Hantavirus-Hit Hondius Passengers Repatriated to Home Countries

Hantavirus-Hit Hondius Passengers Repatriated to Home Countries

Twenty British nationals evacuated from the Hondius are beginning 45 days of self-isolation in the UK after their chartered flight from Tenerife landed at Manchester Airport on May 10, according to the BBC.

The evacuees are isolating at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside for 72 hours before being asked to self-isolate for a further 42 days at home.

Seventeen American passengers from the vessel returned to the United States on May 11, landing in Nebraska, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

One American passenger tested mildly PCR positive for the virus, the department said, according to the New York Times.

The American passengers were transported to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, the country’s only federally funded quarantine center.

Two of the American passengers traveled in specialized biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution.

One passenger had mild symptoms and the other was the passenger who had tested mildly positive for the Andes virus, the department said.

International passengers from 23 nationalities were repatriated to their home countries following the vessel’s arrival at Granadilla port in Tenerife on May 10 at 06:24 local time, according to Oceanwide Expeditions.

Spanish nationals were given priority during the evacuation process, the Spanish health ministry said.

Passengers were ferried to shore in small launch boats and underwent medical screening before boarding evacuation flights arranged by their respective countries. Luggage stayed on the ship and will be dealt with separately.

The disembarkation was coordinated by local authorities, the WHO and international governments, with the sequence timed to the arrival of repatriation flights.

No quarantine of non-Spanish nationals took place in Spain, Oceanwide Expeditions said.

The Hondius docked in the Canary Islands on May 10 after Spain granted permission for the vessel to sail from Cape Verde.

 

Crew Member Dies in Accident at Sea on P&O Cruise Ship

British cruise ship Arvia was at sea when the accident occurred killing one crewmember (P&O file photo)

The British press and maritime authorities are reporting that a crewmember was killed yesterday aboard the P&O cruise ship Arvia. The ship was two days into a two-week cruise to the Caribbean from the UK.

The Arvia, which is 185,581 gross tons, is one of the largest cruise ships in the world, and with her sister ship Iona, is the largest operating from the UK. The Arvia was introduced by the UK’s P&O Cruises in 2022 and is 344 meters (1,128 feet) in length with accommodations for more than 6,600 passengers and approximately 1,800 crew.

P&O confirmed in a brief statement that there had been an onboard accident. It said its thoughts and prayers were with the onboard friends and family members. The company provided no further details.

While registered in Bermuda, the cruise ship is under the authority of the British, and the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch listed the incident today. It is posted it as a “lift shaft” (elevator) accident that happened on October 26. MAIB reports that it will investigate on behalf of the Bermuda Shipping and Maritime Authority.

The cruise had been en route to its first port in Tenerife. However, Puerto de A Coruña, on the northern Spanish coast, reported that the Arvia made a stop on October 26 from 3:00 p.m. into the night “following a workplace accident.” The ship stayed till around midnight and has resumed its trip to Tenerife.

AIDAnova Marks Successful Start to Canaries and Madeira Season

AIDANova in the port of Oslo, Photo Credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

AIDA Cruises announced a successful start to its Canaries and Madeira season with the AIDAnova along with positive feedback after an official dialogue series with local partners.

AIDA just completed the first official dialogue series aboard the AIDAnova, the company said in a press release.

The dialogue series took place from November 23 to November 28, 2022, attended by numerous official representatives from politics, the port industry and tourism.

The goal of the dialogue was to inform local partners of AIDA’s current goals as well as to engage in a joint venture.

“We are happy and grateful to know such reliable partners at our side and look forward to making an important contribution to tourism on these beautiful islands again this season,” said Captain Marc-Dominique Tidow.

The AIDAnova made calls at Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Madeira, which were very well received by the partners in the region.

During the winter season, the AIDAnova will set sail on seven-day cruises to the Canaries including the exploration of the volcanic landscapes of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, as well as the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira.

In April 2023, the AIDAnova will set course for the Norwegian fjords while the summer itineraries will include visits to Bergen, Nordfjordeid, Alesund and Stavanger.

 

Seabourn Encore Resumes Service in Europe

Seabourn Encore Resumes Service in Europe

After a 23-month operational pause, the Seabourn Encore is welcoming the passengers back today.

As the third Seabourn vessel to resume revenue service, the luxury ship is launching a series of ten- and 11-night cruises to the Canaries and the Mediterranean.

Sailing roundtrip from Lisbon, Portugal, the first cruise features visits to five ports in the Spanish archipelago of the Canaries, such as La Palma, Tenerife and Arrecife.

The itinerary also includes a call at Funchal, Portugal’s Madeira Island.

Continuing its first post-pandemic season, the Encore is poised to offer additional sailings to the Atlantic Islands until early April. The vessel then repositions to the Mediterranean in time for a summer program in the region.

Designed to offer an ultra-luxury product, the 40,350-ton cruise ship originally entered service in 2016.

As an enlarged version of Seabourn’s previous series of newbuilds, the Seabourn Encore carries 604 guests and features expanded public areas.

According to the Seabourn, the vessel was projected drawing inspiration from the brand’s rich history and yachting heritage and offers modern design elements and innovations consistent with its reputation for understated elegance.

