Fred Olsen’s small ship ethos ‘could appeal to ex-CMV passengers’

Fred Olsen’s small ship ethos ‘could appeal to ex-CMV passengers’

The boss of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines believes the line’s small ship ethos means it is well-placed to appeal to former guests of Cruise & Maritime Voyages.

Speaking before it emerged that former CMV boss Christian Verhounig had acquired a number of the assets of the failed line, Fred Olsen managing director Peter Deer said it remained to be seen if a “CMV2” would emerge.

But in the meantime, he said Fred Olsen had already seen interest from former CMV passengers.

He told a Travel Weekly webcast: “It was really sad about CMV. They’re not located very far from where we are, and we’re pretty sad for the teams that worked so hard to grow the brand over the last 10 years.
“They’ve grown the brand, which really focused on a more budget style cruising – they were known to sell cruises at a lower price level than ourselves and many other UK operators, so I suspect there will be customers who have sailed with CMV who are still looking for a budget style of cruising.”

Deer added: “What we find when we talk to our customers, one of the reasons they come with us is it’s all about going on smaller ships and being known as a name rather than a number. So I really don’t know if the customers of CMV are more thinking about budget or it’s all about small ship cruising.

“I suspect it’s a combination of both and for sure, we’re going to see some transfers over from CMV for people who say we’re a cruise line which has a similar itinerary style as CMV did, it’s still small ship cruising.”

He said: “I’m sure all the other cruise lines will see the reflection of the demise of CMV in their bookings going forward. We’ve seen a few so far, but it’s all early days at this stage.”

Aida Cruises aims to start sailing again in November

Aida Cruises aims to start sailing again in November

German cruise line Aida has extended the suspension of cruises until November when it plans to restart operations with a Canary Islands itinerary.

The Carnival Corporation brand has cancelled its previously announced cruises for September and October and updated its autumn-winter programme because of Covid-19 restrictions.

It said in a statement on Friday: “Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the conditions are currently not in place in Germany’s neighbouring European countries, especially in the north with Norway and Denmark or the Baltic states.

“For many distant destinations outside of Europe, the Federal Republic of Germany has issued a travel warning or the respective countries have prohibited calls of cruise ships until 2021.”

The first ship to begin sailing, Aidamar, will depart on November 1 for seven-day voyages around the Canary Islands, a destination popular with German cruisers.

Aidaperla will follow on November 7 and will take over itineraries originally planned for Aidanova (pictured).

Aidastella will start cruises in the western Mediterranean on December 12, launching from Majorca.

Aidaprima will offer cruises from Dubai from December 11 and from Abu Dhabi from December 15.

Felix Eichhorn, president of Aida Cruises, said: “Even though it is currently not possible for cruise ships to call at Norway, which is so important for our voyages to the north, we are confident that the first Aida ships from Germany will be able to travel to northern Europe again at the beginning of 2021.”

Aida Cruises is also cancelling autumn-winter cruises to destinations in the Caribbean, southern Africa, Indian Ocean and the Far East.

Royal Caribbean Group ‘will learn from MSC and Tui restarts’

Royal Caribbean Group ‘will learn from MSC and Tui restarts’

Royal Caribbean Group boss Richard Fain has pledged to learn from the “small sample” of cruise lines that have restarted operations in recent weeks.

Speaking to travel agents on a webcast on online trade hub RCL Cares, Fain, the group’s chairman and chief executive, highlighted lines such as Tui Cruises and MSC Cruises, which have both started sailing again.

Fain said that it had been “encouraging” to see their return, adding that Costa Cruises appeared to be “a few weeks” away from joining them.

Fain said: “We are not through this yet but there are more bright spots and bits of good news than there have been for quite a while.

“We are closer to the other side of this crisis every day. It is also encouraging to see cruising start-up in other parts of the world.

“In Germany, our joint venture company Tui Cruises has been operating cruises since late July. In Italy, MSC Cruises started operating there just last week and has attracted a lot of really very positive publicity.

