Tag Archives: princess cruises

Cruise industry defends record after a critical TV documentary

Posted on by
Reply

Zaandam Ship Stats & Information- Holland America Line Zaandam ...

The cruise industry has defended its record in tackling the coronavirus crisis in the wake of a critical ITV documentary screened on Thursday.

The hour-long ‘Billion Pound Cruises: All at Sea’ focused on the plight of various Princess Cruises ships and Holland America Line vessel Zaandam which were caught up in the pandemic.

It highlighted the impact on passengers and crew and detailed the number of deaths involved.

The documentary featured passenger footage taken onboard Diamond Princess, which was thrust into the spotlight as the virus became a pandemic due to an outbreak on the ship as it was docked in Japan which led to guests and crew being quarantined.

However, global cruise industry body Clia said: “While the tragic reality of the pandemic has meant that its impact has been felt across all walks of life, Clia believes that the industry’s rapid response is one reason why the number of cases linked to ships was a small fraction of the global total.”

The association stressed that health and safety are “integral” to the cruise industry, which is currently at standstill across most of the world due to government restrictions.

A Clia spokesperson said: “No other form of travel provides such high transparency in public health reporting, or requires such stringent cleaning and hygiene protocols.

“Within 48 hours of the WHO [World Health Organisation]  announcing an international emergency, Clia ocean cruise lines introduced enhanced screening protocols worldwide, including health and travel history checks prior to the embarkation of every passenger and crew member.

“Upon the declaration by the WHO of a pandemic, Clia ocean cruise lines voluntarily suspended operations worldwide, making the cruise industry one of the first to do so.

“Some ships had to travel thousands of miles to return to port, and repatriation was complicated by international air travel and border restrictions; Clia cruise lines have also successfully repatriated many thousands of crew members, and have been working non-stop with governments and health authorities to secure the safe return of crew members to their homes.”

Port Everglades Expansion On Track

Posted on by
Reply
Port Everglades

Port Everglades is advancing $1.6 billion in infrastructure improvements that are underway and expected to be completed in the next five years, according to a press release.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is certainly impacting this year’s bottom line, but we are fortunate that Port Everglades’ diversified business sectors of cargo, cruise and petroleum can address a dip in one business sector and be balanced out with stability in other revenue-generating business sectors. As a result, Port Everglades has a history of financial success and has budgeted for several sizeable construction projects that are moving forward at a rapid pace with little disruption from the virus,” said Port Everglades’ Glenn Wiltshire, Acting Chief Executive & Port Director.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the preconstruction engineering and design phase of deepening the Port’s navigation channels from 42 feet to 48-50 feet and widening narrower sections of the channel for safe vessel passage.

In February 2020, this project received $29.1 million in funding under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers FY 2020 Work Plan. The funding will be used to build a new facility at U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale so the Intracoastal Waterway can be widened by 250 feet. Currently, this chokepoint in the channel puts operating restriction on large Neo-Panamax cargo ships, which affects their ability to transit past docked cruise ships. The Coast Guard Station reconfiguration is the first phase of the larger dredging project.

Port Everglades is also building a new parking garage to serve Cruise Terminals 2 and 4. The new 1,818-space garage is currently under construction, with a Fall 2020 completion date. It will feature an air-conditioned bridge with moving walkways to deliver guests to Terminal 2, Princess Cruises’ prototype Ocean Medallion terminal. The Northport Garage, where passengers now park, will be dedicated to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center.

Europe Bookings Leading the Way for 2021 According to Cruise Planners

Posted on by
Reply

Viking Cruises Ship in Barcelona

“While the numbers are changing daily and being closely monitored, right now, cruise departures for 2021 are leading with Europe as a top destination at 38% of the mix with a large focus on European River cruising, followed by the Caribbean making up 23% of the mix and Alaska trending with 15% according to the company’s latest revenue reports,” said Michelle Fee, Cruise Planners CEO and Founder.

Cruise Planners has a nationwide network of travel agents that are already used to working from home, Fee said.

The company also shifted its marketing approach, according to a statement, shifting to a primarily digital approach of sending heartfelt messages providing hope for the future of travel, exploration and discovery and human connection on behalf of its travel advisor network.

Cruise Planners is also offering advice, tools and support to its travel advisor network to protect client investments and help maintain agent commissions by arming them with the latest supplier cancellation policy updates as well as providing direct access to travel supplier executives. In the last three weeks, advisors have heard from executives at Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Globus Family of Brands and Apple Leisure Group with more to come. They have been sharing what is happening with their brands and what trends they are experiencing.

Travel Agent Cruise Ship Business Vacation, PNG, 1104x556px ...

“There are thousands of people holding on to future travel credits that still need to be rebooked. We are hearing straight from the experts how to adjust travellers’ itineraries and take advantage of the rebooking offers available to them,” added Vicky Garcia, COO and co-owner. “It is a win/win for clients and agents when a client rebooks a future vacation since many suppliers are offering value adds and perks to those who apply their future cruise credit towards an upcoming vacation.”

Cruise Planners did undergo what Fee called a small round of layoffs while maintaining 90 per cent of its workforce. Salaries were reduced on a sliding scale across all departments including executives who are taking the highest pay cut. Fee and co-owner and COO, Vicky Garcia, volunteered to forgo 100% of their salaries and are working hard to lead the company through a full recovery eventually.