Port Everglades Ready For Double Ship Day For Royal Caribbean and Celebrity

For the first time in more than 15 months, two cruise ships with passengers will be sailing from Port Everglades on the same day, Saturday, July 31 at 6PM, according to a press release.

Royal Caribbean International’s Odyssey of the Seas will sail on her inaugural cruise.

At the same time, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge will depart on her sixth voyage since kicking off the industry’s restart on June 26 from Port Everglades, according to the port. 

Broward County visitors and residents are invited to watch the ships sail from the south end of Fort Lauderdale Beach or from Dr Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Hollywood, or join the sail-away from the water on Facebook Live @port.everglades.

In addition, Celebrity’s Celebrity Equinox is scheduled to sail on its second voyage on Sunday, August 1, for a total of three ships sailing during the off-season summer months.

“It’s starting to look a lot like a cruise port here again,” said Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Jonathan Daniels. “After no passengers or revenue for at least 15 months, and significant job loss, it is a greatly welcome re-start. The cruise lines and the port are doing all they can to enforce safe protocols to continue sailing.”

“The vaccine is a game-changer that will inject tourism dollars into our community,” said Broward County Mayor Steve Geller. “Approximately 6,000 local workers have been directly impacted by the cruise shutdown and another 84,000 residents were employed in the local hospitality and tourism industry. Those jobs have been severely impacted by the virus and the pause in cruise travel."

Residential Ship Njord to Be Built at Meyer Werft, Delivery Targeted for 2025

Ocean Residences has announced that it has signed a ship construction contract with Meyer Werft to build the M/Y Njord with target delivery in 2025.

“We are fortunate to have the opportunity to partner with Meyer Werft, a company that has kept its shipbuilding on course for 226 years – that’s seven generations – and which is the world leader in building innovative and complex passenger vessels with a stellar reputation for exceptional quality, precision and on-time deliveries,” said the CEO of Ocean Residences Development, Kristian Stensby. “Around 50 luxury liners have left their shipyard to date.”

According to a press release, the Njord is designed to meet the strictest environmental regulations, both at delivery and for the future. The vessel will be powered by dual-fuel engines, with tank capacity for marine gas oil and LNG, batteries for hybridization, heat recovery systems, and advanced power management systems.

To ensure that the vessel is future-proof, the engines and fuel tanks will be ready for easy conversion, to take advantage of future fuels with lower or neutral carbon footprint, Ocean Residences said.

New Adult-Only Experiences Aboard the Disney Wish Revealed

Disney Cruise Line has unveiled new experiences for adults sailing aboard its newest ship, the Disney Wish, in summer 2022.

According to a press release, in addition to a previously announced Star Wars-themed lounge and fine dining experiences inspired by “Beauty and the Beast,” the 2,500-passenger ship will debut a variety of new venues for adults, including the fleet’s first outdoor spa retreat, salon and barbershop experiences, and a collection of bars and lounges.

“With the Disney Wish, we wanted to design an experience that allows our grown-up guests to relax, recharge and reconnect in unique ways that only Disney Cruise Line can create,” said Laura Cabo, portfolio creative executive, Walt Disney Imagineering. “(W)e added more variety and made them more accessible than ever before. This ship has truly been designed with adults’ vacation needs in mind, and I know our guests are going to return home feeling refreshed after their Disney Wish vacation.”

Senses Spa

A new addition to Disney, Senses Spa, will feature a dedicated outdoor relaxation space with whirlpool spas, plush loungers and yoga sessions. This open-air space is a new extension to Disney Cruise Line’s Rainforest experience, which has been reimagined for the Disney Wish. The Rainforest will introduce the fleet’s first ice lounge, allowing guests to combine thermal therapies. It will also include heated ergonomic loungers, sensory spa showers and sauna, steam and dry chambers.

Senses Spa will also feature private treatment rooms and spa villas for couples. In addition to a menu of massage, facial and acupuncture therapies, guests will be able to select from a menu of specialized treatments customized to their needs, such as pain management and sleep improvement.

Adjacent to the spa, the reimagined Senses Fitness will offer exercise and wellness facilities, including the main room with exercise equipment, a dedicated cycle studio and an aerobics room.

