We’re right here with a busy cruise information replace throughout the {industry} from the previous week. There’s protection on Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and even a Costa Cruises ship.
Cruise News Update
There have been all types of reports up to now week, with cancellations, a cyclone, coverage adjustments and a few spectacular itineraries! Our protection on this article features a new coverage for Carnival Cruise Line crew, which passengers have to learn about, Norwegian opening up pre-cruise leisure reservations, almost half of the Princess Cruises fleet crusing Alaska in 2024, Costa Cruises promoting one among its ships, a cyclone impacting two Royal Caribbean cruise ships and Carnival#s epic 31-day Carnival Luminosa itinerary.
New Policy for Carnival Crew Members
For a few years, cruise vacationers have introduced small items to present to crew members as appreciation for his or her useful service in creating wonderful holidays. Items have ranged from treats comparable to cookies, sweet, and snacks to extra sensible objects like cellphone playing cards, socks, and toiletries.
Carnival Cruise Line is now introducing a coverage to ban some reward objects, nevertheless. Brand ambassador John Heald addressed the brand new coverage on his Facebook web page, in response to visitors’ questions on objects to present crew members.
“There is a new guideline for this,” Heald stated. “Please only bring something that is factory sealed and still in the packet or box. Individual candy or cookies etc. won’t be able to be taken by the crew I am afraid. This is for their safety.”
This signifies that any opened or do-it-yourself objects won’t be able to be accepted, or could also be instantly discarded whatever the merchandise or to whom it’s given.
No additional particulars about this restriction have been made instantly out there, however the brand new guideline is meant for the security of the crew. There are a number of ways in which even probably the most well-meaning reward might be unsafe. Homemade goodies, for instance, may need unknown allergens within the recipe, comparable to nuts that might give a crew member a harmful response.
To finest safeguard crew members, Carnival Cruise Line is limiting any reward objects that aren’t within the unique, factory-sealed packaging. This will be certain that objects haven’t been tampered with and are correctly labeled so their security is confirmed.
Norwegian Pre-Cruise Entertainment Reservations Begin
Guests booked for upcoming cruises all through the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet will now have the ability to pre-book reservations for onboard leisure, together with manufacturing exhibits, comedy, and unique dwell music venues.
Exactly when visitors will have the ability to e book, nevertheless, will fluctuate relying on the class of stateroom booked in addition to visitors’ loyalty standing in Norwegian Cruise Line’s Latitudes Rewards program.
Guests in The Haven staterooms or suites will have the ability to pre-book leisure as early as 26 days earlier than embarkation, as will visitors who’re at the very least Platinum stage within the Latitudes Rewards program.
To attain the Platinum stage, visitors will need to have collected 75+ factors. Guests earn one level for each cruise evening, with further factors for suite or The Haven stateroom bookings in addition to insider provide bookings.
Guests at decrease loyalty ranges or staterooms from Club Balcony Suites and decrease – balconies, oceanviews, inside, and studios – will have the ability to pre-book their leisure starting 21 days earlier than crusing.
Bookings will be made by the cruise line’s web site or by the NCL app if visitors are logged in to their related cruise reservations. There is not any price for reservations for any complimentary leisure choices.
While this announcement was simply made earlier this week and is efficient from February 7, 2023, some booked visitors have reported that the leisure reserving choices for upcoming cruises should not but open, regardless of being inside the specified home windows. It is feasible that some tech glitches will happen whereas the reservation system is fine-tuned.
Almost Half of Princes Fleet to Sail Alaska
Princess Cruises will provide 158 departures throughout its just-revealed 2024 summer season season in Alaska, permitting cruisers to embark at Anchorage (Whittier), Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, or San Francisco.
Three ships will function 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruises, together with the 142,229 gross ton, 3,560-guest Royal Princess; the 115,875 gross ton, 2,670-guest Sapphire Princess, and the 107,517 gross ton, 2,600-guest Grand Princess.
The itinerary, between Anchorage and Vancouver, options two glacier-viewings on every cruise, and northbound cruises embrace a late-night keep in Juneau, Alaska’s capital.
Seven-day Inside Passage voyages will function roundtrip from Seattle aboard the road’s latest ship, the 145,000 gross ton, 3,660-guest Discovery Princess, and the 143,700 gross ton, 3,560-guest Majestic Princess. These cruises additionally function a late keep in Juneau.
From San Francisco, Princess will provide 11-day Inside Passage cruises aboard the 113,561 gross ton, 3,080-guest Crown Princess, whereas the 113,561 gross ton, 3,080-guest Ruby Princess operates 7-day Inside Passage voyages from Vancouver.
Cruisers who want to lengthen a Voyage of the Glaciers cruise with land-based experiences can select from a wide range of cruisetours from 3 to 10 nights, with lodging at one of many line’s 5 Princess Wilderness Lodges.
Every cruisetour features a go to to Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park, and a few function the road’s Direct to Wilderness rail journey from Whittier to the Denali area. The line’s 17-night Ultimate Princess Connoisseur cruisetour permits visitors to remain two nights at every of the lodges.
Costa Magica Sold by Carnival
The Destiny-class Costa Magica has been bought to the Marios Iliopoulos-led Seajets high-speed ferry firm. The ship’s destiny has been unsure for a while, because it was introduced in June 2021 to be transferred to the Carnival Cruise Line fleet.
