AIDA Cancels Cruises Due to IT Problems

AIDA is canceling its New Year's Eve cruises for the AIDAperla and AIDAmar, citing IT problems as German media widely reported the company was facing a cybersecurity issue.

The AIDAperla is now set to resume service in the Canaries on January 2, followed by the AIDAmar on January 3.

Bild, a German newspaper, reported on Monday a cybersecurity issue at both the AIDA headquarters in Rostock and aboard the company's vessels. Citing passengers aboard, Bild said that the ships' onboard boarding card system was not functioning. 

"The boarding pass system has stopped working," one passenger said. "Slips of paper are used that would otherwise be automatically debited, for example when you buy something. We learned secretly from the staff that there had been a hacker attack on the AIDA servers."

Cruise Ships to Dock at Port of Los Angeles Without Passengers

The Port of Los Angeles is expecting cruise ships but without passengers, in the coming weeks, according to a port press release.

The visits for fuel, supplies, and services are part of the cruise lines’ operations to reestablish the ships in U.S. waters as a prerequisite to meet federal regulations in order to resume cruising in the future. 

The port said it continues to closely monitor the situation and is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), California Department of Public Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and other emergency and public health agencies. 

Princess Cruises, Holland America, and Norwegian Cruise Line cruise ships are scheduled to send ships arriving in Los Angeles this week and through the new year, periodically docking at the Los Angeles Cruise Terminal for fuel, food, supplies, and/or services. No vessels will be carrying passengers.

The Port of Los Angeles is expecting more than two dozen cruise ship calls through early February.

In addition to increased precautions to minimize community spread of and exposure to COVID-19, cruise ship safety implementations while at berth include Passenger Ship Safety Certificate (PSSC) training and Marine Evacuation System (MES) replacement.

Budweiser and CleanEarth announce Magor Brewery to be Powered by Massive Wind Turbine

Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I, a proud part of AB InBev, and renewable energy company, CleanEarth, reached a milestone in the brewer's sustainability efforts. A new wind turbine has been installed at Budweiser Brewing Group's brewery in Magor, South Wales to help power the site with renewable electricity. 

One billion pints

The newly installed turbine will supply nearly a quarter of the energy consumed at Budweiser’s Magor Brewery. As the site produces more than 1 billion pints of beer each year (including Budweiser, Stella Artois, Corona and Bud Light) its power demand is considerable.

Located just under a mile from the brewery, the turbine serves the plant via a direct wire, with Budweiser Brewing Group purchasing the power from CleanEarth through a power purchase agreement (PPA).

The turbine is the latest step in Budweiser Brewing Group’s commitment to brewing its beers with 100% renewable electricity by next year and its continued investment in renewables.

Lloyd Manship, Brewery Manager at Magor Brewery, said, “Having worked at the brewery for more than 20 years, it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come in our sustainability initiatives. The installation of this wind turbine is going to make a huge difference in helping us to operate more sustainably long into the future.”

Unprecedented scale

The Vensys V136 turbine presented significant logistical challenges, especially in the transportation of the blades. The conventional route by road was dropped in favour of shipping them over 800 miles by sea and into Bristol’s Avonmouth Dock, leaving just the last 20 miles to be negotiated by road.

The combination of sheer size with the latest design and engineering technology makes the Magor turbine highly efficient in harnessing the available wind, providing an output of up to 3.5 megawatts.

This will generate 9 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year – the equivalent of powering 2,300 Welsh homes – while saving more than 2,600 tonnes of CO2 emissions. That’s well over 65,000 tons of carbon savings during its operational lifetime.

Commitment to decarbonization

The partnership between Budweiser and CleanEarth is another important step in the decarbonization of UK businesses. As Paula Lindenberg, President, Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I, said, “We’re committed to brewing Britain’s most sustainable beers. Partnerships like this one with CleanEarth help drive positive change – making it easier for people to make sustainable choices at the pub or on their weekly shop.”

