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Princess Cruises extends pause of global ship operations for remaining 2020 summer season

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 06 May 2020 06 May 2020

Due to reduced air flight availability, the closure of cruise ports in regions around the world and other factors impacting international travel, Princess Cruises is extending its pause of global ship operations and has therefore made the extremely difficult decision to cancel select cruises through the end of the 2020 summer season, including the following cruises and associated cruisetours:

– All remaining Alaska cruises on Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess
– All remaining Europe and Transatlantic cruises on Enchanted Princess, Regal Princess, Sky Princess, Crown Princess and Island Princess
– Summer Caribbean cruises and all Canada & New England cruises on Caribbean Princess and Sky Princess
– Summer to Fall cruises departing from Japan on Diamond Princess
– Australia-based cruises on Sapphire Princess and Sea Princess through August
– July cruises sailing from Taiwan on Majestic Princess
– Fall cruises sailing to Hawaii and French Polynesia on Pacific Princess through November

"As the world is still preparing to resume travel, it is with much disappointment that we announce an extension of our pause of global ship operations and the cancellation of cruise vacations for our loyal guests," said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. "Among other disruptions, airlines have limited their flight availability and many popular cruise ports are closed. It saddens us to think about the impact on the livelihood of our teammates, business partners and the communities we visit."

Guests currently booked on these canceled voyages, who have paid Princess in full, will have the option to receive a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare paid plus an additional bonus FCC equal to 25% of the cruise fare.

For guests who have not paid in full, Princess will Double the Deposit, providing a refundable FCC for the money currently on deposit plus a matching bonus FCC that can be used on any voyage through May 1, 2022. The matching bonus FCC will not exceed the base cruise fare amount of the currently booked cruise and will have a minimum value of $100 per person.

In order to receive the above FCC no action is required.

Alternatively, guests can request a full refund for all monies paid on their booking through this online form. Requests must be received by June 15, 2020, or they will receive the refundable Future Cruise Credit option.

Princess will protect travel advisor commissions on bookings for cancelled cruises that were paid in full, in recognition of the critical role they play in the cruise line’s business and success.

Holland America cancels all 2020 Alaska, Europe and Canada/New England sailings

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 06 May 2020 06 May 2020

With travel restrictions continuing for the near future due to global health concerns, Holland America Line has decided to extend its pause of global cruise operations and cancel all Alaska, Europe and Canada/New England cruises for 2020.

In addition, Amsterdam will not operate the 79-day Grand Africa Voyage from Boston, Massachusetts, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that was scheduled to depart on Oct. 3, 2020. Holland America Line had previously cancelled all 2020 Land+Sea Journeys, which combine an Alaska cruise with an overland tour to Denali and the Yukon.

“As we continue to navigate through these unprecedented and challenging times, the best decision right now is to extend our pause in cruise operations into the fall,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. “While this is very disappointing and we never want to let our guests down, as soon as it makes sense we will be back cruising again, giving our guests the memorable travel experiences they continue to dream about.”

All guests, or their travel advisors, will automatically be notified if their cruise departure has been cancelled.

Guests automatically receive future cruise credit

Those with impacted cruises will automatically be cancelled, and all guests will receive a Future Cruise Credit per person as follows:

– Paid in Full: Those who had paid in full will receive 125% Future Cruise Credit of the base cruise fare paid to Holland America Line.

– Not Paid in Full: Those with bookings not paid in full will receive a Future Cruise Credit of double the amount of the deposit paid for the cruise. The minimum Future Cruise Credit is $100 and the maximum will be an amount up to the base cruise fare paid.

The Future Cruise Credit is valid for 12 months from the date of issue and may be used to book sailings departing through Dec. 31, 2022. All other funds paid to Holland America Line may be transferred to a new booking or will automatically be refunded via the method of payment used to purchase the services.

Full refund option also available

Guests who prefer a 100% refund of monies paid to Holland America Line can visit the Cancellation Preferences form to indicate this preference no later than June 15, 2020. This includes Holland America Line’s Flight Ease air, Cancellation Protection Plan, Holland America Line pre- or post-cruise hotel packages or transfers, prepaid shore excursions and amenities purchased through Holland America Line, and taxes, fees and port expenses.

Due to the unprecedented volume of bookings impacted by cancellations, Holland America Line asks for guests’ patience and understanding regarding the time needed to work through processing refunds and FCCs.

The above options are not applicable to guests booked on a charter sailing. Other booking and cancellation conditions and policies may apply if the cruise was not booked through Holland America Line. See the terms and conditions at the Cancellation Preferences form for all details.

Recognizing the vital role travel advisors play in the success of the cruise industry, Holland America Line will protect travel advisor commissions on bookings for cancelled cruises that were paid in full and for the total amount of the Future Cruise Credits when their clients rebook.

