Cruise
AmaWaterways Requires Passengers To Be Vaccinated
AmaWaterways is now requiring that all guests will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to their river cruises. The new requirement takes effect immediately and the decision was made following recent changes in certain European countries that now require up to a 10-day quarantine period for unvaccinated travellers upon entry. Many countries have implemented procedures that strongly encourage travellers to be vaccinated and, in some cases, restrict access to certain venues unless they are vaccinated or can provide a negative COVID-19 test result valid for 24...
Royal Caribbean Sets Sail
Royal Caribbean International says that its complete lineup of ships will be sailing by spring 2022. Spanning cruises from the Big Apple to Down Under, the next group of returning ships and itineraries will begin to safely set sail in September with Oasis of the Seas’ first sailing from the New York area – a 7-night itinerary to the cruise line’s private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, The Bahamas. The cruise line’s continued comeback builds on its months-long success in delivering memorable and safe cruise vacations across Alaska, Asia, The Bahamas, the...
Silversea Goes Big in 2023-2024
Silversea Cruises has launched an exclusive pre-sale to Venetian Society members on more than 280 new itineraries for 2023/2024, unveiling its largest-ever destination offering in a single itinerary launch. Bringing the total number of destinations visited by the cruise line to over 900, Silversea’s new 2023/2024 itinerary collection features 690 destinations in 125 countries, across all seven continents, as well as over 60 maiden calls. Between March 2023 and May 2024, the cruise line’s 10 ships will unlock an unrivalled range of immersive experiences around the world for...
The New Rotterdam Has Arrived
Holland America Line has taken of Rotterdam; officially making it the 11th ship in its fleet. The handover ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy on the evening of July 29. The ceremony was attended by the ship’s master, Captain Werner Timmers, and Cyril Tatar, Holland America Group’s vice president of new-building services. Giuseppe Bono, CEO, Fincantieri, and several other executives also attended. Video congratulations were extended by Jan Swartz, president of Holland America Group, and Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. Antorcha...
Full Speed Ahead For European Waterways
As international travel heats up following the reopening of borders, travellers are rediscovering the joys of luxury hotel barging on the scenic canals of Europe with European Waterways. In order to meet the surge in demand, European Waterways has been shifting into high gear with the restart of its 2021 season. Following the launch of L’Art de Vivre in Burgundy several weeks ago, the company is saying “bonjour and bienvenue” with an additional four hotel barges in France offering its six-night, all-inclusive cruises. They include the 8-passenger Renaissance in the...
Celestyal Postpones Fall, Winter Sailings
Celestyal Cruises is on track to complete its summer sailings of the Greek Islands and the Eastern Mediterranean on schedule. The “Legendary Archipelago” on Celestyal Olympia and the adjusted “Idyllic Aegean” itinerary on Celestyal Crystal as per their schedule conclude on Aug. 30 and Aug. 28 respectively. The cruise line typically shifts to longer haul source markets in fall and winter, which are the primary source for Celestyal’s popular shorter, three- and four-night itineraries. With the current travel restrictions in place, and the continuing evolution of...
St. Kitts & Nevis Clarifies Cruise Protocols
St. Kitts & Nevis has clarified that there are no capacity limitations on the number of passengers that can enter the Federation on a cruise ship during the current phased re-opening of the cruise tourism sector. Officials made it clear that an Aug. 2, 2021 Royal Caribbean blog that stated that: “St. Kitts recently announced a new policy which only allows 700 guests to visit their island per ship. The Allure of the Seas sailing on August 8 will now visit Philipsburg, St. Maarten instead,” was not accurate. Minister of Tourism, Transport and Ports, the Honourable Lindsay...
SVG Gearing Up For 2021 Peak Season
With the 2021 peak tourism season in St. Vincent and Grenadines (SVG) set to begin Aug. 7, when the first cruise ship – the Seabourn Odyssey – of the season docks in Port Elizabeth, Bequia, there will be lots of celebrating. Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Carlos James reports that 224 cruise ships are expected to call at the various ports throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the upcoming months. The Minister stressed, however, that this number may increase or can be negatively affected due to the fluidity of the global impacts from the pandemic. He also indicated...