Tag Archives: Cozumel

Norwegian Dawn Kicks Off Tampa Program as the 10th NCL Ship Back in Service

Posted on by
Reply

The Norwegian Dawn is welcoming guests back today as the tenth vessel to resume commercial service for the Norwegian Cruise Line.

The 2002-built ship is also marking the company’s return to homeport operations in Tampa after a 21-month hiatus.

Through April, the Dawn is set to offer 15 cruises from the Florida port, sailing to the Bahamas, the Western, Eastern and Southern Caribbean.

The five- to 11-night itineraries feature visits to popular destinations such as Cozumel, St. Thomas, Curaçao and Harvest Caye, Norwegian’s private resort in Belize.

Originally ordered for Star Cruises, the Norwegian Dawn entered service in 2002. The 92,250-ton vessel is a sister to the Norwegian Star and can carry up to 2,200 guests in double occupancy.

The Germany-built ship also introduced the concept of hull art, a feature that was later added to the entire fleet.

In 2016, the Dawn underwent an extensive revitalization as part of The Norwegian Edge program, which aimed to elevate the standard of the NCL fleet. During the refit, the vessel received several new features, including Los Lobos Cantina, a Mexican speciality restaurant, and the Sugarcane Mojito Bar.

The design and décor in all of the ship’s public rooms and staterooms were also updated, including a complete makeover of the Garden Villas, the largest suites in the Norwegian fleet.

In addition to the Norwegian Dawn, the Norwegian Pearl is also resuming guest services this month. The 2,400-guest ship is set to welcome passengers back on Dec. 23 in Miami, kicking off a program of Caribbean and Panama Canal itineraries.

After a 500-day operational pause, Norwegian Cruise Line first resumed revenue services in July, with the Norwegian Jade. During the summer, the vessel offered a series of destination-intensive cruises to the Greek Islands.

The brand later expanded its restart to additional destinations, including Alaska, the Caribbean, the Western Mediterranean, the West Coast, Bermuda and more.  

Currently, Norwegian is offering cruises in the Caribbean, the Middle East, the Mexican Riviera and Europe from nine different homeports. 

Carnival Dream Resumes Service in Galveston

Posted on by
Reply

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.

Coronavirus: MSC cruise ship rejected from two Caribbean ports as crew member falls ill

Posted on by
Reply
Image result for MSC meraviglia in the caribbean

CRUISES have been hard hit by the outbreak of Coronavirus and yesterday MSC Meraviglia was rejected from two Caribbean ports amid fears that a crew member on board the MSC Cruises ship was sick.
Cruise ship MSC Meraviglia was turned away from two ports in the Caribbean on Tuesday. The rejection came amid fears of the spread of coronavirus. The MSC Meraviglia was denied permission to dock in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Georgetown, Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.

Authorities were concerned the sickness was a result of coronavirus.

However, the cruise line claims his illness is down to common seasonal flu and insist no cases of coronavirus have been reported on any MSC ships.

MSC is “extremely disappointed” with the double rejection.

The ship is now sailing onward to Cozumel, Mexico, the next scheduled port of call.

The Jamaican Ministry of Health released a statement yesterday.

It stated: “A cruise line with over 4,500 passengers and over 1,600 crew members was today (Tuesday, February 25, 2020) denied access to the port of call in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.

“The vessel arrived at approximately 8:30 a.m. and upon inspection by the Port Health Officials, it was discovered that a crew member was placed in isolation on board.

“The crew member had a cough, fever and associated muscle pains with a travel history to a country of interest relating to the COVID-19.”

Dwayne Seymour, health minister of the Cayman Islands, also released a statement.

He said: “In an abundance of caution, in order to provide protection to the health and safety of the residents of the Cayman Islands, the government has denied permission for the cruise ship to call on Grand Cayman as previously scheduled.”

Image result for msc meraviglia photos

MSC have said that the sick crew member and all passengers onboard the Meraviglia had passed a health screening before boarding the ship at the weekend.

The cruise ship departed Miami on Sunday and was scheduled to complete a 15-day cruise of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Mexico, Bahamas, Belize and Honduras, returning to Miami on March 8, according to an itinerary.

MSC said in a statement sent to Express.co.uk today: “MSC Cruises is extremely disappointed that Jamaican authorities yesterday delayed a decision for many hours to give our ship the necessary clearance to disembark guests, despite us having provided detailed medical records to the local health and national authorities ahead of its arrival as per normal protocol.

“Similarly, the decision taken overnight by the Grand Cayman authorities to refuse disembarkation at Georgetown was made without even reviewing the ship’s medical records, which show one single case of common seasonal flu (type A influenza) affecting one crew member with a travel history clearly showing no passages through territories either affected by COVID-19 (Coronavirus) or subject to any international health restrictions. In both instances, the ship was effectively turned away simply based on fears.

“MSC Meraviglia is currently at sea on her way to Cozumel, Mexico, her next scheduled port of call.