Costa Readying Two Ships to Start Mediterranean Cruising

Posted on 15 June, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

Costa Crociere may be readying two ships to start cruising in the Mediterranean as soon as August, according to crew aboard the line’s ships who attended a recent town hall-style meeting.

The ships that would be put into operation will reportedly be the newest vessels in the Italian brand’s fleet, the 2014-built Diadema, and the 2019-built Smeralda.

In a letter sent to the crew, Costa said it has been working with various institutions to restart operations with a limited number of vessels, as soon as August. However, any restart would be linked to a certain number of conditions, according to the company.

The new challenge is for Costa to crew its ships, with Costa noting that many countries are restricting the movement of the crew, presenting challenges in getting crew to the ships.

Thus, Costa is asking that crew near the end of their contracts consider extending their contracts aboard.

“We official inform all crew members under a valid contract that they will be requested to fulfil their contract commitment, continuing the regular schedule of operation,” a company letter read.

SeaDream says demand is high for restart

Posted on 4 June, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

SeaDream Yacht Club said that its first sailings following its operations pause have sold out.

The small-ship line will begin sailing seven- and 12-day cruises out of Norway on June 20.

SeaDream opened reservations last week and according to executive vice president Andreas Brynestad, the first voyage sold out in “a matter of days.”

“The response has been nothing but overwhelming in a good way and better than we could have ever imagined,” he said. “People are incredibly hungry for travel and our small yachts/ships are exactly what people are looking for now.”

SeaDream said that during the pause in operations its ships repositioned to Lisbon, where they were maintained and given upgrades such as replacing the teak deck.

SeaDream normally operates in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. The Norwegian line’s itineraries will take the ships past the Arctic Circle so that guests can experience the midnight sun, the Lofoten Fjords, and Tromsoe.

MSC Announces Temporary Stop to Operations

Posted on 15 March, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

MSC Cruises has announced the decision to temporary stop all its U.S.-based new cruises embarkations for 45 days until April 30.

Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises, said: “This is not a decision we took lightly but under the current circumstances, the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities ashore – including our employees and their families – must come first. As a family company with over 300 years of maritime tradition, we felt that this was the right decision to make.”

The Company has already also halted ship operations across all areas considered as high risk for the virus, in the Mediterranean, the Gulf and Asia.

Ships still in operations in South America and South Africa will also end their operations at the end of their current itineraries.