This was echoed by Dean Robson, Managing Director of CleanEarth, who said, “Too often corporate goals are not coupled with strong and effective action – but Budweiser Brewing Group has been supportive at all levels, and have acted throughout with a clarity that’s consistent with their ambitious environmental targets.

“We are proud of the work we’ve done with Budweiser Brewing Group on this project. As a result of this collaboration, CleanEarth will generate low-carbon, low-cost energy into the Magor brewery for years to come.”

FRED OLSEN TO LAY-UP BRAEMAR UNTIL 2022

Fred Olsen will lay-up Braemar until 2022 owing to the likely complexity of operating a fly-cruise programme in the early stages of any permitted resumption of cruising.

The line’s focus will instead be on its ex-UK programme, with new ship Borealis likely to be the first of its four-ship fleet to return to service next year.

Borealis will embark on its maiden cruise with Fred Olsen on 23 April 2021 as originally planned – a six-night Scottish Lochs and Isles cruise.

The ship joined the line’s fleet in September, one of two former Holland America Line ships acquired by Fred Olsen to replace Boudicca and Black Watch, which have been retired.

Bolette, the second of these two new ships, will enter service on 29 May 2021 according to the line’s "back in service" timetable, followed by Balmoral on 9 June.

"Due to having an extensive fly-cruise programme, Braemar will remain in lay-up until 2022," said Fred Olsen.

 

"All guests booked onto a cancelled sailing will be notified of the changes, and will be provided with a number of options including a no-quibble refund."

Peter Deer, Fred Olsen managing director, said: "While it is regrettable that our pause in operations is longer than we originally anticipated, we have said right from the start that we will not resume sailing until we are confident that it is safe for us to do so, and we stand by that.

"The safety of our guests and crew remains our utmost priority, and it is important that we fully understand the advances in the roll-out of the vaccine, testing capabilities and other scientific developments and what they mean for how we can operate.

"This is not a process to be rushed, and we are confident that by deferring our return to sailing just a while longer, with our two new ships among the fleet, we can come back better and stronger than ever without compromising on the guest experience."

On Braemer, which Deer said typically operated Fred Olsen’s winter the Mediterranean and Caribbean fly-cruise programme, he added: "Initially, we believe it may be more complex for us to operate the planned fly-cruise programme and we will therefore instead focus on our extensive ex-UK itineraries during 2021.

"The team here are already busy working on a host of exciting and immersive cruises for her return in spring 2022, which make the most of her smaller size.

 

"These will be announced as part of our 2022/23 itinerary launch in March 2021."

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE TAKES DELIVERY OF MARDI GRAS

Carnival Cruise Line has taken delivery of its new ship Mardi Gras, which is due to enter service in April 2021.

The LNG powered ship will feature Bolt, which Carnival claims will be will the "rollercoaster at sea".

Venues, restaurants and entertainment options will be dispersed throughout Mardi Gras’s six distinct zones.

The ship’s centrepiece will be its three-deck-high atrium with floor-to-ceiling windows and movable LED screens that open to reveal an ocean view.

It will be able to accommodate 5,200 guests and 2,000 crew, with guests able to choose from 11 categories of stateroom and suite.

Mardi Gras will depart Turku in Finland later this month before heading to North America.

It will initially operate seven-day Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral, with its inaugural fixed for 24 April 2021.

"Notwithstanding the delays related to the pandemic, there is tremendous enthusiasm and pent-up demand for this ship," said Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy.

"Next we will work on the development of her sister ship, Carnival Celebration, which arrives in 2022 and has sold very well since inventory opened in October."

Viking Octantis Floats Out Ahead of 2022 Debut

Viking has announced its first expedition ship – the 378-guest Viking Octantis – was “floated out” at VARD, marking a major construction milestone and the first time that the new ship touches water.

Scheduled to debut in early 2022, the Viking Octantis will spend her maiden season sailing voyages to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes.

