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UnCruise Adventures begins operations in Alaska tomorrow

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 31 July 2020 31 July 2020

Following an unprecedented cessation to travel, leading small boat operator, UnCruise Adventures will be the only small boat setting sail in Southeast Alaska this summer. The company’s CEO Dan Blanchard will welcome aboard excited guests and ensure the brand’s signature components of safety and experiential travel are in place for the August 1st departure out of Juneau.

The company credits its travel relaunch to pivoting quickly as a small business along with establishing crucial conversations with government officials and leading the Small Boat Operators Coalition. The groundwork that has been set for months with their dedicated team has stepped-up streamlined safety training and protocols for the Wilderness Adventurer to depart tomorrow. The U.S. small business is committed to the evolution of travel and continues to decipher and define small boat trends.

“Travelers want to have a positive impact upon communities and the environment now more than ever,” states Captain Dan Blanchard, UnCruise Adventures CEO. “We left the term of tourists behind long ago. Tourism isn’t about a one-way channel. A balance is needed and that is what Untourism is. Our guests are adventurers not tourists.” he continues. “Coming up on our 25th year we are mindful of where we go from here, and our roots are in a people-to-nature connection. That is the future of travel.”

The UnCruise Adventures brand is upending trends as local travel slowly reopens. When talking about restarting travel Blanchard says “Protection and stimulus for small businesses and those in travel should be a significant priority. This is a meaningful and challenging time. One that requires us to be diversified, humble, and nimble in our choices.”

UnCruise Adventures first departure sets sail from Juneau, August 1st with 37 passengers and 30 crew. They’ve included additional physical distancing, added daily activity rosters, thorough testing, and extensive health and safety protocols. The Alaskan season has five 7-night Glacier Bay Adventure departures scheduled with a strong occupancy. They are providing an industry-leading self-imposed 66% occupancy cap for the Alaskan itineraries. The UnCruise Adventures team continues to work with officials to help effective testing become more widely available and prioritize measures to support guests and crew.

Dream Cruises celebrates re-start of cruise service with return to Taiwan

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 27 July 2020 27 July 2020

Dream Cruises celebrated the re-start of its cruise service and return to Taiwan during a special inaugural ceremony to commemorate Explorer Dream’s new “Island Hopping” itineraries created specially for the Taiwan market. Dream Cruises will offer new cruises calling into the popular ports and islands of Peng Hu, Matsu Island and Kinmen as well as Hualien, where Taiwanese guests will again be able to enjoy refreshing short getaways on carefree ocean voyages.

The landmark event was attended by a number of important guests from Taiwan including the Minister of Transportation and Communications, Lin Chia-lung; the Minister of Health & Welfare, Chen Shih-chung; the Mayor, Keelung Government, Lin Yu-chang; the Director General of Maritime and Port Bureau, MOTC, Kuo Tien Kuei; the Deputy Director General of Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, Chuang Jen-Hsiang; business partners, the media and representatives of Genting Cruise Lines.

“It is a great honour for Genting Cruise Lines to continue its long and fruitful partnership with Taiwan which began over 20 years ago, as we begin on the road to recovery together due to the COVID-19 pandemic and which will bring hope to the global cruise industry as well,” said Kent Zhu, President of Genting Cruise Lines.

“We could not have done this alone and I would like to acknowledge the great encouragement we have received from all the various Taiwanese authorities – namely the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, which demonstrated their immense support of the travel industry; the Ministry of Health & Welfare, for their trust and confidence in us; the Ministry of the Interior for their continuous assistance; and the warm hospitality and advocacy from the City of Keelung – and our travel partners and all of our media friends who have been instrumental in making this day happen,” Zhu continued.

With the backing of local authorities and through their vision to reinvigorate the local economy and the tourism industry, Dream Cruises’ innovative island-hopping cruises on board Explorer Dream will highlight the physical and geographic beauty of Taiwan, allowing travellers to enjoy a long awaited holiday at sea to scenic destinations along the coastline and outlying islands with total peace of mind. These cruises will also showcase the very best that Taiwan has to offer in terms of its culinary heritage as well as its entertaining cultural heritage.

For a taste of Taiwan, collaborations have been forged with the Council of Agriculture to provide local produce on board Explorer Dream and a new order-to-home service for their “2020 Top 100 Premium Agricultural Products” on the ship. Additionally, guests can sample local brands including Sharetea, Taihu Beer, Tien Hsia San Chueh Noodle Cuisine, Formosa Chang, SunnyHills and Mark’s Teppanyaki from Marriott Taipei for everything from bubble tea to local craft beer and popular Taiwanese cuisine.

To offer a truly authentic experience that is close to home, local travel experts have been recruited as Dream Ambassadors, who will offer assistance and guidance to on-board guests in their native languages.

