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Showing posts from April, 2020

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line Leverage German Payment Holiday Offer

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Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line Leverage German Payment Holiday Offer According to a statement filed with the Security and Exchange Committee - Both Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have agreed to leverage an offer from the German Government to delay payments on the mortgages / loans - for ships constructed in Germany. The terms will not eliminate payments - but allow the cruise lines to forgo payments for the next 12 months and extend the loan by 12 months. The official filing is as follows: Norwegian Cruise Line. Beginning on April 20, 2020, NCL Corporation Ltd. (“NCLC”), a subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (the “Company”), amended the export-credit backed facilities that finance Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Joy to incorporate the terms of a 12-month debt holiday initiative offered to the cruise industry by Euler Hermes Aktiengesellschaft (“Hermes”), th

UPDATED 4/30/20 - Hospital Ship USNS Comfort to Depart New York Thursday 4/30/20

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The MARAD Hospital Ship USNS Comfort is expected to depart New York on Thursday April 30, 2020. UPDATE:Today, Friday (4/30), just after 12 noon, the USNS Comfort slowly backed out of Pier 90 Manhattan. The Hospital ship completed her New York mission tending to the ill and those stricken with the coronavirus. The current number of cases can be handled by the local hospitals and other constructed temporary hospitals. The ship slowly headed down the Hudson River flankes by a half-dozen tug boats all in salute. Lining her decks were maritime and medical heroes all wearing masks as they walked the decks of the ship. The USNS Comfort is heading directly to Norfolk Virginia - her home-port - awaiting a further deployment. Post from Thursday 4/29/2020 below..... ABC News 7 NYC reports that the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) is scheduled to depart New York City Thursday, April 30, after supporting the Department of Defense's COVID-19 response efforts to New York and New

Check Out the Latest Cruise News Worldwide at Our Sister Site - NicksCruiseCorner.

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For the Latest Cruise News Worldwide Check Out Nick's Cruise Corner. On NYCruiseInfo's sister site - NicksCruiseCorner - we are covering cruising way beyond the Port of New York and New Jersey. Check out all of the latest worldwide cruise news below. New Passenger Gangways Arrive in Miami and Port Canaveral Florida... Final Blocks of Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas is Secured in Place At Meyer Werft Shipyard... Le Commandant Charot of Ponant Cruises Enroute to Norway For Final Outfitting. ... Enchanted Princess Delivery Delayed. Where is Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Spirit?... Viking Cruises Announces 2022 Mississippi River Cruises... Venezuelan Patrol Boat Sinks After Colliding With RCGS Resolute... The Cost of Laying Up Ships. Fincantieri Reports 2019 Financials Small Fire On Board Carnival Cruises' New Carnival Mardi Gras... Video of the Virtual Delivery of Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Apex... Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Announ

Cruise Ships Expected to Sail From New York and New Jersey in 2021.

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Manhattan Cruise Terminal With Many Cruise Ships Along Side. Although at this time it is probably just a projection of the future, I went out to the cruise line's websites about a week ago looking for ships expected to sail from the Port of New York / New Jersey in 2021.  Granted with the state of the world and the coronavirus outbreak, everything is subject to change or revision. As of 4/18/2020 - Here are some of the ships expected sail to/from New York and New Jersey. Carnival Cruises Carnival Magic Cunard Line  Queen Mary 2  Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Summit  Disney Cruise Line No 2021 cruises listed.  MSC Cruises  MSC Divina Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Breakaway Norwegian Escape Norwegian Jade Norwegian Joy Norwegian Gem Norwegian Getaway Norwegian Star Oceania Cruises Insignia Princess Cruises Sky Princess Caribbean Princess Sea Princess   Regent Seven Seas Cruises Seven Seas Mariner Seven Seas Spendor Seven

Carnival Cruises' Carnival Magic to Sail From New York in 2021.

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Carnival Cruises' Carnival Magic to Sail From New York in 2021 to Canada, New England, Bermuda, Eastern Caribbean and Private Islands. As previously announced by Carnival Cruises, the Carnival Magic will begin sailing from New York in June, 2021. Sailing from Manhattan to New England, Canada, the Eastern Caribbean and Bermuda, she will offer an itinerary for everyone. Cruises include: 4 Day Canada Cruise Calling at St. John New Brunswick Canada. 6 Day New England Canada Cruise to Portland Me, St John and Halifax. 5 Day Bermuda 7 Day Boston, Portland, St John, Halifax 4 Day Bermuda 7 Day Bermuda  9 Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise calling at San Juan, St. Thomas, St Maarten and Grand Turk 8 Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise to Amber Cove, Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay. 9 Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise to San Juan , St. Thomas and Grand Turk.  Check out our Cruise Ports page to learn more about these destinations! At 130,000 tons, 1,004 feet in length and a passenger capacit

