The city of Liverpool turn to the Cruise Industry for floating hotels for the EuroVision 23

Celebrity Silhouette berthed in the city of Liverpool Photo Credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr) 

Cruise ships are being considered as alternative accommodation options for those travelling to Liverpool for Eurovision 2023 after the city’s hotels begin to sell out, according to reports in the national press.

Within minutes of the announcement, many of Liverpool’s hotels were reportedly fully booked on 13 May, including all of the city’s Premier Inns and Travelodge hotels.

 

According to ITV, some city-centre rooms and apartments were available on Booking.com, with the cost of a one-night stay ranging between £855 and £1,444.

Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for culture and visitor economy, Cllr Harry Doyle, said: "I’m disappointed with some accommodation providers who have hiked prices.

 

"That’s normal, apparently after the initial announcement. We had planned for this and are looking at alternative arrangements including a cruise ship and campsites."

Speaking to BBC News, Chris Brown, director of Marketing Liverpool, said the city will release more accommodation options "soon".

 

"That could involve cruise ships or opportunities around a campsite, but we do have a pretty robust plan," he added.

 

"We will certainly be addressing [hotels who have hiked their prices] who we feel are put together, or behaving in a way that we would not say is in the spirit of the ethos of why Liverpool went for Eurovision."

Carnival: 3.8 Percent of Capacity Was Set to Call in Russia

Carnival: 3.8 Percent of Capacity Was Set to Call in Russia

Carnival Corporation had 3.8 per cent of its 2022 cruise capacity calling on Russian ports before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, leading the company to cancel and replace calls to Russian ports.

"We have decided to totally withdraw from Russia and have found attractive alternatives," said President and CEO Arnold Donald, speaking on the company's first-quarter earnings call.

"That said, Saint Petersburg was a marquee port for us. And while there have been times where we were unable to offer certain itineraries, in this instance, the close end nature of the deployment change does lead to some regional disruption in recent booking patterns."

Donald admitted the war had added some volatility to Carnival's business and had impacted consumer confidence.

"With 50 years under our belt, we have successfully managed through a plethora of headwinds like spikes in fuel prices, the Gulf War, Arab Spring, September 11, Ebola, Zika, SARS, MERS and more," Donald said. "And once again, the mobility of ships continues to be an asset. Time and time again, we have seen guests travel through challenges. In fact, Carnival Cruise Line turned 50 this month and recently enjoyed its three best weeks of bookings since resuming operations."

Holland America Line Makes Baltic Itinerary Changes

Holland America Line Makes Baltic Itinerary Changes

In light of the recent attacks by Russia in Ukraine, Holland America Line is modifying six cruise itineraries that were originally scheduled to visit Russian ports this year, the company said.

"We stand for peace and our thoughts are with those who are in harm’s way," the company said, in a press release. 

Replacement ports vary by itinerary, and the five sailings that would have visited Saint Petersburg, Russia, will instead call on Baltic ports such as Riga, Latvia; Klaipeda, Lithuania; and Visby, Sweden, while also adding an overnight stay in Stockholm, Sweden.

The cruise that was scheduled to visit Vladivostok, Russia, will instead visit Busan (Pusan), South Korea.

Booked guests and their travel advisors will receive notice of the changes as soon as that process is complete.

MSC Cruises has suspended upcoming calls to St Petersburg amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

MSC Virtuosa photo credit Spacejunkie2

From the end of May until October, the line’s four ships were due to operate Baltic Sea sailings which include St Petersburg – MSC Preziosa, MSC Grandiosa, MSC Poesia and MSC Virtuosa – will all suspend their calls to the city.

 

No MSC ships are currently calling at St Petersburg.

 

MSC said the health and safety of its passengers and crew was “a top priority” and that “since the onset” of the conflict in Ukraine, it had been in touch with alternative ports – such as Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn – to confirm new calls.

 

The decision comes after Riviera Travel cancelled all tours and cruises to Russia "for the foreseeable future".

 

Carnival Corp brands P&O Cruises and Cunard amended their Baltic cruise itineraries in response to the escalating conflict, while other cruise lines and operators said they were "monitoring the situation closely".