A second, identical expedition ship, Viking Polaris, is set to debut in summer 2022 and will sail journeys to Antarctica and the Arctic. 

“Working with Fincantieri over the last eight years, we have built the world’s most beautiful ocean ships. We are pleased to continue our partnership with Fincantieri’s VARD and celebrate this important milestone in the construction of our first expedition vessel,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.

“In creating ‘the thinking person’s expedition,’ we are perfecting polar expedition cruising, and we will usher in a new era of comfortable exploration in the heart of North America. Viking Octantis and her sister ship, Viking Polaris, will allow our guests to explore further – to the ends of the earth as well as closer to home. I would like to thank our partners at VARD and everyone working at the yard for the hard work and dedication on the building of Viking Octantis; we look forward to welcoming her to our fleet in early 2022.”

The float out is significant because it denotes a ship moving into its final stage of construction. The float-out ceremony of the Viking Octantis took place on December 22; she was then moved to a nearby outfitting dock for further construction and interior build-out. After final outfitting, Viking Octantis will be delivered at Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Søviknes, Norway.

Swift Response to ‘COVID-19’ Onboard Quantum of the Seas

Thanks to https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/

The Dec. 9 announcement of a positive COVID-19 case onboard the Quantum of the Seas came as a shock to Singapore, where the Royal Caribbean International ship was sailing, and the world. The 1,680 guests on board, along with 1,148 crew, made a beeline back to port and arrived in Singapore within six hours after the guest tested positive.

The Singapore Cruise Society breaks down what happened and how the situation was handled:

Background

The Quantum of the Seas set sail on her third cruise back in service on Dec. 6. The sailing was a four-day itinerary from Singapore's Marina Bay terminal to nowhere, with no port calls, for Singapore residents only. The ship, which can normally carry 4,100 passengers, was capped at 50 per cent capacity and had 1,608 guests onboard.

Royal Caribbean has put in place many new measures to limit the risk of COVID-19 onboard its ships, such as obligatory mask-wearing, restrictions on gatherings of more than five, online check-ins, regular disinfection, the use of updated HVAC systems and tracing technology, and the functioning of an upgraded onboard medical centre.

Additionally, all guests underwent PCR tests before embarkation and Antigen Rapid Tests after the sailing (before leaving the terminal).

What Happened?

An 82-yead-old male passenger was reported to the onboard medical centre. He underwent a PCR test, which came back positive on the third day of the sailing.

The passengers on board the Quantum of the Seas were immediately notified of the incident and asked to stay inside their staterooms. For that purpose, meals were brought directly to cabins, and guests were allowed to smoke in their en-suites.

Response

A swift return (taking less than six hours) of the vessel was organized, and the guest was evacuated to a local hospital, where his three subsequent swab tests came back negative.

The Singapore Cruise Society believes that this incident might have been a case of what the health professionals call ‘false-positive.’

However, the situation showed that the system implemented by the Royal Caribbean Group and the Singapore Tourism Board works well.

As much as the Quantum of the Seas guests were disappointed to have their holidays cut short, none that were interviewed by the media mentioned any mishandling of the situation, and said they had “no regrets,” and “will come back again.”

Refunds for a day that the guests missed at sea will be processed accordingly.

CRUISE INDUSTRY REPORT GIVES UPBEAT OUTLOOK DESPITE PANDEMIC

Two-thirds of those who take cruises are willing to do so again within the next year, new Clia research has found.

The US-based association’s 2021 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook also found 58% of those who had never cruised were likely to “in the next few years”.

 

Clia members plan to debut 16 new ocean ships in 2021, resulting in a total of 270 Clia Cruise Line ocean ships in operation by the end of next year.

 

The report confirms North America as the biggest market, accounting for 15.4 million passengers cruising in 2019, out of a total of 29.7 million passengers worldwide.

 

“For the cruise community, there is no denying that 2020 was not the year we anticipated,” said Kelly Craighead, Clia president and chief executive.

