Cruise Restart: 347 Ships Sailing in May

Posted on 25 April, 2022 by Spacejunkie2

The global cruise industry’s restart is continuing to move forward in May, as 347 cruise ships are expected to sail, according to the May edition of the Cruise Ships in Service Report by Cruise Industry News.

That is a big gain of ships from April, when 300 ships were in service, compared to 264 in March, and just 47 ships in May 2021.

Of the 347 ships set to cruise in April, they represent some 82 cruise brands and just over 550,000 berths.

Royal Caribbean International continues to be the biggest brand in service and will have 25 ships sailing in May, including welcoming back the Ovation of the Seas in Alaska and the Rhapsody of the Seas in the Mediterranean.

Carnival Cruise Line will complete its restart with its 23-ship fleet sailing, with the Splendor relaunching operations on May 2 for her 2022 summer program in Alaska.

Norwegian Cruise Line will welcome back the Sun, sailing out of Seattle to Alaska, and the Spirit, which is starting service as well on May 7.

Other highlights include the Royal and Crown Princess relaunching revenue sailings, and the AIDAaura, which cruises from Hamburg on May 7.

MSC Cruises to Increase Dominance in Europe

Posted on 6 April, 2022 by Spacejunkie2

MSC Magnifica in Queensferry Edinburgh, Photo credit Spacejnkie2

The European market will increase by dominated by MSC Cruises, according to the 2022 Cruise Industry News Annual Report.

By 2027 MSC will not only have the most passenger cruise capacity in Europe but also be the single largest brand, based on its new build program and projected ship deployments.

MSC Cruises, including its Explora Journeys brand, will have a total passenger capacity of 4.3 million in Europe in 2027, compared to 4.0 million for Carnival Corporation brands and 1.5 million for the TUI Group.

In addition, would be ships deployed from Carnival’s North American brands and by the Royal Caribbean Group, but their passenger sourcing, pending circumstances, is primarily from the U.S.

From 2022 to 2027, MSC will see its capacity grow by 36.2 per cent, Carnival by 3.3 per cent and the TUI Group by 41.7 per cent.

MSC is a pan-European brand, along with Costa Cruises, while national brands dominate some markets, such as P&O in the UK, AIDA and TUI in Germany.

The market capacity of the Europe-based brands is estimated at 9.2 million passengers this year and is projected to grow to 11 million by 2027.

Carnival: 3.8 Percent of Capacity Was Set to Call in Russia

Posted on 24 March, 2022 by Spacejunkie2

Carnival Corporation had 3.8 per cent of its 2022 cruise capacity calling on Russian ports before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, leading the company to cancel and replace calls to Russian ports.

“We have decided to totally withdraw from Russia and have found attractive alternatives,” said President and CEO Arnold Donald, speaking on the company’s first-quarter earnings call.

“That said, Saint Petersburg was a marquee port for us. And while there have been times where we were unable to offer certain itineraries, in this instance, the close end nature of the deployment change does lead to some regional disruption in recent booking patterns.”

Donald admitted the war had added some volatility to Carnival’s business and had impacted consumer confidence.

“With 50 years under our belt, we have successfully managed through a plethora of headwinds like spikes in fuel prices, the Gulf War, Arab Spring, September 11, Ebola, Zika, SARS, MERS and more,” Donald said. “And once again, the mobility of ships continues to be an asset. Time and time again, we have seen guests travel through challenges. In fact, Carnival Cruise Line turned 50 this month and recently enjoyed its three best weeks of bookings since resuming operations.”