Three Princess Ships to Undergo Drydocks in April

Three Princess Ships to Undergo Drydocks in April

Three Princess Cruises ships are set to undergo drydocks in April: the Emerald Princess, the Grand Princess and the Regal Princess.

The first ship to enter dry dock was the Emerald Princess, which recently arrived at the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, Italy.

After repositioning to Europe earlier this month, the 2007-built vessel arrived at the facility for scheduled maintenance, in addition to class inspections and technical work.

Set to spend the upcoming summer season sailing from Southampton, the Emerald Princess will resume service on April 29, 2025.

Before kicking off a summer deployment in Alaska and Canada, the Grand Princess is also undergoing a dry dock.

The 1998-built ship arrived at the Vigor Shipyard in Portland in mid-April and is now going through regular maintenance.

Before welcoming guests back in early May, the Grand Princess is also scheduled to undergo class inspections, as well as upkeep and minor updates to public areas and staterooms.

A third Princess ship is undergoing a dry dock later this month, the Regal Princess.

Currently sailing in Northern Europe, the vessel is set to arrive at the Damen Shiprepair Yard in Rotterdam on April 25, 2025.

The 3,600-guest ship is expected to undergo technical work and general maintenance before resuming service in early May.

Sailing from Southampton, the Regal Princess is set to offer 12-night cruises to the British Isles during the summer of 2025.

Earlier this year, the Majestic Princess also visited a shipyard in Europe, emerging from dry dock with new venues and reimagined spaces.

According to Princess, the 2017-built vessel saw the addition of new bars and restaurants, including O’Malley’s Irish Pub, Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria and Good Spirits at Sea.

Sailing in Europe for the first time in eight years, the ship is currently offering itineraries in the Mediterranean.

Discovery Princess to Homeport in Sydney in 2025-26

Discovery Princess to Homeport in Sydney in 2025-26

Princess Cruises announced that the Discovery Princess will homeport in Sydney during the 2025-26 summer Australia season.

The Discovery Princess will be the cruise line’s biggest ship to ever homeport in Australia in its 50-year history of cruising down under. The ship will make its debut in Sydney in October 2025.

Princess Cruises’ President John Padgett said: “Nearly half a century has passed since Princess Cruises introduced the Pacific Princess ship to Sydney’s shores. In commemoration of this milestone, we are delighted to unveil the future deployment of the Discovery Princess today, further solidifying our belief in the Australian market. 

“We are confident that both our international and Australian guests will be excited about the spectacular experience aboard Discovery Princess as she sails from Sydney in late 2025.”

Padgett added the cruise line is thrilled to add the Discovery Princess to its Australian fleet for the 2025-26 summer season. The ship will join the Crown Princess and the Grand Princess as part of the summer program, which will be revealed in full next month including the longest World Cruise yet.

“Discovery Princess will continue to set new standards for premium cruising when she sails from Australia in the 2025-26 summer season. She’s an incredible ship with many wonderful features for our guests, from superb cuisine to world-class entertainment and facilities.”

Princess Cruises has reintroduced its onboard mask mandate on three Alaska-based ships.

It comes after the line reinstated mask-wearing on Island Princess last week following a number of positive Covid tests amongst staff and guests.

 According to a Princess Cruises spokesperson, those who tested positive and their close contacts have been quarantined and are being monitored and cared for by the onboard medical team.

 

"We recently identified some positive Covid-19 cases among our guests and teammates onboard Island Princess," they added.

 

"Out of an abundance of caution, we will now be requiring guests to wear face masks while indoors at all times, except when eating or drinking or in their own staterooms."

 

Each of Princess’ ships follows the primary health protocols of the country or region they depart from at the start of their voyage. The line said it will continue to make "any necessary adjustments" as conditions warrant during future cruises.

 

The company has since reintroduced face coverings on Alaska cruises onboard Royal Princess, Majestic Princess and Grand Princess sailing from Whittier and Vancouver until further notice. Guests will be provided with a mask if needed.

 

A spokesperson for the line said: "In an abundance of caution masks are required in indoor locations on Alaska cruises aboard Royal Princess, Majestic Princess and Grand Princess sailing from Whittier and Vancouver until further notice.  Masks will be provided to guests if needed."

