Tag Archives: Covid-19

Arcadia Marks the Return of the Entire P&O Cruises Fleet

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Another cruise line is completing its restart plan today as Arcadia resumes service for P&O Cruises in England.

Returning after a three-month operational pause, the 2005-built vessel is welcoming guests in Southampton for a cruise to Iceland, Norway and Ireland.

The 14-night itinerary visits six different ports, such as Reykjavik, Akureyri, Alesund and Belfast.

Continuing its restart program, the Arcadia is set to offer different itineraries departing from Southampton, with cruises visiting the British Islands, the Baltic, Western Europe and more.

In September, the 83,000-ton vessel is also sailing a special 30-night voyage to the United States and Canada. The roundtrip itinerary features visits to New York City, Boston, Halifax, Corner Brook, Bar Harbor and more.

After being taken out of service due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, Arcadia is returning to guest operations for the second time.

The ship previously resumed service in March 2022, offering a few scheduled cruises before entering another operational pause due to crew shortages. 

At the time, P&O cancelled seven additional departures on board the ship, which offers an adults-only product.

Built in Italy, the Arcadia originally entered service in April 2005 and has a capacity for 1,968 passengers in double occupancy.

In 2018, the vessel was subjected to a major refit, which, according to P&O, improved the onboard experience with a fresher and more contemporary feel.

Following guests’ feedback, the company updated several parts of the ship, including cabins, suites, public areas, bars, main dining restaurants and speciality dining venues.

With the Arcadia now sailing again, P&O Cruises’ entire fleet is once again in service.

After a 14-month gap, the UK-based company first welcomed guests back in mid-2021, with a series of domestic cruises onboard the Britannia and the new Iona.

The Carnival-owned brand later returned to more destinations, gradually adding the rest of the fleet back into service.

Carnival Corporation: On Course for Recovery

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Cash from operations is turning positive and the company has turned the corner of its recovery trajectory, according to Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold Donald, who spoke on today’s second-quarter business update call with analysts.

“We are aggressively ramping up to full operations, driving higher occupancy on our ships, and focused on increasing revenues,” Donald said.

Bookings are expected to continue to improve during the rest of the year and reach historical levels in 2023, according to David Bernstein, executive vice president and CFO. He also said that there is the potential that EBITDA will be greater in 2023 than it was in 2019. The wild card is the cost of fuel. The target for 2023 is to carry 14 million guests.

Contributing to the recovery will also be fleet optimisation, reallocating ships to the strongest markets, such as introducing the new Costa by Carnival brand in North America.

Donald noted that European markets are in many ways more challenging than North America from a consumer standpoint as it relates to travel and added that moving Costa ships was also about right-sizing the Italian brand. A big chunk of Costa’s capacity has been in China, he said, and with that market closed, it made more sense to expand the strong North American market than to put all that capacity in Europe.

Bernstein added that North America and Europe are headed in the right direction, but that the company’s North American brands are doing better than their European counterparts.

As for other headwinds, such as the impact of the recession, Donald said the industry is resilient, offering a strong value proposition and that people feel entitled to their vacations. In addition, there is a tailwind of pent-up demand, he added, and the relaxing of health protocols is also expected to attract more people who may have been on the sidelines.

As for any other allocation moves, Donald said: “We are very pleased with our portfolio of brands but will always have an open mind to do what makes sense for our shareholders.”

He also said that since 2019, the company has shed 23 less efficient ships while adding nine larger, more efficient ships, including more premium-priced staterooms, while reducing operating expenses, including fuel, on a per available guest day basis.

Virgin Voyages has delayed the launch of its third ship Resilient Lady

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The vessel had been scheduled to operate from Athens from mid-August

The vessel has been scheduled to operate from Athens from mid-August but will now not launch until the second quarter of 2023.

Virgin Voyages said the delay at the yard in Genoa “was not anticipated”, adding: “Resilient Lady will remain in Genoa getting onboard work completed, hitting the high seas next spring.”

It added: “Virgin Voyages did not land on this decision lightly, and despite making tremendous strides alongside the cruise industry as a whole, the brand is not immune to the global challenges the world is facing. 

“This includes supply chain obstacles, a level of regional uncertainty for international travellers in countries in Eastern Europe, crewing challenges based on government regulations and restrictive Covid entry requirements back into the US.” 

Passengers and agents are due to be informed of refunds and compensation advice in the next few days.

This includes a 200% Future Voyage Credit (FVC) or a full refund of the amount paid, plus 25% FVC.

Those that choose the 200% FVC and rebook in 2022 will get the option of another free voyage, excluding taxes and fees. There will also be assisted with travel changes and penalties.

Agents will have their commission protected on funds already paid.