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MSC Cruises to return additional ships in service across Europe

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 16 April 2021 16 April 2021

MSC Cruises has announced new and updated itineraries in the Mediterranean and across Europe for this coming summer, offering guests plenty of options for the upcoming holiday season. The ships offering these now fully confirmed itineraries will operate under the same industry-leading health and safety protocol that has been safely protecting over 60,000 MSC Cruises guests sailing on the line’s ships in the Mediterranean since August 2020.

Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises, said, “Today we have clarity on which European destinations and ports will initially be open this summer and we have fully reflected this into a first set of new and updated itineraries for the upcoming season so that guests can book their holidays with us with confidence. The entire MSC Cruises team and I look forward to welcoming both returning and new guests on board one of our ships that will be at sea this summer and to provide them with a memorable, relaxing and, above all, safe holiday.

“Plus, I am confident that in the coming weeks we will be able to further enrich some of these itineraries as well as add more ships with new ones, as more ports and tourist destinations, in particular in Spain and France, become available to receive ships and visitors.”

The following is a complete list of MSC Cruises confirmed itineraries now available for booking for this summer.

Three ships in the West Mediterranean, calling Italy and Malta

MSC Grandiosa will initially extend her current 7-night itinerary, calling at the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia for Rome, Naples, Palermo as well as Valletta, Malta. The Spanish ports of Valencia and Barcelona will be added to the ship’s current itinerary as soon as these destinations confirm their availability.

MSC Seaside will commence sailing on May 1 from Genoa calling at the newly introduced ports of Siracusa in Sicily and Taranto in Puglia, as well as Civitavecchia for Rome and Valetta in Malta. The ship’s itinerary will then be enriched with calls to the French port of Marseille as soon as its availability is confirmed.

In addition to the range of protected excursions developed for MSC Seaside’s itinerary, MSC Cruises will introduce a special private beach experience in Taranto, exclusively for the ship’s guests. Guests will be able to relax in true summer fashion on the sandy beach next to the clear waters of the Ionian Sea.

MSC Seashore will join the MSC Cruises fleet at the end of July to become its new flagship, and from August 1 until October 31, offer 7-night cruises calling the Italian ports of Genoa, Naples and Messina, as well as Valletta in Malta, Barcelona in Spain and Marseille in France. After her season in the Mediterranean, MSC Seashore will then arrive to Miami in November 2021 to begin sailing The Bahamas and Caribbean, including stops at MSC Cruises’ private Bahamian destination, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

Three ships in the East Mediterranean, calling Italy, Greece, Croatia and Montenegro

MSC Cruises will deploy three ships in this popular region for the upcoming summer season offering a range of itineraries in the East Mediterranean, calling at some of the most beautiful Greek Islands, Kotor in Montenegro as well as the vibrant ports of Dubrovnik and Split in Croatia. Ports of embarkation include Trieste, Venice and Bari in Italy as well as Piraeus for Athens in Greece.

MSC Orchestra will now depart on June 5 with embarkation in the Italian ports of Venice on Saturdays, Bari on Sundays, calling at the Greek Islands of Corfu, Mykonos as well as Dubrovnik in Croatia.

MSC Splendida will commence sailing from June 12 with embarkation in Trieste, Italy on Saturdays and in Bari on Tuesdays, calling at Dubrovnik in Croatia, Corfu in Greece and Kotor in Montenegro.

Rounding out the offering in the East Mediterranean is MSC Magnifica from June 20 offering embarkation in the Italian ports of Venice on Sundays, Bari on Mondays and Piraeus for Athens on Wednesdays and calling at the Greek Island of Mykonos and Split, Croatia.

Cruises across Northern Europe

UK domestic Cruises

From May 20, the line’s flagship MSC Virtuosa will perform her inaugural season in the UK and offer mini cruises from Southampton calling at Portland in Dorset on the Jurassic coast. From June 12, she will operate 7-night cruises from Southampton with embarkation in Liverpool, Greenock for Glasgow and also calling at Portland and Belfast in Northern Ireland. These cruises are designed for British residents only. The sailings are open to vaccinated and non-vaccinated guests and all guests will be tested prior to embarkation.