Princess Cruises: Eight Ships Now in Service in North America

Princess Cruises first welcomed passengers back in July 2021 offering Alaska cruises with the Majestic Princess and local domestic cruising in England with the Regal Princess.

Six months after the restart, Princess Cruises has added a total of eight ships back in service, including the new Enchanted Princess, which welcomed its first guests in November.

Back in Action in the Caribbean, West Coast and Hawaii

Pursuing a phased restart plan, Princess grew its active fleet to eight ships in the past six months.

The premium brand is now offering cruises in the Caribbean, West Coast and Hawaii, sailing from three different homeports.

Here are the details:

Majestic Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: In service since July 25, 2021
Region: West Coast
Homeport: Los Angeles (United States)
Length: 7 nights
Itinerary: Mexican Riviera

Regal Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: In service since July 31, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 5 to 7 nights
Itinerary: Eastern and Western Caribbean

Sky Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: In service since August 30, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 7 nights
Itinerary: Western and Eastern Caribbean  

Grand Princess
Capacity at 100%: 2,600
Date: In service since September 25, 2021
Region: West Coast
Homeport: Los Angeles (United States)
Length: 10 to 15 nights
Itinerary: Mexican Riviera, Sea of Cortez and Hawaii

Emerald Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,100
Date: In service since October 15, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 14 and 15 nights
Itinerary: Panama Canal and Southern Caribbean

Ruby Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,070
Date: In service since October 31, 2021
Region: West Coast
Homeport: San Francisco (United States)
Length: 15 nights
Itinerary: Hawaii and Panama Canal    

Enchanted Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: In service since November 10, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 10 nights
Itinerary: Southern and Eastern Caribbean    

Caribbean Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,100
Date: In service since November 28, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 7 nights
Itinerary: Western and Eastern Caribbean

Most of the Fleet Set to Return by May

As Princess returns to additional destinations in 2022, more vessels are resuming service. According to the company’s current restart plans, most of the fleet is set to be sailing again in May, in time for summer seasons in Alaska and Asia.

Here are the planned service resumption dates:

Discovery Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,660
Date: March 27, 2022
Region: West Coast
Homeport: Los Angeles (United States)
Length: 7 nights
First itinerary: Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta

Island Princess
Capacity at 100%: 1,950
Date: April 27, 2022
Region: Panama Canal
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles (United States)
Length: 14 nights
First itinerary: Cartagena, Panama Canal (old locks), Puntarenas, San Juan del Sur, Huatulco and Puerto Vallarta

Diamond Princess
Capacity at 100%: 2,600
Date: April 28, 2022
Region: Asia
Homeport: Yokohama (Japan)
Length: 6 nights
First itinerary: Nagasaki, Busan and Kagoshima

Royal Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: May 2, 2022
Region: Alaska
Homeport: Vancouver (Canada)
Length: 12 nights
First itinerary: Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm, Ketchikan and Victoria      

Crown Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,070
Date: May 7, 2022
Region: Alaska
Homeport: Seattle (United States)
Length: 7 nights
First itinerary: Juneau, Glacier Bay Park, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria

Sapphire Princess
Capacity at 100%: 2,600
Date: August 28, 2022
Region: Asia
Homeport: Hong Kong to Fremantle (Australia)
Length: 12 nights
First itinerary: Nha Trang, Phu My, Singapore and Lombok

Coral Princess
Capacity at 100%: 1,950
Date: September 3, 2022
Region: Australia
Homeport: Sydney (Australia)
Length: 35 nights
First itinerary: New Zealand, Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific

San Diego to Welcome Ships and Passengers Back

The Port of San Diego will welcome the return of cruise lines and cruise passengers on Friday, October 1, when the Disney Wonder and Grand Princess will be the first sailings out of San Diego since spring 2020. The Disney Wonder is setting sail for a four-day cruise beginning in San Diego to Cabo San Lucas and back. The Grand Princess sailing will begin in Los Angeles on September 30 and stop in San Diego on October 1 on its way to Ensenada and back to Los Angeles.

