AIDA Cruises To Sail in Greece From May 23

Posted on 17 April, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

AIDA Cruises has announced that it will be offering new cruises in Greece from May 23, 2021, with seven-day cruises departing from Corfu and travelling through the Greek islands to Crete and Rhodes, as well as to Katakolon (Olympia) and Piraeus (Athens).

Guests will be able to enjoy the amenities onboard with multiple restaurants, bars, cultural activities and sports facilities, as well as organized shore excursions to explore the ports of call.

According to AIDA’s press release, Greece is one of the most popular vacation destinations for German travellers. From May 14, 2021, the Mediterranean country will reopen for tourism.

Booking starts on Apr. 20, 2021, with 23 dates to choose from between May 23 and October 24, 2021. The Greek cruises can also be booked as 14-day trips, AIDA said.

In addition to the new offering in Greece, the AIDAperla is sailing on seven-day voyages around the Canary Islands through June.

All cruises are carried out in compliance with AIDA’s enhanced health and safety protocols, as well as applicable laws and regulations.

With a testing strategy for guests and crew members already utilized on several cruises, AIDA said it is its top priority for all guests to safely enjoy their vacation. The enhanced health and safety protocols — tested by SGS Institut Fresenius and confirmed by the classification society DNV — includes a mandatory PCR test for detecting viruses and bacteria before travelling, as well as regular health checks, social distancing and hygiene protocols, medical care including testing capacities onboard and other measures.

With the “AIDA promise,” the cruise company offers guests more flexibility and security in planning. Generous booking options are part of AIDA’s commitment to its guests, ranging from small down payments to free rebooking. The “AIDA promise” is included in the travel price for new bookings up to May 31, 2021, and applies to departures up to March. 31, 2022.

AIDA said that cruises in other destinations will not be possible at this time, with AIDA cancelling the remaining voyages of April through May.

Enchanted Princess to sail in the Mediterranean next summer

Posted on 24 September, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

Princess Cruises’ newest ship Enchanted Princess will sail in the Mediterranean next summer, bringing the number of Royal-class ships based in Europe to three.

Enchanted Princess is due to join the Princess fleet later this year, and will spend May to September operating a series of new round-trip seven and 14-night itineraries from Rome before sailing between Rome and Barcelona on a series of 11-night cruises.

Earlier this month, the line announced that new ship Sky Princess would replace Crown Princess in Southampton from April to September. The ship will sail eight and twelve-night British Isles cruises and a series of 12-night Scandinavia and Russia voyages.

Regal Princess will also be based in Southampton, sailing a number of itineraries ranging from four to 24 nights to destinations including Iceland and Norway, the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, the Baltic and Canada & New England.

All Europe 2021 voyages onboard Regal Princess and Baltic sailings on Sky Princess are now available to book. The new roundtrip Rome departures onboard Enchanted Princess and British Isles sailings on Sky Princess will be available to book in early October.

Tony Roberts, vice-president UK and Europe said: “Having three Royal-class ships sailing in Europe next year including two based in Southampton is testament to our commitment to offering UK holidaymakers an enhanced Medallion Class service, new onboard experiences and a wealth of holiday options without the need to travel too far from home. We truly are so excited for every guest to experience these voyages.”

He added: “The addition of the new itineraries gives UK guests the opportunity to visit more destinations from Southampton than ever before, as well as the ease of travelling roundtrip from Rome for those who prefer to take a short flight straight out to the sunshine.”

All voyages in the new line-up are included as part of Princess’ latest stateroom upgrade offer, meaning that all customers booking these voyages before November 23 can upgrade for free from an inside stateroom to a balcony.

The hope of winter cruise return raised by the Canary Islands

Posted on 10 September, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

Tenerife Shipyards wins contract to upgrade Seadrill's West Bollsta oil platform - PortSEurope

Hopes have been raised for a winter season of cruise ship visits to the Canary Islands.

Cruise lines will have to carry out Covid PCR tests on all travellers before arriving in the archipelago, according to the Canary Islands government.

UK government restrictions currently prevent ocean cruises from operating and lines still await renewed Foreign Office guidance.

On a media call after issuing its half-year results up to the end of July, Saga group chief executive Euan Sutherland said the firm was “ready to cruise again as soon as government guidelines are updated”.

He added: “We expect them to be in the next few days”.

The Spanish islands’ transport and health ministers believe safety rules can be agreed to allow a return of ships from as early as October.

The presidents of the port authorities of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife have committed to communicating the government health protocol for cruise companies to adopt.

Cruise companies would be required to subscribe to an insurance that covers all the expenses of passengers that may be infected by Covid-19 in order to guarantee both safeties of the residents of the Islands and the ships’ passengers.

“This insurance would cover all the expenses derived from a coronavirus incidence among travellers, such as repatriation, medical expenses and quarantine stays,” a Canary Islands statement said.

All passengers will need to undertake a diagnostic test to show that they are negative for coronavirus.

Passengers must also fill out a form that includes all their movements in the last 15 days before arriving in the Canary Islands to monitor them in case of an incident.

Cruise companies must undertake that their ships do not exceed 60% or 70% of capacity and they expand their sanitary staff on board, with cleaning and disinfection of ships after each trip, to establish a protocol of tracking ships every time they dock in a port on the islands.

Tui is one of five European cruise companies to have shown interest in starting winter cruises.

“Only with this operating company, the Canarian ports would be receiving an average of 1,300 tourists every week, an amount that will increase considerably once the rest of the shipping companies that have already shown their interest in making the Canarian circuit join,” the islands’ government said.

Transport minister Sebastian Franquis said: “For the government of the Canary Islands it is essential to recover this type of tourism because it is a very necessary economic activity at the moment for the archipelago, and we want to recover it with all the health requirements.

“For the government, it is essential to recover winter tourism, not only in air transport but also in maritime transport and gradually recover the hotel plant.

“Therefore, we are making every effort to ensure that between October and November cruise tourism begins to recover normally within what we are experiencing and not to lose the winter tourist season.”