 

The report highlighted the jobs impact of Covid-19. It estimates that in 2020, every 1% loss of cruisers resulted in a reduction of 9,100 industry-related jobs.

 

“Each day of the suspension caused direct and indirect industry losses of 2,500 jobs,” the report said.

 

The impact on destinations was also investigated, with passengers spending an average $385 in port cities before boarding a cruise and $100 in each port destination during a voyage.

Royal Caribbean Group Appoints Amy C. McPherson to Board of Directors

Royal Caribbean Group today announced the appointment of Amy C. McPherson, former president and managing director of Europe for Marriott International, to its Board of Directors.

Her appointment was effective as of December 21, 2020.

"I am honoured to welcome Amy to our board of directors," said Richard D. Fain, Royal Caribbean Group's chairman and CEO. "Her many years of involvement in the growth of the travel industry, as well as her deep experience in the development of international markets, will be a valuable addition to the board."

McPherson spent more than 30 years in leadership roles at Marriott International, including 10 years of service as the company's president and managing director of Europe, until her retirement in 2019. While at Marriott, she was recognized as one of 25 outstanding "Women Who Mean Business" by the Washington Business Journal.

Ms McPherson is former Vice-Chair of the Executive Advisory Council at James Madison University College of Business. Currently, she is a principal investor in KidsKnowBest, a full-service creative agency providing strong brand solutions for the social age powered by kids.

MSC Cruises Delays Magnifica Restart to Feb. 14

MSC Cruises announced today the extension to the pause of operations for the MSC Magnifica in connection with the additional lockdown measures that the Greek government has recently put in place ashore to manage the pandemic and that will now likely extend beyond the current holiday period, according to a press release.

As part of these measures, MSC said that passenger ships are only able to make technical calls in Greek ports through Jan. 6.

Due to the uncertainty at this stage as to whether these ports will fully re-open on Jan. 7  or if these measures will be further extended as it is very likely to be the case, MSC said it has made the decision to postpone for the benefit of its guests the resumption of operations for MSC Magnifica until Feb. 14, 2021.

Guests booked on MSC Magnifica before her new restart date will be able to transfer their booking to MSC Grandiosa as early as Jan. 10, when the ship is due to restart her Western Mediterranean itinerary calling ports only in Italy and Malta.

Coral Expeditions To Return in January with Coral Adventurer

Coral Expeditions has announced that the Coral Adventurer will return to operations this January after a ten-month hiatus in her homeport of Cairns.

Having successfully completed an eight voyage season with the Coral Discoverer on the Great Barrier Reef with new health protocols in place, Coral Expeditions is now ready to expand its domestic itineraries with the Adventurer, the company said.

This new series of expeditions involve wilderness coastlines of Australia previously unvisited in the company’s 35-year history.

Jeff Gillies, Commercial Director stated: “As we head into 2021 with ongoing uncertainties for the travel industry, there is no better sanctuary than our own home shores. Our new voyages celebrate Australia with small numbers of local guests and crew traversing a large tract of the continent that we have not explored before on a number of unique voyages between Cairns, Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle this summer."

As with other domestic itineraries, guests will be drawn from the Australian market and capped at under 100. Coral Expeditions operates an all-Australian flagged fleet with an Australian crew. Its proven SailSAFE health protocols, duly approved by all state authorities, will remain in place till risks recede. To assist guests and the broader travel industry in this time of uncertainty, Coral Expeditions will continue offering flexible booking and deposit protection terms.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings To Raise Another $500 Million

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced today that it is proposing to sell $500 million aggregate principal amount of its senior notes due 2026 in a private offering that is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

The company expects to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes. The Notes will be guaranteed by certain subsidiaries on a senior unsecured basis.

The company’s fourth-quarter estimated cash burn is $175 million per month.