“We understand that Costa Cruises is operating there in just a few weeks. While this is just a small sample, we always said that we’d start slowly and methodically and we’re going to learn from these early efforts.”

Fain also used the webcast to introduce Dr Calvin Johnson, the group’s recently appointed head of public health and chief medical officer.

Asked by Fain why he had decided to apply for the role, Johnson said: “I saw the opportunity to apply my skills in a really meaningful and substantive way during probably the most significant health crisis in our time.

“It is the nature of the work. It is the opportunity to serve 75,000 crew and to protect their health and to serve four to six million guests a year and to protect their health. I am all focusing on the protection of health.”

Administrators confirm Cruise & Maritime Voyages asset sale

Administrators confirm Cruise & Maritime Voyages asset sale

Christian Verhounig, the former chief executive of Cruise & Maritime Voyages, has bought several assets from the collapsed business.

The Essex-based cruise line entered administration last month after failing to secure additional funding.

Verhounig has established a company called CVI Group Limited (CVI) and plans to restart operations in the future.

A statement on Friday from the administrators confirmed reports of the sale, which completed on August 27.

“Paul Williams, Phil Dakin and Edward Bines of Duff & Phelps, Joint Administrators of Cruise & Maritime Voyages Ltd (CMV), together with sister companies South Quay Travel & Leisure Ltd, Independent Coach Travel (Wholesaling) Ltd and Viceroy Ltd (together with the Companies), are pleased to announce that a sale of certain assets of the Companies to CVI Group Limited (CVI),” said the statement.

The assets include customer databases; computer systems, including websites and booking systems; office furniture and equipment; and information technology infrastructure.

CMV’s administration did not include its fleet of six ships, which included Marco Polo and Columbus.

Verhounig, the owner of CVI, said: “The global pandemic had a devastating impact on CMV’s once-flourishing, expanding and profitable business.

“Having developed a much-loved brand over the past decade and the hugely popular value-based niche no-fly cruise product, we have been simply overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and pleased to re-launch the business.

“This endorsement across the industry and customer base alike has been a rich source of encouragement and together with my previous management team, we are working hard to plug the huge market gap vacated by CMV’s untimely insolvency.

“The acquisition of the UK commercial assets provides a positive first step and we believe demonstrates our firm commitment and optimism to return much stronger and to work alongside our loyal suppliers and creditors to also help mitigate the pandemic impact.”

Paul Williams, a joint administrator at Duff & Phelps, commented: “We have worked hard since being appointed to secure a sale of the business and assets of the companies.

“Regrettably, given the devastating impact of the global pandemic on the entire travel industry, with a focus on the leisure cruise sector, this has not been possible in this instance.

“However, I strongly believe that this asset sale not only represents the best value for the companies’ creditors that was achievable in challenging market conditions, but also provides an opportunity for CVI, through its owner Christian Verhounig, to continue to pursue funding opportunities to potentially relaunch CMV’s unique cruise operations to its dedicated customers at some point in the future.”

Cancelled bookings remain unaffected by the sale and details of how to claim refunds are available on Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ and TransOcean Kreuzfahrten’s local websites.

Former Cruise & Maritime Voyages boss plots course for a relaunch

Former Cruise & Maritime Voyages boss plots course for a relaunch

The former boss of Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) has bought the collapsed cruise line’s customer database and booking systems in a bid to relaunch it, reports Sky News.

The Essex-based business entered administration last month after failing to secure additional funding.

Sky News reports that “a number of assets” belonging to CMV have been sold to a new vehicle established by Christian Verhounig, its former chief executive.

The deal is expected to be announced on Friday.

Sources told the broadcaster that Duff & Phelps, the administrator, had sought to sell the business and wider assets of CMV and several sister companies but this had proved unsuccessful in an industry devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

CMV’s administration did not include its fleet of six ships, which included Marco Polo (pictured) and Columbus.

