P&O Cruises still planning Iona celebration in Southampton

Posted on 4 November, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

P&O Cruises is still planning a celebration for when new ship Iona arrives in Southampton to begin her maiden sailings but said it would “judge the mood of the nation” first.
President Paul Ludlow said the new ship was looking “stunning” and would be “unlike anything ever seen before for the British market”.
He said: “It’s our intention to keep her in Europe when she comes to Southampton and we will absolutely celebrate her arrival into the UK. It will be such a feel-good moment that it would be remiss of us not to. But we will have to judge the mood of the nation.
“It’s difficult to predict the future at the moment, so until things are more certain, we will hold back with details of this event.”
Speaking as he launched the line’s summer 2022 programme, Ludlow said Iona’s sister ship was still on track for delivery in December 2022 and that steel-cutting for this vessel was due to take place in Germany before the end of this year.
He said bookings for the second half of 2021 were at the “upper end of historic levels”, those for spring 2022 had “surpassed the upper end of historic levels” and that summer 2022 pre-registrations were “akin to previous years”.

Ludlow said some bookings for 2022 were by customers whose 2020 cruises had been cancelled and who were redeeming their Future Cruise Credits.
“The majority of people took FCCs over a refund when their cruises were cancelled,” he said. “And of those who took an FCC, 50% have utilised it already. So that leaves 50% who are still waiting to utilise it. There were some who had bookings for 2020 and 2021, so they have been waiting to use the 2020 FCC in 2022.”
Ludlow also said that not all bookings were by loyal guests and that the “new to cruise market hasn’t completely gone away”.
“In the first, three or four months, new to cruise volumes actually exceeded my expectations,” he said. “That’s slowed down a little bit but even so, it’s exceeded my expectations as to how many new-to-cruise people wanted to book.”
Ludlow added: “For people taking their first cruise, the consideration period is lengthy. By the time they had invested all that time, [the pandemic] has not been enough for them to say ‘it’s no longer for me’.”

Carnival cancels November cruises from Miami and Port Canaveral

Posted on 13 October, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

Carnival Splendor

Carnival Cruise Line has cancelled the remaining cruises for the six ships operating from Miami and Port Canaveral in November 2020.
The cruise giant has also cancelled five cruises scheduled to operate on Carnival Splendor from Sydney, between January 16 to February 8, 2021.
Carnival had previously cancelled all but PortMiami and Port Canaveral departures for the rest of the year because of a no-sail order by the US Centers for Disease Control. It has now determined that November 2020 operations will not be feasible.
The company said: “Carnival continues to work on protocols and procedures that would allow for the resumption of cruise operations, with a gradual, phased-in approach, designating Miami and Port Canaveral as the first two homeports for embarkations.
“Cruises currently scheduled for December from those two homeports remain in place for the time being while Carnival evaluates options.
“However, guests booked on cruises in December out of Miami and Port Canaveral still have the ability to voluntarily cancel their reservation and receive the same offer that all other impacted guests are receiving, which includes a combination future cruise credit (FCC) and onboard credit (OBC), or a full refund.”
Carnival is notifying guests and travel agents about the five cruises on Carnival Splendor from Sydney that have been cancelled.

Princess Cancels Two 2021 World Cruises

Posted on 26 August, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

Princess Cruises is cancelling its early 2021 World Cruises and Circle South America cruises on two ships:

• Island Princess 2021 World Cruise sailing from North America, including associated segments and remaining voyages sailing immediately prior .
• Pacific Princess 2021 Circle South America sailing from Australia, including associated positioning cruises.

Princess cited o restrictions and limitations with border and port access determined by government and health authorities and the continued uncertainty of airline travel.

“We share in the disappointment of this cancellation for guests of our world cruises because it’s a pinnacle cruise vacation experience, booked by some of our most loyal guests,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president.

Guests currently booked on these cancelled voyages will receive a refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare paid plus an additional non-refundable bonus FCC equal to 25% of the cruise fare paid. To receive the above FCCs, no action is required by the guest or their travel advisor.

Alternatively, guests can forfeit the bonus FCC offer and request a refund for all money paid on their booking by using this online form. Guests have until September 30, 2020 to elect a refund, or they will automatically receive the default offer listed above.

Princess will protect travel advisor commissions on bookings for cancelled cruises that were paid in full, in recognition of the critical role they play in the cruise line’s business and success.