More Predictions For The Cruise Industry. - Part II

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More predictions for the cruise industry future. When will cruises start up again? These predictions are in addition to the prior predictions posted over a month ago. By the way most of the items predicted earlier are happening as you read this article. Previous Cruise Industry Prediction. These predictions are based on my 49 years of experience with the cruise industry and cruise ships.  Observing where we are at this point in time, the cruise industry is nowhere near returning to normal. This week Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines have drastically reduced staff. Crew contracts for many ships have been terminated early. Ships are being loaded with crew and will shortly head from Florida / Bahamas ports to China, Indonesia, the Philippines and other Southeast Asia ports where many cruise ship staff originate to bring them home since air travel arrangements cannot be made. These multi-month trips will remove these ships from being able to be readily activated for months.

History - Italian Line's Sleek Michelangelo and Raffaello

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Italian Line's Sleek and Modern Ocean Liner Michelangelo and Raffaello. The final two new liners built for the Italian Line, the Michelangelo (April, 1965) and Raffaello (1965) were the luxurious, sleek, modern liners using many new construction materials. The superstructure of the liners was primarily made of lightweight aluminum.  Despite being planned as identical ships, Raffaello was 2.3 feet shorter, 1.3 feet wider, and approximately 22 tons larger than the Michelangelo. The Michelangelo weighed in at 45,933 tons; 903 feet long; carries; 1,775 Passengers and 720 crew. Built as 3 class liners, they were not well suited for the cruising trade when airlines grew in popularity and cruising  was the life blood of the transatlantic operators. An odd design of these ships was that all of the cabin in the hull were inside cabins. It was said that the designer of the ship thought that portholes took away from the external appearance of the ships. This also proved to be a desig

Royal Caribbean Announces Shoreline Staff Reduces and Others Furloughed

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Royal Caribbean Announces Reduction Due to the Coroniavirus and Temporary Suspension of Operations. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is reducing its staff by laying off or furloughing approximately 26% of its 5,000+ US-based workers.  The company broke the news to employees on Wednesday after announcing the termination of many crew contracts earlier in the day. In a statement a company representative stated, 'The circumstances of the pandemic made this action unavoidable, and it hurts to part ways with so many good and talented people. Also on the same day, saw the resignation of  Larry Pimental - Azamara Cruises President - a long time cruise executive and cruise industry veteran. Larry will be replaced by Carol Cabezas, who's served as chief operating officer of Azamara for three years, will now lead the brand.  These reductions are happening in wake of the Coroniavirus and an industry that is fighting for survival. Earlier this month, Norwegian Cruise Line red

1988: Ivaran's Americana - Containership With 100 Passengers in Luxury

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The Americana, which was built in South Korea for Norwegian-owned Ivaran Lines, was a pure container ship that also will carry 108 passengers. The 19,203 ton ship measures 580 Feet long; 85 feet wide and carried 1,120 20-foot containers. At a time when most container ship operators shunned passengers in favor of cargo, Ivaran says carrying people along with cargo mades financial sense. Ivaran, which has sailed between North and South America for 62 years, expects the additional revenue from passenger travel to make up for the added costs of building first-class accommodations on the ship. The first voyage from New York to South America was in February, 1988 which was 46 day voyage that stopped at about 15 ports in the United States and South America, such as Rio de Janeiro, Santos and Buenos Aires. Ivaran's Americana was the only cargo ship operating from the United States with more than 12 passengers and in luxury. The ship carried a doctor and 25-person hote

50 Fun Things To Do On A Day At Sea

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Rock Climbing is just one of the many available amenities on select cruise ships. One of the common reasons people are concerned with taking a cruise is feeling confined and the thought that there is a lack of things to do. I am writing this article to put those concerns at ease. Below is just a small list of the activities that cruisers can enjoy. These are not in any particular order. Eat - Yes it is true! Cruise ships offer an array of different dining opportunities for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Try something new that you have not eaten before. Shuffleboard - Enjoy this ageless deck game which is a favorite of cruisers from today and yesteryear. To explore the 50 things to do at seas. Check out the feature article on our NYCruiseInfo Website. 50 Things to Do At Sea RETURN TO NYCRUISEINFO.com   ---------------------------------------   Sister Sites => NYCruiseInfo.com Website - Cruise Schedule, Ship Reviews, Ports of

Canada Imposes New Restrictions - Ports Closed Until July. Impacts Northeast New England Canada Itineraries.