There are no passengers onboard any CMV ships when it collapsed, although the suspension of its programme as a result of the pandemic affected 50,000 passengers.

Paul Williams, the joint administrator at Duff & Phelps, told Sky: “We have worked hard since being appointed to secure a sale of the business and assets of the companies.

“Regrettably, given the devastating impact of the global pandemic on the entire travel industry, with a focus on the leisure cruise sector, this has not been possible in this instance.

“However, I strongly believe that this asset sale not only represents the best value for the companies’ creditors that was achievable in challenging market conditions, but also provides an opportunity for CVI, through its owner Christian Verhounig, to continue to pursue funding opportunities to potentially relaunch CMV’s unique cruise operations to its dedicated customers at some point in the future.”

Verhounig told Sky: “The global pandemic had a devastating impact on CMV’s once-flourishing, expanding and profitable business.

“Having developed a much-loved brand over the past decade and the hugely popular value-based niche insolvency product, we have been simply overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and pleased to re-launch the business.

“This endorsement across the industry and customer base alike has been a rich source of encouragement and together with my previous management team, we are working hard to plug the huge market gap vacated by CMV’s untimely insolvency.

“The acquisition of the UK commercial assets provides a positive first step and we believe demonstrates our firm commitment and optimism to return much stronger and to work alongside our loyal suppliers and creditors to also help mitigate the pandemic impact.”

Sky News reported that a source said CMV customers whose bookings were cancelled as a result of the company’s administration would have to continue to seek compensation through the existing claims process.

Wind Turbine Behemoth Plans for Hydrogen Future

By William Mathis and Laura Millan Lombrana (Bloomberg) — Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA has one eye on the future where its wind turbines could play a key role in creating hydrogen.

The company, which earlier this year launched the world’s biggest wind turbine, plans to start a pilot project in Denmark to test how its machines could power production of the fuel seen as key to eliminating carbon emissions from transportation and heavy industries. The European Union has big plans for the clean-burning gas and the bloc placed it at the centre of its Green Deal earlier this year.

The pilot project is under construction near Siemens Gamesa’s Danish headquarters in Brande, western Denmark, Chief Executive Officer Andreas Nauen said in an interview on Thursday. It will include a 3-megawatt wind turbine that will power a 400-kilowatt electrolyzer, a machine that separates the hydrogen atoms in water from oxygen atoms, “We will be for the first time combining the two technologies,” said Nauen, who took over as CEO in June after leading the company’s offshore division. “It is not to produce hydrogen in big quantities, but to test the combination of both.”

It could be a compelling model. Danish utility Orsted A/S is already exploring a number of hydrogen projects for its wind farms and Royal Dutch Shell Plc plans to produce the gas from a park it’s going to build off the Dutch coast. Making and selling hydrogen could provide a new source of revenue for wind projects that would offset the risk in the sometimes volatile electricity market.

BNEF projections of the cost of producing green hydrogen, when compared with hydrogen derived from natural gas.
No one before has used wind power alone, without a grid connection, to produce hydrogen, Nauen said. It’s a project that will provide insight that could be crucial to scaling up the technology too much larger turbines and wind farms both on land and at sea.

Earlier this year, Siemens Gamesa announced plans to build a 14-megawatt offshore turbine with a rotor diameter of 222 meters (728 feet), a few meters larger than the previous record.

The company expects to conduct testing at the hydrogen pilot from October to December and then start hydrogen production in January. A Danish hydrogen fuel company called Everfuel will distribute the gas for vehicles including taxis and buses to use in Copenhagen.

European governments aim to spend billions of dollars to help nurture domestic industries to produce hydrogen. The funding could help scale production and bring down costs.

Offshore Experience

Siemens Gamesa is currently at a similar stage with hydrogen as it was a few years ago with offshore wind, Nauen said.