That plan was dismissed in mid-2022 when it was introduced that Costa Luminosa would as a substitute change into Carnival Luminosa, whereas Costa Magica was to stay with Costa Cruises in the meanwhile. The ship had not been crusing because the industry-wide shutdown started in March 2020, being one of many few ships to not resume visitor service.
In the meantime, Costa Magica was supplied to accommodate Ukrainian refugees in March 2022, with Costa Cruises reaching out to the Italian authorities with that proposal. Though beneficiant and appreciated, the provide was finally pointless.
In late December 2022, as a part of the Fourth Quarter 2022 Business Update from Carnival Corporation, it was introduced that three “smaller-less efficient ships” could be faraway from the company’s total fleet. At that point, it was recognized that two of the ships could be retired from the Costa Cruises fleet, however the names of the vessels weren’t launched.
Then, in early January, AIDAaura was confirmed to be leaving the AIDA Cruises fleet as a part of these optimization plans. Now we all know that Costa Magica will likely be one other of the impacted vessels, however the third vessel continues to be unknown, apart from the truth that it will likely be retired from Costa Cruises.
At this time, two further Costa ships – Costa Serena and Costa Diadema – are nonetheless in lay up, although Costa Diadema is slated to renew passenger operations in April 2023 with Mediterranean itineraries. Costa Serena can also be scheduled to renew service in December 2023, however her itinerary plans should not but finalized and she or he will not be listed on the Costa Cruises web site any longer.
Cyclone Impacts Two Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships
Two Royal Caribbean cruise ships have been impacted attributable to a Cyclone within the Pacific area. The two Quantum-class vessels, Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas each have important itinerary adjustments.
Quantum of the Seas was scheduled for an 8-night roundtrip South Pacific itinerary from Brisbane, Australia, departing on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 and visiting Mystery Island, Noumea, and Port Vila earlier than returning to Brisbane on Wednesday, February 15.
Upon boarding the ship, nevertheless, visitors obtained emails from Royal Caribbean that their itinerary was modified due to storm forecasts, which can also be mirrored within the Royal Caribbean app.
Due to the affect of the tropical low, which finally grew to become Cyclone Gabrielle, the ship will now be crusing south relatively than northeast, visiting Hobart, Tasmania and Sydney, Australia.
The name in Sydney will likely be an in a single day go to, from 8 a.m. on Sunday morning by 10 p.m. on Monday evening, giving visitors loads of time to discover and benefit from the wonderful metropolis. The ship will return to Brisbane on February 15 as scheduled, lengthy after the storm has moved away from the world.
Ovation of the Seas is homeported from Sydney, Australia, and was to have departed on Saturday, February 4, 2023 for an 8-night South Pacific cruise calling on Mystery Island and Port Vila in Vanuatu, in addition to Noumea in New Caledonia.
Because of hazardous climate, nevertheless, the ship has been unable to go to Vanuatu, and visitors have been knowledgeable of the change because the cruise started.
The unique schedule was to have departed Sydney on Saturday, with two days at sea earlier than visiting Mystery Island on Tuesday, Port Vila on Wednesday, and Noumea on Thursday. Two extra days at sea are to comply with earlier than the ship returns to Sydney on Sunday, February 12.
Instead, the brand new itinerary has been as follows: Three days at sea, in port at Noumea on Wednesday, and three extra days at sea earlier than returning to Sydney as scheduled.
By shifting the go to to Noumea earlier and avoiding the ports in Vanuatu, the ship has been in a position to stay in calmer waters and safer situations for the visitors and crew.
Carnival’s Epic 31-Day Voyage
The just lately refurbished Carnival Luminosa that transferred from the Costa Cruises fleet as a part of the brand new “Carnival Fun – Italian Style” initiative will take visitors on an epic journey spanning three continents throughout 31 days. It’s one of many longest and most unusual voyages within the cruise line’s historical past and a part of its Carnival Journeys choices.
The Carnival cruise ship will start the lengthy cruise on April 1, 2024, out of Brisbane, Australia, which is the place the ship is at present based mostly. In complete, the voyage will embrace 9 port visits and 19 sea days. There may also be someday of cruising the Hubbard Glacier for distinctive vistas and views.
There will likely be a go to to Guam, time in Tokyo, and stops in a number of the hottest Alaskan ports of name, together with Seward, Juneau, and Ketchikan. Of particular curiosity is the cease in Okinawa, Japan, which will likely be Carnival Cruise Line’s first-ever go to to that historic and culturally-rich vacation spot.
The cruise will conclude in Seattle, Washington on May 1, 2024, the place the ship will stay homeported by mid-September for the Alaskan crusing season, providing 7-night roundtrip itineraries to the Last Frontier. After Alaska, Carnival Luminosa will return to Australia to homeport as soon as extra from Brisbane.
More Cruise Headlines
It was one other busy week of cruise information and we’ve acquired all of the protection, together with Azipod propulsion points for a Holland America cruise ship, MSC Cruises detailing its busy 2023 summer season program with 140 locations, capability to be elevated at Royal Caribbean’s personal island within the Bahamas, cyclone forcing an itinerary change for the Carnival Luminosa cruise ship, the senior officers being introduced for the brand new Sun Princess, Royal Caribbean’s releases its enterprise replace with an anticipated robust 2023, routine upkeep forces a Royal Caribbean cancellation, Carnival teases new VIFP loyalty items and a lot extra.