Germany, Northern Europe

In Germany, considering the current uncertainty regarding the timing for the reopening of local ports, MSC Cruises ships must delay the start of their summer season out of the country’s ports until June 15.

At the same time, MSC Cruises has announced that MSC Seaview will homeport in Kiel, Germany starting on June 19, replacing MSC Virtuosa.

Additionally, MSC Preziosa is planned to depart on June 21 from Hamburg, Germany and MSC Musica on June 20 from Warnemunde, Germany, if the German ports are open.

The three ships are planned to serve 7-night and longer sailings with itineraries either to the Norwegian fjords or the Baltic capitals, as per their current schedule.

Onorato added, “We are extremely proud to be in a position to offer our guests and travel agent partners for the coming summer a growing choice of cruise holidays to a range of different destinations across the Mediterranean and Europe. We will be featuring some of our most innovative and more modern vessels in our fleet. And to make it even easier and safer for our guests to reach our ships from closer to their homes, all our itineraries will feature additional ports of embarkation. In the Mediterranean alone, MSC Cruises will offer its guests up to 15 ports of embarkation.

“Albeit these ships represent only an initial portion of our fleet, they include our two latest jewels, MSC Virtuosa and MSC Seashore, both of which will have come into service for the first time in 2021. Their presence in this next phase of the return at sea of our fleet in the coming weeks represent our belief in the continued attractiveness for consumer of cruises as a holiday option. This is why we have confirmed our plans of new builds for the coming years and are looking forward to a gradual return at se of our full fleet in the coming months into the winter season.

Onorato concluded, “Guests who have vouchers for our cruises that were cancelled as a result of the pandemic ashore have waited patiently for a level of certainty about which ships will sail and where. I am pleased to say that they can now look forward with confidence to an incredible holiday at sea on an MSC Cruises ship either this summer or over the upcoming winter season.”

Other summer 2021 affected programs

MSC Cruises also confirmed the cancellation of its Caribbean sailings from ports in the USA up to and including June 30, 2021. Guests who are impacted by any of the changes will be contacted by their travel advisor or MSC Cruises.

Norwegian Cruise Line details its deployment from Montego Bay, Piraeus and Punta Cana

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 06 April 2021 06 April 2021

Norwegian Cruise Line today announced its return to service, with new itineraries sailing Europe and The Caribbean beginning July 25, 2021.

The Cruise Line will restart operations at a reduced capacity with Norwegian Jade, Joy and Gem as the first of its 17-ship fleet to welcome guests back on board. Travelers long-awaiting a return to cruise will have the opportunity to spend the summer exploring ancient ruins and sunny beaches with all new seven-day cruises to the Greek Isles on Norwegian Jade from Athens (Piraeus) beginning July 25, 2021. They can also island hop with week-long Caribbean itineraries available from Montego Bay, Jamaica as of Aug. 7, 2021 on Norwegian Joy or from Punta Cana (La Romana), Dominican Republic on Norwegian Gem beginning Aug. 15, 2021.

"Over a year after we initially suspended sailings, the time has finally come when we can provide our loyal guests with the news of our great cruise comeback," said Norwegian Cruise Line's President and Chief Executive Officer Harry Sommer. "We have been working diligently towards our resumption of operations, focusing on the guest experience with health and safety at the forefront. The growing availability of the COVID-19 vaccine has been a game changer. The vaccine, combined with our science-backed health and safety protocols, will help us provide our guests with what we believe will be the healthiest and safest vacation at sea."

