NYCruiseInfo Blog

  Viking Ocean Cruises Has Announced a Pause In Operations Until Year End.  Following is an important message from Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen, who has also recorded a video message that can be viewed here . Dear Viking Guest, On March 11, when we became the first cruise line to temporarily suspend operations at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I would not have imagined that in August we would still not be sailing and that I would be writing this letter to you. Every day I am encouraged by the scientific advancements toward COVID-19 therapeutics and a vaccine. But as you well know, recent events have shown us that the recovery from this pandemic will be sporadic, and the ability to travel freely across borders remains some time away. Fortunately, the U.S. State Department has lifted some travel advisories for Americans, but many countries are still limiting tourists. As keen as we may be to get back to exploring, for now, international travel must wait. Just ...

Norwegian Cruise Lines' Norwegian Epic - One of 8 Ships Currently Schedule to Sail From New York in 2021 If 2021 proves to be a good year for cruising, Norwegian Cruise Line plans for a total of 8 ships to make at least one sailing from the Big Apple. The cruises range from a single repositioning cruises to multiple New England / Canada, Florida and Bahamas or Bermuda cruises. At this point, NYCruiseInfo has not published the consolidated 2021 cruise schedule from the Port of New York (pending potential updates due to the impact of the coronavirus). Norwegian Cruise Lines ships expected to sail from New York in 2021 include the Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Star and the Norwegian Breakaway. Check back in November for 2021 updates as cruise lines alter plans to re-enter service.   RETURN TO NYCRUISEINFO.com   ---------------------------------------   Sister Sites => NYCruiseI...

City of Bar Harbor Denies Small Ship Cruise Calls For The Remainder of 2020. Bar Harbor has said "NO THANKS" to all cruise passengers to the Maine city in 2020. This announcement came as a complete surprise to American Cruise Line which was expecting the approval of the town council. The Cruise line's 20 page presentation covered everything from pre-cruise, post-cruise, on board and land-side precautions - all expected to be implemented to stop / restrict the spread of the coronavirus. The small ship cruise line - American Cruise Line is exempt from many of the other restrictions in place because of their ship's low capacity - carrying 200 passengers or less with most ships carrying around 100 passengers. In addition, American Cruise Lines' ships are US registered and the crew are  United States citizens which make the cruise line exempt from the Jones Act Restrictions - which requires foreign flag ships to call at a foreign port during every cruise. ...

Carnival Corporation To Provide a Business Update Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) has scheduled a conference call with analysts for Friday, July 10, 2020 at 10 a.m. (EDT); 3 p.m. (BST) to provide a business update. A simulcast of the call will be available via the company's Web sites at www.carnivalcorp.com and www.carnivalplc.com . View original content: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carnival-corporation--plc-provides-business-update-and-additional-financial-information-for-the-second-quarter-301088075.html Information expected to be shared include a business update as well as a potentially more details concerning the ships to be sold off and the brands impacted. 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. => Foll...

Where will Cunard Operate the Queen Mary 2 when Cunard resumes sailing?  It is predicted that most cruises lines will favor shorter cruises with limited days at sea. I am curious to see if operators like Cunard Line, who sail the Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southampton England with 5 to 7 days at sea, will alter their itineraries.  Cunard will be faced with many decisions including whether to use the ship exclusively for European cruises and abandon the New York - Southampton crossing; operate sailings from New York to other destinations; Reduce the the number of transatlantic voyages and increase the speed of the ship during these voyages to reduce the time at sea; or have one of the most rigorous sterilization programs of any of the cruise lines sailing. It should be noted that NO cases of the coronavirus was reported on board the Queen Mary 2 as of June 28th. At this point Cunard has not altered the itineraries for the Queen Mary 2 but I would suspec...

Norwegian Cruise Line unveils new health safety measures to battle the Corona virus. Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has been working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to establish new safety protocols  due to the global health crisis, These new precautions are in place to assure everyone's safety moving forward. Norwegian Cruise Line has outlined their intentions covering such topics as: Enhanced Screening Protocols Increase Sanitation Methods Responsible Social Distancing  Enhanced Medical Resources Increased Ship to Shore Safety Improved Air Filtration measures Learn More about Norwegian Cruise Line's Sail Safe Program.   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 ...