The executive has worked in offshore wind for more than a decade and has seen how the industry went from being a niche market using turbines designed for land use into a multi-billion-dollar industry with tailor-made machines the size of skyscrapers. Hydrogen could follow a similar trajectory if companies figure out an economical way to produce it. If it takes off, hydrogen will change the whole energy landscape, he said.

“I could imagine maybe it goes a little faster now, but it’s way too early,” Nauen said. “All the money that you currently see coming into this business is about making sure the technology works.”

The company has a team working on hydrogen that’s spread across all of Siemens Gamesa’s divisions. In the future, the company could sell wind farm developers hydrogen equipment along with its turbines, Nauen said. But he doesn’t expect any large-scale wind-hydrogen project until around 2025.

© 2020 Bloomberg L.P.

MSC Forced to Delay MSC Magnifica Program

MSC Magnifica on the Firth of Forth

MSC Cruises announced today it will postpone the restart of MSC Magnifica until September 26, 2020 despite just having completed a first successful cruise with the MSC Grandiosa.

MSC cited the recent introduction of additional testing measures for residents of Italy having traveled to Greece.

"We are seeing cancellations and a softening in demand since the ship’s itinerary includes as many as three ports in that country. This has led to the decision to delay the restart of the ship by four weeks," the company said.

MSC added that it believes that reservations will start to pick up again in the coming weeks due to the appeal of the itinerary.

MSC Magnifica’s sales are open to residents of the Schengen area, at the same time in this early phase of restart the majority of guests are expected to be Italian nationals and residents.

As a result, MSC Magnifica cruise departures from August 29 to September 19 have been cancelled. The first cruise will depart from Bari, Italy with an unchanged itinerary on September 26.

The MSC Grandiosa is currently offering seven-night cruises with embarkation in the Italian ports of Genoa, Civitavecchia, Naples and Palermo and also calling at Valletta, Malta.

Princess Cancels Two 2021 World Cruises

Princess Cruises is cancelling its early 2021 World Cruises and Circle South America cruises on two ships:

• Island Princess 2021 World Cruise sailing from North America, including associated segments and remaining voyages sailing immediately prior .
• Pacific Princess 2021 Circle South America sailing from Australia, including associated positioning cruises.

Princess cited o restrictions and limitations with border and port access determined by government and health authorities and the continued uncertainty of airline travel.

"We share in the disappointment of this cancellation for guests of our world cruises because it's a pinnacle cruise vacation experience, booked by some of our most loyal guests," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president.

Guests currently booked on these cancelled voyages will receive a refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare paid plus an additional non-refundable bonus FCC equal to 25% of the cruise fare paid. To receive the above FCCs, no action is required by the guest or their travel advisor.

Alternatively, guests can forfeit the bonus FCC offer and request a refund for all money paid on their booking by using this online form. Guests have until September 30, 2020 to elect a refund, or they will automatically receive the default offer listed above.

Princess will protect travel advisor commissions on bookings for cancelled cruises that were paid in full, in recognition of the critical role they play in the cruise line's business and success.

MSC's Strict Screening Processes Are Already Working

MSC Grandiosa

MSC Cruises' host of new health and safety protocols are already working, as the cruise line has denied boarding to a group of guests following COVID-19 testing, according to a statement.

The Grandiosa was back in Genoa for her turnaround call on Sunday, and while MSC disinfected the ship, guests in the terminal underwent testing. 

MSC said that during embarkation, a young man tested positive for both an antigen test and a second molecular level test.

As a result, MSC denied boarding to both the young man and his family; 15 people in total who had traveled to Genoa for the cruise by van.

In addition, last Saturday while the ship was on her way back to Genoa from Valletta, all guests who went ashore in Malta took the mandatory testing required by the Italian authorities prior to re-entering Italy. All tested negative.

"Other than that, life on board during the first and the early phases of the next cruise ran smoothly, with guests enjoying every bit of the specialty restaurants, cafés and shops that our flagship has to offer. Similarly, many of the shore excursions on offer – we call them protected ashore visits, were sold out," MSC said, in a statement. 