CELEBRITY CRUISES ANNOUNCES EUROPE 2022 DEPLOYMENT

Celebrity Cruises has announced its deployment for Europe 2022, including Celebrity Apex, Edge, and the newly "revolutionized" Celebrity Silhouette sailing in the region.

Together, the six ships will visit nearly 100 destinations and offer an expanded overnight program in cities including Bordeaux, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Lisbon, Reykjavik, St Petersburg, Russia, and Venice.

 

Wi-Fi, drinks, and tips are now “Always Included” in a Celebrity cruise purchase. In addition, the line’s “Cruise with Confidence” program provides flexible cancellations and “best price guarantees”.

 

Apex, the second ship in Celebrity’s new Edge series, will sail Scandinavia and Russia and the Norwegian Fjords from the new homeport of Amsterdam. It will also offer Iceland, Ireland, and British Isles itineraries, ending the season with special Holy Land sailings roundtrip from Rome.

 

Edge meanwhile will sail from Rome and Barcelona on 7-night Mediterranean itineraries to culturally rich and romantic destinations in Italy, France, Spain, Turkey, and the Greek Islands.

 

It will end the season with some longer itineraries from Rome before returning to its homeport in Fort Lauderdale for the winter.

 

Silhouette will sail from Southampton, beginning in April 2022, to transport guests to a wide variety of popular European destinations from the Norwegian Fjords to Spain, Portugal, and the Italian Mediterranean. It will finish its Europe season in the Canary Islands in September and October.

 

Other Celebrity summer 2022 European offerings include:

 

- Celebrity Constellation sailing an array of 9- and 10-night Mediterranean itineraries between Venice, Rome, and Barcelona.

- Celebrity Infinity discovering the best of the Mediterranean on a special series of 7-night sailings between Venice, Lisbon, and Barcelona beginning in April 2022.

- And Celebrity Reflection treating guests to 10- and 11-night itineraries exploring Italy, Turkey, Croatia, Montenegro, and the Greek Islands from its new homeport of Rome.

 

The launch is supported by toolkits and guides on Celebrity Central and trade webinars hosted by sales and training teams so travel partners can become experts in all things Celebrity Cruises in Europe 2022.

CRUISE CHIEFS: 'WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING GOVERNMENT HAS ASKED US'

UK cruise chiefs believe they are working with the government on “the last pieces of the jigsaw” to enable a restart to sailings next year.

Speaking on a panel at Clia’s virtual showcase on Thursday (10 December) Royal Caribbean Group’s vice-president of government relations Stuart Leven said talks around new protocols were “pretty much done”.

 

Saga Travel chief executive Nick Stace said the sector had set a target of seeing the Foreign Office (FCDO) advice against ocean cruising “revised or removed” by the new year, adding he believed the industry had “literally done everything government has asked of us”.

 

“We’re pushing as hard as we can through all agencies of government - even right up to Number 10,” he said. “I think we’re making good progress.”

 

Stace revealed officials from the FCDO, Department for Transport and Public Health England had met with cruise sector leaders during a “summit” onboard Saga’s Spirit of Discovery in July.

 

“We literally put everything out on the table to understand what we needed to do in order to resume,” he explained, branding the FCDO advice in its current form as “a tremendous block” on bookings and being able to bring crew into the UK.

 

Leven said learning from the summer summit was: “never send anything to the government unless it’s got a pretty picture and an arrow on it. Don’t expect for one second they know everything about our industry."

 

He said the resumptions of MSC, Costa, and Tui in Europe in recent months had enabled UK lines to “talk about the actuality” of protocols.

 

“We’ve been unable to show with those 200-plus cruises that have been operating that you can offer a great guest experience but at the same time, a safe one. You can then evidence that to the UK government who aren’t cruise experts – it makes life easier for us.”

Four MSC Ships to Cruise in Europe for Winter 2021-2022

MSC Magnifica

MSC Cruises announced that four ships will be deployed for the winter season in Europe for 2021-2022.

