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(Corrected) Holland America Line extends temporary pause, cancels Alaska on certain ships for entire season

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 April 2020 15 April 2020

Due to continued port closures including Canada’s cruise ship suspension until July 1 and other travel restrictions resulting from global health concerns, Holland America Line has made the decision to extend its pause of global cruise operations and cancel all sailings scheduled to depart through June 30, 2020. This includes Alaska, Canada/New England and Europe cruises.

In Alaska, Holland America Line is also cancelling all Alaska sailings for summer 2020 on Maasdam, Noordam, Oosterdam, Volendam and Westerdam. In addition, all Land+Sea Journeys are cancelled. A Land+Sea Journey combines a Holland America Line Alaska cruise with an overland tour to Denali and the Yukon. The McKinley Chalet Resort, McKinley Explorer rail cars and tour motorcoaches will not operate this summer.

The premium line is assessing the future impact of the order by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control for cruises through mid-July. Additional deployment details will be shared in the near future.

“These are unprecedented times. Having to delay summer cruising and cancel our land tours for the entire season is the responsible thing to do, yet also very disappointing and a first in our more than 70 years of taking guests to Alaska,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. “We know this decision impacts our loyal guests, travel advisor partners, staff members and local businesses who rely on summer tourism for their economies. We look forward to better days and returning to a full summer cruising season in 2021.”

Two options for guests on cancelled cruises

Guests with impacted cruises have two options to choose from and must make their selection by June 1, 2020:

– Option #1: Defer a refund and receive a Future Cruise Credit for 125% of the base cruise fare paid plus an onboard credit of US$250 per person, which can be applied toward any future cruise(s) through Dec. 31, 2021. Guests who haven’t paid in full will receive a Future Cruise Credit for 125% of the amount paid to Holland America Line.

– Option #2: A 100% refund of all monies paid to Holland America Line will be reimbursed. 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.

All bookings automatically will be cancelled through June 30. Guests do not need to call to cancel, however, they should visit hollandamerica.com to indicate their preference for the 125% Future Cruise Credit or 100% refund no later than June 1. If a choice is not made by this deadline, guests will be deemed to have accepted the greater value Option #1. The Future Cruise Credit is valid on any cruise departing through December 31, 2021, and must be applied toward this future cruise by December 31, 2020.

The above options are not applicable to guests booked on a charter sailing. Other booking and cancellation conditions and policies may apply if cruise was not booked through Holland America Line.

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 guests rebook.

Carnival Cruise Line extends pause In North American operations

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 April 2020 13 April 2020

Carnival Cruise Line said today that it is notifying guests that we are cancelling more cruises as it extends its pause in North American operations, with plans to resume on June 27, 2020.

"Carnival Cruise Line shares the global priorities of health and safety for all. We will use this extended pause to continue to take care of the crew that remains on board and continue to bring non-essential crew home. We are actively engaged with the industry and our stakeholders on additional protocols that we will be implementing when we resume service. We are dedicated to maintaining confidence in our commitment to protecting the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we serve.

We are communicating directly with our guests and travel agent partners and have worked to minimize the disruption by automating the process so that guests and travel agents can manage their options online. Our offices remain closed at the direction of local government, and while our customer contact center team is now taking calls at home, technology limitations continue to impact productivity and our level of support. We appreciate the patience of our guests and travel advisors during this unprecedented time. And we are touched by the many expressions of support for our cruise line and the genuine concern for our onboard team members whose dedication to our guests is the basis for our loyal fan base," the company said in a statement.

New delivery date for Crystal Endeavor

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 April 2020 10 April 2020

Crystal Expedition Cruises has postponed the launch of its luxury expedition ship, Crystal Endeavor. The news comes following the temporary closure of the MV Werften shipyards, which halted operations in ship production to protect its employees during the COVID-19 global pandemic like most European manufacturing companies. Due to uncertainty regarding when production will resume, Crystal has been compelled to delay the introduction of the ship – previously planned for this coming August – and cancel all scheduled itineraries through October 31, 2020. The ship’s maiden voyage will now be the Tasmania & Fjords of New Zealand 14-night cruise embarking on November 14, 2020.

“We know that, like us, our guests have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to explore anew with Crystal aboard this groundbreaking ship, and we deeply regret that this change has become necessary and has disrupted our guests’ travel plans,” said Crystal’s president and CEO, Tom Wolber. “While this unprecedented global health crisis inhibits our journeys for now, we are looking ahead with great optimism to introducing Crystal Endeavor to the world on November 14 and welcoming travelers to their next great adventure.”

The company is reaching out to guests and their travel advisors directly with rebooking options.

Poseidon Expeditions renews charter contract for Sea Spirit

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 09 April 2020 09 April 2020

Poseidon Expeditions has signed an agreement with ship owner SunStone Ships, Inc. to extend the charter of the 114-passenger expedition ship Sea Spirit for two years. This will keep the ship flying the Poseidon Expeditions banner until May 2024.