Cunard Cancels Cruises Into 2021 and Makes Sweeping Deployment Changes

Queen Mary 2

Cunard will be extending its pause in operations from November 2020 until March 25, 2021 for its ship Queen Elizabeth; until April 18, 2021 for Queen Mary 2 and until May 16, 2021 for Queen Victoria, the company announced.

Cunard president Simon Palethorpe said:  “We are so sorry to all those guests who were due to sail on any of the cancelled voyages and for the disappointment this news will cause. After very careful consideration and reviewing the latest guidance, we simply do not feel it would be sensible to start sailing again with our current schedule so we have reviewed future itineraries.

“Queen Elizabeth has returned to the UK and with ongoing uncertainty over the re-opening of many ports and countries, it is sadly not practical to continue her planned itineraries for 2021.

“Therefore, in addition to the pause in operations, all of Queen Elizabeth’s sailings due to depart between March 26, 2021 and December 13, 2021, in and around Australia, Japan and Alaska, will be cancelled.

“These voyages will be replaced with a programme of shorter duration European holidays ranging from three to 14 nights, departing from Southampton. These will start at the end of March 2021, with a series of scenic voyages around the coast of Cornwall, the west coast of Ireland and the Scottish Isles. There will also be short breaks to Amsterdam which will include an overnight in the city, as well as voyages to northern and southern European destinations including Norway and the Iberian coast, with several of these itineraries featuring overnight city stays.

Queen Elizabeth

“Queen Elizabeth’s new program will be completed with a series of seven and 14 night voyages in the Mediterranean, sailing from Barcelona. It is an exciting new programme which I am sure will have great appeal.”

All new itineraries onboard the Queen Elizabeth will be available to book from September 29, 2020.

Palethorpe continued: “Additionally, recognising the immense disappointment of those onboard Queen Mary 2’s curtailed World Voyage this year, and the cancellation of her World Voyage in 2021, we are delighted that Queen Mary 2 will sail a classic World Voyage in 2022. This will replace her scheduled sailings departing January 3, 2022 to April 3, 2022, including the voyage to South America.”

The new 104 night adventure will depart from Southampton on January 10, 2022 and include calls to Greece, Dubai, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Australia and Bali before returning to Southampton via Abu Dhabi, Oman, Italy and Portugal. The ship will sail through the Suez Canal both on the outbound journey and on return. It will be bookable, either as a full world voyage or as one of six sectors, from September 8, 2020.

“Given the current uncertainty, the complexity of our scheduled World Voyage with our international mix of guests visiting many countries and continents, each with its own evolving travel regulations was a very real factor in our decision making.”

Fred Olsen to retire Boudicca and Black Watch

Fred Olsen to retire Boudicca and Black Watch

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has confirmed it is to retire Boudicca and Black Watch, with two new ships, Bolette and Borealis, taking over planned itineraries when they join the fleet and the line resumes sailing.

The introduction of former Holland America Line vessels Bolette and Borealis will increase Fred Olsen’s capacity by around 30%, although both vessels carry under 1,400 guests.

Guests who were booked to sail on Boudicca and Black Watch will automatically have their booking transferred to the same itineraries on Bolette or Borealis and will be contacted in the coming weeks.

Peter Deer, managing director, said: “I am pleased to say we are now at the stage of finalising our back in the water plans and we are very excited to be doing this with two new vessels within our fleet.

“While we are still looking at a number of options for Boudicca and Black Watch, what we do know is that they won’t resume sailing with us when we do start to cruise again.”

He added: “We know that these ships are much loved among our guests, as indeed they are by us, but it is time to evolve and look ahead to a long and bright future for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.

“We will soon be revealing more details on our plans to resume sailing again, but in the meantime, we hope many of you will join us on our virtual farewell cruises to see our two ships off in style.”