 

Viking Cruises cancelled all of its 2022 Kyiv and Black Sea departures and said it was evaluating all 2022 itineraries featuring calls in Russia.

 

MSC said it would communicate the details of changes on each individual sailing to travel agents and customers “as soon as possible”.

 

MSC’s website will also be updated to reflect the confirmed details of new itineraries to “provide maximum clarity” for existing guests and future guests looking to book Baltic Sea sailings.

Cruise lines are closely monitoring the conflict in Ukraine

St Petersburg in Russia is a common river cruise halt

Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday after weeks of tension in the region as Russian forces massed on the Ukrainian border. Its actions have been widely condemned, with Boris Johnson promising harsh sanctions. Ukrainian airspace has been shut, and carriers warned to avoid the area.

Several operators are assessing their programmes, most notably Regent Holidays, which is contacting clients due to travel to Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus in the coming months.

 

A Saga spokesperson confirmed the over-50s specialist last week rerouted a Black Sea cruise which had been due to call in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa following a change in Foreign Office advice for the country.

"Guests are in the process of being contacted about the change, and the rest of the cruise remains unaffected," said the spokesperson. "We are now looking at the impact of today’s [Thursday] developments on our Baltic cruises later this year, which was due to call in at St Petersburg.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and if necessary make further alterations to our itineraries whilst still ensuring the best experience for our guests."

Carnival Corporation-owned P&O Cruises and Cunard both tweeted: "In light of the current situation evolving in Ukraine, we will continue to monitor very closely and will amend itineraries as necessary following guidance. The safety and wellbeing of guests and crew are of the highest priority and we will advise guests of any changes."

 

A Riviera Travel spokesperson said the operator was monitoring the situation and would provide updates in due course, if necessary. Riviera is among a number of firms that offer cruises on Russia’s rivers and waterways.

AmaWaterways suspends Russia river cruises for 2015

By Michelle Baran

AmaWaterways will not operate its 212-passenger Amakatarina on Russia’s Volga River for 2015.

“Russia has been a strong product for AmaWaterways,” said President Rudi Schreiner. “However, due to what has been taking place in Russia and Ukraine, the AmaWaterways senior leadership team has given careful thought to how to best handle, in order to ensure the best possible experiences for our guests. At this time, we have decided not to operate cruises aboard the AmaKatarina in 2015.”

In 2011, AmaWaterways launched the Amakatarina, a ship that was originally built in the 1980s but was redesigned and rebuilt from the hull. It was converted to accommodate 212 passengers, down from 400.

Ama contributed capital to the refurbishment, and signed a five-year lease with the ship’s owner, Russian company Vodohod, with the option to renew.

The decision to suspend Russia river cruises comes just as the results of elections held in two eastern Ukraine states on Monday put support behind rebel separatist leaders, an outcome supported by Russia and denounced by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Western countries, news media reported.

Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March.

River cruise and tour operators have reported softness in Russia bookings throughout much of 2014.

The Silversea incident and Russia relations

By Tom Stieghorst

It’s getting chancier to plan a cruise that includes a stop in Russia.

Relations between Russia and the West are turning frosty following the downing of a Malaysian Air passenger jet near the Russian border with Ukraine.

The U.S. and European Union countries have escalated sanctions on top individuals in Russia and added sanctions affecting the financial, oil and military sectors.

Now comes the news that passengers aboard a Silversea Cruises ship were denied entry at a small port in the Russian Pacific. Why they stayed on the ship remains murky.

A preponderance of the passengers on the Silver Discoverer, a small expedition ship, are from the U.S., Great Britain, Germany and Australia, and the local Siberia Times quotes a Russian tour organizer in the port of Provideniya saying that orders denying them entry “allegedly” came from Moscow.

A spokesman for the Russian security service told a Russian news website that the passengers lacked the necessary paperwork.

In a statement, Silversea said its ship had received all the necessary clearances for passage into the Chukotka area of Russia and guests and crew had been cleared by immigration, but on arrival July 28, they were denied landing by the Russian authorities.

Spokesman Brad Ball said the line was given no explanation at all.