Sommer continued, "All guests sailing aboard cruises with embarkation dates through Oct. 31, 2021 will be required to be fully vaccinated and tested prior to boarding our ships. Given the ever-evolving nature of the pandemic, the accelerating rollout of the vaccine, and the speed of scientific learnings, it is premature to make decisions about our health and safety protocols for cruises with embarkation dates beginning Nov. 1, 2021. We will continue to evaluate our health and safety protocols and rely on science and our expert council as we make decisions and evolve our policies and procedures."

While the Cruise Line already had robust health and safety protocols in place, it has spent the past year further developing and refining those protocols, using the latest scientific findings and expert advice. Yesterday, its parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings launched its SailSAFE Health and Safety program, which is founded on three pillars: 1) Safety for guests and crew with vaccination requirements, universal COVID-19 testing and enhanced health screening protocols; 2) Safety aboard with medical-grade air filtration, increased sanitation measures and enhanced medical resources; and 3) Safety ashore through the collaboration with land-based tour operator partners to extend health and safety measures to each destination. As protocols evolve and additional information becomes available, updates will be published at www.ncl.com/sail-safe.

Today, the Company also announced its SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council ("the Council") comprised of six experts at the forefront of their fields. Led by Chairman Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") and Co-Chair of the Healthy Sail Panel, which was formed to guide the cruise industry’s safe resumption of operations, the Council’s work will complement the Healthy Sail Panel initiative and will focus on the implementation, compliance with and continuous improvement of health and safety protocols across the Company’s operations. Additional information is available here.

Guests have the opportunity to follow along as the Company makes its final preparations to welcome guests on board with its new docuseries, EMBARK – The Series, premiering April 15 at 8 p.m. at www.ncl.com/embark and Facebook.

The Cruise Line has been working closely with destination partners and others to help provide not only a safe vacation but an exceptional experience for guests.

Sommer said, "Resuming operations is a comprehensive endeavor, involving many parties around the globe. We are very proud of our collaborations and look forward to deeper partnerships as we forge into the future."

In welcoming the announcement Jamaica's Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett said, "I am very pleased that Norwegian Cruise Line has selected Jamaica as one of the first destinations in the world that it will visit when it resumes service. We look forward to welcoming the Cruise Line back to our shores, and I am confident that this important partnership will aid in our effort to rebuild our tourism sector and boost our economy overall. Jamaica is ready for the return of cruise tourism and we have robust protocols in place to ensure a safe, seamless and secure experience."

These new Caribbean itineraries provide guests with ten to 11 hours of port time with each sailing featuring only two days at sea and four distinct ports of call. In addition, guests embarking on voyages from Montego Bay, Jamaica on Norwegian Joy will enjoy a visit to Harvest Caye, the Company’s private resort destination in Belize.

In response to the Cruise Line’s announcement that it would sail to Punta Cana for the first time in its history, President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic expressed his appreciation by saying, "From the very first day, we’ve been committed to taking all of the necessary actions to support the recovery of our tourism sector. The Cruise Line’s presence this summer reaffirms our commitment to providing a safe destination for travelers. We thank NCL for putting its trust in our country."

Guests sailing aboard Norwegian Jade’s Greek Isles itinerary this summer and beginning of fall will wake up in a new destination every day with eight to nine hours of port time to explore.

The Greek Minister of Tourism Harry Theoharis said, "We warmly welcome the announcement of Norwegian Cruise Line restarting its cruises from Greece. The diversity and rich color of all our destinations together with our long history, unique culture, and famous gastronomy will ensure a remarkable experience for all guests. In 2020, we safely opened tourism and we are working to continue to do the same this year, so travelers go home with memories that they are proud to share and that last a lifetime."

In conjunction with its return to service announcement, the Cruise Line today canceled all July and August itineraries aboard Norwegian Breakaway, Dawn, Escape, Getaway, Sky, Spirit, Star and Sun. In addition, voyages aboard Norwegian Epic through Sept. 1, 2021; and Norwegian Pearl through Nov. 7, 2021 have also been canceled. Guests and Travel Partners with impacted reservations will be contacted directly.