Nikolay Saveliev, founder and president of Poseidon Expeditions, a specialist in active adventure cruises in Arctic and Antarctic regions, said that the Sea Spirit has received great acceptance in the marketplace and that the company is delighted to be able to continue offering the ship to its travel partners and polar travelers around the globe.

“With the Sea Spirit, we have a smaller-capacity, premium vessel that’s perceived as very desirable compared with most of the newly announced polar-class ships in the range of 200-500 passengers. Those wanting to go to Antarctica or to the Arctic understand the advantages that a smaller vessel can provide – better access to remote areas and landing sites; more ‘face time’ with the expedition team; and a camaraderie among guests and staff that is more difficult to achieve aboard larger ships,” he added.

Saveliev continued: “This ship has delivered a consistently high level of service and performance in the polar regions from the ship’s officers, catering and hospitality team. Sunstone has done a great job keeping the passenger areas renovated and the technical features consistently updated, such as the new, state-of-the art Rolls Royce Zero Speed Stabilizers installed in 2019. Combined with our exceptional expedition staff, which curates experiences for our guests that are engaging, educational and fun, it’s no wonder the Sea Spirit achieves a 4.9 ranking out of a possible 5.0 from TrustPilot, the well-established third-party review site.”

The founder of Poseidon added that plans were still moving forward with a new build, configured for fewer than 150 passengers, but that an official announcement with details was still forthcoming.

Like a migrating bird, the Sea Spirit spends her year between the two polar regions, in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean from late October through mid-March and then in the sub-Arctic and Arctic regions of the British Isles, Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and Greenland from mid-May through September.

Rauma Marine Construction starts production of MyStar ferry

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

Rauma Marine Constructions continues to design and build ships despite the global coronavirus pandemic. The production of Tallink’s new shuttle ferry MyStar began at Rauma shipyard on Monday, April 6, 2020.

Tallink’s new car and passenger ferry will be the largest ship built at the Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) shipyard in Rauma, Finland yet. Making use of cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions, the ship will be energy efficient and will have a dual-fuel solution that can use liquified natural gas (LNG), a fuel with lower emissions. The vessel’s advanced, certified electric propulsion system allows the ship to operate energy-efficiently in all circumstances at speeds of up to 27 knots.

“We are proud to start the construction of MyStar, a new vessel which continues the tradition of building ships with our important customer, Tallink Grupp. This will be the seventh ferry built for Tallink at Rauma. Together, we are developing increasingly environmentally friendly shipping between Finland and Estonia,” said Jyrki Heinimaa, President and CEO of RMC.

RMC aims to be the leading builder of car and passenger ferries in Europe. According to Heinimaa, building Tallink’s vessel supports this objective.

Tallink MyStar is valued at around EUR 250 million. The vessel will be approximately 212 metres long and will have a gross tonnage of approximately 50,000. It will be able to accommodate around 3,000 passengers and crew members in total, and will have a freight capacity of 1,900 lane metres for lorries and other vehicles. The ferry will provide over 1,500 person-years of employment for the shipyard. MyStar will operate between Helsinki, Finland, and Tallinn, Estonia. The building project will consider the vessel’s operating profile, efficient functionality for large numbers of passengers and vehicles, as well as passenger comfort.

Economies rely on shipping

“The world around us has recently changed beyond recognition and all around us we only see shut-downs, challenges and closure. Our group, too, is facing challenges, but we are working hard to get through the current situation and are continuing to focus on the future. And one of the key future projects already underway before the crisis was the construction project of our new shuttle, MyStar – one of the most eco-friendly ships on the Baltic Sea. I am therefore pleased to say today that we are able to start this new project in cooperation with our long-standing partner, Rauma shipyard,” said Paavo Nõgene, CEO of Tallink Grupp.

“During this intense challenging period, we see, more than ever, how much our economies rely on dependable, sustainable and eco-friendly ships, and the importance of vital shipping routes remaining open. At Tallink, this makes our commitment to building and operating the most innovative and most sustainable ships on the Baltic sea even stronger,” Nõgene stated.

Rauma shipyard is taking action to prevent the spread of the coronavirus

Rauma shipyard has taken sizeable measures to maintain operations and to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus. Personnel and network partners are actively informed, more work is done remotely, online workspaces are being developed and personnel are supported in a challenging situation. Cleanliness and tidiness are emphasised throughout the company. In production, the focus is on developing safe ways of working in close cooperation with network partners.

“Our primary objective is to ensure the health and safety of our personnel and partners. We are also aiming to minimise the impact the coronavirus will have on our production and finances. There is plenty of work to be done, as long as employees and materials can move. The shipyard is in full swing,” says Jyrki Heinimaa.