Tag Archives: Caribbean cruise

Norwegian Escape Resumes Service After Repairs

Posted on by
Reply

The Norwegian Escape is back in action. After a month out of service due to a grounding incident, the Norwegian Cruise Line ship welcomed guests back on Saturday in Port Canaveral.

Marking its first cruise since Mar. 12, the 2015-built vessel departed on a seven-night Eastern Caribbean voyage that includes calls in Tortola, St. Thomas, Puerto Plata and Great Stirrup Cay.

The Norwegian Escape ran aground off Puerto Plata on Mar. 14. The ship was freed on the following morning but was said to have suffered minor damage.

With the ship back alongside in the Dominican Republic, guests were sent back to the United States between Mar. 16-18 using charter flights.

Upon returning to its homeport with no passengers on board, the Escape remained docked in Port Canaveral while repairs were being carried out.

A total of five cruises have been affected by the incident. While the Mar. 19, Mar. 26, Apr. 2 and Apr. 9 departures have been entirely cancelled, the Mar. 12 sailing was cut short due to the event.

Upon completing the Apr. 16 Caribbean cruise, the Norwegian Escape is set to cross the Atlantic for a summer season in Europe.

Based in Civitavecchia, Italy, the vessel is offering a series of ten- and 11-night cruises to the Eastern and Western Mediterranean.

Carnival Horizon Resumes Service After Emergency Drydock

Posted on by
Reply

The Carnival Horizon is resuming cruise service in Miami after the completion of an emergency drydock in Italy. The vessel is welcoming guests back today for its first Caribbean voyage since December.

The eight-night voyage will feature calls in four ports in the Southern Caribbean, including a 14-hour stop in Aruba.

Sailing year-round from Miami, Carnival Horizon’s program also includes six-night cruises to the Western Caribbean, in addition to varied eight-night itineraries to the Southern Caribbean.

The service resumption comes nearly two months after the 4,000-guest vessel was taken out of service to fix a propulsion problem in drydock. The downtime was also used to adorn the Horizon with the brand’s new red, white and blue livery.

To pick up the Horizon’s guests and itineraries from Miami, Carnival brought the Carnival Liberty and Carnival Sunshine back to service.

The 133,500-ton Horizon is part of the three-ship Vista-class. it originally entered service in 2018. According to Carnival, the vessels series was designed to connect guests to the ocean with “sweeping views” and plenty of activities, outdoors and indoors.

Among the ships’ unique features is the SkyRide – a suspended open-air cycling experience. The Vista-class also introduced new speciality food and beverage options, such as the New England-inspired Seafood Shack – a casual indoor/outdoor dining venue.

With most of its fleet now back in service, Carnival plans to have all of its U.S.-based ships sailing again soon.

The Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Sensation and the Carnival Paradise are set to complete the domestic lineup when they resume service in March.

St. Kitts’ Cruise Ports See Busiest Week Since 2020

Posted on by
Reply

P&O Britannia in St. Kitts with 2 Oasis Class ships and the Celebrity Edge, Photo credit Spacejunkie2

This week will be the busiest in terms of cruise travel for St. Kitts since the island reopened its borders to international visitors.

According to a press release, 21 cruise ships will have arrived by the end of the week across the island’s four ports: Port Zante, Basseterre Harbour, Deep Water Harbour and South Friar’s Bay.

The ships arriving include the Enchanted Princess, Seabourn Ovation, Viking Sea, Allure of the Seas, and the third visit of the Explorer of the Seas. Dec. 16 marked the first day with five ships in port, St. Kitts Tourism Authority wrote.

“This week comes as an optimistic sign that the cruising industry is making an unstoppable comeback in St. Kitts. We see the number of ship arrivals growing weekly,” said the Minister of Tourism, Transport and Ports, Lindsay F.P. Grant. “Our commitment to safety paired with our exceptional tours and on-island experiences are driving high demand for the destination on cruise itineraries, and we expect this to continue well into 2022.”

This record number of ship arrivals comes in conjunction with changes to the destination’s arrival requirements. As of Dec. 11, Port Zante is completely free-flow, enabling cruise passengers to seamlessly integrate into the federation and providing nationals and residents with access to the port. Travel Approved tours, attractions, restaurants and bars are now open to all fully vaccinated travellers, nationals and residents.

“This busy cruise week shows that demand for our destination continues to grow,” said Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “The reduced travel restrictions make it easier for cruise and international air travellers to engage their senses and seamlessly immerse themselves in our quintessential Caribbean escape.”

After pausing cruise travel when borders closed in March 2020, St. Kitts and Nevis welcomed back its first ships last July. Since then, the twin-island federation has hosted a steady increase in ship arrivals and has allowed passengers to explore the destination via “Travel Approved” tours and attraction sites.