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MSC Cruises returns to service next week

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 08 August 2020 08 August 2020

MSC Cruises has announced that flagship MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica will resume operations in the Mediterranean starting from August 16 and 29, 2020 respectively, offering guests full-experience cruise vacations with the opportunity to discover five different destinations during a 7-night cruise. The two ships will be the first to implement a new comprehensive health and safety protocol that has been approved by the relevant national authorities from the countries that the ships will call along their East and West Mediterranean itineraries this summer.

Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman commented, “During the pause in our operations we focused on developing a comprehensive operating protocol that builds upon already stringent health and safety measures that have long been in place on board our ships. We have worked closely with the relevant EU-level, national health and other authorities from the countries that MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica will call along their Mediterranean itineraries to develop a comprehensive set of procedures designed to protect the health and safety of all passengers on board our ships as well as ashore to ensure that local communities feel comfortable welcoming our guests.”

Pierfrancesco Vago continued, “The new procedures include universal COVID-19 testing for all guests and crew prior to embarkation, protected ashore visits at each destination only with an MSC Cruises’ excursion as an added level of protection for our guests and the introduction of a COVID Protection Plan for further peace of mind for our guests. With all of these measures in place, we aim to offer our guests the safest possible vacation.”

MSC Grandiosa, the Company’s flagship, will offer seven-night cruises in the Western Mediterranean calling at the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, Palermo and Valetta. MSC Magnifica will offer 7-night cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean departing from the Italian ports of Bari and Trieste and calling at the Greek ports of Corfu, Katakolon and Piraeus.

Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises’ CEO commented, “We are very pleased to be able to start welcoming back guests for full-experience cruise vacations this summer on board two of our most popular ships — including our flagship MSC Grandiosa — and in the Mediterranean, the very region where our Company’s roots are and we have long been market leaders.”

MSC Cruises’ new operating protocol has been designed to protect the health and safety of guests and crew as well as the local communities that the Company’s ships visit. For this reason, it meets and goes beyond guidelines provided by key international and regional regulatory and technical bodies, as well as regulations set forth by the governments in the countries in which MSC Cruises’ ships operate. Additionally, RINA, the independent maritime certification corporation, has verified that the protocol meets the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) Guidance, which incorporates additional health standards including those from the EU Healthy Gateways Joint Action. MSC Cruises has worked to encompass every aspect of the guest’s journey from the moment of booking, embarkation and life on board through to disembarkation and the return home, while preserving the uniqueness of the guest experience.

For this initial phase of the restart of operations, the two MSC Cruises’ ships operating in the Mediterranean for the current summer season will initially only welcome guests who are residents in Schengen countries[. Additionally, their itineraries have been designed according to the accessibility of the ports, reducing — where possible — the need for guests to use public transport or flights, and have been planned in conjunction with the authorities.

MSC Cruises has today cancelled all other cruises in the Mediterranean from August 16 through to and including October 31, 2020. In addition, MSC Cruises announced the cancellation of all U.S. cruise departures through to and including October 31, 2020, in line with the announcement that CLIA members will voluntarily extend the suspension of cruise operations to this date. CLIA stated that “This proactive action further demonstrates the cruise industry’s commitment to public health and willingness to voluntarily suspend operations in the interest of public health and safety, as has occurred twice prior.” MSC Cruises will only restart operations in the U.S. when the time is right, following approval by the CDC and other relevant authorities across the region in observance of their requirements and guidelines.

Finally, MSC Cruises also cancelled the Far East cruises from September 10 through to and including October 26.

Guests booked through MSC Cruises USA or affiliated US-based travel advisors on Mediterranean sailings between August 16 and October 31, Caribbean sailings between October 1 and October 31 and impacted Far East cruises through October 26, will receive a 125% Future Cruise Credit of the original cruise fare to be used on a sailing on or before December 31, 2021. Guests who prefer to receive a refund instead of a Future Cruise Credit can visit MSCCruises.com for more information on how to complete their request with an easy to use online form.

Beyond the summer itineraries announced today, MSC Cruises is following the evolution of the pandemic and a gradual introduction of other ships coming into service is possible during this same summer period.

Regarding MSC Cruises’ itineraries beyond the current summer season, Gianni Onorato concluded: “We will closely monitor updates and new guidelines at a global, European and national level and will continuously review and update our health and safety protocol to make sure that its measures reflect the most updated medical know-how and technology as it becomes available as well as reflect in it the different phases in the evolution and spread of the virus and as social restrictions change over time. To this end, with time, and in line with the development of the health situation ashore, we are hoping to be able to relax certain measures while continuing to ensure that the health and safety of everyone on board our ships remains our utmost priority. At the same time, we will always make sure that our guests can enjoy and relax while on vacation on board one of MSC Cruises ships, the way they always have – now including this summer.”

