Norwegian Cruise Line has released the programme of itineraries for Norwegian Dawn when the ship homeports in Southampton in 2023.
NCL will offer a range of eight to 14-day voyages on Norwegian Dawn from Southampton in 2023, as part of its partnership with Associated British Ports to open a new cruise terminal at the Hampshire port from 2021 onwards.
The 2023 itineraries on Dawn will include a 14-day transatlantic trip from New York to Southampton, departing on 20 April, and a series of 10 and 11-day cruises around the British Isles, as well as voyages to the Baltics and Northern Europe.
Eamonn Ferrin, NCL’s vice president and managing director in the UK, Ireland, Middle East and Africa, said: “We’re seeing strong demand for closer to home sailings in 2021 and beyond. Looking ahead, British holidaymakers are excited to explore Europe, with endless destinations to suit all types of travellers.
“At NCL, we will expand our itineraries out of Southampton onboard Norwegian Dawn in 2023 and have some fantastic trips available across the British Isles, the Baltics and Northern Europe. We can’t wait to welcome guests onboard again.”
In a major blow to the Alaska and Canada/New England cruise markets, Canada announced a year-long ban on cruise ships.
This applies to ships carrying more than 100 people through Feb. 28, 2022, and means a stunning double-season hiatus in some of cruising’s key destinations following the cancellation of Alaska and Canada/New England cruising in 2020.
Great Lakes, St. Lawrence and Canadian Arctic expedition cruises are also impacted.
Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra issued the new guidance with the view to keeping Canadians and transportation workers safe and healthy as top priorities.
The risk to health care systems
The government said cruise vessels in Canadian waters pose a risk to health care systems, adding it will continue to evaluate the situation and make changes as necessary to ensure the health and safety of Canadians.
Orders could be rescinded if situation changes
Should the COVID-19 pandemic sufficiently improve to allow the resumption of these activities, the minister of transport has the ability to rescind the interim orders.
‘As Canadians continue to do their part to reduce the spread of COVID-19, our government continues to work hard to ensure Canada’s transportation system remains safe. Temporary prohibitions to cruise vessels and pleasure craft are essential to continue to protect the most vulnerable among our communities and avoid overwhelming our health care systems. This is the right and responsible thing to do,’ Alghabra said.
Advice against Canadians taking cruises
Canada also reiterated its advice to citizens and permanent residents to avoid all travel on cruise ships outside Canada until further notice.
Arctic coastal waters
In addition, adventure-seeking pleasure craft remains prohibited from entering Arctic waters, and passenger vessels carrying more than 12 people are still prohibited from entering Arctic coastal waters, including Nunatsiavut, Nunavik and the Labrador Coast.
There is no national ban for smaller cruise ships certified to carry 100 or fewer people. They must follow provincial, territorial, local and regional health authority protocols for timelines and processes around their operations.
Transport Canada said essential passenger vessels, such as ferries and water taxis, should continue to follow local public health guidance and protocols, and follow mitigation measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and prevent future outbreaks.
Carnival Corp. looking at options to preserve part of Alaska season
Carnival Corp. & plc expressed its disappointment, noting that if the extension is not amended as pandemic conditions improve, or through action by US authorities, the company’s brands will have to cancel their Alaska and Canada/New England seasons.
‘Given the unexpected length of the order, it will take us some time to assess whether there are any options to preserve a portion of the 2021 Alaska season,’ the company said in a statement. ‘We will be consulting authorities in both the US and Canada before we take any additional action.’
Carnival added the cruise industry has demonstrated its commitment to health and safety by developing extensive protocols in consultation with a panel of world-class medical experts, to be implemented when service resumes.
‘In addition, we recognize our importance to the economic health of many Alaskan communities and will continue to pursue any option which might permit safe operation of any portion of the season,’ the company continued.
Denali, Fairbanks, Kenai lodges will operate
Though Carnival Corp.’s cruise program is uncertain, the company committed to operating its Denali, Fairbanks and Kenai lodges this summer to support land vacations in Alaska’s interior and help fellow Alaska businesses and the thousands of people who rely on the tourism industry.
‘While this is beyond our control, we remain committed to operating any portion of our Alaska season and we are hopeful that positive progress relative to the pandemic accelerates to the point that the Canadian transport minister will rescind the interim order and allow cruise vacations to resume in 2021,’ Carnival said.
NCLH isn’t cancelling cruises visiting Canada yet
Meanwhile, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is ‘currently studying the order and its implications’ and has not cancelled cruises that visit Canadian ports.
‘We are currently exploring several initiatives that may allow such cruises to continue, especially for the important Alaska season,’ the company said. ‘Given the fluidity of the current environment, we will also continue to work with the Canadian government to amend their current suspension.’
Royal Caribbean Group
Royal Caribbean Group said only: ‘We understand and appreciate the Canadian government’s focus on combatting COVID-19. The health and safety of our guests, crew and communities we visit is our top priority. Royal Caribbean Group is ready to work with health and transportation officials on a path forward to address the impact on multiple sectors of the Canadian economy.
‘We will be reaching out to our guests and travel partners with more information on future plans.’
