I love all things Cruise and add that to my hobby Photography I’m in dreamland, I’m an exTravel agency owner with the inside contacts, so I will try to keep you updated in all things travel related with a side serving of images and other maritime stories.
Carnival Cruise Line has changed its face covering and testing policies, according to Brand Ambassador and Senior Cruise Director of Carnival Cruise Line, John Heald.
From Aug. 7, all guests will be required to wear face masks indoors. This includes elevators, shops, casinos, restaurant halls and queuing areas.
“In any (indoor) area where many people are gathered and when you’re not eating or drinking, we are going to require you to wear a face mask, and this is for all guests, not just those who are unvaccinated,” said Heald in a Facebook video.
Additionally, from Aug. 14, all cruises will require all guests to test negative for coronavirus within three days before the sailing.
“That is for all guests, (including) fully vaccinated,” Heald said. “You are going to need a negative antigen test taken within three days of your cruise, and you’ll need to show proof of this.”
Heald explained that Carnival had to introduce these rules in order to “keep cruising going.”
“This is what we have to do, and we ask for your understanding … We have to be careful, and we have to get this right, and we will continue to make whatever changes we need to in order for the fun to continue,“ Heald explained.
According to him, guests cruising with Carnival Cruise Line in the next few months will be notified about the change soon.
The Carnival Pride Oct. 31 sailing will have different rules, Heald noted.
The Royal Caribbean Group expects to be cash-flow positive in about six months, Jason Liberty, senior vice president and CFO, said on the company’s Q2 earnings call.
Liberty noted that the third and fourth quarters of this year will continue to be “painful” and cautioned that 2022 will not be a normal year although trends to normalcy should be picking up during the year.
Going from four ships in service at the end of April, the group now has 29 out of 68 ships sailing and will introduce seven more this month.
By the end of the year, Liberty said, 85 per cent of the Royal Caribbean fleet should be sailing.
As for the newbuilds, Liberty said they will be introduced on 10-month delays from when they originally were expected to enter service.
Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, noted how Royal Caribbean is focused on operating their cruises safely and safer than other vacation alternatives, while still exceeding pre-pandemic guest expectations, and doing so in a fiscally prudent manner.
He underscored that their safety protocols are working and that the ships allow them to control the environment to an unusual extent: 100 per cent of the crew is vaccinated, and in July, 92 per cent of the passengers were vaccinated.
“We have had people test positive, but since people around them have been vaccinated, it means these have been isolated cases,” Fain said. “The vaccines are the ultimate weapon and they work.
“In light of the Delta variant, we have strengthened our protocols further.
“Cruises have become the example of how best to deal with COVID-19,” Fain added.
The MSC Meraviglia has become the latest MSC cruise ship to welcome guests onboard again after the pandemic when she sailed last night out of PortMiami, Florida.
MSC Cruises said that this is a key milestone as part of the line’s global plan to have more than half of its fleet back at sea by the end of this summer, following the line’s initial restart in the Mediterranean in August 2020 and over the past several months the return at sea of more of its ships across the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, the UK, the Red Sea and now in the Caribbean out of the U.S.
Tens of thousands of guests have returned to enjoy a cruise at sea on an MSC Cruises ship since last summer, the cruise line said, under the protection of its health and safety protocol that is now also available for cruises out of U.S. ports.
The MSC Meraviglia is now on her first four-night cruise visiting Nassau, The Bahamas and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, where the ship will stay overnight to allow guests an extended stay to discover the company’s new private island destination.
According to a press release, the destination offers guests more than two miles of white sand beaches in an eco-friendly 64 square mile marine reserve. Guests can enjoy the island’s nature, discover local marine life and soak up “the spirit of The Bahamas” with ships docking at the island from early morning into the evening and in some instances overnight.
Guests can spend a full day enjoying activities for all ages including stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, snorkelling, and more.
The MSC Meraviglia will sail three- and four-night cruises and add seven-night eastern and western Caribbean cruises from Sept. 18, 2021.
The MSC Divina will become MSC Cruises’ second ship to return to cruising from the U.S., with three-, four- and seven-night itineraries beginning Sept. 16 from Orlando (Port Canaveral) – a new homeport for the company.
Delivered last week, MSC’s newest flagship Seashore will arrive at her new homeport in Miami on Nov. 18, 2021, following her inaugural season in the Mediterranean. As an evolution of the Seaside class, MSC said that the ship will bring guests “closer to the sea than ever before” with 140,000 sq. ft of outdoor space, the most of any MSC Cruises ship in the U.S., numerous outdoor bars and dining, pools and deck area for relaxing and sunbathing, as well as a variety of new spaces for guests.
MSC said that the health and safety of its guests, crew and the communities its ships visit is its top priority. Since last summer, MSC Cruises has implemented a health and safety protocol onboard each ship, which includes universal COVID-19 testing at embarkation; regular testing of the crew; physical distancing; mask-wearing; enhanced sanitation measures and more. In the U.S., MSC Cruises will welcome both vaccinated and not fully vaccinated guests onboard with additional requirements for guests who are not fully vaccinated.