The MSC Grandiosa will sail from. Genoa as well as Barcelona and Marseille. In addition to these homeport options, the ship will call in the Palermo, Civitavecchia for access to Rome, and Valletta, Malta.

The MSC Fantasia will also sail a classic seven-night itinerary with the choice of multiple embarkation ports in MSC Cruises’ most visited destinations, Barcelona, Marseille, and Genoa, as well as Italian cultural highlights, including La Spezia and Naples, before calling in Palma de Mallorca.

The MSC Magnifica will offer extended 11-night cruises with two different itineraries. The first starts in Genoa and then to Greece, calling Katakolon, Piraeus, and Rhodes before reaching Haifa in Israel where the ship remains overnight allowing a full day to discover ashore, then on to Heraklion, Civitavecchia and back to Genoa.

The second itinerary visits five countries – starting in Genoa, Barcelona in Spain then on to Casablanca in Morocco for an extended stay, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Funchal in Portugal, Malaga in Spain, and then Italy with Civitavecchia and Genoa.

The MSC Poesia will offer 5- and 10-night cruises out of Genoa before embarking on the 2022 World Cruise from Genoa on 5 January.

Here Are All Of Carnival Cruise Line's Homeports For 2021

Carnival Legend

Big Thank you to https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/ 

Carnival Cruise Line has the most U.S. homeports of any cruise brand, plus a seasonal operation in Europe and year-round cruising in Australia.

Here's a look at the company's planned homeports for 2021:

Port Canaveral

Ships:

- Carnival Breeze (March to April);

- Carnival Elation (March to December);

- Carnival Liberty (March to December);

- Carnival Magic (November and December);

- Mardi Gras (April to December).

---

Miami

Ships:

- Carnival Conquest (March to December);

- Carnival Freedom (October to December);

- Carnival Horizon (March to December);

- Carnival Sunrise (March to December).

---

Jacksonville

Ships:

- Carnival Ecstasy (March to December).

---

Tampa

Ships:

- Carnival Paradise (November and December);

- Carnival Pride (November and December).

---

Galveston

Ships:

- Carnival Breeze (May to December);

- Carnival Dream (March to December);

- Carnival Freedom (March to April);

- Carnival Vista (March to December).

---

Mobile

Ships:

- Carnival Sensation (March to December).

---

New Orleans

Ships:

- Carnival Glory (March to December);

- Carnival Valor (November and December).  

---

Baltimore

Ships:

- Carnival Legend (November and December);

- Carnival Pride (March to October).

---

Charleston

Ships:

- Carnival Sunshine (March to December).

---

San Diego

Ships:

- Carnival Miracle (March and April/October to December).

---

San Francisco

Ships:

- Carnival Miracle (April to September).

---

Seattle

Ships:

- Carnival Freedom (April to September).

---

Long Beach

Ships:

- Carnival Panorama (March to December);

- Carnival Radiance (November and December).

---

Europe

Ships:

- Carnival Legend: Barcelona (May and October), Dover (June to August), and Civitavecchia (August to October).   

---

Australia

Ships:

- Carnival Spirit: Brisbane (June to December);

- Carnival Splendor: Sydney (March to December).

Queen Mary 2 Takes Center Stage in HBO Max Film Let Them All Talk

The Queen Mary 2 is among the stars of the new film  "Let Them All Talk," directed by the award-winning Steven Soderbergh, streaming on HBO Max.

As Meryl Streep's character, Alice, steps out of the taxi upon arriving at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, she gazes in awe at Cunard's Queen Mary 2. This is one of the opening scenes of the new film, according to a press release as Streep's character is sailing aboard the Cunard ship as a special guest of the voyage's enrichment program, Cunard Insights.

The three-time Academy Award winner Streep is joined by fellow acting royalty, two-time Academy Award winner Dianne Wiest, and five-time Emmy Award®winner Candice Bergen. Supported by Academy Award nominee Lucas Hedges and actress Gemma Chan, the film is set aboard the storied Transatlantic Crossing, amidst the backdrop of the ship.