Rapid COVID-19 Testing Likely to Be Part of Resumption of Cruising

Rapid COVID-19 Testing Likely to Be Part of Resumption of Cruising

Swab test before boarding.

Rapid COVID-19 testing is emerging as a likely strategy, as lines look to tweak health and safety protocols in order to resume sailings.

Speaking to investors on its second-quarter earnings call, Royal Caribbean president and CEO Michael Bayley stated that rapid testing for COVID-19 is something the line is seriously considering for its brands, which include Azamara, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and ultra-luxury line Silversea.

"Particularly as it relates to the Caribbean…testing is very much at the front of how people are thinking of protocols for returning," Bayley said.

A number of Caribbean nations already require travellers to obtain COVID-19 negative testing -- either rapid, molecular or PCR -- prior to arrival; measures that will make rapid testing almost a necessity for cruising to resume in the region. This includes countries like Barbados, Turks & Caicos, and Dominica.

Also included are overseas territories like the U.S. Virgin Islands, which 

requires mandatory proof 

of a COVID-negative test for visitors residing in states that have higher than 10 per cent positivity rate 

according to data supplied

 by Johns Hopkins University. As of this writing, that includes the states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina Texas, and Washington.

Rapid Testing " Would Make a Huge Difference"

Other cruise lines also see rapid COVID testing as a way for the cruise industry to move forward.

In announcing its recent limited restart of cruising in the Mediterranean for Schengen Zone (European Union) residents, MSC Cruises stated that COVID-19 testing will be a mandatory part of the embarkation process. Under the new protocols, passengers will be given a temperature check, a health questionnaire and a COVID-19 swab test at embarkation.

Passengers who test positive from either the swab test or who or display symptoms will be denied boarding.

Rapid testing could have prevented the situation that UnCruise Adventures found itself in, as the small ship line attempted to restart cruising in Alaska.

In that instance, a passenger who initially tested negative for COVID-19 72 hours prior ended up testing positive when tested at Juneau Airport. Those results took two days to come back, by which time the passenger was already on board and at sea. The ship was forced to turn around, with other passengers quarantined.

On August 13, UnCruise revealed that there was no spread of COVID-19 aboard Wilderness Adventurer, with the passenger in question subsequently testing negative for the virus.

"We know that rapid testing is out there but it's not typically available for companies of our size," UnCruise president and CEO Dan Blanchard media on a call during the afternoon of August 13. "I'm told the test kits are available, but the analyzers are not. It's probably not too long before rapid testing is widely available, but of course, it has to be effective rapid testing."

While noting that no test for COVID-19 is currently one hundred per cent accurate, Blanchard says the high degree of reliability of most rapid tests, combined with the relatively low wait time is crucial to restarting tourism and the economy and helping to slow the spread of the virus.

"Rapid testing, in my mind, would make a huge difference," he added. "If we'd had a rapid tester at the Juneau airport and it had a four-hour return on it, that would make the difference between boarding that guest and not boarding that guest."

For his part, Blanchard is adamant that the positive diagnosis obtained in Juneau for the passenger in question has to be taken seriously, regardless of the subsequent negative test.

"What we're going forward with, as far as the rumour mill goes, we are letting that false-positive sit to the side because we believe we have to follow science and not public opinion," he said. Blanchard noted that once news of the infection broke, "It just killed us."

Earlier at the start of the global health crisis, Blanchard's UnCruise and a handful of other local U.S. operators formed a coalition to advocate for the cruise industry within the United States. Blanchard says that focus is now directed at pressing government officials for better access to rapid testing equipment.

"We are in constant contact with our Senators in Alaska and congresspeople with Alaska and Washington, so they are aware of the situation," said Blanchard.  "They are aware of the need for a nationwide rapid-testing program."

What Is Rapid COVID-19 Testing?

While rare at first (and still hard to get in some areas), COVID-19 testing is slowly becoming a fact of life in specific instances in the United States and around the world.