Salon and Barbery

The Disney Wish will premiere two brand-new salon experiences — the fleet’s first standalone venues for hairstyling and beauty services — where adults can treat themselves in inviting, social environments that have been uniquely designed with inspiration from classic Walt Disney Animation Studios films.

Untangled Salon

At Untangled Salon, adults can let their hair down and have it styled any way they want, Disney said in a press release. Inspired by Disney’s animated princess Rapunzel, this salon will be adorned in shades of purple and gold, decorated with floating lantern light fixtures and outfitted with privacy screens depicting Rapunzel’s own paintings.

In addition to haircuts and styling, Untangled Salon will also offer manicures, pedicures, teeth whitening and skin treatments.

Hook’s Barbery

Hook’s Barbery will be a unique twist on a traditional European men’s salon, offering cuts, shaves, and nail and skincare. Decked out in dark woods, leather chairs and golden mirrors, space will brim with narrative details inspired by another Disney character, Captain Hook: an inlaid wooden map of Never Land, a hidden pocket watch and a hook, among others.

Hook’s Barbery will also feature a hidden bar serving bourbons, vintage whisky and port, aged rum and premium spirits.

Nightlife

The Disney Wish will also offer a collection of relaxed and refined bars and lounges reserved exclusively for adults each evening. For the first time, Disney said, these venues will be spread out among the ship’s other core gathering places for a more flexible experience that will allow adult guests more opportunities to enjoy “me time” throughout their cruise.

Keg & Compass

Keg & Compass is a pub that, according to the press release, celebrates the adventure and romance of the sea, designed in the style of a late 1800s Norwegian sailor’s map room. Drawing inspiration from the rich folklore of Norse seafaring, period-style oil paintings will depict tales of the deep and intricate carvings of tentacles, barnacles, compasses and more.

Spanning the entire ceiling will be an old maritime-style map that features a homage to Disney characters and stories related to the sea. In addition to such characters as Ursula and Moana, the map will call out important locales related to The Walt Disney Company and the design and construction of the Disney Wish.

Guests will be able to watch live sports, news and major broadcast events while sampling a specialized selection of beers, including three custom craft brews available exclusively aboard the Disney Wish, along with an assortment of liquors, wines and cocktails.

Nightingale’s

According to Disney, Nightingale’s is a refined piano bar inspired by Cinderella’s lyrical rendition of “Sing Sweet Nightingale” in the 1950 film. It offers fine wines, bubblies and hand-crafted cocktails.

Classically modern with a soft metallic palette, the predominant design feature will be a glittering chandelier above the piano. This lounge will be a thematic extension of the fairytale-inspired Grand Hall from which it stems.

The Bayou

The Bayou is an informal New Orleans-inspired lounge themed to “The Princess and the Frog.” Its design includes magnolia blossoms, lily pads and a canopy of twinkling fireflies overhead, as well as a bronze statue of each character and two gazebos inspired by the city’s iconic wrought iron metalwork structures.

This venue will offer cocktails, coffees and beignets in a “lively, social atmosphere complete with live entertainment and musical performances,” Disney said.

More for Adults

The Disney Wish will also feature a new lounge, a trio of premium culinary experiences and a dedicated pool district on the upper decks exclusively for guests ages 18 and older.

Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge

For the first time on a Disney ship, guests will embark on a tour of the Star Wars galaxy at Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge, a bar styled as a luxurious yacht-class spaceship. This immersive experience will be reserved for adults every evening, offering interactive tasting experiences and signature beverages inspired by the films.

Speciality Dining

For food and drinks, adults will be able to enjoy Palo Steakhouse, Enchanté by Chef Arnaud Lallement and The Rose.

• Palo Steakhouse is an evolution of the Palo restaurant familiar to Disney cruisers. It now combines Italian dining with the classic refinement of a modern steakhouse in a setting inspired by Cogsworth, the majordomo-turned-enchanted clock from Beauty and the Beast.

• Enchanté will feature a gourmet menu crafted by three-Michelin-starred Chef Arnaud Lallement in a venue inspired by Beauty and the Beast’s candelabra maitre d', Lumiere.

• Inspired by the fateful flower at the heart of the story, The Rose is a lounge at the entrance of Palo Steakhouse and Enchanté, most suitable for a pre-dinner aperitif or after-dinner cocktail.

