Here are the cruise headlines this week to wrap up 2020.
Viking Cruises‘ first expedition ship, the 378 passenger Viking Octantis was floated out on December 22nd. She will spend her maiden season in Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes in early 2022. A sister ship, the Viking Polaris is slated to debut in the summer of 2022 and will sail Antarctica and the Arctic.
Both ships will debut the Hangar, which Viking calls an industry first: an in-ship marina facilitating the launch of small excursion craft through the ships’ multiple shell doors, including an 85-foot slipway that enables guests to embark rigid inflatable boats from a stable interior surface. All cabins have a Nordic Balcony, a sun room where the top of the glass can be lowered to the open air.
Virgin Voyages brand new ship was supposed to be shown off in March, just as Covid-19 reached pandemic status and the cruise industry shut down. The Scarlett Lady has not yet carried passengers, but Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages is enthusiastic about 2021. He is confident the Scarlet Lady will sail as planned on May 9, 2021 with an itinerary to Mexico and Bimini in the Bahamas. He is also excited about the cruise terminal being built at Port Miami for Virgin Voyages. It has an excellent location in the heart of downtown giving cruisers a city view and Miami residents a view of the ship.
Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that all sailings will be canceled through March. Previously, the line had suspended cruises through that month on all but three ships — Norwegian Encore, Escape, and Joy. Now, those voyages are canceled as well.
Disney Cruise Line revealed new information about it’s Disney Wish cruise ship. The Atrium called the Grand Hall will be designed to reflect the beauty of a storybook castle. Disney Wish is set to debut in the summer of 2022. Disney Cruise Line currently operates four ships: Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, and Disney Fantasy. Three more ships are in the works and set to join the fleet in 2022, 2024, and 2025, respectively.
Ponant Cruises announced it has received conditional approval for its Le Lapérouse to recommence operations exclusively in New Zealand waters, for New Zealanders starting in February 2021. It took months working with New Zealand’s Ministry of Health.
The recent HBO MAX Film “Let Them Talk” is a dash of holiday cheer for cruise fans. It is led by a star-studded cast including Meryl Streep, Dianne Wiest, and Candice Bergen, but the real star is Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2, where most of the film is set. The movie was set on a luxurious ocean crossing from New York to Southampton, giving hundreds of actual passengers the opportunity to serve as extras in the film. Simon Palethorpe, president of Cunard, was on board during the filming. He mentioned the delight of this film to show off the cruise industry, as well as the ship, It’s a nice way of reminding people of the joys of being at sea.
We are all anxious to return to cruising safely. We will continue to update our post When Will Cruises Resume in 2021 as information becomes available.
Wishing you all a happy & safe New Year.