In the United States, some medical procedures require a COVID-19 test, while students returning to college are often being required to submit to frequent tests as a pre-requisite before living in dorms. Some essential workers, too, have taken regular COVID-19 tests throughout the pandemic, while some states with low virus rates, such as Massachusetts and Maine, require negative tests for entry.

But many of those tests still have lagging return times.

"There's clearly a need for more good-quality molecular testing, especially rapid handheld diagnostics," Sergio Carmona, chief access officer with Geneva's Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), 

told Chemical and Engineering News

 this month.

The definition of a rapid point-of-care test, according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines issued on August 5, mandates that results should be delivered in under 40 minutes and must have a true negative rate of at least 97 per cent. A test should cost less than $20, and machines should be priced at under $3,000.

Several companies have already developed rapid testing machines with these exact specifications. San Diego-based Mesa Biotech's Accula system provides test results in roughly half an hour, and the device only costs a few hundred dollars, with cartridges priced around $20. Nearly 2,000 of the devices are currently in use, with more on the way.

Because these are point-of-care tests, results are delivered on-location, with no need to send testing away to local laboratories.

There are numerous other manufacturers around the world that have either developed or are developing rapid testing devices. The implications of these reach far beyond cruising's sphere; a mining company in Canada recently announced it would begin utilizing the devices to test workers, while the 

UK government has revealed

 it will roll out rapid COVID-19 testing throughout hospitals, care homes and labs beginning this month.  

The devices selected by the UK can also detect other winter viruses like the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and do not require a trained health professional to operate them.

As these rapid point-of-care tests increase in availability, the likelihood of them being used in airports, cruise ports, and other travel-related industries increases dramatically.

Cruise Critic Members Supportive

Cruise Critic members are overwhelmingly supportive of rapid-COVID 19 testings as a condition of embarkation.

In an informal poll started by member molly361 on the Royal Caribbean board, 84.4 per cent of the 141 respondents stated they would support taking a rapid COVID-19 test in order to cruise. A total of 10.64 per cent of respondents said they would not concede to a test, while 4.96 per cent were undecided.

"I really had not thought about COVID testing," writes molly361. " I was hung up on not wanting to wear a mask on vacation."

"Why would anyone object to a COVID test," writes compman9. "What possible harm can a check if you have a deadly disease be objectionable?"

"No problem taking a test, but I think other steps would also be necessary since the test is only one part of the story," writes yogimax.

Rapid Testing Not Set In Stone

Royal Caribbean's Bayley was quick to note that firm health and safety protocols requiring the use of rapid COVID-19 testing as a condition of sailing have not yet been set in stone but again reiterated that for certain destinations its usage would make sense.

"Testing is part of the thinking, but we have not yet reached a point in our protocols where we're ready to publish and release for discussion," concluded Bayley. "Discussions are underway. We have a degree of confidence in the Healthy Sail panel that we've formed and all of our protocols are under review with the panel."

If implemented, rapid COVID-19 tests would still be used in conjunction with other health and safety measures, like masks and social distancing. Royal Caribbean Chairman and CEO Richard Fain have previously stated that masks will most likely play a role in cruising's immediate return to service.

"One of the things the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has emphasized is the simple solution of people wearing masks would make a huge difference," Fain said during a coffee chat for travel advisors with Vicki Freed, senior vice president of Sales, Trade Support and Service, on July 15. " It's remarkable how effective it (masks) can be. And it's very simple. I now have to add, 'Wear the Mask.'"

Costa Releases More Details on Restart

Costa Cruises restart plan includes two new itineraries for Italian guests only, sailing to only Italian ports. Guests will only be allowed off the ship on organized shore excursions from Costa.

From September 6 to September 27, the Costa Deliziosa will depart every Sunday from Trieste, with calls in Bari and Brindisi in Puglia, Corigliano-Rossano in Calabria, Siracusa and Catania in Sicily.