In fact, the majority of the film was shot on board in some of the vessel's spaces: the Art Deco Commodore Club, the Queens Grill suites and dining room, the Royal Court Theatre, and the 9,000 volume library, among others. 

As the film was captured aboard a live voyage, many onboard guests had a chance to grab their moment in the spotlight when they were cast as extras in the film.

"We were absolutely delighted when Steven Soderbergh approached us to film his next feature onboard Queen Mary 2," said Simon Palethorpe, President, Cunard. "While Cunard and our flagship are accustomed to hosting luminaries from all over the globe, it was quite something to welcome Steven, Meryl, Dianne, Candice, Lucas, and Gemma for this very special and unique opportunity. We are very excited about the film, its witty and engaging story, and how lovingly Steven captured the essence of our flagship and the Transatlantic Crossing experience."

Commenting on his experience aboard Queen Mary 2, Soderbergh said: "Color me well impressed. I have never seen an enterprise on this scale of complexity run so beautifully. Every Cunard staff member we interacted with was committed to providing the best possible experience for their guests, which in this case included our cast and crew. And I can confirm without question that as stunning as Queen Mary 2 looks on camera, she's even more stunning to the naked eye."

What We Know About Royal Caribbean’s Free Test Cruises

Thanks to https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/ 

Significant demand was born as a result of Royal Caribbean International’s announcement for the search of volunteers to go on its first test sailings prior to returning to sea in the U.S.

So much that a form has been created to sign up, which saw more than 150,000 hopeful cruise lovers leave their details.

“It's a good feeling knowing that so many people want to get back on ships,” said Vicki Freed, senior vice president for sales, trade support, and service at Royal Caribbean International, on Dec. 8 in response to the demand.

The company has also launched a website for potential volunteers to sign up.

Cruise Industry News breaks down what is known about the sailings. 

What are they?

The test sailings are part of the new Conditional Framework by the CDC, which came in place of the "No Sail" order. They will include the company having a number of trial cruises using employees and volunteers as stand-in passengers to test safety and health protocols. 

Trial sailings are said to be monitored by company officials, a third-party class society, as well as the CDC.

When will they take place?

Likely the first quarter of 2021, possibly even January. Here’s a quote from Freed at Virtually Yours forum organized by Cruise Planners:

“We don't know exactly when the test sailings are going to happen – we think in Q1, and we're hoping for January.”

Which vessels will be taking part?

Industry sources previously stated that they expect the Mariner and Navigator of the Seas, the company's recently-refurbished "short Caribbean" ships, to be the vessels pressed into service.

On what itineraries?

Freed said in November that the first cruises will be short sailings to CocoCay, which would allow the company to operate in a bubble on its own private island.

Who gets to go?

More than 150,000 people signed up, according to Royal Caribbean International, so it will be tough to choose from them. Apart from cruise line workers and CDC staff, the cruise line is likely to choose volunteers among its most loyal customers.

"We haven't figured out our protocols yet for the volunteers but certainly loyalty status will be a key selector," said Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean Cruises’ president, and CEO during the International Cruise Summit that took place on Dec. 1-2. “Our top tier has the name of Pinnacle and they've cruised with us a gazillion times … they'll be amongst the first to receive the invitation."

Freed said on Dec. 8 that the company’s travel partners will be invited, too.

What about safety?

Royal Caribbean is working on ensuring they are conducted safely and in compliance with the regulations.

“While we review the requirements proposed by the CDC and consider when we can host our simulated trial sailings, we are gathering information from those who have shown interest on our Volunteers of the Seas Facebook page. Our priority is to ensure that we can exercise our comprehensive set of measures in a safe and healthy manner while making sure we provide a memorable vacation experience,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

Yet a lot of information is still to be released about the sailings.

“We will be announcing more as we get more information,” Freed said. “So, we look forward to it; we're looking forward to it.”