Tag Archives: Alaska season

Celebrity Cruises Marks Australia and New Zealand Return

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Saturday marked a new beginning, as Celebrity Cruises celebrated its highly anticipated return to Australian and New Zealand waters.

On Saturday, the Celebrity Eclipse set sail from Sydney, Australia, on a 12-night itinerary exploring the ruggedly scenic wilderness of New Zealand.

According to a press release, this voyage is the first of 17 sailings departing from Sydney and Auckland through April 2023, and the first for Celebrity Eclipse in Australian, New Zealand and South Pacific waters.

“The return Down Under has been long-awaited but someday has finally arrived! Celebrity Eclipse is the first Celebrity ship to sail this region for 930 days – a momentous occasion for the brand and our team members who have worked so hard to get to this point; and the first of many wonderful sailings ahead,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO of Celebrity Cruises. “Returning to this region is another significant milestone in the industry’s global recovery, as we sail forward into a bright future.”

Celebrity Cruises Vice President and Managing Director of Australia and APAC, Tim Jones, added, “We’ve been patiently waiting for this moment for so long, and to finally see the freshly painted blue hull of Celebrity Eclipse slice through the waters of Sydney Harbour didn’t disappoint. We were one of the remaining major cruise markets to return to service, and we are proud to be contributing to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific tourism industries once more, alongside rebuilding the economy of key coastal communities.

“Continuing our momentum in the region, next year we’ll be taking the guest experience to the ‘Edge’ with the debut season of Celebrity Edge Down Under! It’s the great outdoors that make this region truly exceptional and we can’t wait to welcome an equally exceptional ship that’s been uniquely designed to connect guests with their surroundings. Whether you’re flying Down Under to join us, or stepping aboard from your front door, Celebrity Edge is a chance to explore our exotic landscapes like never before, all while sailing in complete luxury. ” 

CANADA TO CONDITIONALLY ALLOW RETURN OF CRUISE SHIPS IN NOVEMBER

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Canada will allow cruise ships back into its waters starting in November as the COVID-19 pandemic fades, but they must fully comply with public health requirements that have yet to be finalized, Ottawa said on Thursday.

Earlier this year, Canada extended a ban on cruise ships until February 2022, citing the need to protect public health. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in a statement that the restriction would now be lifted on Nov. 1, 2021.

“We will welcome cruise ships – an important part of our tourism sector – back in Canadian waters for the 2022 season,” he said.

The news should please major operators who complained that Canada’s ban was hurting their business on the West Coast. U.S. law obliges foreign-flagged cruise ships sailing from Washington state to Alaska to make a Canadian stop.

Canada, however, has not yet lifted a ban on non-essential travel with the United States. A Canadian government official said Alghabra’s announcement would allow both countries to work on ways of safely managing the cruise sector.

“We’re working hard through our embassy, through our officials, myself, through our department, and ensuring that we maintain business as usual,” Alghabra told reporters.

He gave no indication of when the border between the United States and Canada would reopen to tourists.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Montreal on Thursday that Ottawa would make an announcement on the next steps to reopening the border in the coming weeks.

A day earlier he had said it “would be catastrophic and heartbreaking to have to go back into lockdown, as some countries are now looking at with surges in the Delta variant, because we were overly eager to reopen by a few weeks.”

2021 Alaska Cruise Season May Be Saved as U.S. Senate Passes Key Bill

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The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that will allow foreign-flagged cruise ships to operate in Alaska without calling on a Canadian port as the Alaska Tourism Recovery Act was passed on Thursday. 

It’s a huge step to saving part of the 2021 Alaska cruise season. 

The legislation was the work of Alaskan Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan.

Next, the bill goes to the U.S. House for approval.

The House will need to vote it through and then President Joe Biden will need to sign it.

“Huge victory today in my effort to provide an opportunity for economic recovery for Alaskan communities who rely on cruise ship passengers — the Senate just passed my bill,” said Senator Murkowski in a social media post.

If the bill moves through other branches of the U.S. government efficiently, the next step would be for the industry to gain CDC approval to operate.