Quiet Cove Pool District

A Quiet Cove, guests aged 18 and older will find an adults-only area dedicated to lounging, sipping and soaking. The place will offer an infinity pool with panoramic views of the ocean, a whirlpool spa, an open-air bar and a poolside cafe.

Maiden Voyage and Inaugural Season

The Disney Wish will sail its maiden voyage on June 9, 2022, followed by a season of three- and four-night cruises to Nassau, Bahamas, and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, from Port Canaveral, Florida.

Construction Starts on P&O Cruises’ New Ship Arvia

The building of P&O Cruises second Excel class ship Arvia, arriving December 2022, has started at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Warnemunde, Germany.

The first component of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered ship, the floating engine room unit (FERU), has been moved into the shed at the Meyer Werft shipyard where the Arvia will be constructed.

Made by Neptun Werft the FERU, with Arvia's engines and LNG tanks within it, is 140 meters long, 42 meters wide and weighs approximately 12,000 tons.

The Arvia will feature Altitude Skywalk, a unique high ropes experience, and offer a maiden season of Caribbean fly/cruise holidays, from homeport Barbados.

MSC Signs Five-Year Deal With Cruise Saudi

MSC Cruises has signed a five-year agreement with Cruise Saudi for preferential berthing rights at the port of Jeddah.

According to the cruise line’s press release, this is a “further sign of its long-term commitment to support the development of the local tourism sector by operating cruises in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf.”

The announcement was made in Jeddah as one of the company’s most modern ships, the MSC Bellissima, celebrated the opening of the city’s new passenger terminal with a commemorative event onboard.

The new cruise terminal will welcome guests onboard for MSC Bellissima’s inaugural season in the Red Sea with three- and four-night cruises from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to both Egypt and Jordan until the end of October.

The event onboard the MSC Bellissima was hosted by Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises and Fawaz Farooqui, managing director of Cruise Saudi, for local dignitaries, senior officials from the Saudi Tourism Authority, Cruise Saudi, the Saudi Ports Authority – Mawani as well as members of the Saudi Arabian media and travel community.

The Master of the ship Captain Roberto Leotta, who will helm the MSC Bellissima in the months ahead, exchanged crests with Fawaz Farooqui in a traditional maritime ceremony to celebrate a vessel’s maiden port call.

MSC said that those onboard for the event were given guided ship tours, treated to a special show by MSC Cruises’ entertainment team and also enjoyed fine dining in a range of the ship’s specialty restaurants.

“This is a very special, historic day for all of us. The largest and most modern cruise ship to operate in the Red Sea has set sail from Jeddah’s new terminal to mark a new beginning for cruising in Saudi Arabia and, more broadly, for its growing tourism industry,” said Vago.

“We can now allow our global guest base to come and experience our unique itineraries in this beautiful country with its historic UNESCO World Heritage sites and pristine shores. And with the new agreement in place, together with Cruise Saudi we will work in unison to develop this very special aspect of Saudi Arabia’s determined and sustainable growth in tourism which mirrors exactly our own strategy and ambition … And we will work together in attracting guests from all corners of the world as well as local markets for a Red Sea and Arabian Gulf holiday like no other onboard our modern and environmentally high performing vessels,” he added.

Chief Operations and Commercial Officer for Cruise Saudi, Mark Robinson, said that the event marked a great milestone for Cruise Saudi and for the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia, “in line with Vision 2030.”

“The creation of Cruise Saudi, tasked with launching the cruise industry in Saudi Arabia, happened just six months ago at FII in Riyadh. Yet in these few months we have been able to work with international partners such as the Cruise Division of MSC Group and national bodies such as the Saudi Ports Authority, MAWANI, the Red Sea Gateway Terminal, the Saudi Tourism Authority, the Ministries of Transport, Culture, Health and Tourism, Saudi Customs and Immigration, the Saudi Border Guard, Jeddah Chambers of Commerce and many more such organizations to build Saudi Arabia’s first cruise terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port, and to mobilize the infrastructure, manpower and systems required to host global cruise lines for Saudi Arabia’s first full summer and winter cruise seasons,” Robinson said.

He added: “The remit of Cruise Saudi; to create 50,000 jobs by 2025, to facilitate the building of an additional five ports, with Jeddah as a homeport, and to welcome 1.5 million annual passenger visits by 2028; is an ambitious one, which will play a major part in strengthening the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia. It is a vision that we would not be able to accomplish were it not for our trusted business partners such as MSC.”

