P&O Cruises has postponed the maiden sailing of its new ship Arvia by a fortnight.
Iona’s 5,200-passenger sister ship had been due to launch from Southampton on 9 December but in a statement, on Tuesday (25 October) the line announced the delay blaming “reasons beyond our control”.
Arvia’s first sailing will now take place on 23 December with a Spain, Portugal and Canary Islands itinerary, prior to the ship repositioning to the Caribbean in January.
“Whilst we know this is disappointing for those guests who were booked to travel on 9 December, we will not compromise on the high standards of build, interior design and service for which P&O Cruises is known,” the line added.
Norwegian Cruise Line is cancelling six additional cruises onboard the new Norwegian Viva, pushing the debut of the second Prima-Class vessel too late August.
“Given the global supply chain constraints impacting industries worldwide, including the maritime industry, we must cancel Norwegian Viva’s sailings from July 3, 2023, through and including August 17, 2023,” Norwegian said in a statement sent to booked guests.
The cancelled departures included itineraries in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean – where the Norwegian Viva is set to spend most of its maiden season.
According to the company, the impacted passengers are being offered two different options.
At a 20 per cent discount on the voyage fare originally paid, they are able to sail a comparable itinerary onboard the Norwegian Getaway.
The new reservations for the cruises onboard the 2014-built ship will include an equivalent stateroom category, keeping all of the guest’s previously selected promotions.
Those who opt to not transfer their cruise to the Getaway may also cancel the reservation and rebook at a later date, Norwegian said.
Guests choosing this option need to contact the cruise line, which will issue a full refund to the original form of payment.
Regardless of the option selected, all passengers are also receiving a 10 per cent discount on their next cruise.
According to the company, the offer can be combined with all available promotions at the time of the booking and must be used towards sailings from August 23, 2023, through December 3, 2024.
Second, in a series of six ships known as the Prima Class, the vessel will be a sister of the new Norwegian Prima – which is set to enter service in Iceland later this month.
Royal Caribbean International has seen a number of company adjustments, fleet changes and deployment moves since COVID-19 began, plus the resumption of cruising aboard the Quantum of the Seas from Singapore.
Here are the main moves that took place for the cruise line since the pandemic started:
Newbuilds Odyssey of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas Delayed
Under construction in Germany, the Quantum-Class ship was delayed six months and is now scheduled to join the fleet in April.
A few weeks later, the company revealed that the Wonder of the Seas was also delayed. The China-bound Oasis-Class ship was previously scheduled for a mid-2021 delivery and is now expected in 2022.
In both cases, Royal Caribbean cited the coronavirus pandemic and its impacts as the main reason for the changes.
Royal Amplified Postponed Until Further Notice
When the pandemic started, Royal Caribbean was in the middle of a program of fleet modernization called Royal Amplified.
Two ships were scheduled to go trough the work in the second quarter of 2021, including the Allure of the Seas. The Oasis-Class vessel was set to undergo a 58-day, $165 million drydock, starting in March.
Grandeur of the Seas Stays and Debuts a New Homeport
A few weeks after confirming the Majesty and Empress departures, Royal Caribbean announced that the Grandeur of the Seas will operate a new program from Barbados, starting in December.
Built in 1996, the ship was in limbo after the Spanish brand Pullmantur Cruceros filed for insolvency last June. The sister company was set to receive the Grandeur early this year, which was announced back in 2019.
Healthy Sail Panel Launched in Partnership with Norwegian
Putting together a group of experts, the companies formed the “Healthy Sail Panel”, which, in September, revealed a 65-plus-page report detailing 74 best practices to protect the public health and safety of guests, crew and the communities where cruise ships call.
The new protocol is expected to be adopted by Royal Caribbean International when sailings are resumed globally.
Cruises Resumed in Singapore and Global Resumption Plans
With the approval from local authorities, Royal Caribbean started sailing from Singapore in early December. Sailing a program of short cruises to nowhere, the Quantum of the Seas became the first ship to resume service in the company’s fleet.
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