Tag: cruises

CRUISE SHIP

Carnival cancels cruises through February; Mardi Gras debut in Port Canaveral pushed to April

5 months ago
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Carnival Cruise Line is the latest cruise line to further push any return to sailing, canceling all its sailings through February, and delaying the debut of new ship Mardi Gras from Port Canaveral, Florida, until April.



a large ship in the water: Carnival Cruise Line's new ship Mardi Gras was set to make its fall debut at Port Canaveral.

© Carnival Cruise Line/Carnival Cruise Line/TNS
Carnival Cruise Line’s new ship Mardi Gras was set to make its fall debut at Port Canaveral.

The announcement came one day after both Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean announced they too would not sail until at least March 1.

Disney Cruise Line has yet to cancel its February sailings while MSC Cruises still has January itineraries available to book on its website.

Carnival already had announced it was only planning return to service from Port Canaveral, PortMiami and the Port of Galveston with a limited fleet. The rest of its ships were already on hold, with all sailings from Baltimore; Charleston, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; Long

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CRUISE SHIP

Costa Cruises cancels Christmas, New Year’s cruises in ‘further economic sacrifice’ amid COVID-19

5 months ago
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Cruise line industry extends CDC “no-sail” order until Sept. 15 due to COVID-19

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Costa Cruises, the Italian line that is a subsidiary of cruise giant Carnival Corp., will not be setting sail this Christmas or New Year’s Eve.

According a press release provided to USA TODAY, the cruise line will suspend its activities from Dec. 20 through Jan. 6, in compliance with efforts of the Italian government to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“The cancellation of Christmas and New Year’s Eve cruises, among the most popular of the year, therefore represents a further economic sacrifice for Costa Cruises and the entire industry, in a period that was already very difficult,” reads the release.



a large ship in a body of water: Costa Smeralda, which launched in 2019, is the Italian cruise company's biggest ship to date, with room for more than 6,000 passengers.

© Costa Cruises
Costa Smeralda, which launched in 2019, is the Italian cruise company’s biggest ship to date, with room for more than 6,000 passengers.

Start the day smarter. Get all the

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CRUISE SHIP

Why Princess Cruises Won’t Be Returning Until April

5 months ago
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While other cruise lines are only just now canceling sailings through the end of February, Princess Cruises axed voyages through March 31. One of the reasons they’re taking longer to kick-start sailings? So that they could continue rolling out the technology which will play a key role in supporting their new health and safety protocols.

royal princess aerial

Royal Princess (Photo courtesy of
Princess Cruises)

How They’re Using This Time

As an added bonus, the technology will enhance the overall cruise experience for every passenger.

“During this down-time we’ve worked behind the scenes to re-engineer our operation to give guests maximum control of their cruise vacation, as well as to activate the Princess MedallionClass Experience on all of our ships,” explains Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. 

The cruise line’s ‘OceanMedallion’ wearable device — worn like a watch or necklace — replaces the traditional cruise card and uses ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) technology

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CRUISE SHIP

Carnival Cruise cancels more cruises due to ongoing pandemic

5 months ago
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Carnival Cruise Line announces it is canceling more sailings due to the pandemic.

The cruise line says itineraries from Port Canaveral, Galveston, and Miami scheduled for February are now canceled.

Carnival also announced its newest ship named ‘Mardi Gras’ will not sail its inaugural sailing until April 24, 2021.

Carnival’s cancelations come as Norwegian canceled all the sailings thru the end of February and the majority of its March voyages.

Celebrity Cruises will not sail until at least March to sail with Regent Seven Seas not sailing until April.

Royal Caribbean Group also canceled all sailings through the end of February, with the exception of a handful of Royal Caribbean cruises in Asia, which will be open to local residents only.

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CRUISE SHIP

Carnival has now canceled all cruises through February 2021

5 months ago
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Carnival Cruise Line said it’s also delaying the inaugural sailing of its new ship, Mardis Gras, until late April 2021.

WASHINGTON — Carnival Cruise Line announced Thursday it will not resume sailing in the U.S. until at least March as the company works toward resuming operations amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

The company said it has now canceled the remaining trips that were scheduled to operate from Miami, Port Canaveral and Galveston through Feb. 28. The cruise line said it’s also delaying the inaugural sailing of its new ship, dubbed Mardis Gras, until April 24, 2021. 