The ship was sailing a 12-day itinerary from Seward to Nome and was scheduled to call in the Chukotka region on the final few days of the voyage. A new itinerary has been established in Alaska for the rest of the trip.

Port calls in the nearby region of Kamchatka are still being permitted.

If this is merely a regional matter, the impact is limited because relatively few cruise ships visit Pacific Russia. But other regions are more important. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has said demand for cruises in the Black Sea the rest of this year has been “strained” by Russian’s annexation of Crimea.

Travelers considering a Baltic cruise should keep a close eye on things lest sanctions affect debarkations in St. Petersburg, the crown jewel of the cruise industry’s Baltic trade.

Cruise lines and tour ops cancel visits to Ukraine, Crimea

By Michelle Baran

As Russia annexed Crimea and the Ukraine government began to withdraw its military personnel from the peninsula this week, travel suppliers began cancelling visits to Ukraine and Russia, as well as to Crimean destinations.

Cruise lines have begun altering some of their Black Sea sailings to bypass previously scheduled port stops in Odessa, Sevastopol and Yalta.

Windstar, Oceania, MSC, Regent Seven Seas and Azamara have substituted port calls in alternative countries, including Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.

Silversea canceled calls to the Crimean peninsula for the April 25 Black Sea sailing of the Silver Wind and for the July 21 departure of the Silver Spirit. However, should the situation in Crimea improve, the line said it would consider returning to its original itineraries.

Viking Cruises has a 12-day Footsteps of the Cossacks river cruise on the 196-passenger Viking Sineus, which sails from Kiev into the heart of the Crimean peninsula, with port stops in Sevastopol and Yalta. But its Ukraine departures begin in May, and the company has yet to decide if it will cancel any sailings.

“Though we know our passengers are paying attention to the developments on the ground, we have not yet seen significant cancellations,” Richard Marnell, Viking’s senior vice president of marketing, wrote in an email.

During a speech earlier this month at a dinner event to celebrate the christening of its latest generation of river cruise ships, Viking Cruises Chairman Torstein Hagen said that while nearly all of Viking’s river cruise capacity through the end of October was sold out, space was still available on its Ukraine sailings.

Many tour operators have already canceled either part or all of their 2014 tour itineraries that include stops in Crimea, offering affected passengers refunds or the option to rebook travel elsewhere.

Globus canceled all 2014 departures of its Ukraine and Crimea tour; Insight Vacations is no longer offering its 12-day Ukraine, Moldova and Crimea tour; and Intrepid Travel has canceled three Ukraine departures through mid-June.

Cruise lines and tour ops cancel visits to Ukraine, Crimea

By Michelle Baran

As Russia annexed Crimea and the Ukraine government began to withdraw its military personnel from the peninsula this week, travel suppliers began cancelling visits to Ukraine and Russia, as well as to Crimean destinations.

Cruise lines have begun altering some of their Black Sea sailings to bypass previously scheduled port stops in Odessa, Sevastopol and Yalta.

Windstar, Oceania, MSC, Regent Seven Seas and Azamara have substituted port calls in alternative countries, including Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.

Silversea canceled calls to the Crimean peninsula for the April 25 Black Sea sailing of the Silver Wind and for the July 21 departure of the Silver Spirit. However, should the situation in Crimea improve, the line said it would consider returning to its original itineraries.

Viking Cruises has a 12-day Footsteps of the Cossacks river cruise on the 196-passenger Viking Sineus, which sails from Kiev into the heart of the Crimean peninsula, with port stops in Sevastopol and Yalta. But its Ukraine departures begin in May, and the company has yet to decide if it will cancel any sailings.

“Though we know our passengers are paying attention to the developments on the ground, we have not yet seen significant cancellations,” Richard Marnell, Viking’s senior vice president of marketing, wrote in an email.

During a speech earlier this month at a dinner event to celebrate the christening of its latest generation of river cruise ships, Viking Cruises Chairman Torstein Hagen said that while nearly all of Viking’s river cruise capacity through the end of October was sold out, space was still available on its Ukraine sailings.