Guests will also see the debut of the new Flexi-Feast dining concept which allows unprecedented flexibility for a completely customized dining experience at sea by allowing passengers the freedom to choose from a wider choice of venues and to dine at their leisure. As well, Flexi-Feast will provide additional peace of mind for guests by helping to ease bottlenecks at certain venues for a more spacious and more comfortable environment on board and provide better social distancing by seating guests across all restaurants instead of concentrating on a few inclusive outlets.

In preparation for welcoming its first passengers on board, over the past months, Genting Cruise Lines has completely re-examined and enhanced all of its health, hygiene and operating protocols to ensure the safest environment for everyone on board including thorough sanitization and disinfection and enhanced hygiene practices for guest cabins and crew member quarters, public areas and recreational facilities; social distancing in dining, entertainment and public areas; safe food and beverage handling procedures; and, 100% fresh air ventilation in staterooms and public areas.

Prior to Explorer Dream’s arrival in Taiwan, Genting Cruise Lines had also worked with DNV GL, the largest classification society in the world, to adapt their health care “Certification in Infection Prevention (CIP) for the Marine industry (CIP-M) and Explorer Dream is the first cruise ship in the world to receive the CIP-M certification, a further testament to the effectiveness of the enhanced preventive measures developed by Genting Cruise Lines.

In accordance with Taiwan’s regulations prior to resuming sailing, Explorer Dream observed strict quarantine procedures with the crew has completing a total of 21 days of isolation and passing all COVID-19 testing. In preparation for her inaugural sailing, the ship also underwent a thorough deep cleaning in accordance with EU standard. To ensure the seamless execution of preventive measures both on board and on shore, the crew participated in an outbreak simulation drill under the guidance of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and with consultation by medical experts from the Taiwan Public Health Association.

“The restarting of the cruise industry is a remarkable achievement which was made possible by the Taiwan authorities’ swift and effective handling of the COVID-19 crisis and their foresight in resuming the tourism industry to benefit all the ports, the economy and the lifestyle of the people of Taiwan,” added Zhu. “Looking forward, we believe the development of cruise bubbles between Taiwan and neighbouring regions that also have their pandemic situation under control, such as the outlying islands of Japan, can further initiate the next phase in the re-establishment of international tourism and spur the economic recovery for a post COVID-19 world.”

Royal Caribbean Group reinvents cruise industry’s safety drill

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 24 July 2020 24 July 2020

Royal Caribbean Group is replacing one of the least-loved but most important parts of a cruise vacation – the safety drill – with Muster 2.0, an entirely new approach to delivering safety information to guests. The innovative program, the first of its kind, reimagines a process originally designed for large groups of people into a faster, more personal approach that encourages higher levels of safety.

With Muster 2.0, the key elements of the safety drill – including reviewing what to expect and where to go in case of an emergency, and instructions on how to properly use a life jacket – will be accessible to guests on an individual basis instead of a group approach that has been followed historically. New technology, eMuster, will be used to help provide the information to guests via their mobile devices and interactive stateroom TVs. Travelers will be able to review the information at their own time prior to setting sail, eliminating the need for the traditional large group assemblies. The new approach also enables everyone on board to maintain better spacing as guests move about the ship, and it allows guests to enjoy more of their vacation with no interruption.

After reviewing safety information individually, guests will complete the drill by visiting their assigned assembly station, where a crew member will verify that all steps have been completed and answer questions. Each of the steps will need to be completed prior to the ship’s departure, as required by international maritime law.

“The health and safety of our guests and crew are our number one priority, and the development of this new muster process is an elegant solution to an outdated, unpopular process,” said Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. “The fact that this will also save guests time and allow the ship to operate without pause means that we can increase health, safety and guest satisfaction simultaneously.”

“Muster 2.0 represents a natural extension of our mission to improve our guests’ vacation experiences by removing points of friction,” said Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean Group’s senior vice president of digital. “In this instance, what’s most convenient for our guests is also the safest option in light of needing to reimagine social spaces in the wake of COVID-19.”

This marks the first dramatic change to the safety drill process in a decade, since Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas moved the life jackets from guest staterooms to the muster stations, which improved the evacuation process and has been widely followed throughout the industry. More than a year in the making, Muster 2.0 is also an initiative that will be part of the comprehensive set of protocols and procedures Royal Caribbean Group is developing along with the Healthy Sail Panel that was recently assembled in collaboration with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

“This new process represents the kind of innovation that the Healthy Sail Panel is focusing on as part of its mission to enhance the health and safety of cruising,” said former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, co-chair of the Healthy Sail Panel. “It shows that we can accomplish a lot if we try to think outside the box on safety.”

“I'd like to extend my congratulations to Royal Caribbean Group on this innovative milestone. It's exactly what our industry needs during these unprecedented times and we appreciate the generous offer to participate in this innovation,” said Frank Del Rio, President and CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. “In this industry, we all work cooperatively to enhance health and safety, and this is an example of that.”

