Cruise
A Staggering Number
It is a staggering number. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) says that 1 million jobs are being lost every day in the travel and tourism sector due to the sweeping effect of the coronavirus pandemic. The growing job losses, the WTTC reports, are affecting every level of the industry and are gathering pace, as countries go into lockdown to tackle the virus. The industry association points to the widespread closure of hotels, suspension of the majority of international and domestic airline flights, cessation of cruise lines operations and growing global travel bans are...
Carnival Corp. Offers Ships as Temporary Hospitals
Carnival Corporation & plc has announced that select cruise ships from the company's global cruise line brands, including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia (https://www.pocruises.com.au), will be made available to communities for use as temporary hospitals to help address the escalating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare systems around the world. With the continued spread of COVID-19 expected to exert added pressure on land-based healthcare facilities, including a possible shortage of hospital beds, Carnival...
Major Cruise Lines Alter Course
CLIA has advised that all of its ocean-going member cruise lines will be voluntarily and temporarily suspending cruise ship operations from U.S. ports of call for 30 days as public health officials and the U.S. Government continue to address COVID-19. Kelly Craighead, president and CEO, CLIA, said in a statement that: “CLIA cruise line members are voluntarily and temporarily suspending operations from the U.S. as we work to address this public health crisis.” Craighead continued: “This is an unprecedented situation. Our industry has taken responsibility for protecting public...
Hurtigruten Suspends Global Operations
As a response to the global coronavirus outbreak, Hurtigruten is voluntarily stopping operations from pole to pole until the end of April. Like the rest of the cruise industry, Hurtigruten last week committed to pause operations in US waters for 30 days. Over the past weeks, Hurtigruten has encouraged guests to move their bookings free of charge and have been working around-the-clock to help guests return to their home countries. Now, the expedition cruise company pauses their global expedition cruise operations through April 28 and their Norwegian coastal cruises through April...
Princess, Viking Suspend Operations Until May
Both Princess Cruises and Viking have announced that they will be pausing their operations due to the impact of COVID-19 until early May. In what it describes as a proactive response to the unpredictable circumstances evolving from the global spread of COVID-19 -- and in an abundance of caution -- Princess Cruises is voluntarily pausing global operations of its 18 cruise ships for two months (60 days), impacting voyages departing March 12 to May 10. Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, said: “Princess Cruises is a global vacation company that serves more than 50,000 guests...
Victory Unveils Details on Fourth Vessel
Victory Cruise Lines, operated by American Queen Steamboat Company, has unveiled details of its upcoming fourth vessel, Ocean Discoverer. Currently under construction, the Ocean Discoverer will be delivered in September 2022 and will join Ocean Victory in Alaska in 2023. Ocean Discoverer will make its debut with the Discover Beyond Alaska Expedition Adventure Cruise itineraries, currently available for booking on board the Ocean Victory. “We are pleased to welcome our second Alaska-bound expedition ship and expand our Victory Cruise Line experiences,” said John Waggoner, founder...
COVID-19 Update: Scenic, Costa Cruises and More
The Scenic Group is temporarily suspending all European river cruise operations on its Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Emerald Cruises and Evergreen Cruises & Tours brands until April 30. SE Asia river cruises are suspended for the remainder of their season, which ends mid-May. Lisa McCaskill, vice-president, sales and marketing, Scenic Group Canada, said, “With the news of increasing COVID-19 cases in countries around the world, the health and safety of guests and crew is our primary focus. We will continue to ensure they come first and foremost in all our...
More Cruise Lines Suspend, Postpone Operations
Following the lead of Princess and Viking, numerous other cruise lines, including Uniworld, Windstar and Disney, have announced plans to suspend or postpone operations due to concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak. Windstar Cruises announced it is temporarily suspending operations worldwide for cruises embarking March 14 through April 30. “After much thought, we believe we are making the most responsible decision we can during this coronavirus pandemic,” said Christopher Prelog, chief operating officer of Windstar Cruises. “This worldwide pause in the operation of our fleet of...