MSC Takes Delivery of Seashore from Fincantieri

MSC Cruises has officially taken delivery of its new flagship, the MSC Seashore, from Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard. According to a press release, the 4,560-passenger Seashore is the largest cruise ship to be built in Italy.

Sister ship MSC Seascape is still under construction at the shipyard and is due to come into service in winter 2022.

MSC said that an intimate ceremony was held to mark the occasion as tradition dictates at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone and was attended in person by MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago, other members of the Aponte and Aponte-Vago families, Giampiero Massolo and Giuseppe Bono, Chairman and CEO of Fincantieri, as well as representatives from MSC’s new builds team along with executives and workers from the shipyard.

During the ceremony, which pays tribute to centuries-old maritime traditions, Roberto Olivari, Fincantieri’s shipyard director, presented to Giuseppe Galano, master of the MSC Seashore, an ampoule containing the water that first touched the hull when the ship was floated out earlier this year.

“The construction of MSC Seashore is an investment that generates a direct and indirect economic impact of almost 5 billion euros on the Italian economy. At the same time, it's coming into service also activates an important economic and employment driver for coastal communities and much beyond, generating a further significant economic impact every year for the tourism industry,” Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of the Cruise Division of MSC Group, said.

“Our new flagship is a further testament to our leadership in sustainability, with each new ship featuring the latest and most advanced environmental technology and solutions. Additionally, over and above our industry-leading health and safety protocol, the MSC Seashore is the first cruise ship in the world to feature a new and ground-breaking air sanitation system. ‘Safe Air’ uses UV-C lamp technology, eliminating 99 per cent of viruses and bacteria to guarantee clean and safe air for all guests and crew on board,” he added.

According to Vago, the Seashore demonstrates MSC’s commitment to “continuous innovation in terms of the guest experience.”

“She is, without doubt, our most stunning and sophisticated vessel to date and takes to a whole new level the already successful Seaside platform, with public spaces completely reimagined, a new secondary lounge and a broader offering both in terms of restaurants and retail options amongst many other new and much improved features. This will create a unique onboard experience for our guests this summer in the Mediterranean and during the Winter season when she will move to Miami to represent our full brand values with North American consumers,” Vago noted.

The CEO of Fincantieri, Giuseppe Bono, said that the MSC Seashore is the fourth cruise ship that the shipyard group has delivered in Italy during this “still extremely demanding year.”

“All these milestones, and others to come, have been successfully achieved and this is never taken for granted. This is why I consider this ship not only the best symbol of recovery for the whole cruise sector but also of the capability of the group to leverage its competencies and soundness to fully preserve our workload,” Bono said.

MSC has a long-term objective to achieve net carbon neutral operations by 2050. According to the cruise line, each new ship represents “another step towards this goal, alongside other investments to help accelerate the development of next-generation environmental technology.”

The MSC Seashore in particular features hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems, selective catalytic reduction systems, achieving a 98-per cent reduction of sulfur oxide emissions and reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by 90 per cent.

The Seashore’s wastewater treatment system has been designed in line with the International Maritime Organization’s MEPC 227(64) Resolution and achieves purification standards that are higher than most wastewater treatment facilities ashore, MSC said.

MSC, Fincantieri and Snam Partner for ‘World’s First Oceangoing Hydrogen-Powered Cruise Ship’

MSC Cruises, Fincantieri and Snam have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly determine the conditions for the design and construction of what would become the world’s first oceangoing hydrogen-powered cruise ship.

According to a press release, MSC Group, Fincantieri and Snam have joined forces to initially carry out a study that will assess the feasibility of designing and building “the world’s first ocean-going cruise ship powered by hydrogen.” MSC Group said that the ship would allow zero-emissions operations in certain areas and the development of the related hydrogen bunkering infrastructure.

Green hydrogen can be produced without fossil fuels, using renewable energy to split water in a process called electrolysis and can therefore be emissions-free on a full lifecycle basis, MSC said. It can be used to generate electrical power through a fuel cell, emitting only water vapour and heat. This type of ‘green’ hydrogen holds great potential to contribute to the decarbonization of the shipping industry, including cruising, whether in its pure form or as a hydrogen-derived fuel.