Cruise lines not offering the discounts cruise passengers are expecting. With all the bad press and passenger fears, one would think that cruise lines would be offering steep discounts. It seems to be far from the situation. I did some spot checking of the cruise lines website and I am seeing strong pricing for sailings from New York.  Royal Caribbean still seems to be asking, on average, about $100/day for an interior cabin. The best deal I saw in August was an 11 day New England / Canada cruise on the smaller Empress of the Seas from Cape Liberty at $630/pp for an inside cabin.  Norwegian Cruise Line's pricing seem a little softer offering 7 day cruises starting at $519/pp for 7 day cruises to Bermuda; New England /Canada Cruises or Florida / Bahamas. This price is for an interior stateroom. The main reason why the discounts are not as deep as expected is primarily because cruise lines are not anticipating putting all their ships back in service immediately. T...

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Europa - One of three ships requesting temporary layup in Bermuda. At the point the cruise lines were forced to pause operations, the cruise lines were scrambling to find a temporary berths to dock their ships. Not knowing how long the pause would be and with hopes to restart cruising soon, cruise lines were looking for ports close to their normal cruising region. There are reports that around March 18th, 2020 Bermuda locked down its borders and  denied entry to three recent cruise ships that requested permission to dock. Bermuda Media reports the Bermuda Ministry of Tourism and Transport confirmed it denied requests by the Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Gem, and the MS Europa. The ships were intending to ‘lay up’ with crew and medical staff only, and to date neither cruise line has had any incidents of coronavirus associated with its fleet. Today (5/25), the Norwegian Bliss sits in Norfolk; the Norwegian Gem is in the vicinity of Jacksonvi...

Will Cruise Passengers be required to wear masks??? There are some rumors circulating that cruising will not return to normal any time soon.  General consensus is that cruise passengers will NOT be required to wear masks at all times, but should do so at their own discretion. Maybe during check in and boarding procedures mask will be required  but not with most daily activities. Passengers should bring their own masks unless the cruise lines provides them at check in. Passengers may choose to wear masks, at their own discretion, at other times. It is recommended that high risk passengers - mainly the elderly, obese, those with high blood pressure, heart surgery or blocks, etc -  wear a mask. It is expected that all crew will be required to wear masks and protective gear (gloves, other)  to help prevent spreading any influenza among passengers. Only time will tell what policies will be in place when cruising resumes. It is highly recommended that cruis...

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. –    Princess Cruises cancels sailings through the summer and early fall including the Fall New England / Canada cruises from New York on the Caribbean Princess and Sky Princess.   Due to reduced air flight availability , the closure of cruise ports in regions around the world and other factors impacting international travel , Princess Cruises is extending its pause of global ship operations and has therefore made the extremely difficult decision to cancel select cruises through the end of the 2020 summer season , including the following cruises and associated cruisetours : All remaining Alaska cruises on Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess All remaining E urope and Transatlantic cruises on Enchanted Princess, Regal Princess, Sky Princess, Crown Princess and Island Princess Summer Caribbean cruises and all Canada & New England cruises on Caribbean Princess and Sky Princess Summer to Fall cruises departing from Japan on Dia...

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 ...

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 mont...

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 Li...

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. ...

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 ...

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 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 .

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 ...

USNS Comfort Arrives in New York to Provide Hospital Beds to Non Coronavirus Patients The USNS Comfort arrived in New York on Monday 3/30/20 at 11:00 AM. The massive Navy hospital ship came to NYC to help relieve city hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. Spectators lined both sides of the Hudson River, ignoring social distancing, to get a look at the gleaming white ship with a red cross on it as the USNS Comfort sailed up the river. The 1,000-bed floating hospital docked at Pier 90 on Manhattan’s West Side, and is set to begin treating patients Tuesday. “Our nation has heard our plea for help here in New York City,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said as he greeted the ship at Pier 90. “There could not be a better example of all of America pulling for New York City than the arrival of the USNS Comfort.” The USNS Comfort will not treat coronavirus patients, but will take on other patients including trauma cases, freeing up beds at local hospitals focused on c...

Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas Spending Lay Up at Private Island and At Sea. Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas has been alternating her days between an anchorage off the coast of the Bahamas and pulling along side at Coco Cay Royal Caribbean's Private island. It is suspected that she will pull into a Floridian or Bahamian port shortly for fuel and stores. 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 .