The Biggest Cruise Brands By Capacity This Summer

Posted on 26 April, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

MSC Cruises may be the biggest cruise brand based on confirmed resumption plans (as of late April 2021) and ships and berths back in service by August 31, using data from the 2021 Cruise Industry News Annual Report.

On a corporate level, Carnival Corporation will have the most ships and berths back in service, with six brands set to operate 13 ships by late August at press time, and indications are that more announcements are forthcoming.

Top 5 Cruise Lines Back in Service by August 31:

MSC Cruises
Ships: Ten – MSC Virtuosa, MSC Grandiosa, MSC Seashore, MSC Seaview, MSC Seaside, MSC Preziosa, MSC Splendida, MSC Magnifica, MSC Orchestra and MSC Musica
Total Berths: 37,066
Regions: Europe – Western Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean and Northern Europe

After announcing a massive restart plan, MSC intends to have ten ships in service in Europe by August.

The restart fleet includes two newbuilds, the MSC Virtuosa, slated to offer cruises in the United Kingdom, and the MSC Seashore, poised to spend its inaugural season in the Mediterranean.

Royal Caribbean International
Ships: Six – Odyssey of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas and Vision of the Seas
Total Berths: 19,500
Regions: North America, Mediterranean and Asia

Royal Caribbean International is one of the companies pioneering the cruise restart in North America. In March, the cruise line announced its intention to operate two ships in the region, with the Vision of the Seas sailing from Bermuda and the Adventure of the Seas sailing from the Bahamas.

By August, another four ships will also be in service, offering cruises in Europe and Asia.

Costa Cruises
Ships: Four – Costa Firenze, Costa Smeralda, Costa Luminosa and Costa Deliziosa
Total Berths: 13,976
Region: Europe – Western Mediterranean and Eastern Mediterranean

Costa has big plans for the summer in the Mediterranean. The Italian brand recently announced its intention to cruise with four ships in the region, including the new Costa Firenze and the LNG-powered Costa Smeralda.

All vessels will be based in Italy, offering cruises to other Italian ports, as well as destinations in Greece, France and Span.

Norwegian Cruise Line
Ships: Three – Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Jade
Total Berths: 9,000
Regions: Caribbean and Mediterranean

While asking the CDC for permission to cruise from U.S. ports starting in July, Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed the restart of its operations elsewhere.

The company will resume service in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, with three ships.

Starting in August, the Norwegian Joy will sail from Jamaica, while the Norwegian Gem will sail from the Dominican Republic. In Europe, the Norwegian Jade will be based in Greece starting on July 25.

P&O Cruises
Ships: Two – Iona and Britannia
Total Berths: 8,811
Region: Europe – United Kingdom

Carnival Corporation’s British cruise line, P&O Cruises, will resume service in June, with domestic sailings in the United Kingdom.

Sailing from Southampton, the company plans to use its two newest ships, the 5,200-guest Iona and the 3,611-guest Britannia.

Numbers by Corporation

Carnival Corporation
Ships: 13
Brands in Service: 6 out of 9
Total Berths: 38,557

By Brand

Costa: 4 ships and 13,976 berths
AIDA: 2 ships and 5,424 berths
P&O: 2 ships and 8,811 berths
Princess: 2 ships and 7,200 ships
Cunard: 1 ship and 2,092 berths
Seabourn: 2 ships and 1,054 berths

MSC Cruises
Ships: 10
Brands in Service: 1 out of 1
Total Berths: 37,066

By Brand

MSC: 10 ships and 37,066 berths

Royal Caribbean Group
Ships: 15
Brands in Service: 5 out of 5
Total Berths: 36,982

By Brand

Royal Caribbean: 6 ships and 19,500 berths
Celebrity: 3 ships and 7,840 berths
TUI: 3 ships and 8,300 berths
Hapag-Lloyd: 2 ships and 746 berths
Silversea: 1 ship and 596 berths

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings
Ships: 1 out of 3
Brands in Service: 1 out of 3
Total Berths: 9,000

By brand

Norwegian: 3 ships and 9,000 berths

Genting Cruise Lines
Ships: 6
Brands in Service: 3 out of 3
Total Berths: 8,486

By Brand

Dream: 2 ships and 5,204 berths
Star: 1 ship and 1,090 berths
Crystal: 3 ships and 2,192 berths

MSC Cruises Announces Massive Europe Restart Program, 10 Ships to Sail This Summer

Posted on 15 April, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

MSC Cruises has announced new and updated itineraries in the Mediterranean and across Europe for this coming summer with six ships back in operation in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean and four more ships cruising in Northern Europe.

Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises, said: “Today we have clarity on which European destinations and ports will initially be open this summer and we have fully reflected this into the first set of new and updated itineraries for the upcoming season so that guests can book their holidays with us with confidence. The entire MSC Cruises team and I look forward to welcoming both returning and new guests onboard one of our ships that will be at sea this summer and to provide them with a memorable, relaxing and, above all, safe holiday.

“Plus, I am confident that in the coming weeks we will be able to further enrich some of these itineraries as well as add more ships with new ones, as more ports and tourist destinations, in particular in Spain and France, become available to receive ships and visitors.”

Western Mediterranean

The MSC Grandiosa will initially extend her current seven-night itinerary, calling at the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia for Rome, Naples, Palermo as well as Valletta, Malta. The Spanish ports of Valencia and Barcelona will be added to the ship’s current itinerary as soon as these destinations confirm their availability.
The MSC Seaside will commence sailing on May 1 from Genoa calling at the newly introduced ports of Siracusa in Sicily and Taranto in Puglia, as well as Civitavecchia for Rome and Valetta in Malta. The ship’s itinerary will then be enriched with calls to the French port of Marseille as soon as its availability is confirmed, the company said. In addition to the range of protected excursions developed for MSC Seaside’s itinerary, MSC Cruises will introduce a special private beach experience in Taranto, exclusively for the ship’s guests.
The MSC Seashore will join the MSC Cruises fleet at the end of July, and from August 1 until October 31, offer seven-night cruises calling the Italian ports of Genoa, Naples and Messina, as well as Valletta in Malta, Barcelona in Spain and Marseille in France. After her season in the Mediterranean, MSC Seashore will then arrive in Miami in November 2021 to begin sailing The Bahamas and Caribbean, including stops at MSC Cruises’ private Bahamian destination, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

Eastern Mediterranean

The MSC Orchestra will now depart on June 5 with embarkation in the Italian ports of Venice on Saturdays, Bari on Sundays, calling at the Greek Islands of Corfu, Mykonos as well as Dubrovnik in Croatia.
The MSC Splendida will begin sailing from June 12 with embarkation in Trieste, Italy on Saturdays and in Bari on Tuesdays, calling at Dubrovnik in Croatia, Corfu in Greece and Kotor in Montenegro.
The MSC Magnifica will start cruising June 20 offering embarkation in the Italian ports of Venice on Sundays, Bari on Mondays and Piraeus for Athens on Wednesdays and calling at the Greek Island of Mykonos and Split, Croatia.

Northern Europe

The all-new MSC Virtuosa will run inaugural season in the UK and offer mini cruises from Southampton calling at Portland in Dorset. Starting on June 12, the new vessel will operate seven-night cruises from Southampton with embarkation in Liverpool, Greenock for Glasgow and also calling at Portland and Belfast in Northern Ireland. These cruises are designed for British residents only. The sailings are open to vaccinated and non-vaccinated guests and all guests will be tested prior to embarkation.
The MSC Seaview will homeport in Kiel, Germany starting on June 19, replacing the MSC Virtuosa.
The MSC Preziosa is set to cruise from June 21 from Hamburg, Germany and the MSC Musica on June 20 from Warnemunde, Germany, if the German ports are open, MSC announced.

Onorato noted: “We are extremely proud to be in a position to offer our guests and travel agent partners for the coming summer a growing choice of cruise holidays to a range of different destinations across the Mediterranean and Europe. We will be featuring some of our most innovative and more modern vessels in our fleet. And to make it even easier and safer for our guests to reach our ships from closer to their homes, all our itineraries will feature additional ports of embarkation. In the Mediterranean alone, MSC Cruises will offer its guests up to 15 ports of embarkation.
MSC Worldclass due 22/23

“Albeit these ships represent only an initial portion of our fleet, they include our two latest jewels, MSC Virtuosa and MSC Seashore, both of which will have come into service for the first time in 2021. Their presence in this next phase of the return at sea of our fleet in the coming weeks represents our belief in the continued attractiveness for the consumer of cruises as a holiday option. This is why we have confirmed our plans for new builds for the coming years and are looking forward to a gradual return at some of our full fleet in the coming months into the winter season.