Silver Spirit to return service, but not where you would expect

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 07 August 2020 07 August 2020

Silversea Cruises announces, via its website, preliminary dates for the resumption of its cruises. The first scheduled cruise would be on the Silver Muse from Hong Kong to Sydney on October 10, 2020.

But Silversea will resume cruises even before this sailing. Silver Spirit will depart from Marseille, where it has been laid up, for a short season of Red Sea in conjunction with Saudi Arabian travel company Gozahid, which is now selling and marketing 3- and 4-night short cruises in the Red Sea. The first 3-night cruise is scheduled to take place on August 27 followed by first 4-night cruise on August 30. The last departure would be on October 22.

Three-night sailings will depart from the King Abdullah Port and call in Yanbu, while the 4-night sailing will call also at Neom.

39,519 gross ton Silver Spirit was built in 2009, but stretched and refurbished extensively two years ago. The ship has capacity for 608 guests.

The news first broke on the Silversea Passengers Facebook page.

Cruise travel update: There's good news out there

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 07 August 2020 07 August 2020

While headlines are being made about three cruise lines that have recently started sailing and are already grappling with Covid-19 outbreaks onboard, making less of a wave are lines that are sailing with no issues whatsoever. 

Rudi Schreiner, co-founder and president of AmaWaterways, reports  that one vessel, AmaKristina, has been operating successfully on the Rhine River since early July. In partnership with German tour operator E-hoi. The cruises, which travel between Cologne and Strasbourg, are primarily marketed to German-speaking passengers. 

AmaWaterways has, with guidance from the European Union, instituted new protocols. Capacity is reduced from 150 to 100 passengers. Crew wear masks whenever in public areas (including cleaning passenger staterooms) and guests are required to wear masks whenever passing through public areas. And, as we reported a few weeks ago, a dynamic approach with plexiglass

AmaWaterways is the first U.S.-based cruise line to operate in Europe but it's by no means the only one, Schreiner tells Cruise Business. "What we see right now is up until last week about 45 ships already operating on the Rhine, Danube, and Moselle, also in Bordeaux and the Douro. This week alone there are 15 more ships entering the European market, so now there are close to 60 ships. 

Among other operators include A'Rosa, CroisiEurope, and Scylla among others, on rivers that include the Danube, Rhine, Bordeaux and the Douro. And a successful resumption of service isn't limited to river operators; Hapag-Lloyd, Ponant, Dream Cruises, and Tui Cruises, are sailing. 

Over the weekend, a fairly significant setback occurred when it was reported that Hurtigruten, which began cruises in July, had an outbreak of Covid-19 and returned to Tromso, where some passengers and all crew are being quarantined. SeaDream Yacht Club, also operating in Norway, had a Covid outbreak as well. And UnCruise Adventures, the first U.S.-flagged, small ship line to offer Alaska itineraries this year, literally had just started its first all-Alaska cruise Saturday when a passenger tested positive with Covid-19. Its season has since been cancelled. Travelers are quarantining in Juneau.

In the meantime, the European Union continues to measure, every two weeks, the progress of Covid-19 across the globe to determine which countries can open travel to Europe. In the U.S., it was announced today that CLIA-affiliated cruise lines have now extended their no-sail date through October. Canada, while not reporting significant numbers, is still on hold for resumption of cruising.

Cruise credits accounted for two thirds of NCLH advance ticket sales early August

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 07 August 2020 07 August 2020

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH), the world’s third largest cruise shipping group, said that cruise credits accounted for two thirds of its advance ticket sales as per early august.

All three brands have instituted programmes for guests on cancelled sailings as a result of the company’s voyage suspension which include offering value-add future cruise credits typically for 125% of the cruise fare paid in lieu of providing cash refunds, the company said in a statement.

These are valid for any sailing through 31 December 2022 and as of 3 August approximately 60% of the guests who have had their voyages cancelled have requested cash refunds.

At the end of June, NCLH had $1.2 billion of advanced ticket sales, including the long-term portion, which includes approximately $0.8 billion of future cruise credits. “The Company continues to take future bookings and receive new customer deposits and final payments on these bookings,” NCLH said.

“To provide additional flexibility to its guests, the Company has also introduced a new final payment schedule for all 2020 voyages which requires final payment 60 days prior to embarkation versus the standard 120 days,” it concluded.