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Canada Imposes Restrictions On Cruise Ships and Ferries - Earliest Cruising To Canada Resumes is July. Canada is now prohibiting vessels carrying more than 12 passengers from engaging in non-essential activities such as tourism and recreation. This follows Canada's March 13 decision to block cruise ships carrying more than 500 people, including crew, until July. The new ban on smaller ships also extends 'at least through June 30.' Canadian cruise ships forbidden in Arctic waters In addition, Canadian cruise ships are forbidden to moor, navigate or transit in Canadian Arctic waters, including Nunatsiavut, Nunavik and the Labrador Coast. 60-day notice for foreign passenger vessels Should any foreign passenger vessel seek to enter Arctic waters, it would need to give the minister of transport 60 days’ notice and be subject to any conditions deemed necessary to ensure the protection of marine personnel and local communities from the spread of COVID-19.

Carnival Cruises Cancels Carnival Sunrise 2020 New York Cruises

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Carnival Cruises Carnival Sunrise 2020 Cruises From New York Cancelled Carnival Cruises has announced that the Carnival Sunrise's program from New York for 2020 has been cancelled. This means that Carnival is not planning to have any sailing from New York this year. The Carnival Sunrise is sailing between the islands of the Bahamas awaiting a decision on her long term layup. Carnival has already stated that the Carnival Radiance (now still named the Carnival Victory and sitting idle in a drydock in Cadiz, Spain) is awaiting work to resume on her $200 Million transformation. It is unclear when work will resume but the 2020 program from New York was cancelled. The planned introduction of the Carnival Mardi Gras in New York was cancelled prior to the Coronavirus outbreak due to shipyard delays. Also it is unclear if docking facilities in Manhattan and Brooklyn will be available for cruise ships, since the Manhattan Cruise Terminal is currently supporting the hospital ship

NicksCruiseCorner Blog - Covering Worldwide Cruise News - Check Us Out Today

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NicksCruiseCorner Blog - Covering Worldwide Cruise News - Check Us Out Today Our partner blog, NicksCruiseCorner has the latest cruise news on cruise ships sailing worldwide. This Blog is updated daily and has items of interest, ports of call reviews, cruise ship reviews, new cruise ship information and more. Here are links to some of the articles from the last week Small Fire On Board Carnival Cruises' New Carnival Mardi Gras... Video of the Virtual Delivery of Celebrity Cruises' New Celebrity Apex... Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Announces New Date For Delivery of Luxury Yacht Evrima... Keel Laid for Costa Cruises Costa Toscana at Meyer Werft... The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia Invests In Carnival Corporation... Coast Guard Inform Cruise Lines - Medical Evacuations Restrictions... American Cruise Line to Add Another Modern Riverboat... Hutrigruten Sails Furthest South in Hurtigruten's History ... RETURN TO NYCRUISEINFO.com   --------------

Holiday Cruises From New York and New Jersey

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Holiday Cruising From New York / New Jersey I have my fingers crossed that life will be somewhat back to normal by Christmas. For those seeking a holiday cruise, I wanted to share with you a Holiday and New Year Cruise I took in 2014/15 with my family which was quite enjoyable. I hope you enjoy this read........... In my 40 years of cruising, I have never taken a cruise over the Christmas or New Year's holidays until this year (2014/15). On December 22nd, I boarded Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Gem on an 11-day cruise from New York, visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, St. Maarten; St. Kitts and Tortola. I chose the cruise because of the duration and the selection of ports that are seasonally visited from New York. In addition, this is one of the few cruises that incorporated both the Christmas holiday and the New Year's celebration. Continue reading about holiday cruising with Nick   RETURN TO NYCRUISEINFO.com   ------------------

Canadian & Select Maine Ports Closed to Cruise Traffic Until July

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Bar Harbor Maine Closed Until July 1 for Cruise Traffic Due to Coronavirus Concerns. Citing a large volume of feedback on the subject, the Bar Harbor Town Council has canceled all scheduled cruise ship visits through the end of June. The decision also applies to smaller cruise ships, which generally operate only in American waters.  Many industry observers are expecting operators of large ships — those that can carry thousands of people and all of which are registered in foreign countries — to cancel their Maine visits from April through June because of a ban until July 1 on cruise ship operations in Canadian waters. In keeping with federal maritime laws, all foreign-registered cruise ships make stops in Canada as part of each trip along the Maine coast.  Cruise ship visits are considered a major contributor to Maine’s coastal tourist economy each summer. According to cruise ship industry studies, passengers and cruise companies spend tens of millions of dollars i

