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Windstar Cruises to require Covid-19 vaccination to sail

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 March 2021 30 March 2021

Until further notice, Windstar Cruises will require proof of a current Covid-19 vaccination for all guests sailing aboard Windstar’s yachts. The cruise line arrived at the decision in the best health and wellness interests of its guests, crew, and the places the yachts visit. Many Windstar destinations and some airlines have announced or are considering vaccine mandates, providing further support for the new Windstar policy. Windstar is a leader in small-ship cruising with six, boutique all-suite and sailing yachts (carrying fewer than 350 guests each) that access the smaller ports, waterways, and destinations the large cruise ships cannot.

“Looking at the science behind the virus, we see consistent recommendations for wearing masks, social distancing, testing, and enhanced cleaning. In response, Windstar developed a new Beyond Ordinary Care program, which is a multi-layered strategy with key hospital-grade elements: HEPA filters and UV-C germicidal irradiation to filter and disinfect the air, plus backpack sprayers to sanitize all surfaces throughout our yachts,” said Andrew Todd, CEO, Windstar and parent company Xanterra Travel Collection.

“Vaccination is another layer of safety for all of us, and it’s the responsible course of action as our yachts resume cruising and our guests travel the world,” said Christopher Prelog, President of Windstar Cruises.

Current government and news reports about increased vaccine availability in the United States and abroad give Windstar confidence that guests who wish to sail with the line will have time to be vaccinated before travel. Crew members will be required to be vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available to them. This Windstar standard is subject to change as CDC guidelines change. Windstar will periodically review this and all other Covid-19 policies for updates as the pandemic evolves.

Windstar will restart operations in June 2021 in a phased manner, with initial cruises at a reduced guest occupancy, some modified itineraries, and with enhanced health and safety protocols. To provide guests with greater flexibility, Windstar has moved the final payment date from 120 days to 60 days prior to cruise departure.

The timeline for resumption of operations is:

Star Breeze – June 19, 2021 – Caribbean
Wind Star – June 19, 2021 – Mediterranean
Wind Spirit – July 15, 2021 – Tahiti
Wind Surf – August 8, 2021 – Mediterranean
Star Legend – Sept 4, 2021 – Northern Europe
Star Pride – November 3, 2021 – Caribbean

At the cruise terminal prior to embarkation, guests will be required to provide proof of a completed current vaccine course (one or two shots, depending on the brand) finished at least 14 days prior to the guest’s embarkation date. Negative Covid-19 test results will also be required prior to embarkation.

Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. appoints Dolf Berle President and Chief Executive Officer

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 March 2021 30 March 2021

Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc., a global provider of expedition cruises and adventure travel experiences, today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Dolf Berle as President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of its Board, effective May 10, 2021. Berle succeeds Sven-Olof Lindblad, who will become Co-Chair of the Board, together with Mark Ein, current Board Chair.

In his role as Co-Chair, Lindblad will work with his fellow Directors to advise the Company’s leadership team on business strategy and growth opportunities, including reaching new audiences, innovating new products and developing new geographies, as well as focus on energizing new and existent social programs. Ein will partner with Lindblad to help guide the Board and the Company’s organic growth, acquisition and financial strategy.

Berle currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Topgolf Entertainment Group where he has led the company’s overall vision, global growth strategies and P&L, since 2018. Previously, Berle served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.

“It has been a tremendous honor to serve as the CEO of Lindblad Expeditions since founding the Company in 1979, and I am proud of all that we have accomplished over the last 40 years. We've built a business based on the respect and understanding of geography and connecting our more than hundreds of thousands of loyal guests and new audiences worldwide with nature, culture and an opportunity to explore the world. Today, Lindblad Expeditions has the most talented employees in the industry, a best-in class platform of high-quality and authentic experiential offerings, a passionate customer base eager to see the world’s most exceptional destinations with us, and a balanced growth strategy to take us into the future. We are thrilled for our guests to return to the same exhilarating expedition experience they have come to know and love when we resume voyages in two iconic destinations early this summer,” said Lindblad.

Lindblad continued, “I am very pleased to hand the baton to Dolf, who I have gotten to know well and for whom I have great respect and admiration. I am confident that his outstanding leadership, integrity and character make him the right choice to serve as our next leader. I look forward to my continuing involvement with the Company in my new role as Co-Chair and working closely with Mark, Dolf and the rest of the team to keep driving the business forward.”

“The Board and Sven have been working for some time to attract additional leadership talent and identify our next leader, and we believe that Dolf is the ideal candidate to serve as Lindblad Expeditions’ new CEO,” said Ein. “Dolf brings a track record of quickly expanding multi-unit businesses and championing technology innovations and understands the importance of delivering unmatched guest experiences and creating communities where guests want to return time and again – all of which is integral to our robust growth plans to create value for our stakeholders.”

