Norwegian Cruise Line has announced its 2022 new build will carry the name, Norwegian Prima.
The ship is due to enter service after being delivered from Fincantieri next summer and is one of six in a new class of ships.
The ship is also expected to sail in Europe next summer before crossing to the Caribbean.
Norwegian said it would announce more news regarding the new ship on Wednesday, but has already confirmed the ship will sail in the Caribbean for winter 2022-2023, on five-, seven- and nine-day cruises.
In 2023 the ship will sail from New York City to Bermuda on five- and seven-day cruises from March through May, before heading to Iceland and Northern Europe for the summer season, offering a 10- and 11-day program from Reykjavik or Southampton.
Celebrity Cruises announced its return cruising today as the Celebrity Millennium will homeport in St. Maarten starting on June 5.
Beginning March 25, guests can book the new seven-night itineraries departing through August.
The ship will sail two different weeklong itineraries. One will call on Aruba, Curaçao and Barbados and a second itinerary will call on Tortola, St. Lucia and Barbados.
The ship will sail with the vaccinated crew and will be available to vaccinated adult guests and children under the age of 18 with a negative PCR test result within 72 hours of embarkation, according to a press release.
Guests can take advantage of special air and sea pricing offering exceptional savings on all Summer 2021 St. Maarten sailings starting at $1,999 per person for a veranda stateroom.
Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said: “Returning to the Caribbean after more than a year away is such a significant moment for us. It marks the measured beginning of the end of what has been a uniquely challenging time for everyone. We have been in constant contact with the leadership of St. Maarten these past months to support each other and share learnings and best practices. That we’re able to offer people the opportunity to safely vacation onboard the revolutionized Celebrity Millennium, is incredible, and that we will sail from the magical island of St. Maarten is very special. I am forever grateful for the support and collaboration of the St. Maarten government.”
“Having a major cruise line such as Royal Caribbean Group’s Celebrity Cruises homeport here is a significant economic milestone for St. Maarten. It’s a historic agreement, the fruit of continuous dialogue and a testament to the strength of our longstanding relationship,” Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication (TEATT) Ludmila de Weever declared. “Celebrity Cruises homeporting here will help rejuvenate our economy and drive opportunities for our people. I would like to thank the management team at the Royal Caribbean Group for their commitment to St. Maarten and their confidence in the Ministry of TEATT as a reliable and responsible partner. I look forward to the successful re-launch of their Caribbean cruising,” Minister de Weever concluded.
Royal Caribbean International will be the first major contemporary cruise line back in service in North America, relaunching cruises in June from Nassau with the Adventure of the Seas offering weeklong itineraries starting on June 12.
“We’ve been working on the return to service for well over a year for this market,” said Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales and trade support and service, Royal Caribbean International. “We’ve been sailing successfully in Singapore and feel very confident about our strong protocols that are in place.”
The weeklong sailings will operate below 100 per cent occupancy to start on the 3,100-guest Adventure, and ramp up occupancy rates over time, said Freed.
All crew will be vaccinated and guests will be required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination. Guests under 18 will need a negative PCR test.
Freed said Nassau was a great jumping-off point for people to cruise from with 24 daily flights from 13 major U.S. airports.
The cruise will call on Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island and its highest-rated port globally, where the ship will spend two days.
Other port stops include Grand Bahama and Cozumel, where the company will only allow guests off the ship on Royal Caribbean-organized shore excursions.
“With our own little bubble, we can really make sure the health and safety protocols are being followed,” Freed told Cruise Industry News via phone.
The Adventure will thus join the Quantum of the Seas, sailing from Singapore, and the Odyssey of the Seas, sailing from Haifa, as the Royal Caribbean ships back in service.
As for why the company decided on the 2001-built Adventure and Freed said the Voyager-class ship was the right ship for the deployment, with all the company’s bells and whistles, having come off a major refurbishment in 2018.
Itineraries are currently scheduled from June through August, and Freed said the next logical steps were getting more ships back in service in North America, as well as increasing occupancy on the Adventure over time.
Among major product changes, Freed pointed to the company’s e-mustering system, allowing guests to attend the muster drill from their stateroom or using a mobile device on an individual basis. She also noted a more digital cruise experience, using mobile phones to access restaurant menus, for example.
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