Cruise Lines Extend The Suspension of Operations

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Cruise Lines Extend The Expected Date to Return to Service. As the dates cruise lines were expecting to resume service approach, cruise lines have realized the dates were overly optimistic. New target dates have been revealed and differ by cruise line. Overwhelmingly most cruise lines are not anticipating to resume operations until late early May. Since the dates change and vary by cruise line, I recommend checking out the cruise line's websites to get the latest plans. Check out our cruise line directory page to get the links to the cruise line's website. NYCruiseInfo Cruise Line Index. Here are the latest dates we have for cruise lines resuming service: (Please note that these are subject to change).   American Cruise Lines Canceled sailings: all departures through May 3 American Queen Steamboat Company Canceled sailings:  all departures through May 16 Azamara Canceled sailings: all departures through May 11 Blount Small Ship Adventures

The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia Invests Heavily in Carnival Corp

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The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia Invests Heavily in Carnival Corp The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided to heavily invest in Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL). The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia will purchase a staggering 43.5 million shares of the  cruise company giving it an 8.2% stake in Carnival. Carnival Corp owns Carnival Cruises, Princess Cruises, Holland America, Costa, AIDA, Seabourn Cruises and Cunard to name a few.   RETURN TO NYCRUISEINFO.com   ---------------------------------------   Sister Sites => NYCruiseInfo.com Website - Cruise Schedule, Ship Reviews, Ports of Call & More. => Nick's Cruise Corner Blog - News On Cruise Ships Sailing World Wide. => Follow Us on Instagram - NYCruiseInfo At Instagram => Subscribe to Our Monthly New York Cruises Newsletter .

A Visit to the Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach, California

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Ex Cunarder the Queen Mary of 1936 is alongside in Long Beach, California as a stationary Hotel.  In April of 2016, I had the pleasure of visiting the Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach, California. Visiting this ship was on my bucket-list of things to do and I was NOT disappointed. Just to make sure I avoid any confusion - this was a visit to Cunard Line's ex. Queen Mary from 1936 (not the 2006 built Queen Mary 2 currently actively sailing from New York). The older Queen Mary, sailed from New York to Southampton as a great transatlantic liner and also served during World War II as a troop ship. After her troopship duty was over, she reverted to her New York England route, until she was retired in 1967. In 1967, she was sold to the City of Long Beach for conversion to a waterfront hotel and attraction center. Check out the review of the Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach California.   RETURN TO NYCRUISEINFO.com   ---------------------------------------   Sister Sit

Manhattan Cruise Piers Need Major Upgrade and Politicians and Residents Rally For Shore-Side Power.

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Manhattan Cruise Terminal in Need of Upgrades and Politician and Residents Call for Shore Power Hookup. With the impending improvements to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal - New York legislators are pushing for the use of shore-side plug-in power. Today cruise liners idle while dockside and emit smoke.Under the new proposal, ships would turn off their engines and plug into the electrical grid while idle in the port reducing emissions. A major renovation of Pier 90 and 92 are on the horizon. Improvements will include potentially building aprons (like those found on Pier 88) to allow truck to unload goods right at the ship, improved gangways and modernization of the terminal and boarding areas. Earlier plans to abandon Pier 92 to no longer handle cruise ships has been reversed and the pier will be upgraded to handle large cruise ships. The pier is currently in severe disrepair and needs significant work to bring upto modern standards. Pier 88 is in the best condition of all the M

Resorts Will Probably Bounce Back Faster Than Cruise Vacations

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Prediction: Resort Stays will bounce back faster than cruise vacations. It is expected that resort based vacations will probably bounce back faster than cruise vacation. I believe that cruises will be slow to rebound after the virus due to the excessive negative press the cruise lines received. Although air travel may be as dangerous as boarding a cruise ship, there really has been no confirmed cases of people getting coronavirus on an airliner. This is primarily because people are usually at their destination or home at the time they show any symptoms and linking it back to air travel is very difficult.  I suspect that air travel will not be viewed as dangerous as cruising but that is not necessarily true. I think people will be more apt to board an airliner than board a ship near-term. Resorts offer guests the opportunity to also exercise social distancing better than a cruise ship. Guest can find a quiet area of the beach, dine alone or with only family and in general have