Ein continued, “Over the past 40 years, Sven has built one of the world’s greatest expedition and adventure travel companies by pioneering innovative ways to connect people and places. It is because of his leadership that Lindblad Expeditions is synonymous with life-changing adventures for so many people. Today, the cornerstones of our business are extremely strong with significant pent-up customer demand, a growing portfolio of newly acquired exceptional travel businesses, and considerable financial flexibility to fuel additional future acquisitions and organic expansion opportunities as the travel industry begins to reopen. We are thrilled to have attracted Dolf to Lindblad and are grateful that the Company will continue to benefit from Sven’s wealth of experience and knowledge as we collectively execute on our growth strategy.”

Berle said, “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead such an iconic and vibrant Company. Lindblad Expeditions has an impressive four-decade track record delivering immersive and authentic experiences and a large, devoted customer base that looks to Lindblad and its brands for the highest-quality expedition and adventure travel experiences whether by ship, land or bike. The Company is well positioned to capitalize on what it does best – inspiring loyal guests to explore and promote both conservation and environmental sustainability around the world. Sven has reimagined travel throughout his tenure, and, alongside the Lindblad Expeditions team, I am energized to build on his legacy and capture the vast and expanding market opportunities ahead.”

Separately in an 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today, Lindblad Expeditions announced that Sarah Farrell, an independent member of the Board of Directors, will be stepping down from the Board, effective immediately. With Farrell’s departure and upon Mr. Berle’s appointment, the Lindblad Expeditions Board will have 10 members.

“On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Sarah for her contributions to Lindblad Expeditions over the past year, and wish her the best in her future endeavors,” said Mr. Ein.

In a separate press release issued today, Lindblad Expeditions announced that it will resume small ship expeditions cruises and adventure travel experience operations for the 2021 season in Alaska and Galapagos, beginning in the first week of June. In keeping with Lindblad Expeditions’ focus on exploring remote places, the Company will return to nature in the pristine wildness of these two iconic destinations, and will do so consistent with its health and safety protocols. Lindblad Expeditions intends to announce plans for activating additional geographies for the summer as logistics are finalized. The press release can be found on the Lindblad Expeditions Investor Relations website at investors.expeditions.com.

MSC Virtuosa to UK, two more lines unveil British summer cruises

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 March 2021 29 March 2021

MSC Cruises said it would operate its recently delivered MSC Virtuosa on a series of summer cruises in the UK instead of MSC Magnifica that had been earmarked for this. Meanwhile Celebrity Cruises and Disney will also cruise in the UK waters this summer.

Geneva bassed MSC Cruises unveiled further details of the recently announced short breaks and week-long summer sailings around the British Isles departing from the port of Southampton.

“Starting 20 May, MSC Virtuosa – the line’s recently delivered and newest flagship - will be deployed to the UK for her inaugural season and replace MSC Magnifica to spend summer operating this special range of sailings to some of the UK’s most popular ports such as Portland, Liverpool, Greenock and Belfast,” the company said in a statement.

The sailings are available to UK residents only, both vaccinated and unvaccinated at the present time. Sales open for these cruises on Thursday, 1 April.

Antonio Paradiso, Managing Director MSC Cruises UK & Ireland said: “Following our recent announcement that we intend to offer cruises in the UK we have been overwhelmed by the response from MSC Cruises customers and avid cruisers eager to get back on board and experience a cruise with us this summer. I am personally very proud to be able to bring our newest ship MSC Virtuosa to the UK so that our valued British guests are the first to officially come on board and the first to experience this incredible next generation ship.”

MSC Virtuosa will initially operate six mini-cruises that with embarkation in Southampton will include a stop in Portland. These will be followed by a series of seven-night sailings providing embarkation also in the ports of Liverpool and Greenock near Glasgow, giving holidaymakers across the UK the option to easily escape on holiday with minimal travel.

The range of four-night mini-cruises will offer a late sail from Southampton and will provide the ultimate short getaway for couples or friends in search of a quick escape.

From June 12, holidaymakers can join seven-night sailings that will include stops in Portland and the cultural city of Belfast and offer multiple ports of embarkation including Liverpool and Greenock, close to Glasgow, MSC Cruises said.

Celebrity Cruises, which is part of the Royal Caribbean Group, said it would operate Celebrity Silhouette on a series of cruises of six to eight nights, starting in July. The ship would be based at Southampton. It gave no further details at this point.

Disney Cruise Line said its Disney Magic would offer a series of two, three and four night cruises. These would depart on select dates from London Tilbury, Newcastle, Liverpool and Southampton.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis calls on CDC to rescind No-Sail Order

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 28 March 2021 28 March 2021

Governor Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Secretary Kevin J. Thibault, P.E. held a roundtable discussion with cruise industry executives and employees to highlight the importance of this critical industry to Florida’s economy on Friday, March 26 in the Port Canaveral.

