises will be offered to British and Canadian travelers with two sailings each for the U.K. market on the Danube and Rhine and two for Canadian travelers on the Danube. Avalon is thrilled to be not just looking at how they will put together protocols, but implementing them and training their crew. Avalon stands ready to open more end-of-year sailings if Europe opens to Americans. Read more about Avalon River Cruises coronavirus protocols.