The all-suite ship has multiple dining venues, in addition to a showroom, a spa, several lounges and bars, a casino, and the popular Seabourn Square, the social hub onboard with a club-like ambience.

Seabourn first resumed guest operations in Europe with the Seabourn Ovation. In July 2021, the 2018-built vessel kicked off a series of cruises to the Greek Islands and the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Seabourn Odyssey followed later that same month, sailing Eastern Caribbean cruises from Barbados.

Upon the completion of its summer program in Europe, the Ovation joined the Odyssey in the Caribbean, offering its first-ever departures from a U.S. port.

The remainder of the company’s fleet is set to resume service before the second half of 2022.

New ship Arvia will offer the line’s first multi-sensory escape room experience

The new experience, titled Mission Control, is set underwater onboard a fictional submarine Arvia II, with a series of live-action puzzles.
 
The "expedition" is led by fictional Dr Ryan and has multiple storylines, suitable for all ages, with a film-like plot and motion simulation.

P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said holidays are "all about new experiences", and the "immersive" escape room will create "unforgettable action-packed moments with family and friends".
 
"Mission Control will expand our onboard entertainment offering even further, giving guests an opportunity to create unique bonding experiences they will talk about for years to come," he added.
  
Arvia’s maiden voyage is a 14-night Canary Islands cruise, departing from and returning to Southampton on 9 December 2020. Ports of call are Madeira, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Cadiz and Lisbon and prices start from £1,449pp.

The hope of winter cruise return raised by the Canary Islands

The hope of winter cruise return raised by the Canary Islands

Hopes have been raised for a winter season of cruise ship visits to the Canary Islands.

Cruise lines will have to carry out Covid PCR tests on all travellers before arriving in the archipelago, according to the Canary Islands government.

UK government restrictions currently prevent ocean cruises from operating and lines still await renewed Foreign Office guidance.

On a media call after issuing its half-year results up to the end of July, Saga group chief executive Euan Sutherland said the firm was “ready to cruise again as soon as government guidelines are updated”.

He added: “We expect them to be in the next few days”.

The Spanish islands’ transport and health ministers believe safety rules can be agreed to allow a return of ships from as early as October.

The presidents of the port authorities of Las Palmas and Santa  Cruz de Tenerife have committed to communicating the government health protocol for cruise companies to adopt.

Cruise companies would be required to subscribe to an insurance that covers all the expenses of passengers that may be infected by Covid-19 in order to guarantee both safeties of the residents of the Islands and the ships’ passengers.

“This insurance would cover all the expenses derived from a coronavirus incidence among travellers, such as repatriation, medical expenses and quarantine stays,” a Canary Islands statement said.

All passengers will need to undertake a diagnostic test to show that they are negative for coronavirus.

Passengers must also fill out a form that includes all their movements in the last 15 days before arriving in the Canary Islands to monitor them in case of an incident.

Cruise companies must undertake that their ships do not exceed 60% or 70% of capacity and they expand their sanitary staff on board, with cleaning and disinfection of ships after each trip, to establish a protocol of tracking ships every time they dock in a port on the islands.

Tui is one of five European cruise companies to have shown interest in starting winter cruises.

“Only with this operating company, the Canarian ports would be receiving an average of 1,300 tourists every week, an amount that will increase considerably once the rest of the shipping companies that have already shown their interest in making the Canarian circuit join,” the islands’ government said.

Transport minister Sebastian Franquis said: “For the government of the Canary Islands it is essential to recover this type of tourism because it is a very necessary economic activity at the moment for the archipelago, and we want to recover it with all the health requirements.

“For the government, it is essential to recover winter tourism, not only in air transport but also in maritime transport and gradually recover the hotel plant.

“Therefore, we are making every effort to ensure that between October and November cruise tourism begins to recover normally within what we are experiencing and not to lose the winter tourist season.”

Brits flock back to Tenerife

WTM: Brits flock back to Tenerife

Nov 07, 2011 12:00PM GMT

Tenerife is reporting a 12% increase in UK arrival numbers for 2011, with all-inclusive and cruise the key growth areas.

Speaking at a World Travel Market breakfast briefing, tourism minister Carlos Alonso revealed the Canary Island is close to matching UK visitor numbers from 2005.

The island’s arrival numbers had been deteriorating for about three years before April 2010, but already close to 1.5m Brits have travelled there this year.

British guests have made up 31% of 2011 arrivals, and Tenerife accounts for 45% of all British arrivals to the Canary Islands.

Alonso also revealed that the average age of visitors is slowly falling, now at 49, due in part to the growing number of younger couples – couples account for 57% of travellers.

Bookings are mostly online, with 67% of flights booked on the web and 44% of accommodation. Online research plays a role in 82% of trips.

All inclusive is the real growth area, up 27.8% on 2010. Cruise is also proving a key area of growth with 312,000 cruise visits in 2011 to date.

New initiatives for 2012 include the introduction of five volcano tours around the island, and a new focus on gastronomy.

The island also has a keen social media policy, carefully monitoring everything on the web in order to keep an eye on trends and respond where suitable to comments.