The distributed muster for ocean-going vessels concept is patented in the United States and is patent-pending in major markets around the world, including the various cruise industry flag states. The company has also worked with international regulators, the U.S. Coast Guard and other maritime and government authorities to ensure it meets all safety requirements.

In addition to introducing the new process on the ships of its own cruise lines – Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara – Royal Caribbean Group is offering to license the patented technology to interested cruise operators and will waive patent license fees during the time the world and industry battle the global pandemic. Patent licenses have already been granted to the company’s joint venture, TUI Cruises GmbH, as well as Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., the parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Muster 2.0 was first tested on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas in January 2020. Guests who took part in the mock process indicated a strong preference for the new approach and also reported better comprehension and retention of the safety information.

Carnival Cruise Line provide updated fleet plan – Fantasy and Inspiration sold

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 23 July 2020 23 July 2020

Carnival Cruise Line today announced new plans for its fleet that will generate tremendous guest excitement once it resumes sailing, with a confirmed date for an additional Excel-class, LNG-powered ship arriving in November 2022, four ships either sold or put on long term lay-up status, and other ships redeployed to new homeports, as it seeks to leverage its strong network of year-round and seasonal homeports in the U.S. with upgraded offerings. The highlights of the plan include:

– As part of Carnival’s 50th birthday in 2022, a November 2022 delivery date for the unnamed, second Excel-class ship has been confirmed from the Meyer Turku shipyard. The sister ship to Mardi Gras will showcase many of her features, including BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea, and sail out of PortMiami as previously announced. Carnival said it will open the ship for sale this fall and guests can register to be the “first to know” about the ship’s itineraries and special open for sale promotions at carnival.com/ship2022.
– As part of Carnival Corporation’s recent announcement to reduce its overall capacity and focus on ships with upgraded features, Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration have been sold. Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination will move to a long term lay-up status, with no specific timeline identified for a return to operation.
– Carnival Sensation will move from Miami to Mobile and take up itineraries previously assigned to Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Fascination, with guests on those two ships being re-accommodated on Carnival Sensation.
– Carnival Sunrise will move from Port Everglades to PortMiami and assume the itineraries previously operated by Carnival Sensation, providing a larger, upgraded ship for short itineraries with the many new features installed during Carnival Sunrise’s $200 million transformation completed in 2019. Guests booked on the Sunrise 4- and 5-day itineraries from Port Everglades will be automatically moved to sailings from PortMiami.
– Carnival Sunrise is part of Carnival’s 50th birthday celebration and there will be no changes to her birthday sailing, which is scheduled for March 5, 2022. These special sailings have been in high demand and will feature special entertainment, at-sea ship rendezvous and onboard activities and offerings. For more information on this special group of itineraries in March 2022, please visit carnival.com/sailabration.
– Carnival Fascination itineraries from San Juan and Barbados have been cancelled for 2020-2021 as the cruise line focuses its return to operations on mainland drive markets in the U.S.
– Itineraries for Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration from Long Beach have been cancelled through Apr. 19, 2021. Carnival Panorama will continue to operate 7-day cruises from Long Beach while Carnival Miracle will operate shorter itineraries from San Diego to Baja Mexico.
– Carnival Radiance will now move directly from Europe after its $200 million transformation and homeport in Long Beach in April of 2021, where it will assume the short Baja Mexico itineraries previously served by Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration. Guests booked on Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration after April 22, 2021 will be re-accommodated on Carnival Radiance, where they will experience the host of upgrades and new features including Shaq’s Big Chicken Restaurant and an expanded waterpark popular with families sailing with children.
– Separately, Carnival also notified its Australian guests that it has extended its pause of operations in that country, and has cancelled six cruises scheduled to operate between Sept. 25 and Oct. 29, 2020.

“We have used this pause in operations to think carefully about our fleet and to build a plan that gives our guests new choices and upgrades to current ship offerings,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We have a great variety of ships across the Carnival Cruise Line fleet and we are thrilled to have been able to confirm a delivery date ahead of what we had anticipated for our second Excel ship, which is exciting news for guests interested in sailing from PortMiami on the sister ship to Mardi Gras! At the same time, we will continue to invest in the four remaining Fantasy class ships that we are keeping in the fleet. We have many guests who prefer our Fantasy class ships which work so well for shorter itineraries from smaller ports that cannot accommodate our larger ships. With a fleet that gives guests lots of choices in ships, homeports, destinations and features including a multitude of dining, entertainment and accommodation choices, we are very excited about the future for Carnival Cruise Line.”

Guests and travel agents are being notified directly about impacted sailings, guest re-accommodations and cancellations. Duffy thanked guests and travel agent partners alike for their continued patience, loyalty and support during this unprecedented time for the cruise industry. “With our future fleet plan resolved, we are focused on ensuring we are ready to return to operations once it is determined that the time is right to resume cruising in the U.S.,” she said.