The port said it currently anticipates more than 100 cruise calls through May 2022. Those calls will primarily be from Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Disney Cruise Line.

According to a prepared statement, health and safety is a top priority. To safely resume cruising, the port said it is working with the cruise lines, along with various other local, state, and federal agencies to put extra precautions in place to minimize community spread of and exposure to COVID-19.

In conjunction with the cruise lines, precautions include that all crew members and eligible guests must be fully vaccinated (currently ages 12 and up; in special and rare cases, medical exemptions may be allowed, but Celebrity, Holland America, and Princess must maintain that at least 95% of all guests are vaccinated; Disney Cruise Line will be testing all guests on embarkation days).

All unvaccinated guests must provide negative PCR test results between three days and 24 hours before embarkation day. All persons must complete a health screening form to declare they have been vaccinated, are not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, and had a recent negative COVID-19 test result (if pre-testing was required by the cruise line).

All persons must wear a face covering while inside the cruise ship terminal.

Whenever possible while in the cruise terminals, all persons are strongly encouraged to social distance from other persons, not in their own travelling party.

To prevent an influx of passengers and to help ensure social distancing, the cruise lines have implemented a passenger appointment system for check-in/screening times.

The port will be fully cleaning and disinfecting the terminals immediately following each embarkation and disembarkation, plexiglass partitions have been installed in some areas, and hand sanitiser will be available throughout the terminals.

San Diego is California’s third busiest cruise port behind Long Beach and Los Angeles. And, according to the port, each homeported cruise has an economic impact of $2 million. While a single in-transit call (one stop on the cruise itinerary) generates a total impact to the region of nearly $600,000.

 

Carnival Corp boss denies sector was slow to react to coronavirus

Carnival Corp boss denies sector was slow to react to coronavirus

Carnival Corporation boss Arnold Donald has refuted suggestions the cruise industry was “slow” to react to the outbreak of coronavirus.

He argued that cruise is actually one of the best-placed sectors of travel to cope with anticipated stricter health and safety protocols in the future.

The chief executive of the nine-brand cruising giant said: “The cruise industry put a pause on the cruise before anybody else did. Before hotels or restaurants and other places of social gathering.

“Cruise ships are not the cause. Neither are they the reason for the spread.”

Commenting on the outbreak onboard Diamond Princess which was held in quarantine off Yokohama by Japanese authorities, Donald said: “This was an evolving situation. There was very little knowledge early on, in February and early March.

“But we did exactly what we were told to do. We co-operated fully with the Japanese Ministry of Health. They decided to hold the ship and put a quarantine in place, so we complied with that and at the same time, we tried to make it as comfortable as possible for our passengers and crew.”

And he added: “If you listen to our guests on Diamond or Grand Princess, you’ll hear lots of plaudits for our crew and our corporation. Our guests feel strongly that we did our best.”

Asked if he blamed authorities of the destinations and ports that wouldn’t allow ships with confirmed cased of Covid-19 to disembark passengers, Donald said: “I won’t sit and judge anybody at the moment. We all need to focus on helping.

“There were certain situations where we had ships with people on board that needed medical attention – not even Covid-19 related – that couldn’t get it in a timely manner they would have normally. That was unfortunate. There’s no question that happened and we tried to give assistance where we could. But I will not judge.”

Donald concluded: “So people say we were slow, but we were first [to suspend operations] – before all the other social gathering venues.”

And he added that cruise was well-placed for the future when stricter health and safety protocols are expected to be introduced across the travel industry.

“I don’t think there’s anything unique to this that particularly ascribable to cruise alone. In fact, in many ways, a cruise is better set up to handle this than society in general,” said Donald.

“We already do isolation, deep cleaning, hold medical records, do temperature scanning, use hand sanitizers and promote regular hand-washing. We also document a lot of passenger information. So we’re uniquely suited in some ways.

“Airport terminals? Not so much. Subways? Not so much. Hotels? Restaurants? Not so much,” he said.

But he added: “Covid-19 has its own epidemiology. Whatever the medical experts deem is necessary to deal with it in the future, we will cooperate and implement.”