At the roundtable, Governor DeSantis called on the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to rescind its No-Sail Order which the CDC has indicated will remain in place until November 1, 2021. The federal government has provided guidance to all other passenger transportation modes and other industries; however, it has failed to issue guidance for the cruise industry to assist in its recovery.

In addition to the lack of guidance, the federal government has neglected to provide relief funding to seaports while airports and transit agencies have received assistance through previous relief packages. Earlier this month, Governor DeSantis recommended Florida’s seaports receive $258.2 million out of the state’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, to account for the losses accrued due to the no-sail order.

“If there is one thing we’ve learned over the past year, it’s that lockdowns don’t work, and Floridians deserve the right to earn a living,” said Governor DeSantis. “The cruise industry is essential to our state’s economy and keeping it shut down until November would be devastating to the men and women who rely on the cruise lines to provide for themselves and their families. I urge the CDC to immediately rescind this baseless no-sail order to allow Floridians in this industry to get back to work.”

“It’s anchors aweigh for almost every travel industry in the U.S., yet the Biden administration is keeping our cruise liners docked – while many other major countries begin to operate cruises safely under health guidelines. The rationale for keeping U.S. cruises shuttered through the foreseeable future is based on outdated data and guidelines put in place before we had a Covid-19 vaccine,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody. “The federal government is acting outside its authority in singling out and docking the cruise industry while other tourism-based businesses continue to operate in accordance with health guidelines. This heavy-handed federal overreach is harming our nation’s economy and is especially damaging to Florida’s economy and our vital tourism industry. That is why, we are calling on the Biden administration to lift the outdated lockdown order on Florida’s cruise industry and allow workers who rely on this important industry to get back to work.”

“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, the state continues to make key investments in our transportation system, but, because of the CDC’s no-sail order, the cruise industry is still struggling,” said FDOT Secretary Kevin J. Thibault, P.E. “The Governor and the state continue to do all that we can to help these members of our communities regain their livelihoods and we hope our federal counterparts follow suit.”

On March 14, the nation marked its one-year anniversary of the CDC’s no-sail order. A September 2020 report from the Federal Maritime Commission estimated that during the first 6 months of the pandemic, losses in Florida due to the cruise industry shutdown totalled $3.2 billion in economic activity, including 49,500 jobs paying $2.3 billion in wages. In addition, Florida saw wide-ranging indirect impacts throughout the state – from airports and ground transportation to hotels, restaurants, and tourist destinations.

The Covid-19 pandemic’s effects on the cruise industry are part of a larger struggle facing the entire travel industry, which ended 2020 with $1.1 trillion in losses, a 42 percent drop from 2019.

Another cruise company to move its U.S. headquarters to South Florida

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 26 March 2021 26 March 2021

Scenic Group’s two major cruise brands, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours and Emerald Cruises (newly rebranded from Emerald Waterways and Emerald Yacht Cruises) have been growing at a record pace over the past few years and as the return to travel is on the horizon, they are seeing very strong bookings for the second half of 2021 and beyond. To better serve their guests and travel advisor partners, the company is moving their USA headquarters from Boston, Massachusetts to Hollywood, Florida, effective May 1, 2021.

The new office, at Presidential Circle in Hollywood, a Class A office building, will host most of the USA operations teams – sales, marketing, accounting, reservation staff and senior management. The company will also continue to utilize their successful virtual office structure, with regional sales directors and several other operations team members based in other parts of the country.

“After an exhaustive search for the best new location for our USA headquarters, we are excited to announce we will be moving to the prestigious Presidential Circle office building in Hollywood, Florida,” states Anna Wolfsteiner, CSMO Scenic Global. “We have been experiencing strong year-over-year growth for a number of years now and felt it was important that we locate in an area where we can grow our support staff as well as our business. And there is no better place to find the high level of cruise expertise our clients expect than in the cruise capital of America.”

Another area undergoing expansion is the Scenic Group’s USA sales team, headed up by Ann Chamberlin, VP Sales. Recent additions include Donna Kurtz for the newly established Charter and Incentive Sales division and Nancy Iovino as the Regional Sales Director for the West. “We are on full throttle right now as we gear up to be a powerhouse team supporting and developing new business with our valued trade partners,” reports Ann. “We will also be adding to our Regional Sales Director team as we look to bring in a new RSD for the East Coast, based out of the Northeast.”

Scenic Group has grown over its 35-year history to include river and ocean cruises and handcrafted land journeys that take guests to many of the world’s most fascinating destinations covering all 7-continents.