Tag Archives: Royal Caribbean

The Latest Royal Caribbean Group Restart Plans

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With all of its five brands now back in service, the Royal Caribbean Group is building up its restart plans. Over the next few months, 16 additional ships are set to welcome passengers back, sailing in different parts of the world.  

Here’s the latest, brand by brand:

Royal Caribbean International
First sailing: Five ships in service; nine more to follow starting on July 19
Ships: Quantum of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas in service; Serenade of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas set to follow
Regions: Presently sailing in Asia, Caribbean, Mediterranean and the United Kingdom with cruises to Alaska planned

Royal Caribbean International is quickly adding ships back into service. With five vessels currently in action, the operator plans to activate nine more before August.

Most of the restart fleet is poised to sail from the U.S. ports to the Caribbean and Bahamas but plans also call for service resumptions in the Mediterranean, United Kingdom and Alaska.

In Asia, Quantum’s Singapore program was recently extended, adding departures through February 2022.

Celebrity Cruises
First sailing: Five ships in service; four more to follow starting on July 24
Ships: Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Silhouette, Celebrity Flora and Celebrity Summit in service; Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Xpedition, Celebrity Equinox and Celebrity Xploration set to follow
Regions: Presently sailing in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, United Kingdom and the Galapagos with cruises to Alaska planned

After marking the return of the large cruise ships to the United States, Celebrity Cruises is now sailing in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Galapagos and United Kingdom.

Continuing its phased restart plan, the premium brand will also resume operations in Alaska while adding more ships in the Caribbean and Galapagos.

TUI Cruises
First sailing: Five ships in service
Ships: Mein Schiff 1, Mein Schiff 2, Mein Schiff 4, Mein Schiff 5 and Mein Schiff 6
Regions: Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Greece and Italy

TUI intends to have its entire seven-ship fleet in service this summer. The German brand is currently operating five vessels in different parts of Europe.

After several months of sailing only in the Canaries archipelago, TUI recently expanded operations to Germany and Greece. A return to the Mediterranean was also carried out recently, with cruises in Spain and Italy. 

Silversea Cruises
First sailing: Two ships in service; two more to follow starting on July 29
Ships: Silver Origin and Silver Moon in service; Silver Muse and Silver Shadow set to follow
Region: Presently sailing in Galapagos and Mediterranean, with cruises to Alaska and Iceland planned

Silversea Cruises welcomed its passengers back in June, with the inaugural cruises of two newbuilds, the Silver Moon and the Silver Origin.

Continuing its restart plan, the luxury brand is planning to relaunch service in Alaska and in Iceland, with two additional vessels.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
First sailing: Four ships in service; one more to follow starting on August 26
Ships: Europa 2, Europa, Hanseatic Nature and Hanseatic Inspiration in service; Hanseatic Spirit set to follow
Region: Eastern Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Norwegian Fjords

With four ships in service, Hapag-Lloyd is currently offering several itineraries in Northern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean.

The recently delivered Hanseatic Spirit, meanwhile, is set to start service in August with a series of cruises in Northern Europe.

Royal Caribbean Appoints Asia Pacific Director of Sales

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Royal Caribbean has announced the appointment of Kenneth Yeo as its regional director of sales for the Asia Pacific. The company said that the position is new and designed to drive growth in the region.

Yeo, who brings over two decades of commercial experience across diverse industries, will lead the trade, corporate, and retail sales teams based in Singapore, supporting the Asia Pacific region. He will also work closely with the trade marketing, and operations divisions.

Royal Caribbean said it has enjoyed exceptional engagement with its trade partners in recent years – working closely to deliver strong promotional campaigns, enabling valuable guest support, and navigating the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Yeo will continue to build on this as the company gears up to progressively return to service across the region.

 Angie Stephen, managing director, Asia Pacific, Royal Caribbean International, said: “It is time to expand our senior leadership team and we are thrilled to welcome Kenneth onboard. His wide-ranging experience and leadership roles – both locally and internationally – together with his understanding of the diverse needs of consumers across the region will be invaluable to Royal Caribbean. The region holds tremendous opportunity for growth. Kenneth will be key to driving collaboration with our trade partners, who remain instrumental in providing added value to us and our guests.”

Yeo also commented: “Embarking on this journey with Royal Caribbean is certainly a career-defining moment for me. I look forward to steering the team to even more extraordinary wins, building on our successes to further the growth of the cruising industry amidst and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Cruising is back and will be better than ever.”

U.S. Cruise Restart: Which Cruise Lines Require COVID-19 Vaccination?

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Several cruise lines are on their way back to U.S. homeports this summer. Cruise Industry News has studied some of the major players’ COVID-19 vaccine policies and restart plans.

Royal Caribbean International 
Ships: Freedom of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas and Independence of the Seas
First Cruise: July 2, 2021
Homeports: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Seattle, Bayonne and Galveston    
Region: Caribbean, Bahamas and Alaska
Vaccination required? Rules vary by ship

Restarting service in the United States with several ships, Royal Caribbean International has different rules regarding vaccination against COVID-19.

