Azamara to Drop Pre-Embarkation Testing

The line will ditch testing on Monday (25 July) in countries where the protocol is no longer legally required

The line will ditch testing on Monday (25 July) but will still require proof of vaccination prior to embarkation from all guests aged over 12.

 

Azamara said it recommends all guests departing from any port undergo testing before getting onboard – but results will not be needed to be shown in order to sail.

 

At ports where pre-cruise testing remains, guests must produce a negative Covid test before sailing.

 

Carol Cabezas, Azamara president, said the easing of the line’s testing policy “marks a step in the right direction towards a return to normalcy for the travel and cruising industry”.

 

“Cruising is one of the safest ways to travel, and our existing health and safety protocols onboard will ensure peace of mind for our guests and crew as we move forward,” she said.

Coronavirus: Royal Caribbean extends suspension of sailings

Coronavirus: Royal Caribbean extends suspension of sailings

A suspension of sailings by all brands under the Royal Caribbean Cruises umbrella has been extended until the middle of May.

The world’s second-largest cruise company originally paused all global operations on March 14 until April 11.

That date was last night changed to an expected return to service on May 12.

But Alaska, Canada and New England sailings will not resume until July 1 due to port closures.

The group’s global fleet includes Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea Cruises.

The company said: “Given global public health circumstances, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has decided to extend the suspension of sailings of our global fleet.

“We are working with our guests to address this disruption to their vacations, and we are genuinely sorry for their inconvenience.

“We are also working with our crew to sort out the issues this decision presents for them.

“We expect to return to service on May 12, 2020. Because of announced port closures, we expect to return to service for Alaska, Canada and New England sailings July 1.”

RCCL presidents tackle over-tourism, luxury, female leadership

Editor in chief Arnie Weissmann, far left, and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. CEO Richard Fain, far right, moderated a panel of RCCL presidents, seated: Mark Conroy of Silversea, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo of Celebrity and Larry PImentel of Azamara.

FORT LAUDERDALE -- Cruise line presidents from Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. brands took on the subject of over-tourism, the evolution of luxury cruising and female leadership during a panel at CruiseWorld.

Regarding over-tourism, they said that in the general travel industry, cruise lines are a small part of the phenomenon -- but a highly visible one.

"Our reality is, perception rules," said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president of Celebrity Cruises. "There are these big white ships pulling in and it's a lot of people at once."

Larry Pimentel, president of Azamara, said that 25 years ago there were only 1.4 million outbound travellers from China; today there are 150 million. "India is also coming," he said. "By no means is this only a cruise issue; it is an industry issue."

And Mark Conroy, managing director of the Americas, for Silversea Cruises, said that overreacting to over-tourism could be overly damaging to some local residents in destinations such as Venice.

"Tourism is the largest employer in the world overall," Conroy said. You can't just shut it down. If you banned all tourism into Venice, there'd be a big unemployment problem there."

Silversea redefining expedition cruising

Conroy said that 10 years ago when he was working for a rival company he thought that Silversea chairman Manfredi Lefebvre was crazy to bolt an expedition arm onto a luxury brand.

"I thought he'd lost his mind until I saw the per diems from the expedition business," Conroy said.

Silversea, as a top-tier luxury brand, also brought a different concept to what was then more of a rustic product. At that time, Conroy recalled, "You had to sacrifice your lifestyle to go on an expedition."

But when Silversea renovated its two oldest ships, the Silver Cloud and Silver Wind, it decided to transform them into expedition vessels but with the space and amenities of a luxury ship.

Conroy said that one of the unintended consequences was that the larger ship had faster speeds than most expedition ships.

"We can cross the Drake Passage [to Antarctica] in 28 hours instead of two days," Conroy said

In defining the "luxury" appeal of his Azamara brand, Pimentel said that value plays a bigger part than in traditional luxury brands. As a department store, Azamara would compare to Nordstrom, he said.

"We're not Saks Fifth Avenue." As a car, we would be more like a Lexus."

A woman in charge

The panel followed the CEO Conversation between Royal Caribbean Chairman Ltd. chairman and CEO Richard Fain and editor in chief Arnie Weissmann, and Fain returned to the stage to co-moderate the panel of presidents.

Lutoff-Perlo, who was named the president of Celebrity five years ago, and Fain asked her what was is like to be one of the few women to run a cruise line. She said at first, she took it for granted.

"When I was appointed I didn't think about my gender at all," she said. "But then when I was appointed, to the rest of the world apparently it is a really big deal.

"The great part is the part I can do to pay it forward" to other females in the industry, she said. 

Azamara Pursuit to be christened in Southampton

Azamara Pursuit to be christened in Southampton

Azamara Club Cruises’ new ship Azamara Pursuit will be christened in Southampton after agents helped to double the usual sales from the UK market.

