Cruise
Holland America Launches Crew Appreciation
Holland America Line is getting ready for Wave Season with “The Ultimate Upgrade Event” featuring stateroom upgrades, reduced deposits, $75 fares for kids on Alaska cruises and up to $200 onboard spending money -- plus shore excursions, beverages, specialty dining and Wi-Fi with the “Have It All” premium package. Launched Jan. 3 for one week only, Crew Appreciation, or stateroom gratuities, for 2022 Alaska bookings is being added to “The Ultimate Upgrade Event” for guests who book by Jan. 10, 2022. With “The Ultimate Upgrade Event” guests booking select summer 2022...
Scenic Eclipse Sets Sail In Antarctica
Scenic Eclipse is returning to the Antarctic peninsula for a January through March season of exploration. This marks a significant milestone for the luxury truly all-inclusive operator of the World’s First Discovery Yacht as it resumes its scheduled 2022 sailing program for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic and will be among the first ships to return to Antarctica. Scenic Eclipse will operate several scheduled sailings in the region, 13- and 19-days in length. Jason Flesher, Scenic Discovery Yachts’ expedition operations manager, said: “We’ve been planning...
Celestyal Sails Into Wave Season With Savings
Celestyal Cruises has announced its “Escape Back to the Blue” Wave season campaign with savings up to 30% off select 2022 sailings booked from now through March 31, 2022. Prices start as low as $449 on the three-night “Iconic Aegean” itinerary, which is normally priced at $610, reflecting a savings of more than 25%. The seven-night, “Idyllic Aegean” itinerary, which is normally priced at $1,500 has been reduced by more than 30% to just $1,019. The three-night “Iconic Aegean” sets sail from Athens and calls upon Mykonos, Kusadasi (Turkey), Patmos, Crete...
A Perplexing Decision
The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) describes the CDC’s decision to raise the travel level for cruise to Level 4 as “particularly perplexing” considering that cases identified on cruise ships consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard -- far fewer than on land -- and the majority of those cases are asymptomatic or mild in nature, posing little to no burden on medical resources onboard or onshore. The cruise industry association points out that no setting can be immune from this virus—however, it is also the case that cruise provides...
A Wonder In Port Canaveral
Royal Caribbean International has announced that the Wonder of the Seas will homeport at Port Canaveral beginning November 2022. When it debuts in March 2022, Wonder will sail 7-night itineraries to the eastern and western Caribbean. Destination highlights include Cozumel, Mexico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and San Juan, Puerto Rico; and each cruise will visit Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in The Bahamas that features thrill and chill – from the tallest waterslide in North America to The Bahamas’ first floating cabanas. Wonder will be...
Royal Caribbean Offers Omicron Impact Update
Royal Caribbean Group provided an update on the status of its business and the impact of the Omicron variant. The company said that knowledge about COVID-19 and how to deal with it have been in a constant state of flux for the last two years. Omicron has significantly altered the COVID-19 landscape for everyone, and the Royal Caribbean Group is no exception. As widely reported, the Omicron variant is significantly more infectious than its predecessors and has already become the dominant form of COVID-19 in the U.S. and elsewhere. Fortunately, Omicron also appears to cause...
CDC Advises Against Cruise Travel
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has raised its COVID-19 Travel Health Notice Level for cruise travel from Level 3 to Level 4 – the highest level – reflecting increases in cases onboard cruise ships since the Omicron variant was identified. In its update, the CDC is advising travellers to ‘avoid cruise travel regardless of vaccination status.” The CDC notes in its updated notice that even fully vaccinated travellers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants. It also states that the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily between...
Gulotta Joins Windstar Cruises
Windstar Cruises has hired Karl Gulotta as its new corporate executive chef. In his new role, Gulotta will direct Windstar’s onboard culinary operations department to achieve the highest levels of guest satisfaction and product consistency. Together with Windstar’s director of food and beverage operations, Gulotta will be instrumental in setting the tone, look, and feel of all culinary operations, ensuring they align with the company’s high standards, commitment to sustainable practices, devotion to regional menus and products, and its ongoing relationship as the Official...