Carnival Dream Resumes Service in Galveston

Posted on 19 September, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

Another Carnival Cruise Line vessel is resuming service today as the Carnival Dream welcomes guests back in Texas. The 2009-built Galveston-based ship is kicking off a series of six-and eight-night cruises to the Eastern Caribbean and The Bahamas.

On its first cruise, the Carnival Dream is sailing on a six-night Western Caribbean itinerary that features visits to three ports in Mexico and Belize. The first stop is Costa Maya, followed by Belize City and Cozumel.

Cozumel – an island in Mexico’s Quintana Roo region surrounded by coral reefs – is one of the highlights of the cruise.

Carnival Dream’s itineraries through December will include other popular ports in the region, such as Half Moon Cay, Roatán and Key West. Two other Carnival ships are currently homeporting in Galveston: the Carnival Breeze and the Carnival Vista.

First, of a series of three ships known as the Dream Class, the Carnival Dream entered service in 2009. At the time, the vessel ushered a new era in “Fun Ship” cruising, offering a unique host of innovations and features.

Among the ship’s highlights is an expanded Carnival WaterWorks aqua park with one of the longest waterslides at sea. The 3,650-guest vessel also introduced entertainment options such as a comedy club and a half-mile wrap-around outdoor promenade, complete with whirlpools that extend over the ship’s sides.

Other features include 19,000 square feet of space dedicated to children and families, in addition to a wide variety of formal and casual dining options – a made-to-order pasta venue, a 24-hour pizzeria, a sushi bar, and a burrito station.

The Carnival Dream was upgraded with Carnival’s new hull colours when it went into drydock in July. According to the company, the livery is inspired by the design that debuted on the new Mardi Gras, while serving as a homage to maritime tradition with patriotic red, white and blue hues – also the colours of Carnival Cruise Line.

The Carnival Dream is the 10th ship to resume service for Carnival Cruise Line after the COVID-19 operational pause.

It also became one of the three ships to resume service for the company this month. On Sept. 12, the Carnival Pride reentered service in Baltimore, kicking off a series of cruises to The Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean.

Also resuming service today, the Carnival Glory is currently embarking on its first cruise from New Orleans after an 18-month pause.

Carnival Panorama Marks Carnival Return to the West Coast

Posted on 22 August, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

Carnival Cruise Line is returning to the West Coast this Saturday, as the Carnival Panorama resumes service in California.

Based in Long Beach, the 2019-built vessel is departing today on a seven-night cruise to the Mexican Riviera.

The sailing marks the return of the brand to the region after a 17-month operational pause.

One of Carnival’s newest and biggest ships, the Panorama will visit three different destinations in Mexico, including Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta.

Before returning to Long Beach, the vessel also visits Cabo San Lucas, a city known for its rock formations and beaches.

Sailing from Long Beach every Saturday, the ship is set to repeat the itinerary through December.

Built-in Italy, the 4,000-guest Carnival Panorama is the last in a series of three ships known as the Vista Class. Larger than its predecessors, these ships introduced several new features for the Carnival brand, such as the SkyRide a twin-track suspended bike course.

The Vista-class also debuted the Havana Staterooms, Carnival’s first cabin enclave, complete with its own private pool deck and lounge and lanai balconies.

Other highlights are the Sky Zone, a trampoline park and the Carnival Kitchen program, a hands-on culinary experience led by the line’s chefs. Both attractions were first introduced by the Carnival Panorama.

With the Panorama back in action, Carnival has eight cruise ships in revenue operations, including the new Mardi Gras – which entered service from Port Canaveral, on July 31.

In August a total of three vessels resumed operations for the company. In addition to the Carnival Panorama, the Carnival Magic welcomed guests back on August 7 and the Carnival Sunrise did the same on August 14. The ships are now sailing from Port Canaveral and Miami, respectively.

In September and October, seven more ships are set to resume operations, launching service from additional homeports, such as Baltimore and New Orleans.

The Big Three Cruise Corporations Continue to Burn Cash. Here’s How Much.

Posted on 10 August, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings are still burning through cash as some ships emerge from lay-up back into operations.

Cash burn numbers may be up in the third quarter with added costs to reactivate ships, needed maintenance, potential drydocks, procurement, getting crew back and more.

Only one out of the three big cruise companies provided estimates on third-quarter cash burn, indicating it would be up close to 45 per cent.

Carnival Corporation

For Carnival Corporation, the company’s cash burn for the first half of 2021 was $500 million per month, which was better than a previous forecast of $550. The improvement was mainly due to the timing of cash received from ship sales just before the end of the second quarter and some other small working capital changes.

With ships quickly relaunching, and a short booking window for cruises announced close to departure, the company said it will not provide a forecast for its third-quarter cash burn rate.

Independence of the Seas in Southampton Photo credit Dave Jones

Royal Caribbean Group

Royal Caribbean reported its average monthly cash burn rate for the second quarter of 2021 at approximately $330 million, slightly higher than the prior quarter as the company returned additional ships into operation.

Similar to Carnival, Royal Caribbean would be not providing a forecast for the third quarter.

“The environment remains fluid, and for this reason, we are not providing a cash burn estimate or the related offsets generated by revenue and new customer deposits. I will highlight that the burn rate for the ships that are kept at layoff is expected to be consistent with our previous expectations,” said Jason Liberty, executive vice president and CFO, on the company’s second-quarter earnings call.

Norwegian Star in Mexico Photo Credit Dave Jones

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings said its average cash burn in the second quarter was $200 million per month, higher than its guidance of $190 million driven by the announcement of additional ship relaunches in the company’s voyage resumption plan and the associated restart expenses.

“As for the third quarter, we expect our average monthly cash burn rate to increase to approximately $285 million as restart expenses accelerate with additional vessels entering service,” said Mark Kempa, executive vice president and CFO. “Restart expenses are primarily related to repositioning, provisioning and stopping of vessels, implementing new health and safety protocols and a measured ramp-up of demand-generating marketing investments.”