It will be the first time the brand has christened a ship, as both Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest went straight into service after refit when purchased.

Neither ship has a godmother.

The decision to christen Azamara Pursuit in the UK comes after the ship received double the demand of bookings from the UK market than its sister ships achieve.

The brand put the success down to the “speedy response of the trade” in pushing marketing messages to their customers and to a surge of interest from fans of P&O Cruises’ Adonia (the name of the ship before it changes hands to Azamara).

Azamara chief operating office Carol Cabezas said there would be “strong representation from UK agents and media” at the christening and two-night celebratory cruise.

She said: “This ship has a very strong British heritage and it has a fantastic following here. Plus we have seen a tremendous amount of demand from the UK audience – the general sourcing has doubled in Pursuit against the normal UK contribution.”

“We’ve never had a christening in our brand’s history and we want to do that in Southampton.”

After being revamped, the ship will leave the dry dock for Barcelona on August 3 to sail to Southampton. When it reaches the British port, it will sail on an Icelandic itinerary before returning to Southampton to be christened on August 28.

UK managing director Richard Twynam applauded how quickly key partners “jumped on board” with Pursuit. He particularly referenced the work of Bolsover Cruise Club and Reader Offers.

“Bolsover had a huge Adonia base and that’s been brilliant,” he said. “And Reader Offers has created some beautiful and extremely clever print marketing campaigns around our deployment announcements.”

The search for the ship’s godmother is underway, but Cabezas said it would be a woman who embodied the line’s love of destinations and travel.

Azamara Journey returning to duty March 17th

Azamara Journey returning to duty March 17th

Azamara Journey will return to service on March 17th, following repairs to the damaged propeller that forced it to cancel its upcoming voyage from Shanghai.

Earlier this week, the ship was forced to cut its current cruise of Asia short after debris caused damage to the propeller. The ship was en route to Tokyo when the 601 passengers and 399 members of the crew on board felt an "unusual vibration", according to a statement from the cruise line.

A subsequent inspection revealed the damage. Although Azamara said that the required repair work is relatively straightforward, it does require access to a dry dock, which is why the ship will be out of action for the first half of March.

The vessel will travel to Korea's Orient Shipyard Gwanguang for repairs, according to Seatrade-Insider, before resuming service mid-March with a 17-night cruise around Asia.

A tweet from Azamara read: "It is regrettable that this incident occurred and spoiled our guests' vacation. We will do everything we can to assist them."

Viking unveils ocean cruise plans

By Tom Stieghorst

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Viking Cruises has taken the wraps off a two-ship ocean cruise subsidiary that will launch in 2015 and complement its extensive river cruise operation.

The first ship in the Viking Ocean Cruises fleet will be called the Viking Star and will launch in May 2015 on itineraries in Scandinavia, the Baltic and the eastern and western Mediterranean. (Click here or on the photos for a slideshow of renderings of what the ship will look like.)

The 928-passenger ship will compete in size and emphasis with lines such as Azamara Club Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Crystal Cruises.

Viking Ocean Cruises has a firm order for a second ship to be delivered in 2016 and conditional orders and options for four additional ships. The Viking Star will be built by Italy's Fincantieri.

Viking Cruises Chairman Torstein Hagen unveiled the details of the new product, itineraries and amenities at a function for travel agents and media here.

Viking will straddle the ocean and river cruise markets, an unusual feat; most firms tend to compete in one style or the other.

"With our new ocean cruises, we are applying the same principles behind our award-winning river cruises to our itinerary and ship design, privileged-access excursions and onboard experiences to make destinations the true focus," Hagen said.

The fare on the Viking Star will include shore excursions, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, WiFi, self-service laundry and 24-hour room service, along with port charges and government taxes.

Designed with the experienced traveler in mind, Viking Ocean cruises will maximize time in port, often with late evening departures or overnight stays.

Similar to Viking's river ships, the interior design of the Viking Star will be understated and Scandinavian modern.

The all-balcony ship will have five cabin categories, ranging from a 270-square-foot model to a 1,448-square-foot suite. There will be two pools, one with a retractable dome, the other a glass-backed infinity pool at the ship's stern.

Another unusual feature will be a "snow grotto" in the spa in which "snowflakes gently descend from the ceiling through chilled air," according to a Viking description.

Dining options include a main dining room called the Restaurant, an intimate Chef's Table, an Italian Grill, a Viking Deli with Scandinavian specialties, a World Cafe and a cooking school and intimate restaurant called the Kitchen Table.

Pricing for the 10-day cruises starts at $2,999 per person, with discounted airfares from $695 per person.

The 2015 maiden season is initially being offered only in the U.S.; Viking will begin marketing the ocean cruises in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand later this year.