MSC Cruises has revealed that its latest flagship, the MSC Seashore, will be officially named at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in The Bahamas on Nov. 18, making this the first naming ceremony for a cruise ship to be held at a private island.
According to a press release, the event will be attended by travel advisors and media as well as other key company stakeholders.
Departing Miami on Nov. 17, invitees will be able to get a first look at the new ship before she starts her inaugural seven-night cruise and U.S. season on Nov. 20 and make the most of the onboard entertainment, different activities as well as various bars and restaurants.
As with every new MSC Cruises ship, Hollywood royalty Sophia Loren will perform the role of Godmother as she officially names her 16th MSC Cruises ship. The festivities will take place both onboard and on the island as the ship will remain docked throughout the night, with a gala dinner, live entertainment and more.
The naming of the MSC Seashore will see the formal inauguration of Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, which opened in late 2019 and closed shortly after due to the pandemic.
MSC said that the island has since gone through further work and significant improvements and this is “an opportunity for MSC Cruises to showcase the island to the invitees on this occasion.”
The MSC Seashore will become the third MSC Cruises ship based in the U.S and the company is offering a range of different length cruises from mini cruises, regular seven-night sailings to longer cruises of eight nights and 11 nights.
New for this season is Port Canaveral where the MSC Divina began operating in September. This new homeport is convenient and easily accessible and is close to popular attractions and major cities like Orlando, Tampa and South Florida for those wishing to make the most out of their holiday either before or after the cruise, MSC said.
When the MSC Seashore arrives, the MSC Meraviglia will move to Port Canaveral for the rest of the season and the MSC Divina will move to PortMiami.
The MSC Seashore will remain for summer 2022 in Miami offering cruises with the MSC Divina out of Port Canaveral.
The Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA) and Royal Caribbean Group have partnered to revitalize the U.S. Virgin Islands’ cruise industry with a commitment from Royal Caribbean Group to develop infrastructure and attractions.
A Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations was signed by VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe and Royal Caribbean Group’s Vice President of Destination Development Joshua Carroll during a cruise event in Miami. The memorandum is a recommitment from Royal Caribbean Group to extend its existing 10-year, pier-use agreement for preferential berthing at VIPA’s cruise facilities in Crown Bay, St. Thomas and Frederiksted, St. Croix.
The existing agreement was executed in June 2016, and by signing the memorandum, VIPA and Royal Caribbean Group agree to collaborate on an extension of that agreement for an additional number of years.
Dowe also announced that in addition to guaranteed minimum revenues to VIPA and increased cruise visits to both St. Thomas and St. Croix, Royal Caribbean Group has expressed an interest in developing enhancements to the cruise facility in Crown Bay and making “landside improvements” in the Crown Bay District and St. Croix to enhance the island’s tourism products.
Dowe stated that this development signals “an important boost for the territory’s economy and increased opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs in the tourism sector in the USVI.”
“Royal Caribbean is the leading cruise company in the industry, and it has committed to a major infusion of capital as well as guaranteed cruise visits to our islands. In this currently strained economic climate, this substantial commitment indicates Royal Caribbean Group’s dedication to the people of this territory and our economy,” he said.
Dowe added that VIPA is “pleased” to continue its working relationship with Royal Caribbean Group.
“This MOU extends what has been an exceedingly amiable, reliable, and beneficial arrangement for both parties. Our unified goal is to ensure that the U.S. Virgin Islands is a premier destination in the Caribbean,” he noted.
VIPA will align with Royal Caribbean Group to expand the Austin “Babe” Monsanto Marine Facility in Crown Bay to allow the berthing that includes Icon- and Quantum-class ships and the development of a third berth. The vision for the Crown Bay District will complement the port authority’s plans to revitalize the district to appeal to residents and cruise visitors.
Royal Caribbean Group has also committed to partner with VIPA and the Government of the USVI to develop and enhance the overall visitor experience in St. Croix.
“The U.S. Virgin Islands is one of our best destination partners and the opportunity to continue innovating on ways to refine the guest experience helps guide our decision to expand our already strong relationship with the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said Carroll. “We thank Governor Albert Bryan Jr., the VIPA Board of Governors, Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte and Executive Director Carlton Dowe and his team for collaborating on this exciting opportunity to develop destination experiences that benefit tourists and citizens of the USVI.”