For Freedom, Odyssey, Allure, Symphony and Mariner sailing out of Florida ports in July and August, vaccines are “strongly recommended” for all eligible guests. Approximately 90 percent of the passengers are expected to be vaccinated, but those choosing not to be vaccinated or not willing to verify vaccination will be subject to testing and additional health protocols at their expense. 

For the Serenade and Ovation from Seattle, the Independence from Galveston and the Oasis from Bayonne, guests will need to be fully vaccinated with the exemption only for children under 12. Children under 12 will need to be tested and subject to health protocols, with no additional charges for any testing.

Carnival Cruise Line
Ships: Carnival Vista, Carnival Breeze, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Miracle
First Cruise: July 3, 2021
Homeports: Galveston, Miami and Seattle 
Region: Caribbean, Bahamas and Alaska
Vaccination required? Yes – for 95% of the guests in July

Carnival Cruise Line confirmed its plans to restart service in July, initially with four ships sailing in the Caribbean and Alaska.

Carnival said 95 percent of guests will need to have had their final approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to sailing and will be required to present proof of vaccination at the time of check-in. 

The company noted, however, that it will be able to accommodate a “small number” of unvaccinated guests (children under 12) and allow a small number of exemptions.

Recently, Carnival confirmed additional plans to reactivate more vessels in August. Vaccination requirements, however, are still to be announced.

Norwegian Cruise Line   
Ships: Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Breakaway     
First Cruise: August 7, 2021
Homeports: Seattle, Miami and New York       
Region: Alaska, Caribbean and Bermuda
Vaccination required? Yes, initially  

Norwegian Cruise Line will deploy three ships in the United States until September. With the new Norwegian Encore sailing to Alaska, the company is also planning to offer cruises to the Caribbean with the Norwegian Gem and to Bermuda with the Norwegian Breakaway.

All initial voyages will operate with fully vaccinated guests and crew.

Celebrity Cruises  
Ships: Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Millennium and Celebrity Equinox  
First Cruise: June 26, 2021
Homeports: Fort Lauderdale and Seattle    
Region: Alaska and Caribbean
Vaccination required? Yes – guests over 16

With three ships entering service in the United States by late July, Celebrity will require passengers to be inoculated.

According to the company’s website, all guests 16 years and older must be fully vaccinated with all COVID-19 vaccine doses administered at least 14 days prior to sailing.  As of August 1, 2021, all guests aged 12 and older will need to be fully vaccinated.

MSC Cruises
Ships: MSC Meraviglia and MSC Divina
First Cruise: August 2, 2021
Homeports: Miami and Port Canaveral
Region: Caribbean and Bahamas
Vaccination required? No

MSC Cruises has confirmed its restart plans for two ships cruising from U.S. ports beginning this August. The MSC Meraviglia will kick off the restart on Aug. 2, followed by the MSC Divina on Sept. 18. Both ships will offer cruises from Florida to the Caribbean and Bahamas.

According to MSC, the new itineraries will welcome both vaccinated and non-vaccinated guests. Those who are not vaccinated or unable to verify vaccination will be subject to requirements such as additional testing, as well as restrictions, which are still to be announced.

Princess Cruises
Ships: Majestic Princess
First Cruise: July 25, 2021
Homeports: Seattle
Region: Alaska
Vaccination required? Yes

Princess Cruises is resuming its U.S. operations in Alaska with the Majestic Princess. The vessel will welcome passengers back on July 25, ahead of a series of ten sailings from Seattle.

The cruises are available for guests who have received their final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise and have proof of vaccination.

Holland America Line
Ships: Nieuw Amsterdam
First Cruise: July 24, 2021
Homeports: Seattle
Region: Alaska
Vaccination required? Yes

Welcoming the passengers back in Alaska, Holland America Line will return to service on July 24. On that day, the Nieuw Amsterdam will sail from Seattle for the first of 10 Saturday departures that will operate through Oct. 2.

Guests will be required to have received their final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to embarkation and have proof of vaccination.

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line
Ships: Grand Classica
First Cruise: July 2, 2021
Homeports: Palm Beach
Region: Bahamas
Vaccination required? No

Bahamas Paradise will be one of the first cruise lines to resume service in the United States. After receiving a green light from the CDC to conduct a simulated sailing in June, the company plans to welcome the guests back next month. On July 2, the Grand Classica will restart its regular program of short cruises between Palm Beach and Freeport.

According to Bahamas Paradise website, guests will not need to get vaccinated against COVID-19 before boarding, while the crew will be fully vaccinated.

Silversea Cruises
Ships: Silver Muse 
First Cruise: July 29, 2021
Homeports: Seattle
Region: Alaska
Vaccination required? Yes

The Silver Muse will resume round-trip sailings from Seattle starting on July 29, making Silversea the first luxury cruise line to operate in Alaska this summer.

According to the company, one of the measures to guarantee the health and safety of the operation, is making sure that all guests and crew are vaccinated against COVID-19.