CDC Says Defer Cruise Travel; Issues Report Inside the Princess Outbreak

A new CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevent) report recommends that travellers "defer all cruise travel worldwide" due to increased risk for coronavirus. The report is available here.

The report points out that coronavirus survived for 17 days on the Diamond Princess in an empty stateroom, and also outlines some 800 coronavirus cases between the Diamond and Grand Princess ships.

During the initial stages of the coronavirus, the Diamond Princess was the setting of the largest outbreak outside mainland China, according to the CDC.

"Cruise ships are often settings for outbreaks of infectious diseases because of their closed environment and contact between travellers from many countries," said the CDC. "More than 800 cases of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases occurred during outbreaks on three cruise ship voyages, and cases linked to several additional cruises have been reported across the United States. Transmission occurred across multiple voyages from ship to ship by crew members; both crew members and passengers were affected; 10 deaths associated with cruise ships have been reported to date."

The report is available here.

Royal Caribbean Suspends U.S. Cruises, Joining Rivals

March 13 (Reuters) – Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd said on Friday it was suspending its cruises in the United States for 30 days, an hour after Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd said it suspended all its cruise voyages through April 11.

Earlier larger peer Carnival Corp’s Italy-based unit Costa Cruises halted its trips until April 3. Carnival’s other subsidiary Princess Cruises had suspended its voyages for two months on Thursday.

Costa Cruises accounted for 15% of Carnival’s overall capacity as of Nov. 30, offering voyages in Asia and Europe, including the Mediterranean.

The Princess Cruises unit has been in the spotlight after its Diamond Princess and Grand Princess ships were quarantined after they became hotbeds for coronavirus infections.

Norwegian, however, said no confirmed case of the virus was reported across its 28 ships.

Walt Disney’s Disney Cruise Line and Finland’s Viking Line have also temporarily paused operations as the global cruise industry battles cancellations in the wake of the fast-spreading virus.

The outbreak, described by the World Health Organization as a pandemic, has infected thousands in the Mediterranean countries such as Italy, where it has claimed more than 1,000 lives.

Carnival said it was checking if their guests are aged over 70 years and would deny entry to people with chronic or severe medical conditions.

Separately, credit rating agency S&P Global said it lowered the credit ratings on Carnival and its unsecured debt to ‘BBB’ from ‘A-‘, on expectations of a significant loss in revenue and cash flow in 2020.

Stocks of cruise operators are among the worst hit, with Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean down between 66% and 81% this year through Friday’s close. (Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Krishna Chandra Eluri)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019.

Grand Princess to Disembark Guests in Oakland

Grand Princess to Disembark Guests in Oakland

Grand Princess

According to officials, the Grand Princess will dock at a pier in Oakland on Monday to disembark guests in stages.

The disembarkation process will be specified by federal authorities and will take several days, according to an announcement made onboard the ship.

Guests who require acute medical treatment and hospitalization will be transported to health care facilities in California.

Following the screening procedures, California residents who don’t require medical care will go to a federally operated isolation facility within California for testing and isolation.

Residents from other states will be transported by the federal government to facilities in other states.

Crew, meanwhile, will stay on the ship where they will be treated.

Coronavirus: Grand Princess passengers confined to cabins

Coronavirus: Grand Princess passengers confined to cabins

Passengers on a Princess Cruises ship off the coast of California have been confined to their cabins following the death of a guest from coronavirus after a previous cruise.

Health tests were carried out yesterday on 45 passengers and crew on board Grand Princess with the results due today (Friday).

The US Coast Guard delivered sampling kits to the ship by helicopter.

Around 140 Britons are reported to be on the ship.

A spokesperson for the line said: “Princess Cruises can confirm there are 3,533 people currently onboard Grand Princess, including 2,422 guests and 1,111 teammates. In total, they represent 54 nationalities.

“Following guidelines received today from the US Centers of Disease Control, all guests have been asked to stay in their staterooms while test results are pending.

“Guests are receiving meal deliveries in their staterooms by room service, and additional television and movie options have been added to in-room programming.

“Guests have also been provided complimentary internet service to stay in contact with their family and loved ones, and the ship’s internet bandwidth has been increased.