A number of other major cruise lines have now canceled sailings into early 2021. Royal Caribbean on Wednesday said it had canceled all but a few select trips based in Asia through February. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings also said Wednesday it was canceling all of its brands’ sailings through February and the majority of its

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CRUISE SHIP

Princess Cruises Fleet to Feature MedallionClass Experience in 2021 – Cruise Industry News

5 months ago
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Princess Cruises announced on Thursday that upon approval to return to service in 2021 its global fleet will feature the company’s MedallionClass Experience, offering a number of new features that leverage touchless technologies and significantly enhance and personalize the guest experience, as well as support new health protocols, the company said.

The line of smart ships is expanding as ship transformation has continued during the pause. Coral Princess, Diamond Princess, Emerald Princess, Grand Princess, Island Princess, Majestic Princess, and Sapphire Princess will return as MedallionClass ships along with the new Enchanted Princess, Princess announced. 

The cruise line’s OceanMedallion wearable device replaces the traditional cruise card and pairs with embedded IoT (“Internet of things”) -driven innovative technology to significantly expand touch-free options and personalization on board Princess MedallionClass ships including:

  • touchless embarkation and disembarkation

  • keyless stateroom entry

  • completely contactless commerce

  • simplified safety training

  • on-demand food, beverages and
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CRUISE SHIP

Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas is second ship to embark on cruises to nowhere from Singapore, Singapore News & Top Stories

5 months ago
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SINGAPORE – Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas on Thursday (Dec 3) became the second ship to start cruises to nowhere from Singapore, complete with stepped-up safety protocols to keep Covid-19 at bay.

It follows Genting Cruise Line’s World Dream, which launched Singapore’s first pandemic cruises to nowhere on Nov 6.

These round-trip cruises without ports of call are taking place under a pilot programme announced by the Singapore Tourism Board in October.

Royal Caribbean will have up to two sailings a week, departing on Mondays and Thursdays, with tickets starting at $374 per person for a three-night cruise.

The operator is offering three- and four-night Ocean Getaway cruises on the ship at a reduced 50 per cent capacity.

The first voyage, a four-night cruise carrying over 1,300 people, leaves on Thursday at 9pm. Its second, a three-night cruise leaving at 9pm on Monday, will carry over 1,700 passengers.

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CRUISE SHIP

Singapore Allows Cruises. Yes, There are Limits.

5 months ago
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ABOARD THE WORLD DREAM, IN THE STRAIT OF MALACCA — The drinks were virgin and the distancing was social when the Dream Boys strippers stormed the stage. Masks at poolside were mandatory. Hand sanitizer stations stood within easy reach of the slot machines.

And in a vision of the future of the global cruise industry, passengers aboard the World Dream cruise liner wore small pink contact-tracing pods that monitored their locations and recorded the names of everybody they met with.

“We aboard the World Dream are doing our utmost to keep your cruise with us healthy,” Robert Bodin, the ship’s captain, told his 1,400 passengers as they set sail, in a departure from his usual invitation to relax and enjoy the journey.

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CRUISE SHIP

Royal Caribbean Cancels All Cruises Through February 2021

5 months ago
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Royal Caribbean announced this morning that it is canceling all sailings globally, except for Quantum and Spectrum of the Seas, through February 28, 2021. Sister line Celebrity Cruises has also canceled all cruises within the same time frame.

harmony of the seas

Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas (Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean)

In a statement on its website, the line said “At Royal Caribbean International, our guests and crew’s safety and well-being are always our top priorities. After further consulting with our partners at Cruise Lines International Association and in conjunction with the CDC, we have decided to extend the suspension of sailings for our global fleet for all sailings through February 28th, 2021 – excluding sailings onboard Quantum of the Seas and China Spectrum of the Seas sailings from January 24th – February 28th, 2021. Our plan is to resume further operation in March.”

In a similar statement to travel partners,

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CRUISE SHIP

Norwegian Cancels All January, February 2021 Cruises

5 months ago
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Norwegian Cruise Line has confirmed that they will be canceling all January and February 2021 cruises. The newest round of cancelations means the line is now hoping to resume sailing in March. Even then, it will be a phased restart with only a few ships scheduled to sail.

In early November, the company announced all of its 2020 cruises would be canceled.

What’s Behind the Latest Cancellations

norwegian pearl jacksonville

Norwegian Pearl was first docked in Jacksonville, Florida during the shutdown.

For many avid cruisers, the news will not come as a surprise. For several days, rumors have been circulating about the cancellations, with message boards and Facebook groups filled with reports from would-be passengers who claimed to have been told by call center operators that their sailings had been axed.

Others reported suspecting the worst after going to the Norwegian Cruise Line website and finding that they no longer had access to

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