The Cruise Line also extended its temporary Peace of Mind cancelation policy to guests sailing on cruises booked by April 30, 2021 with embarkation dates through Oct. 31, 2021. These guests have the flexibility to cancel their cruise 15 days prior to departure. Those who take advantage of the Peace of Mind policy will receive a full refund in the form of a future cruise credit which may be applied to any sailing through Dec. 31, 2022. In addition, final payment for all voyages with embarkations through Oct. 31, 2021, will require payment 60 days prior to embarkation versus the standard 120 days.

Meyer Werft delivers Odyssey of the Seas

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 01 April 2021 01 April 2021

Meyer Werft delivered the Odyssey of the Seas to the Royal Caribbean Group on March 31. The Quantum Ultra class cruise ship marks the completion of a series of five ships whose construction Meyer Werft started in January 2013 with the launch of the Quantum of the Seas.

"Royal Caribbean Group commissioned us in 2011 to build the first two units of the Quantum class, which have been very popular with passengers since day one. We have continuously improved and developed these ships, so that we have now built a total of five ships and delivered them since 2014," says Stephan Schmees, Member of the Executive Board Project Management Ships.

This makes the Quantum class one of the largest ship series Meyer Werft has built to date. The construction of the five sister ships comprises a total of 840,000 gross tons with, among other things, 11,000 kilometres of cable lines, 2,000 kilometres of piping from Meyer Werft's pipe centre and 10,500 passenger cabins from EMS PreCab.

Third successful ship delivery during the pandemic

"We have now successfully delivered the third cruise ship from Papenburg to our customers during the pandemic. This is an important sign of the strength of our shipyard and for the industry as a whole. However, given our stretched order book with the reduced workload, we still have major challenges ahead. If we can achieve a good future package for the years up to 2025, we have every opportunity to secure the company and many jobs in Papenburg with the existing orders," says Jan Meyer, Managing Director of Meyer Werft.

With the Quantum class, the engineers have once again brought a host of innovations to sea. Like its sister ships Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas, Meyer Werft's latest newbuilding features the glass, 90-metre-high observation gondola North Star, the surf simulator FlowRider as well as the skydiving simulator RipCord by iFly and the Sky Pad, a virtual reality, bungee trampoline experience located on the aft of the ship.

Odyssey of the Seas is measured at 169,000 gross tons, 347.1 metres long, 41.4 metres wide and accommodates 4,210 passengers.

As a further development of the Quantum class, the Odyssey of the Seas, like her four sister ships, has state-of-the-art exhaust gas purification systems such as so-called hybrid scrubbers and SCR catalytic converters. Very energy-efficient technical systems, optimised hydrodynamics, intelligent heat recovery and numerous other facilities lead to considerable energy savings. A diesel-electric pod drive, extensive alarm and security systems, interactive communication systems as well as state-of-the-art stage technology guarantee safety and entertainment according to the highest technical standards.

After delivery to the shipping company, the Odyssey of the Seas will leave Bremerhaven. On 2 June, the ship departs from Haifa (Israel) for cruises in the Mediterranean Sea.

NYK Cruises orders newbuilding from Meyer Werft

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 31 March 2021 31 March 2021

The Japanese cruise shipping company NYK Cruises and Meyer Werft have signed a contract for the construction of a new cruise ship. Noteworthy Meyer Werft is the first shipyard in the world to have succeeded in doing so, as no shipping company has placed a newbuilding order for a cruise ship since the beginning of the pandemic. The NYK Group is now placing its first order in Papenburg.

This is an important signal for Meyer Werft's Papenburg site with the world's largest covered building dock, even if the newbuilding is relatively small at 229 metres in length (51,950 GT).

"It is another very important step towards securing the Papenburg site. New orders are absolutely necessary for our current programme for the future with enormously important savings and very many different measures," says Jan Meyer, Managing Director of Meyer Werft. "We have been able to win our new customer from Japan as a new customer in this extremely difficult global market situation and worldwide competition with the best ship concept, innovations, quality and a very challenging price for us. My thanks go to the entire staff and especially to the Sales & Design department, which has done a great job in this tense phase. This is the first order in the shipyard's 226-year history where all contract documents and plans were prepared and negotiated via video conferencing. The effort has paid off."

