Resilient Lady debut postponed until Spring 2023

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 09 June 2022 09 June 2022

Virgin Voyages, the Miami based cruise line in Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group of companies, has postponed the debut of its third ship, Resilient Lady, to the spring of next year.

The ship had been scheduled to enter service in August and offer a series of cruises in the Mediterranean.

The company cited a host of reasons leading to the decision to postpone the launch of the vessel, such as supply chain problems, crewing problems and the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Resilient Lady is the third of a series of four ships that Virgin Voyages is building at Fincantieri in Italy. After the Mediterranean programme, the ship had been scheduled to sail to Australia to launch the company’s operations there, but these cruises have now been cancelled as well.

Resorts World Cruises to sail from Singapore to Indonesia and Malaysia

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 07 June 2022 07 June 2022

Resorts World Cruises, a new luxury and dynamic lifestyle cruise brand, affiliated with over five decades of global experience in both hospitality and cruising, has announced that the Genting Dream, will sail from Singapore to international destinations, starting from 1 July 2022 onwards. These include sailings to the Bintan and Batam islands in Indonesia, as well as to Kuala Lumpur and Malacca (via Port Dickson) and Penang in Malaysia. The launch of destination cruises is timely as the Genting Dream undergoes final preparations for her inaugural cruise from her homeport in Singapore on 15 June 2022.

“Resorts World Cruises will be the first cruise line from Singapore to resume cruising to Indonesia with the 2-Night Bintan and Batam Weekend Getaway Cruise starting 1 July 2022. On 3 July 2022, we will also sail from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and Malacca (via Port Dickson) and Penang in Malaysia. We will continue to include more popular destinations to Phuket and Krabi in Thailand and North Bali in Indonesia from October 2022 onwards to provide our vacationers with more destination options”, said Michael Goh, President of Resorts World Cruises. “We would also like to thank the Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand governments for their ongoing support in launching destination cruises with Resorts World Cruises," he added.

“We are delighted that Resorts World Cruises has added destinations to their cruises as more ports in the region reopen. This strengthens Singapore’s cruise offerings, giving even more options for domestic and international cruisers. STB will continue to work closely with our regional counterparts to reopen more ports and reinvigorate the cruise industry in Southeast Asia,” said Annie Chang, Director, Cruise, Singapore Tourism Board.

“We are looking forward to welcoming Resorts World Cruises and the Genting Dream to the Bintan and Batam islands in Indonesia early July this year. With Resorts World Cruises taking-on a pioneering role to restart destination cruises in Indonesia, we are confident that together, we will rejuvenate the regional cruise tourism industry”, said His Excellency Dr. Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia.

With the comfort and convenience of the Genting Dream, a “Resort Cruising on High Seas” from Singapore, guests can look forward to the first destination cruise on 1 July 2022 with the 2-night Bintan and Batam Islands Weekend Getaway Cruise departing on Fridays. Discover wonderful Indonesia and explore these two well-known destinations in the Riau Islands for its jungle-fringed beaches, wildlife-rich mangroves, adrenalin pumping water-sports, spas, local seafood delights and so much more.

Beyond Indonesia, visit multiple destinations in Malaysia from Singapore with the 3-night Kuala Lumpur and Malacca (via Port Dickson)-Penang Cruise departing on Sundays from 3 July 2022 onwards and subsequently the 2-Night Kuala Lumpur and Malacca (via Port Dickson) Cruise departing on Wednesdays. At Port Dickson, guests can explore the town’s hidden gems, including its famous beaches buzzing with fun-filled activities, local tourist spots and more. Alternatively, from Port Dickson, guests can join the shore excursions to the historic state and UNESCO city of Malacca, famous for its unique Baba and Nyonya heritage and delicious delicacies; or visit the vibrant and colourful city of Kuala Lumpur for the ultimate shopping spree at iconic landmarks with more great food. Sailing up north, enjoy Penang and all its glory, a top culinary destination and another UNESCO World Heritage Site that features Malaysia’s best restored traditional architecture, trade and arts.

MSC Cruises' entire fleet back in operation

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 07 June 2022 07 June 2022

MSC Cruises’ entire fleet of 19 ships is now back at sea following MSC Musica’s return to service Sunday. The ship set sail for the start of the summer 2022 season on the first of her 23 planned 7-night voyages to Katakolon in Greece, the traditional birthplace of the Olympic Games, along with the Greek islands Crete and Santorini, and Bari in Italy.

Rubén A. Rodríguez, President, MSC Cruises USA said: “Putting the last of our ships back into service is a milestone for all of our hard-working crew members onboard, and it’s a milestone for our guests looking for new ways to discover fantastic destinations around the world. We were the first major line to return to international cruising in the summer of 2020. Our industry-leading health and safety protocols laid the groundwork for us to return to full strength and give our travel agent partners and their customers what they want – relaxing, enjoyable and, most importantly, safe cruise vacations.”

After the global cruise industry’s voluntary shutdown in March 2020 as a result of the pandemic ashore, MSC Grandiosa became the first ship from any major cruise line to return to sea in August 2020 under MSC Cruises’ pioneering health and safety protocol designed for the wellbeing of the line’s guests and crew.

MSC Cruises remained committed to its ambitious expansion program throughout the pandemic. The cruise line introduced two new vessels to its fleet in 2021 – MSC Virtuosa and MSC Seashore.

The brand will welcome two more ships at the end of 2022 – MSC Seascape and MSC World Europa, the latter of which will be its first liquefied natural gas-powered vessel. Sales for both ships are already open.

Carnival Corporation & plc sees all ships back in service by early 2023

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 06 June 2022 06 June 2022

Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise shipping group, expects all its ships to be back in service by early next year, Travel Weekly in the UK reported.

 “The assets are mobile so we do move ships around and even though some destinations may continue to be closed for a period of time, some of those ships may have different itineraries than they would have before. So sometime this year, early next year, we expect to have all the fleet sailing,” President Arnold Donald was quoted by Travel Weekly as saying.

 On 22 March, when the company published the results of the first quarter of its financial year Donald said: "Since resuming guest cruise operations, we delivered more than 2.2 million exceptional vacations while achieving historically high guest satisfaction scores. With 75% of our capacity having resumed guest cruise operations, we are well on our way back to full cruise operations and we are planning to return the balance of the fleet by our summer seasons. “