Carnival Cruise Line Bookings Double After Relaxing Protocols

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Carnival Cruise Line said today that its booking activity for Monday, Aug. 15 was nearly double the level for the equivalent day in 2019, citing demand after announcing last Friday that it was revising pre-cruise vaccination and testing requirements will allow more guests to cruise.

Carnival announced simplified protocols last Friday that eliminated pre-cruise testing requirements for vaccinated guests and eliminated the exemption request process for unvaccinated guests, who now will only need to show a negative test result at embarkation – effective for cruises departing on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, or later on voyages less than 16 nights. 

“We have previously disclosed strong occupancy projections for the summer, and our bookings through the end of 2022 have also been very solid,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “With the further alignment of protocols to other vacation choices, our guests are booking the remaining 2022 inventory and getting a head start planning for 2023. Mid-August is typically not a busy month for cruise bookings. Still, it’s clear that pent-up demand for Carnival has not been satisfied and guests are responding very favourably to our updated protocols.”

Duffy reiterated in a press release that Carnival remains committed to the health and safety of guests, crew, and the communities it visits, and will continue to work with medical experts and public health officials to refine its protocols responsibly.

Ambassador Cruise Line Charters Ship to the Scottish Government

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Ambassador Cruise Line confirmed it’s chartering of the Ambition to the Scottish Government. Formerly known as AIDAmira, the 1,428-guest vessel will be used to house Ukrainian refugees in the country.

“We have agreed to a joint arrangement with the Scottish Government that means we can help the Scottish resettlement program for the Ukraine population, many of whom are fleeing the country,” the company said in a prepared statement.

Currently sailing to Scotland, the cruise ship is set to arrive in Glasgow at the beginning of September, Ambassador explained.

“We are proud to be supporting such an important humanitarian cause,” it added.

Acquired by Ambassador Cruise Line in January 2022, the Ambition was scheduled to launch a service for the brand in March 2023.

While the duration of the charter agreement has not been disclosed, no changes to the inaugural timeline have been confirmed so far.

“We are still finalizing the details with the various parties concerned, but we will be communicating with guests in due course to explain this agreement and we hope you are able to understand our wishes to help with this cause,” Ambassador noted.

Docked in Montenegro for the past four months, the Ambition has been out of service since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Launched in 1999 as the Mistral, the 48,200-ton vessel was built for Festival Cruises.

After the collapse of its original operators, the ship was acquired by Iberojet for further service in Europe as the Grand Mistral.

In 2007, it joined Carnival Corporation when the Spanish tour operator, along with its fleet, was acquired by the U.S.-based cruise conglomerate.

Before being sold to its current owners, the vessel also spent time sailing for Costa Cruises and AIDA Cruises.

As the second ship of Ambassador, the Ambition is now set to provide departures from regional UK ports such as Newcastle, Dundee, Belfast, Liverpool, Bristol and Falmouth.

Princess Cruises to Sponsor Trackhouse Racing in NASCAR

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Princess Cruises today announced a deal with Trackhouse Racing to sponsor driver Daniel Suárez in the NASCAR Cup Series. 

Princess will serve as the primary sponsor on Suárez’s No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro at the Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International race on Aug. 21 and at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway on Oct. 23.

The partnership will also include Suárez’s teammate Ross Chastain and expand beyond what race fans will see on Sunday. In the coming weeks, Princess Cruises and Trackhouse Racing will unveil a program that will enable NASCAR fans to travel its ships around the world.

“We are proud to partner with Trackhouse Racing and enter the NASCAR world,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises. “Trackhouse has been one of the most exciting and interesting teams, we appreciate and applaud Daniel and Ross’s impressive success and we look forward to showing NASCAR fans the exceptional, vacations Princess Cruises offers. We have a lot of plans that we think NASCAR fans are going to really like.”

Trackhouse Racing is in its second season in the Cup Series. Suárez and Chastain have visited victory lane three times in 2022 and are two of the favourites in the 16-driver playoffs that being Sept. 4 in Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

“I can’t certainly tell you the type of trip I am going to go on this off-season if we win the championship,” said Suárez who became the first driver from Mexico (Monterrey) to win in the Cup Series on June 12, 2022, at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. “I think everyone has heard of Princess Cruises and dreams of going on a trip somewhere special. I hope we can help a lot of people do that soon.”

Trackhouse founder and team owner Justin Marks said the new partnership with Princess Cruises is another testament to the team as well as the sport of NASCAR.

“The biggest and most recognizable companies are seeing the value in Trackhouse Racing, our drivers and the sport of NASCAR,” said Marks who brought in entertainer Pitbull as a team partner last year as part of its off-track effort to expand the sport’s fan base beyond its normal demographic. “Princess Cruises is a powerful brand and the goal of this partnership is to expose our fans to the wonders of a Princess cruise vacation and provide NASCAR fans a very cool way to travel the globe.”