“As a company that has long made environmental sustainability its focus, we want to put ourselves at the forefront of the energy revolution for our sector and hydrogen can greatly contribute to this. However, today production levels remain low and hydrogen fuel is still far from being available at scale. With this project, we’re taking the lead to bring this promising technology to our fleet and the industry while sending the strongest possible signal to the market about how seriously we take our environmental commitments. As we advance with the development of the maritime technology required, we will also see that energy providers take note and ramp up production to unlock this and that governments and the public sector step in to provide the necessary support for a project that is critical to the decarbonization of cruising and shipping,” said MSC Group’s Executive Chairman of the Cruise Division, Pierfrancesco Vago.

The CEO of shipbuilding group Fincantieri, Giuseppe Bono, said that “every opportunity for new solutions and technologies is a source of growth for us.”

“This one allows us to offer our customers the best of innovation to help minimize the environmental impact,” he noted.

The CEO of international energy infrastructure operator Snam, Marco Alverà, said that the company was “strongly committed” to concrete initiatives for sustainable heavy transport – on the road, rail and by the sea – promoting the use of renewable gases such hydrogen and bio LNG.

“This agreement for us is part of a wider strategy to leverage on our experience, competencies and technologies in green gases and energy efficiency in order to contribute to the full decarbonization of the shipping value chain, including ports and logistics, which will be increasingly crucial in our economies,” Alverà explained.

“Hydrogen could be a key enabler in achieving the target of net-zero emissions in shipping, accounting for approximately 3 per cent of global CO2 emissions, as well as in all the hard to abate sectors,” he added.

As per the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, during the next 12 months, the three companies will study key factors related to the development of oceangoing hydrogen-powered cruise ships.

These include arranging ship spaces to accommodate H2 technologies and fuel cells, technical parameters of onboard systems, calculating the potential greenhouse gas emissions savings, and technical and economic analysis of hydrogen supply and infrastructure.

MSC Cruises said that it was committed to achieving net carbon neutral operations by 2050.

“To accomplish this objective, the company is working in partnership with a wide range of shipyards, suppliers, manufacturers and other organizations as well as investing in different upcoming technologies and solutions for its fleet,” MSC Group wrote. “The implementation of the cooperation above described will possibly be an object of future binding agreements to be discussed by the parties in relation thereto.”

Norwegian Cruise Line Back in Service as Jade Sails from Athens

Norwegian Cruise Line yesterday officially commemorated its cruise comeback with the Norwegian Jade sailing from the port of Athens and becoming the first ship in the fleet to welcome back guests after a 500-day pause.

Until November 2021, guests sailing aboard Norwegian Jade’s Greek Isles itinerary will wake up in a new destination every day, able to spend eight-to-nine hours in each port.

“Welcoming our guests and crew on board has been one of the most memorable moments of my over 30-year career,” said Harry Sommer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. “We are excited to embark on the Great Cruise Comeback with a brand-new itinerary and homeport for our brand, offering our guests an even greater selection of unique vacations at sea.”

Greek Minister of Tourism Harry Theoharis added, “We are overjoyed to welcome Norwegian Jade and her guests to Greece. The planned itineraries will offer unique experiences that combine our rich history, bustling culture and famous gastronomy.”

“Norwegian Jade’s first Greek Isles voyages sold out shortly after we made the announcement that we were on our way back,” said Sommer. “With such strong demand, we are glad to expand our offering in Greece with seven ships through 2023, providing our guests with a range of innovative vessels and itineraries to choose from.”

Meyer Werft and ALMACO Complete Catering Project for New Iona

ALMACO has announced the completion of a catering project for P&O Cruises’ new vessel, the Iona.

“Completing a project like this in the middle of a pandemic brought some unforeseeable challenges. Still, the project proceeded according to the plan and the co-operation with Meyer Werft run smoothly throughout the process. We are very proud of the end result,” ALMACO’s Project Manager at the building site, Valerie Maes, said.

According to a press release, ALMACO was contracted by Meyer Werft in January 2018 to provide catering solutions for the ship. Its scope of work consisted of the turnkey delivery and installation for all the cold rooms and freezer rooms – an area of around 1,900 sq. meters.