Many tour operators have already canceled either part or all of their 2014 tour itineraries that include stops in Crimea, offering affected passengers refunds or the option to rebook travel elsewhere.

Globus canceled all 2014 departures of its Ukraine and Crimea tour; Insight Vacations is no longer offering its 12-day Ukraine, Moldova and Crimea tour; and Intrepid Travel has canceled three Ukraine departures through mid-June.

New river cruise line sails in Russia, Ukraine

By Michelle Baran

Two cruise operators have partnered to create World Quest Cruises, which is offering river cruises in Russia and Ukraine, among other destinations, to travellers in North America.

World Quest Cruises is a joint venture of Huntington, N.Y.-based Imperial River Cruises and Moscow-based Orthodox Cruise Co. Global Voyages Group of Bellevue, Wash., has been tapped to provide North American sales, marketing and call center support.

Imperial and Orthodox have been operating cruises in Russia and Ukraine for more than 20 years, and finally decided to sell their product directly to the North American market.

“The principal advantage is the experience — they’ve been operating ships in Russia for more than 20 years,” said Tom Russell, managing partner at Global Voyages Group. “The second is the value. Their products are typically 20% lower-priced than some of the other products that are available. That’s because there’s no middleman involved. They are the supplier.”

Starting in 2014, World Quest Cruises is offering river cruise itineraries in Russia and Ukraine, Portugal, Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as expedition cruises in Antarctica and the North Pole.

The company will sell into ships that Orthodox owns and operates in Russia and Ukraine, and charter other river cruise vessels.

World Quest's expedition cruises to Antarctica will be aboard the 114-passenger Sea Explorer. The 128-passenger icebreaker 50 Years of Victory will travel on a 14-day trip from the Russian port of Murmansk to the North Pole.

The North Pole itinerary will run from June 19 through Aug. 8, 2014, with prices starting at $24,995 per person, based on double occupancy.

In 2015, the company will expand its Russian river cruise offering with a 12-day itinerary between Moscow and St. Petersburg aboard the 100-passenger Princess Anabella, a vessel that is being refurbished for the 2015 program.

Prices for this river cruise start at $4,495 per person, plus port taxes and fuel surcharges. World Quest Cruises will have exclusive access to the Princess Anabella in 2015. 

New river cruise line sails in Russia, Ukraine

By Michelle Baran

Two cruise operators have partnered to create World Quest Cruises, which is offering river cruises in Russia and Ukraine, among other destinations, to travellers in North America.

World Quest Cruises is a joint venture of Huntington, N.Y.-based Imperial River Cruises and Moscow-based Orthodox Cruise Co. Global Voyages Group of Bellevue, Wash., has been tapped to provide North American sales, marketing and call centre support.

Imperial and Orthodox have been operating cruises in Russia and Ukraine for more than 20 years, and finally decided to sell their product directly to the North American market.

“The principal advantage is the experience — they’ve been operating ships in Russia for more than 20 years,” said Tom Russell, managing partner at Global Voyages Group. “The second is the value. Their products are typically 20% lower-priced than some of the other products that are available. That’s because there’s no middleman involved. They are the supplier.”

Starting in 2014, World Quest Cruises is offering river cruise itineraries in Russia and Ukraine, Portugal, Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as expedition cruises in Antarctica and the North Pole.

The company will sell into ships that Orthodox owns and operates in Russia and Ukraine, and charter other river cruise vessels.

World Quest's expedition cruises to Antarctica will be aboard the 114-passenger Sea Explorer. The 128-passenger icebreaker 50 Years of Victory will travel on a 14-day trip from the Russian port of Murmansk to the North Pole.

The North Pole itinerary will run from June 19 through Aug. 8, 2014, with prices starting at $24,995 per person, based on double occupancy.

In 2015, the company will expand its Russian river cruise offering with a 12-day itinerary between Moscow and St. Petersburg aboard the 100-passenger Princess Anabella, a vessel that is being refurbished for the 2015 program.

Prices for this river cruise start at $4,495 per person, plus port taxes and fuel surcharges. World Quest Cruises will have exclusive access to the Princess Anabella in 2015.