“Guests who have vouchers for our cruises that were cancelled as a result of the pandemic ashore have waited patiently for a level of certainty about which ships will sail and where. I am pleased to say that they can now look forward with confidence to an incredible holiday at sea on an MSC Cruises ship either this summer or over the upcoming winter season.”

MSC To Cruise the UK From May 20, No Vaccination Required

Posted on 20 March, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

MSC Cruises has announced that it will be offering a “special range of short breaks and week-long cruises around the British Isles” in summer 2021, starting from May 20, for UK holidaymakers only.

Departing from the new terminal in the port of Southampton, these first sailings will kick off with a series of short cruises and will be followed by seven-night sailings visiting “some of the UK’s favourite destinations and offering additional ports of embarkation to guests,” the cruise line said in a press release.

“Our experience of sailing safely and responsibly since August last year in the Mediterranean under our industry-leading protective health and safety protocol has given us a great deal of knowledge and data about safe cruises,” said Gianni Onorato, CEO at MSC Cruises.

“We also remain confident that we will soon be able to welcome British guests back on board one of our ships further afield, once current international travel restrictions are lifted and more of our ships will have restarted across the Mediterranean as well as other areas traditionally favoured by the British,” he added.

Antonio Paradiso, the managing director at MSC Cruises UK & Ireland, said that the cruise line’s hope is to “offer every type of holidaymaker the chance to escape this summer – from grandparents to teens and even the smallest of passengers looking to explore.”

Both vaccinated and non-vaccinated guests would be welcome, Paradiso explained.

“All guests will be tested prior to embarkation, while non-vaccinated guests will also be required to show proof of negative test done within 72 hours prior to embarkation,” he said. “Crew in addition to the protocol-mandated test and 14-day quarantine prior to embarkation will also receive weekly testing, in addition to other ongoing health monitoring measures.”

According to Paradiso, MSC Cruises has carried more than 50,000 guests since its restart of operations in August 2020 under the protection of a health and safety protocol.

“It is built around a comprehensive strategy that includes universal testing of all guests and crew prior to embarkation and periodically throughout the cruise, deep and ongoing sanitation, protected-only shore excursions, as well as many other measures that we are used to in our daily lives, such as social distancing and the wearing of face coverings. We will sail with a reduced capacity so that guests have even more space,” he said.

“Our industry-leading protocol was developed with input from international health experts – including our own ‘Blue-Ribbon’ expert group – and in close cooperation with relevant health, transport and safety authorities and was designed to respond to a fluctuating health situation ashore. This allowed us to support continued cruise operations in the Mediterranean through to today, safely welcoming guests onboard from across the Schengen area throughout the different phases of the evolution of the pandemic in the various countries,” he added.

Paradiso said that MSC will continue to adapt the protocol in line with relevant requirements and guidance, to “provide the (UK guests with the) same seamless experience they are used to when cruising.”

“We understand how important this particular summer is to holidaymakers and we’re committed to providing guests with a range of fantastic activities in a healthy and safe environment. Guests can expect a variety of fun and engaging areas for children with play areas for a range of ages and world-class dining and round-the-clock entertainment offerings that provide multi-generational groups with a holiday option that suits this summer,” he said.

According to Paradiso, MSC Cruises is also working on a program of protected shore excursions for its guests to experience the destinations it will visit, but “of course, this is subject to prevailing circumstances and local guidance at the time of sailing.”

“We believe that this special offering will provide UK holidaymakers with a unique summer of cruising and be the ultimate destination for families and friends to reconnect and create new memories this summer. In the meantime, we continue to engage with the UK Government and all relevant authorities as we evaluate the ever-changing travel landscape and prepare for any potential roadblocks that could arise as we journey on the roadmap to recovery. Whilst we are excited for a summer of British cruising, we remain confident that we will soon be able to welcome UK guests back onboard further afield,” he said.

Further details regarding the sailings will be announced shortly, Paradiso said, highlighting the cruise line’s commitment to providing flexibility to guests.