Tag Archives: Caribbean

Holland America Line extends cruise cancellations until December

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ms Nieuw Statendam, Holland America Line, cruise, cruising, offer, promotion

Holland America Line has become the latest cruise line to extend its pause of cruise operations, cancelling departures on all ships in its fleet until 15 December 2020.

The extended pause affects the Caribbean, Mexico, Panama Canal, Pacific Coastal, South America, Antarctica, Hawaii, South Pacific, Australia and Asia itineraries.

The line said the pause was due to “the continuation of travel and port restrictions due to global health concerns”.

Those guests with impacted cruises automatically will be cancelled, and no action is needed for guests opting for the future cruise credit (FCC).

Guests who paid in full will receive 125 per cent FCC of the base cruise fare, while those with bookings not paid in full will receive an FCC of double the amount of the deposit paid for the cruise. The minimum FCC is $100 and the maximum will be an amount up to the base cruise fare paid.

The FCC is valid for 12 months from the date of issue and may be used to book sailings departing through 31 December 2022. All other funds paid to Holland America Line may be transferred to a new booking or will automatically be refunded via the method of payment used to purchase the services.

Guests who prefer a 100 per cent refund can visit the cruise line’s Cancellation Preferences form to indicate this preference no later than 15 September 2020.

Holland America Line has said that it will protect travel advisor commissions on bookings for cancelled cruises that were paid in full and for the total amount of the FCC when rebooked.

Holland America Line previously paused global cruise operations and cancelled all Alaska, Europe and Canada/New England cruises for 2020; additional departures from the port of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 2020; and select Hawaii itineraries for early 2021.

This week, both P&O Cruises and Seabourn announced that they too would be extending their cruise cancellations due to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

Levine: ‘Support the Survival and Prosperity of the Cruise Industry’

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Port of Miami

The future of Miami is tied to the future of the cruise industry writes Phil Levine, the former mayor of Miami Beach and president and CEO of Royal Media Partners in an opinion article in the Miami Herald.

Levine wrote that the cruise companies have provided Florida with more than 154,646 jobs, $7.7 billion in wages and more than $8.5 billion in direct spending. It has brought economic opportunities to thousands of families in Florida as well as small and large businesses, in addition to charities and foundations.

He sees a collective future, that the industry must be supported and encouraged to survive and prosper not just for its own sake but for the sake of everyone who relies on it.

Royal Media Partners provides customized port shopping services for the cruise brands of Royal Caribbean Cruises sailing in the Caribbean, Bahamas, Europe, Mexico and Alaska.

All-Female Bridge and Leadership Team Sets Sail on Celebrity Edge

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Celebrity Edge Bridge Team
Celebrity Edge all-female Team.
 Onboard the Celebrity Edge, an all-female bridge and onboard leadership team set sail yesterday, commemorating International Women’s Day.

Led by Captain Kate McCue, the first American female cruise ship captain, who was accompanied by 26 other women representing 16 different countries, the Celebrity Edge sailed out of Port Everglades and began its seven-day Caribbean journey.

Retiring Pilot Boat Captain Cheryl Phipps, one of only a few female pilot boat captains in the country, led the ship out to sea.

Also, in celebration of International Women’s Day, Celebrity Edge-lit up the high seas with a vibrant purple glow, the colour associated with the day.

Celebrity Edge

“I fell in love with cruise ships at age 12 when my family took its first cruise vacation. At the end of the trip, I asked my Dad if he thought I could be a cruise director someday and he replied that I could drive the ship if I wanted to. Five years later, I enrolled at the California Maritime Academy and nineteen years later I became a Captain,” said Captain Kate McCue. “I firmly believe that you have to see it, to be it. My hope is that today we inspire a new generation of young girls and women to chart their own course of pushing boundaries and breaking barriers to be whatever it is they want to be.”

“To ‘man the bridge’ with 100% women and to fill every leadership role onboard with women is truly significant. I am so proud of these accomplished women, who worked tirelessly to be the best person for the job in a traditionally male-dominated industry and I am honoured to work alongside them,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO, Celebrity Cruises. “Advancing gender equality in our industry takes a purposeful and focused commitment because it is not easy. This is such meaningful progress and we’re just getting started.”

Onboard for the sailing are women in other fields including Madeline Stuart, the first Supermodel with down syndrome; Kellee Edwards, the first black woman to host a national adventure travel show; and child prodigy artist Autumn de Forest; international jewellery designer Reout Kallati; and fashion designer Mary Frances. The seven-night sailing will celebrate other female achievements through a variety of events including panel discussions, gallery exhibitions featuring female artists, excursions to women-led businesses in the ports the ship visits, and a cinema series putting female directors, actors and inspirational narratives centre stage.