The Iona was delivered to P&O Cruises on Oct. 9, 2020. The vessel is the first British cruise ship to be powered by LNG, ALMACO said. It is also the largest, greenest, and most innovative ship in the P&O Cruises fleet.

ALMACO said that it is “very proud to have been a part of building this green, sea-friendly ship.”

The Iona will be sailing in Northern Europe, Spain, Portugal, and the Canary Islands.

Here Are the Mainstream Cruise Ships Set to Sail in Alaska

With the first big vessels now sailing in Alaska, the mainstream cruise industry is now back in the market after two years.

Through August, seven cruise lines and eight modern vessels are set to resume service at the Last Frontier, offering a total 83 voyages.

Here are the ships sailing in Alaska:

Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International
Ship: Serenade of the Seas
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,100
Built: 2003
Homeport: Seattle (United States)
Itinerary: Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point; scenic cruising in Endicott Arm fjord and Dawes Glacier
Length: 7 nights 
First Cruise: In service since July 19, 2021

Cruise Line: Celebrity Cruises
Ship: Celebrity Millennium
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,038
Built: 2000
Homeport: Seattle (United States)
Itinerary: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway; scenic cruising in Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier
Length: 7 nights
First Cruise: July 23, 2021

Cruise Line: Holland America Line
Ship: Nieuw Amsterdam
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,100
Built: 2010
Homeport: Seattle (United States)
Itinerary: Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka and Ketchikan; scenic cruising in Glacier Bay and Stephens Passage
Length: 7 nights
First Cruise: July 24, 2021

Cruise Line: Princess Cruises
Ship: Majestic Princess
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 3,600
Built: 2017
Homeport: Seattle (United States)
Itinerary: Glacier Bay National Park, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan
Length: 7 nights
First Cruise: July 25, 2021

Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Line
Ship: Carnival Miracle
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,100
Built: 2004
Homeport: Seattle (United States)
Itinerary: Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan; scenic cruising in Tracy Arm Fjord
Length: 7 nights
First Cruise: July 27, 2021

Cruise Line: Silversea Cruises
Ship: Silver Muse
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 596
Built: 2017
Homeport: Seattle (United States)
Itinerary: Ketchikan, Juneau, Wrangell, Skagway, Sitka and more; scenic cruising in Sawyer Glacier and Mendenhall Glacier
Length: 10 and 11 nights
First Cruise: July 29, 2021

Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Line
Ship: Norwegian Encore
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 4,200
Built: 2019
Homeport: Seattle (United States)
Itinerary: Icy Strait Point, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan; scenic cruising in Endicott Arm
Length: 7 nights
First Cruise: August 7, 2021

Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International
Ship: Ovation of the Seas
Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 4,100
Built: 2016
Homeport: Seattle (United States)
Itinerary: Glacier Bay National Park, the Inside Passage, Juneau and Skagway
Length: 7 nights
First Cruise: August 13, 2021

In addition, a number of small operators with U.S.-flagged ships are operating in Alaska, including Lindblad Expeditions, American Cruise Lines, UnCruise and Alaskan Dream Cruises.

Carnival's Princess and Holland America Brands Mark Return to U.S. Cruising

Carnival Corporation brands Princess Cruises and Holland America Line held a celebration at the Port of Seattle today to mark their return to U.S. cruise operations. 

Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, and Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line, spoke to what the positive impact the resumption of cruising means to Seattle, the local community and Alaska, according to a press release.

Holland America Line will kick off its Alaska season with Nieuw Amsterdam setting sail tomorrow, July 24, and Princess Cruises will follow with Majestic Princess sailing on July 25. Each line will operate ten cruises sailing out of Seattle through September. 

Both cruise lines have been homeporting out of the Port of Seattle for more than 20 years. Operationally, each ship visit directly contributes more than $364,000 to the local economy in provisioning (fuel, food, flowers, piano tuning, supplies), port taxes, and spending during a full season, according to a press release.

AIDA Cruises Looking to Fill 5,000 Positions Onboard and Ashore

AIDA Cruises has announced that it’s looking for around 5,000 new employees worldwide for jobs onboard and shoreside. 

According to a press release, the offers are not just aimed at qualified specialists and managers.

The cruise company is also opening a broad range of career opportunities to motivated lateral entrants and young professionals.