On September 19, the Costa Diadema will leave from Genoa and call at Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, Palermo, Cagliari and La Spezia.

"With the aim to allow guests to better enjoy their holidays while respecting the safety of guests, crew and local communities, the company has developed the Costa Safety Protocol for its fleet," the company announced. "The Costa Safety protocol is a comprehensive set of measures and procedures in response to the COVID-19 situation, relating to all aspects of the cruise experience, both onboard and ashore. Supported by a panel of independent scientific experts in Public Health, the Costa Safety Protocol is consistent with the health protocols defined by the Italian Government and European (EU Healthy Gateways) authorities. The protocol will be constantly updated based on the evolution of the scenario and medical knowledge."

MSC Cruises Bans Family For Breaking Crucial Coronavirus Safety Rule

MSC Cruises Bans Family For Breaking Crucial Coronavirus Safety Rule

MSC Grandiosa (closest) and the MSC Magnifica just sticking out.

MSC Cruises has shown just how serious it is about health and safety, removing a family from its ship who broke its coronavirus rules.

The cruise line is operating a select sailing in the Mediterranean aboard its new ship MSC Grandiosa, which was open to residents of Schengen countries only.

The action was taken after a family broke the cruise line’s strict health and safety rules, which included not wandering off on land excursions.

To ensure the safety of passengers, limit contact and manage the spread of the virus, MSC is only allowing guided land excursions. This means passengers stay in a ‘ship bubble’ and don’t come into contact with anyone else not on board the ship.

However, the unnamed passengers decided to break the rules when in Naples, Italy, wandering off from the rest of the group to explore the city on their own.

The passengers were then not allowed to re-embark the ship, for fear of endangering other passengers and crew, the line has confirmed.

The grand shopping and food courts with the Giant LCD screen ceiling

MSC Grandiosa is the first major ocean ship to sail in the Mediterranean in almost five months, following the coronavirus pandemic.

After approval from the needed ports, MSC Grandiosa set sail on a western Mediterranean cruise on Sunday (16 August), at 70 per cent capacity with 2,500 passengers on board.

The ship left from the Italian port of Genoa on a seven-night sailing calling at Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples, Palermo and Malta.

Sadly, the sailing was not available for British or Irish passengers, instead only open to residents of EU countries.

“In line with our health and safety protocol, developed to ensure the health and wellbeing of our guests, crew and the communities we visit, we had to deny re-embarkation to a family who broke from their shore excursion while visiting Naples, Italy,” said a spokesperson for MSC Cruises.

“By departing from the organised shore excursion, this family broke from the ‘social bubble’ created for them and all other guests, and therefore could not be permitted to re-board the ship.”

The cruise line stated that other health and safety measures include transfers being properly sanitised, social distancing, tour guides and drivers undergoing health screenings and the wearing of PPE.

Crystal Cruises clarifies situation over parent company finances

Crystal Cruises clarifies situation over parent company finances

Crystal Cruises has issued a clarification statement after its Asian-based owner revealed doubts over financial restructuring plans.

Covid-19-hit Genting Hong Kong, which also runs Dream Cruises and Star Cruises, disclosed debts of $3.37 billion as it admitted that a fundraising exercise “may or may not be consummated”.

The luxury line, which has paused sailings for the rest of the year due to the pandemic, said in response: “Crystal’s parent company, Genting Hong Kong, is engaged in a financial restructuring and fundraising exercise to address liquidity issues that resulted from its global fleet not operating because of Covid-19.

“It is important to understand that the company is not going out of business.

“Whatever option our parent company pursues, it will allow Crystal to operate its business.”

The cruise line continued: “Additionally, we have always been committed to honouring our contractual obligations with guests and travel partners, including the processing of refunds.

“While we have extended our suspension of global voyages until the end of the year, we are working with government and health authorities in our key markets to resume sailing when it is safe to do so and we look forward to welcoming our guests back on board at that time.”