UPDATED : No coronavirus on AIDA aura

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 03 March 2020 03 March 2020

The two passengers tested for coronavirus on AIDA Cruises' AIDA aura did not have the infection, reports say. The ship has been able to resume its cruise, vessel tracking websites show.

Two passengers onboard Aida aura of Carnival group’s German unit AIDA Cruises have been tested for coronavirus and the ship has extended its stay at the Norwegian port of Haugesund as a result, the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reports on its website.

The two passengers in question had been in contact with a third person, who is not on the ship, who had later tested positive for the virus.

Neither of the two passengers had not shown any symptoms of an infection, a doctor cited in the report said, but as a precaution they had been quarantined in their cabins until the test results were ready, the report said.

Costa cancels north east Asia cruises, Carnival plc shares start week sharply lower

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 02 March 2020 02 March 2020

Costa Cruises has canceled most of the cruises in north east Asia -  from ports in China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea – scheduled for march, while shares in Carnival plc opened sharply lower on Monday morning.

The affected ships are Costa Venezia, Costa Serena, Costa Atlantica and Costa neoRomantica, the company said.

Meanwhile, shares in the Carnival group’s UK listed and domiciled holding company Carnival plc stared the week sharply lower, trading at £23.14 at 1030 local time, down 4.8% from the opening. It had hit a low of £23.00 earlier in the session. Costa Cruises is part of the Carnival Corporation & plc group.

The FTSE100 index of leading shares traded 1.13% higher at the same point in time.

On Friday in New York, cruise shares had staged a recovery in tandem with the wider market after sustaining sharp losses during the week.

MSC Meraviglia to return to Miami after receiving 'clean bill of health'

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 29 February 2020 29 February 2020

MSC Cruises has said its ship MSC Meraviglia has been given ‘a clean bill of health’ by Mexican health officials following medical checks on a crew member and a young female guest who both had common seasonal flu after the vessel arrived in Cozumel, Mexico.

Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Cruises, said: ”The Mexican authorities followed the correct maritime protocols whereby a ship in advance provides medical records of any passenger or crew member who is or has been unwell to the next port she visits.”

Health experts boarded the ship to check the medical condition of one crew member and one young female guest who had seasonal flu. In addition to the checks that are customarily run to give a ship a clean bill of health, out of an abundance of caution they conducted overnight additional tests on both of them.

The results were tested at a Mexican Ministry of Public Health laboratory in the city of Chetumal and determined that the condition of both the crew member and guest was in no way whatsoever associated with the COVID-19 coronavirus. The ship was given a clean bill of health.

MSC Meraviglia previously had been unable to make scheduled calls to both Ocho Rios, Jamaica and George Town, Grand Cayman. Guests couldn’t disembark at either island because local authorities had decided to ignore the same established health protocols that today saw the ship receive a clean bill of health.

Vago added, ”We would like to thank the Mexican authorities for their preventative health professionalism, which is the only way to demonstrate certainty to populations ashore, as well as to guests and crew on board.

”The disappointing decisions by Jamaica and Grand Cayman to bar our ship to allow our passengers to disembark and enjoy their islands was born out of fear, not best medical practice. This led to unnecessary and unjustifiable anxiety, not only for our passengers and crew on board, but right across the Caribbean’s tourism sector, and possibly even further beyond.”

Guests on board MSC Meraviglia will be able to spend a full day today (Friday, February 28) ashore in Cozumel. The ship will depart later tonight to return to her homeport of Miami, Florida on Sunday, March 1.

MSC Cruises has told all of its 4,580 guests on board that they will receive a 100 percent refund of their cruise fare due to the disruptive nature of their vacation.

Regent christens Seven Seas Splendor

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 26 February 2020 26 February 2020

Regent Seven Seas Cruises hosted christening gala in Miami to welcome its newest ship that defines Luxury Perfected, Seven Seas Splendor.

Exclusive guests, including travel partners, local community leaders, media and luxury travelers, were invited to the private black-tie evening ceremony on board Seven Seas Splendor to celebrate the all-suite, all-balcony luxury cruise ship. In addition, more than 35,000 people watched the ceremony broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube.

“Seven Seas Splendor is the epitome of luxury perfected,” said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. “Every ship we launch gets even better, and Seven Seas Splendor is magnificent. The collaboration between the designers, engineers, craftsmen, hotel and restaurant teams, and the crew onboard, all brings the renowned Regent experience to life on this beautiful ship. Seven Seas Splendor is a celebration of excellence, friendship, success and luxury.”

Seven Seas Splendor is helmed by 30-year veteran Captain Serena Melani, the first woman to captain a newly built ocean cruise ship. In acknowledging this pioneering honor during her remarks, Captain Melani told the audience following a standing ovation that women can achieve any goal with perseverance and hard work, and that the ship’s 550 crew members deserve recognition for providing luxury travelers with the highest levels of personalized service and comfort on board.

Another woman trailblazer followed Captain Melani on stage. Honorary Godmother Christie Brinkley delivered the traditional maritime blessing -- “I hereby name this ship Seven Seas Splendor. May God bless her an all who sail on her” -- which officially christened the vessel. The world-famous supermodel, glamorous actress, proud mother and successful entrepreneur then depressed a button which sent a 15-liter Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut champagne smashing against the ship’s hull to symbolically welcome the newest member of the Regent Seven Seas Cruises fleet.

“Gorgeous is the word I use to describe Seven Seas Splendor,” Brinkley said. “All the details on this ship are amazing, from the artistic style of the Italian marble, the artwork and chandeliers, to the sculpture of the mythical dragon outside Pacific Rim. Every inch of this light and bright ship is filled with luxurious details. My parents had cruised on Regent ships. If they were here today, they would be so excited and proud for me to be Godmother to Seven Seas Splendor.”

To conclude the celebration, guests were treated to an unforgettable concert by four-time GRAMMY-award winning British singer-songwriter, Seal, whose performance wowed the audience. Seal’s multi-genre set featured his hit songs “Kiss From A Rose” and “Crazy,” as well as classics from his most recent 2017 album Standards, which was inspired by his love of Rat Pack-era jazz, swing, and rhythm and blues. He performed several Frank Sinatra signature songs, including “Luck Be A Lady,” “That’s Life” and “It Was a Very Good Year,” as well as Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” and the classic R&B song, “I Put a Spell on You.”