Great Lakes reaction
Reacting to the news, Stephen Burnett, executive director of The Great Lakes Cruise Association, said: ‘We respect this decision by Transport Canada on behalf of the federal government. The Great Lakes Cruise Association is working closely with the Association of Canadian Port Authorities’ Cruise Committee who have launched a historic initiative that brings together all ports and regional authorities, regional associations and other cruise ports from across Canada as one voice engaged in meaningful dialogue and to provide input into the government of Canada for the eventual resumption of cruise activity in Canada.
‘Together our industry is optimistic that, when the time is right and it is safe to do so, the cruise will be back. At that point, we will look forward to welcoming cruise lines, their guests and crew back to our port cities and local communities.’
Vancouver and economic impact
The Port of Vancouver concurred, voicing its support for the direction of Transport Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada while adding it will work together with other Canadian cruise ports through the Association of Canadian Port Authorities to develop ‘consistent national safety protocols for the resumption of cruising across Canada as soon as conditions allow.’
The port added that Vancouver’s cruise industry will be critical to the region’s recovery. Cruising stimulates $3.17m indirect economic activity for each ship that calls at Canada Place and $2.2bn of total economic impact.
How Cruise the Saint Lawrence will use the pause
During this pause, Cruise the Saint Lawrence said it will push forward with the development of a Health Safety Plan as well as a Sustainable Development Strategy to ensure that all sectoral players enjoy a safe, profitable and sustainable relaunch in 2022.
‘The outlook for the resumption of activities in 2022 appears positive,’ the association continued, ‘with 200 port bookings to date, representing an estimated 300,000 passenger-days for our member ports of call, significant economic benefits for the tourism industry as a whole and 100,000 overnight stays for hotels in Québec and Montréal.’
According to Tony Boemi, president of Cruise the Saint Lawrence, ‘This latest pause will enable us to continue work on innovative passenger and ship greeting initiatives. In this regard, the implementation of our Sustainable Development Strategy has begun. This strategy is designed to help us rethink how we do what we do, enhance our contribution to socioeconomic vitality in Québec and preserve local ecosystems.’
The future is homeports, according to Fred Wong, chief operations officer at Jaxport (Jacksonville Port Authority). At least for the ports that are in the cruise business trying to mend after the blow of the pandemic.
“We are aggressively going out to the market to see if we can get additional homeports,” Wong told Cruise Industry News.
Wong spoke about Jaxport’s plans in the next five to 10 years. But while CDC’s new regulations have to stay in place, the port will be making the most of being in the port of call market.
“We have so much to offer … 22 miles of beaches, world-class golf, deep-sea fishing, historical sites in St. Augustine. So, we are most definitely taking a different approach to not only being a home port of call, which we are fully capable of being but being a more aggressive port of call as well, being in the intermittent of their service lines,” he said.
“Cruise vessels’ itineraries are forced to have seven days or less, and the CDC has the ability to shorten it even more. There’s no way that these vessels can get down to their predestined itineraries as they used to with their 11- and 14-day runs,” Wong explained.
Hit Hard
Norwegian Sky visiting Jaxport
Unlike some other ports that had zero cruise ships during the pandemic, Jaxport played host to several Norwegian Cruise Lines ships, such as the Norwegian Sky, the Norwegian Pearl, and the Norwegian Sun.
“They had to repatriate their crew, and of course, at Jacksonville Port Authority, we stepped in and housed about three to four of their Panamax vessels here for a couple of months – the duration for the repatriation of crews,” Wong said.
The pandemic did affect Jaxport, where about eight per cent of revenues and volumes are cruise. But doing breakbulk and military operations helped the port survive 2020 and made up for the cruise losses.
“Because of our diversity, we were able to pick some commodities back up that ran pretty strong, such as our breakbulk, which increased throughout 2020. Because, for some reason, during this pandemic, everybody wants toilet paper and paper towels. It was just going off the shelves. And, of course, the disinfecting wipes,” Wong said.
The port’s military operations increased too.
“At Jaxport, we are one of 17 strategic military ports in the U.S. Of course, when military operations ramp up, so do our operations. So, if you ask ‘how did 2020 fare off for Jacksonville?’ as our port authority goes – we did take a hit in cruise because it left the hole, but our other commodities kept us afloat,” he explained.
Predictions
The port predicts that it will take the whole winter and spring for them to get back on track with cruising.
“We have been waiting very eagerly for the CDC to drop the no sail order, which they did. It’s a little stringent, it’s a little rigorous – but I think the cruise industry in the ports such as us … we’re up to the challenge and up to the test to restart cruise,” Wong said adding that the port’s optimistic about restarting, as it will be done “very strategically and with precision.”
Given the still-existent flight restrictions, Wong did not worry about losing the port’s customer base.
“70 per cent of our customer base is a drive-up market. So, there are no planes or airlift that you have to take to get to us. We can reach about 70 million consumers with one day on the drive. That makes us very, very attractive,” he explained. “You don’t have to jump on a plane or a train to get here; you could just jump in your family van or vehicle and drive ready to our market.”
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