The U.S. Virgin Islands recently started receiving cruise visits to its islands following the halt of cruising in March 2020. Most of the territory’s cruise visits have been Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises vessels.
The Celebrity Edge was the first ship to call on St. Thomas on July 20, and in St. Croix, the Celebrity Equinox was the first ship to berth since the pandemic on Aug. 8.
According to a press release, VIPA has had 22,991 cruise visitors to the territory since July 2021, making it one of the most visited cruise destinations in the world.
In the ongoing saga that is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) versus Florida, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. was recently granted a preliminary injunction to sail fully vaccinated cruises from its coast.
And earlier this week, after a 17-month cruise suspension, it did exactly that.
On Aug. 15, Norwegian Gem set sail from the company’s homeport in Miami, the third of the company’s 17 ships to set sail since the return of cruising (and marking the first voyage from Florida).
“It has been an exhilarating few weeks as we relaunch our fleet, reunite with our shipboard families and welcome our guests back for their long-awaited cruise vacations,” said Harry Sommer, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, in an Aug. 15 statement. “I’ve been impressed and proud of how our global team and partners have come together to safely bring back cruising, an over $55 billion-dollar industry that positively impacts communities around the world.”
Several developments led to Norwegian Gem’s embarkation in Florida: In the past few weeks, a federal court upheld the state’s lawsuit that the CDC’s Conditional Sail Order (CSO) should not be a requirement. As a result, it stands only as a regional recommendation, though many cruise lines plan to abide by the CDC guidelines, regardless. Additionally, the government agency has noted that sailings with 95% or more vaccinated guests and crew are free to make their own decisions regarding COVID-19 testing parameters and any mask mandates (at least for those passengers that are fully inoculated).
Several cruise lines that were initially not requiring pre-cruise testing and facial coverings, such as Carnival Cruise Line, are starting to mandate both as cases of the Delta variant spike in the U.S.
Norwegian was an early adopter of strict COVID-19 protocols. Its Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands have always required pre-voyage testing and 100% vaccination of its guests and crew. Because of this, passengers are able to enjoy all venues onboard without the use of masks.
“The health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit is our No. 1 priority, today, tomorrow and forever. It’s not a slogan or a tagline, we fiercely mean it and our commitment to these principles is demonstrated by the lengths our company has gone through to provide the safest possible cruise experience from Florida.”
Additionally, in Florida, businesses operating locally were formerly forbidden from mandating vaccinations of its patrons, but that has now changed. A judge ruled in Norwegian’s favour to permit the company to ask for documentation of vaccine status, which led to Norwegian’s Gem’s planned launch.
“The health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit is our No. 1 priority, today, tomorrow and forever,” said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian. “It’s not a slogan or a tagline, we fiercely mean it and our commitment to these principles is demonstrated by the lengths our company has gone through to provide the safest possible cruise experience from Florida. We want nothing more than to sail from Miami, the cruise capital of the world, and from the other fabulous Florida ports and we welcome [the] ruling that allows us to sail with 100% fully vaccinated guests and crew, which we believe is the safest and most prudent way to resume cruise operations amid this global pandemic.”
In fact, when I sailed last week on the Norwegian Encore in Alaska, Harry Sommer, president and CEO of NCL, and members of the corporation’s SailSAFE health and safety program reiterated the same during a press conference, with Sommer stating that he believes that permitting 5% unvaccinated passengers — which could amount to hundreds of passengers — is significant, and he won’t expose that many to the virus, even if it means not sailing with young children for a period.
Program participant Dr. Stephen Ostroff further considered full vaccination to be the “linchpin” for healthy cruising at this time.
“[It] 100% ought to be the standard for cruise ships quite frankly, pure and simple,” Ostroff said.
Norwegian Gem will traverse a series of weeklong voyages to the Caribbean and four-day cruises to the Bahamas through Oct. 17, 2021, before repositioning to New York for five to 11-night voyages to the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Bermuda.
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