Imke Knoop, Head of Sales & Design: "The pandemic allows shipping companies all over the world to freely choose shipyard locations.. The challenge is to survive with our combination of design, quality, innovation and, of course, under ever-increasing price pressure in the face of worldwide, sometimes heavily subsidised, competition. The order has come just in time; so far only one new building has been in our halls for 2025."

"Of course we are delighted about the newbuilding order, but at the same time we have to push ahead with our future programme, continue to convert and optimise the shipyard so that we can also deliver the ship with economic success," explains Thomas Weigend, Managing Director of Meyer Werft. Thanks to this order, we now also have a second ship in the works in 2025, namely a small and a large ship. But it remains the case that we still have a lot of work missing for the year 2025. Our production in Papenburg is designed for an annual construction volume of 420,000 GT, but the two ships in 2025 have a total volume of only 182,000 GT."

"The current newbuilding order is not a turnaround from our difficult situation. In Papenburg we are designed for the series production of very large cruise ships," adds Jan Meyer. "Now we are building the prototype of a small ship without the option of sister ships. Therefore, it is to be classified as another step among many necessary measures. At the same time, it is also a positive signal: it is a completely new customer for Meyer Werft, we have asserted ourselves on a global market against global competition."

Technical data New building for NYK Group
Length: 228.86 metres
Width: 29.80 metres
Tonnage: 51,950 GT
Passenger cabins: 385 cabins
Capacity: 744 passengers
Crew: 470 Crew
Fuel: LNG propulsion

Costa Cruises makes changes in its top management

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 26 March 2021 26 March 2021

Costa Cruises announced on March 24 important changes in its organization, in order to prepare for the resumption of its cruises and its long-term growth.

Mario Zanetti (photo below) has been promoted to President of Costa Cruises, taking a role that had been temporarily filled by Michael Thamm, Group CEO, Costa Group & Carnival Asia. In his new position, Mario Zanetti will oversee Costa as a unique brand across the world, including Asia, with the aim of guiding Costa to strengthen its leadership in Europe, South America and Asia, and ensure profitable and sustainable growth in the long term.

At the same time, Roberto Alberti has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer of Costa Cruises, a position previously held by Mario Zanetti. Roberto Alberti will hold the responsibility of the overall commercial operations, including Sales, Revenue Management and Marketing worldwide, reporting to Mario Zanetti.

Both Mario Zanetti and Roberto Alberti will be based in Costa Cruises headquarters in Genoa.

“The pause in our ship operations has been an opportunity to work on enhancing the Costa organization to make our company stronger, ready for the restart with renewed energy, a clear commercial strategy and a greater customer-centric approach," said Michael Thamm, Group CEO, Costa Group and Carnival Asia. “We look to the future with optimism. With this new organization we have the right people and skills to succeed in developing innovative strategies to attract and retain our customers through every channel and every source market”.

Mario Zanetti has a long-standing experience in Costa, starting in 1999 in the Revenue Management unit, which he brought to excellence over the years. In 2017 he was named President of Costa Asia, where he demonstrated great leadership capabilities, turning Costa business around. Since July 2020 he has been back in Genoa, as Chief Commercial Officer of Costa Cruises Europe, showing sharp decision-making skills and vision, during these challenging months.

With a career in Costa Cruises spanning over 15 years, Roberto Alberti worked his way up through various positions of increasing responsibility in Italy and abroad. In 2016 he joined the CEO Office reporting to Michael Thamm, Group CEO Costa Group & Carnival Asia. After the position of VP Strategic Development, in 2019 he was appointed SVP & Chief Strategy Officer of the Costa Group contributing to the definition of a sustainable development plan, the global source market strategy and brand positioning.