AIDA Cruises also said that it offers a “wide variety of attractive apprenticeships for the start into working life.”

"Dedicated employees have always been part of our success. Whether on land or onboard – they are the ambassadors of our company. We not only offer varied jobs in an international working environment but also the opportunity to make a career with AIDA and discover the world," said Vice President for Human Resources Management at AIDA Cruises Haike Witzke. "At our company, the individual skills of each person are valued, regardless of their origin, gender and religion. We encourage every motivated employee in their career planning."

AIDA Cruises said that it offers many other incentives too. These include a company pension scheme, flexible working time models for family planning, comprehensive training and development programs, as well as attractive employee bonuses.

On land, a variety of diverse positions are currently open in the areas of IT, marketing, human resources, law, and in the AIDA Customer Center. The range of career opportunities onboard extends from the hotel business (for example, bar, reception, kitchen, restaurant) to wellness and activities (such as cosmetics, hairdresser, spa, fitness) to the care of young and grown-up guests.

AIDA Cruises said that it also offers attractive jobs in occupational groups that are not necessarily associated with cruises, such as media designers, lighting, sound or event technicians.

Carnival Investing in Connectivity Experience

“Stable, fast, affordable, and easy to connect to and use,” said John Harshaw, vice president of global infrastructure, describing the connectivity experience aboard the Carnival Cruise Line fleet.

Harshaw said Carnival had been consistently making what he called significant investments to enhance shipboard internet access across its fleet.

“This includes accessing high-capacity links, deploying resilient infrastructure, creating service offerings consistent with our guests’ expectations, and an increased focus in overall guest satisfaction,” he said, in an interview with Cruise Industry News.

“In a typical home or office environment, we see a significant increase and adoption of video conferencing, content streaming, and social media applications, and we expect this demand to continue.”

Social media and video-hungry guests and crew mean bandwidth requirements are always increasing.

“The overall capacity a single ship consumed just a few years ago is now available to a single user,” Harshaw said. “This trend will only continue and the expectation of high throughput bandwidth readily available to a single vessel will be the norm.”

Helping drive more capacity has been upgraded satellites beaming down the internet to the ships.

"There are now many new high throughput satellites available serving the ocean regions where we operate,” Harshaw explained. “Though we utilize GEO- and MEO-based networks to serve our fleet, deployments of new LEO networks and constellations are now being launched, with several industry disruptors providing potentially greater options for connectivity in the years ahead.”

Throwing bandwidth at the problem isn’t the only solution, as that capacity needs to be managed, leading to improving automation and utilizing machine-learning data-driven bandwidth management.

“As we migrate static bandwidth pipes to more intelligent routing traffic pipes, creating better visibility into demand usage, we can meet and exceed the price and performance requirements of our guests,” continued Harshaw.

“We have seen a significant measurable increase in guest and crew satisfaction with our internet experience onboard, largely due to the investments and increased focus we have made in this area.”

Excerpt from Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine: Summer 2021

MSC Cruises Publishes 2020 Sustainability Report

MSC Virtuosa photo credit David Jones© 

MSC Cruises has published its 2020 Sustainability Report. Due to the pandemic-induced cruise industry operation halt, this year’s report focuses on the steps that MSC Cruises took to secure the sustainability of its business, adapt its operation and prepare for a safe return of guests and crew alongside the key longer-term targets including decarbonization.

“During 2020 we achieved a huge amount and MSC Cruises rose to the challenges posed by the pandemic. We got all our guests and crew home safely early on, and we were then the first to launch our industry-leading health and safety operating protocol that has redefined cruising and made it one of the safest options for a holiday now, and in the future. And during all this, we did not lose sight of our commitments to be an ethical as well as a sustainable company,” said MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago.

“We made significant progress in protecting our planet by reducing emissions through investment in new technologies like LNG, which are bringing us closer to achieving net carbon neutral operations by 2050, as well as other major accomplishments in looking after our people, caring for the places we visit, improving procurement and providing emergency support through the MSC Foundation. This year’s report is another important milestone in our journey towards fully sustainable and zero climate impact operations,” he added.

Having abruptly halted all sailings fleet-wide in March 2020, MSC Cruises said that it had to see tens of thousands of guests safely home in a matter of days, establish a warm layup regime for the fleet, and start repatriating the vast majority of nearly twenty thousand crew members in an increasingly closed border environment.