Holland America Line will continue to monitor the global health situation and evaluate the best time to begin sailing again. Additional details will be shared as they are available.

P&O Cruises Australia extends operational pause until 31 August

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 05 May 2020 05 May 2020

P&O Cruises Australia, part of Carnival Corporation & plc, has extended its voluntary pause in operations in Australia and New Zealand until 31 August, in response to continuing travel restrictions owing to the impact of Covid-19, it said in a statement.

The decision will affect passengers booked on departures after 16 June.

“Australia and New Zealand have led the world in flattening the COVID-19 curve, which adds to our optimism for the future. However, we also recognise that a further extension is the prudent and responsible course,” said P&O Cruises Australia president Sture Myrmel.

Passengers whose cruises had been impacted by the extended pause in operations were eligible for a full refund or a future cruise credit equal to the cost of their original cruise plus an onboard credit offer, the company said.

UK consumer sentiment for cruising cools

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 05 May 2020 05 May 2020

The proportion of British consumers that are vey likely or likely go for a cruise in the next two years has decreased in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis, CLIA UK & Ireland research shows.

Among consumers who have never cruised before, 61% would be very likely or likely to take a cruise in the next two years, a drop of 10 percentage points since last autumn.

“Of those who had cruised before, 75% said they were very likely or likely to take a cruise in the next two years when asked last month, compared to 79% who said the same last autumn,” CLIA UK & Ireland said in a statement.

The survey was based on views of 500 respondents who have taken an international holiday in the last two years.

Commenting on the figures, Andy Harmer, CLIA UK & Ireland director, said in the statement" Our findings show a remarkably small divergence in responses between these times and suggest a very modest shift in sentiment. This could be largely due to cruise guests understanding the industry’s commitment to their health and safety. We will continue to work to earn that trust as we work through this global crisis, putting public health and safety at the heart of our response.”

MedCruise Association launches a modernized website

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 04 May 2020 04 May 2020

The MedCruise Association has designed a tailored online tool, user-friendly which fits all devices. Among other technical updates, the brand-new online platform offers a closer insight into the Mediterranean cruise destinations, a visible importance to quality photos and videos, a better communication of the news and a more useful events’ calendar and a private area jut for members.

The website is composed of seven sections, the most remarkable of which is the Members' section. Each MedCruise member (Ports and Associates - Cruise related companies) has its fully updated profile with relevant data such as: contact data, history, destination information, must see tourist attractions, photo gallery, port Statistics, port facts (Berth, Anchorage, Quays…), company information, new projects and even more.

Another key section is the News section where the latest members’ news, internal press releases about MedCruise Activities and everything related to the Cruise Industry in the Mediterranean Sea, is published on a regular basis.

The Events section is a must for MedCruise and its partners, in this section is where all the information about the events organized by MedCruise is published. The Association holds two General Assemblies (GA) and the MedCruise Awards, every year. Other than that, every two years a Professional Development Course (PDC), just for MedCruise members, is organized. All the updates and main information about these events is published in this section. In addition, MedCruise provides a platform for the representation of its members in all major cruise related events around the globe. In the new website members get an easy picture of the relevant upcoming events worldwide (calendar format) together with important information such as event programme, organization contact person and link for registration.

The Home page, where you land when you enter to the website, contains a section worthy of note called publications. MedCruise reports published every year provide useful data as regards the cruise industry and the Mediterranean ports. This section is quite relevant since it offers the Annual Statistics Report, the Yearbook (members contact information) and the biannual publication MedCruise News.

On MedCruise website you will have easy access to the contact information of the Secretariat team, Board of Directors and President of MedCruise. An interesting feature of the new online platform, is the link with social networks. Thus, the new website is very adapted to the current way of sharing information. Another worth mentioning feature is the “COVID-19 Latest Updates”. Due to the global health situation, MedCruise has destined a section for the updates on the COVID-19 in the Mediterranean Sea cruise industry: Cruise Line Status (come back), Interviews with MedCruise President, MedCruise Statements, among others.

Airam Diaz, President of MedCruise Association said: “I am very proud to present our new website, which highlights the importance of the Marketing task in our Association, in line with the Working Plan approved by the members in Toulon during the 51st MedCruise General Assembly. I would like to thank all BoD members, specially, Maria Cano as Marketing Director and the Secretariat team for this big achievement”.

Maria Cano, MedCruise Marketing Director, expressed: “This project means a new era for MedCruise in terms of Marketing and Promotion. With the priceless support of the Secretariat, which has contributed with new and fresh ideas, we have started developing a responsive and modernized website. Starting small, we ended up creating a more useful tool for our members which will put MedCruise in another category within the online community. Much of my Online Marketing Strategy is represented in this project, for the benefit of our members."