Norwegian Cruise Line Rules out UK Sailings.

Posted on 9 April, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

Norwegian Cruise Line’s UK chief has ruled out operating round-Britain sailings this summer in favour of recently announced fly-cruise itineraries which “fit our brand better”.

NCL announced plans to restart voyages from July – with Norwegian Jade sailing from Athens, Norwegian Gem out of Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Norwegian Joy homeporting in Jamaica’s Montego Bay.

Speaking to TTG on Thursday (8 April) Eamonn Ferrin, vice-president and managing director UK, Ireland, Middle East and Africa, said the line had looked at deployment “from a global level” and felt the destinations and itineraries announced were “much more suitable” for guests across its source markets.

“People want to go on a fly cruise to the Med or Caribbean, and we feel that’s a better market for us to go for,” he said. “We feel it fits our brand better and our customers better. So I don’t think we’ll be looking to stand up a UK ship for this season.”

Ferrin said a late July restart, coupled with NCL’s global outlook, meant favouring sailings away from the UK.

“It got a bit late to be starting up at the end of July. You’re getting into a late-season process – so we felt [the announced itineraries] were a better fit. The three we’ve chosen on a global basis are stunning itineraries that Brits love and there’s already a lot of demand.”

However, Ferrin asserted NCL’s commitment to the UK market through its partnership with ABP Southampton on a new terminal at the port.

“Our long-term goal is to have a lot more capacity from Southampton – so we definitely see a bright future for more departures.”

Speaking alongside Ferrin, NCL president and chief executive Harry Sommer described being able to restart as “like Christmas in April”, adding how “in a typical year” the Greek Isles are NCL’s most popular destination among UK customers.

“We normally have three ships out of Athens, Venice and Rome that are extremely well booked by the Brits,” he said.

Sommer shared his hopes British travellers would be able to join NCL cruises in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic once travel restrictions were relaxed later in the summer “certainly by August”.

Norwegian Cruise Line Sets Restart Plan With 3 Ships From Greece, Jamaica and Dominican Republic

Posted on 6 April, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings today announced it will restart service this July with cruises from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Greece with the Norwegian Joy, Jade and Gem.

The Jade will sail seven-day cruises to the Greek Isles from Athens starting on July 25. The Norwegian Joy will sail seven-day itineraries from Montego Bay starting on August 7, and the Norwegian Gem will launch service from the Dominican Republic on seven-day cruises starting on August 15.

The Jade’s Greek Isles program will see a different port call daily, including Iraklion, Rhodes, Mykonos, Olympia, Corfu and Santorini.

Both Caribbean sailings each feature four ports and two days at sea. Sailing from Montego Bay, Norwegian Joy’s calls include Harvest Caye, Roatan, Cozumel and Ocho Rios. Sailing from La Romana in the Dominican Republic, the Gem will visit Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Maarten and Antigua.

Guests wishing to go ashore will need to purchase a Norwegian Cruise Line shore excursion for sailings taking place in July and August. Norwegian said this policy will be continually evaluated and it will modify requirements accordingly.

The company said the news was part of a two-pronged plan for its long-awaited return to cruising this summer, also including the proposal the company sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC on April 5, 2021, outlining its plan to restart cruising from U.S. ports starting July 4 and requesting the CDC lift the Conditional Sail Order.

All initial voyages will operate with fully vaccinated guests and crew in addition to the company’s robust, multi-layered SailSAFE health and safety program, which includes universal COVID-19 testing prior to embarkation.

The company has also announced the formation of the SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council, the company’s expert public health council, chaired by former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Dr Scott Gottlieb, which will complement the work of the Healthy Sail Panel (HSP).

“We are excited to unveil our initial plans for the resumption of cruise voyages embarking outside of the U.S. with sailings to the Caribbean and Europe. In addition, we continue to plan for a resumption of cruising from U.S. ports and await further discussion with the CDC regarding our proposal for a July 4 restart to participate in America’s national opening. As we prepare for our return to cruising, the health and safety of our guests, crew and communities we visit is our first priority, as demonstrated by the establishment of our robust, multi-layered SailSAFE health and safety program and our Company’s SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council,” said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

“Safe and highly effective vaccines are a gamechanger and to create the safest environment possible, we will require all guests and crew to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccine requirements will be combined with multiple additional layers of protection against COVID-19 introduction, including universal testing, and we will continue to evaluate and modify protocols over time as the science dictates.”

Del Rio continued: “The return to cruising has been much-anticipated by our loyal guests, valued travel partners, the destinations we visit and our team members across the globe. We look forward to once again delivering best in class vacation experiences and also restarting our cruise ecosystem, bringing much needed economic benefit back to our homeports and the destinations we visit that have been significantly impacted by the halt in cruising.”

As Norwegian Cruise Line makes its final preparations to welcome guests onboard, guests will have the opportunity to follow along with its new docuseries, EMBARK – The Series, premiering April 15 at http://www.ncl.com/embark and Facebook.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises will announce details on their voyage resumption plans at a future date. All voyages on these brands with embarkation date through July 31, 2021, have been cancelled.

CLIA CALLS FOR PHASED RESUMPTION OF US CRUISING IN JULY

Posted on 24 March, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

Clia has urged the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lift its framework for conditional sailing order (CSO) and allow the sector to plan for a phased resumption of cruise operations from US ports by the start of July.

“These voyages were successfully completed with industry-leading protocols that effectively mitigated the spread of Covid-19,” said Craighead, who noted plans for further sailings in the Mediterranean and Caribbean during spring and into summer.
Craighead said the CDC order no longer reflected operational realities thanks to a combination of an accelerated vaccination programme and better Covid mitigations and protocols.
“The cruise industry has adopted a high bar for resumption around the world with a multi-layered set of policies intended to be revised as conditions change,” said Craighead. “Our members continue to follow this multi-layered approach to enhancing health and safety that has proven effective, making cruising one of the best and most adaptable choices.”

The association said this would dovetail with President Biden’s forecast for when living in the US would be “closer to normal”; president and chief executive Kelly Craighead said the “highly-controlled” resumption of cruising in Europe, Asia and the South Pacific had proved it was possible.