Due to this halt, MSC Cruises said that it saw the number of commercially operational days for the year drop by 75 per cent and the number of passengers carried decreased by 78 per cent.

For the crew, closed borders and isolation periods meant that some of them were unable to return home for many months. They were looked after while they remained on board, given guest cabins for individual use, and provided additional emotional support services. While the cruise line looked for viable ways to safely repatriate them, MSC Cruises said that its specialized team ashore offered crew members ongoing group and one-to-one psychological support and assistance to help combat loneliness.

With the start of the pandemic, MSC Cruises said that it also rapidly set up the infrastructure required to enable a smooth transition to remote working for shoreside employees. A global communication platform was introduced to keep the business connected and allow "effective smart working."

The human resources teams worked rapidly with MSC’s IT team to ensure a “smooth transition for employees,” with online training being provided on its use and application. Over 700 shore-based staff attended these sessions, supporting an effective transition to remote working, MSC said.

In parallel to dealing with the immediate challenges brought by the pandemic, MSC Cruises worked on a Health & Safety Protocol in partnership with a specially convened Blue Ribbon COVID-19 Expert Group of public health experts.

MSC Cruises said that it “redesigned the entire cruise experience to provide guests with a safety bubble from the moment of embarkation to their return home.” Thanks to this, MSC said, it became the first cruise line to get approval from the relevant national and regional authorities to resume cruise operations in the Mediterranean region.

On Aug. 16, MSC Grandiosa departed from Genoa, Italy on a seven-night sailing having tested all guests and crew prior to embarkation, periodically screening everyone on board, and with robust contingency plans to manage suspected cases with the local health authorities.

MSC Cruises also developed a shore bubble excursion concept that ensures the safety of guests and the local communities during port calls.

According to a press release about the report, MSC also continued to make significant achievements in sustainability in 2020, which included the following: 

• Continued commitment to decarbonization: Remain on track to meet, or likely exceed, the target for 40-per cent improvement in emissions intensity by 2030 compared to 2008 as part of MSC’s journey to achieve net carbon neutral operations by 2050. Whilst true comparisons in 2020 compared to previous years are not possible with the long layups, a 2.5-per cent improvement was seen prior to lay up in 2020 compared to the previous year, which would bring efficiency improvements since 2008 to over 30 per cent.
• Optimizing energy use: In 2020, the MSC Grandiosa’s crew supported the implementation of Ecorizon, a process of ship energy optimization that collects data using onboard automation systems and sensors, allowing a very precise status report on the energy profile of the ship. The information collected is then compared with a dynamic digital twin to guide onboard operators, improve operational profiles and voyage management.
• Preparing for LNG operations: 2020 saw work advance on the MSC World Europa, MSC Cruises’ first LNG-powered ship. The ship is due to enter service in 2022, enabling a lower carbon footprint and significant reductions of SOx and NOx emissions compared to conventional propulsion. Two additional LNG-powered ships are due to enter service in 2023 and 2025.
• Promoting innovation: MSC Cruises continued to collaborate with other industry leaders in their fields to research and develop new solutions that will help the decarbonization of shipping. At the end of 2020, the EU Horizon 2020 fund awarded funding to the CHEK Consortium, a collaborative effort focusing on combining progressive energy technologies and forward-thinking ship design to promote low-carbon maritime operations including hydrogen propulsion and onboard waste to energy systems.

Additionally, teams across the business continued to work collaboratively to further reduce plastic use and creation of waste as well as lessen MSC’s impact on marine life and biodiversity.

“This report recognizes the immediate challenges that COVID-19 brought to us, and despite this, our continued focus on our environmental and social obligations and actions, not least the growing demand for decarbonization. At present, our industry is almost wholly reliant on fossil fuels. To achieve our zero-emissions goal, we will need to switch to new fuels and require the support of governments and regulators to enable this major transition in the cruise industry,” MSC Cruises’ Sustainability Director Linden Coppell said.

“In the meantime, we are committed to improving the energy efficiency of our existing fleet and are considering how best to prepare for the future. This includes investigating the use of low carbon fuels that, if available at scale, can replace existing fuels without significant modification of current machinery and systems,” she added.