“Immediate family members of guests onboard Grand Princess may call the appropriate number in their region to speak with family assistance representatives: US and Canada: +1 888-358-8055, International: +1 872-201-6779.”

The company stressed that there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus on board.

The line’s Diamond Princess was quarantined in Japan in early February for 27 days. Six of its passengers – including the first Briton – died after contracting the virus.

Meanwhile, Princess Cruises is changing its cancellation policy on a temporary basis for departures up to May 31.

The revised policy is being introduced “to assist passengers in making decisions regarding their cruise holidays during the evolving worldwide coronavirus situation”.

The details vary by departure date:

April 3 or earlier: Cancel up to 72 hours before sailing to receive a future cruise credit (FCC) for 100% of cancellation fees.

April 4-May 31: Cancel by March 31, 2020, and receive an FCC for 100% of cancellation fees.

Meanwhile, for cruises from June 1–June 30, the final payment moves to 60 days prior to sailing from 90 days.

Passengers that choose to keep their booking for departures between March 9 and May 31 will receive the following complimentary onboard spending money:

$100 per cabin for 3-day and 4-day cruises
$150 per cabin for 5-day cruises
$200 per cabin for 6-day and longer cruise

Seattle: Alaska Drives Demand

Seattle: Alaska Drives DemandQuantum of the Seas in Seattle.

 While moving ahead with plans to build a third terminal, the Port of Seattle set another record last year with 1,210,000 passengers on 211 calls and is forecasting a further increase this year to 1,380,000 passengers on 225 calls.

“We are also extending our season starting as early as April 1 with the Grand Princess and closing on Oct. 19 with the Ruby Princess,” said Michael McLaughlin, director of cruise and maritime operations. “Norwegian Cruise Line will also bring a third ship, the Norwegian Sun, joining the Bliss and the Encore at Pier 66. The Sun will sail 11-day Alaska cruises.

“Next year, the new Norwegian Encore will replace the Joy,” he continued. “It is a good example of how Norwegian is keeping their newest and best products in the market.

“Also in 2021, Carnival will replace the Spirit with the larger Freedom.”

Last year marked Seattle’s 20th year as a cruise port, during which it has seen nearly 14 million passengers.

“What stands out over those two decades,” said McLaughlin, “is that even during the recession we continued to grow our market share year-over-year. There was some flattening out in Alaska when that head tax was put into place, but it had less effect on Seattle in that we had entered into berthing agreements with the brands where they needed to meet their annual guarantees. So when they decided to pull ships out of the market as a result of the taxation in Alaska, it had less effect on Seattle.

“Over the long run, the growth trend has been really positive.”

Having released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new terminal last summer, the port has announced three groups that were shortlisted. They were the so-called Cruise Industry Leaders Group, with Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Carnival Corporation and SSA Marine, a Seattle-based stevedoring company; Global Ports Holding and Miami-based Civil & Building North America; and Ports America, teaming up with Jacobs Engineering Group, headquartered in Dallas.

With the goal of having the new terminal ready for the 2023 season, it means Seattle will have three cruise terminals and four berths: Terminal 46 with one berth; the Bell Street Terminal at Pier 66 with one berth, and the Smith Cove Terminal at Pier 91 with two berths.

Bliss to Break Record in Strong San Francisco Year

There will be three first-time visits to the Port of San Francisco in 2018, highlighted by the new Norwegian Bliss and two ultra-luxury ships: the Silver Explorer and Ponant’s Le Soleal.

The Explorer will dock in May, while the Bliss will tie up on Oct. 3, on the way back from her debut Alaska season, to be followed by the Le Soleal a day later.

The Bliss will be the biggest ship to ever call on the city by the bay.

Meanwhile, the Grand Princess will continue to sail from the port year-round, offering a mix of Alaska, California, Mexican Riviera and Hawaii itineraries starting at seven days. The 1998-built ship will offer 35 cruises from San Francisco this year.

The port was expecting a slight increase in traffic for 2017, with 300,000 passengers, up from 286,352 the year prior. A total of 82 calls were projected, while 76 calls are on the books for 2018.

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