Plenty of cruise information to make amends for from the previous week, together with protection from Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America and Royal Caribbean. It has been per week stuffed with cancellations, cutbacks and program adjustments, which Cruise Hive will replace you on.
Cruise News Update
It’s time to make sure you’re caught up on the most recent cruise information throughout the most important cruise strains. This previous week we’ve bought protection on cruise cancellations for 3 Carnival cruise ships, Royal Caribbean making changes for loyalty passengers, Holland America becoming a member of in on the most recent pattern of accelerating gratuities, Carnival increasing on its choices out of Virginia, and Norwegian Cruise Line making a tough choice to chop 9% of its shoreside employees.
Carnival Cruise Line Cancellations
It has been a busy week of Carnival Cruise Line cancellations for a complete of three ships, impacting cruises so far as 2024. We begin with the Carnival Vista cruise ship, with the cruise line canceling all sailings from January 7, 2024, departure by way of the February 10, 2024, cruise.
In complete, 5 sailings have been impacted, and company and journey companions have been contacted through e-mail about their choices. During the timeframe of the canceled cruises, Carnival Vista will as an alternative be present process a dry dock. The particulars of the dry dock haven’t been revealed, however the course of is prone to embrace a wide range of upgrades and upkeep that’s not sensible to do whereas company are onboard.
Carnival Cruise Line has additionally canceled a month of sailings for Carnival Sunrise, in addition to a number of cruises canceled for Carnival Miracle.
Carnival Sunrise has now been scheduled for an prolonged dry dock in early 2024, and impacted company and journey advisors are being contacted in regards to the canceled sailings, which embrace all voyages from February 1 by way of and together with March 4, 2024.
Carnival Cruise Line model ambassador John Heald addressed the cancelations, together with Carnival Vista‘s canceled cruises, on his Facebook web page.
“Dry dock planning is done in advance but sometimes we do have to change plans and so some of you have had your cruises canceled for 2024 on these two ships,” Heald mentioned.
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In addition to the cruise cancelations for Carnival Vista and Carnival Sunrise, the Spirit-class Carnival Miracle has additionally canceled cruises, however for a distinct motive. Carnival Cruise Line has rescheduled Carnival Miracle for a 14-night “Carnival Journeys” crusing to Hawaii, departing on Sunday, January 21, 2024.
This means the ship’s beforehand scheduled cruises should be canceled to accommodate the brand new crusing. The new Hawaii cruise will nonetheless depart from Carnival Miracle‘s homeport, Long Beach, California.
The canceled sailings are from January 21, 2024, by way of and together with January 30, 2024, after which the ship will resume its beforehand deliberate Baja Mexico and Mexican Riviera itineraries, with one other Carnival Journeys cruise to Hawaii departing on February 17, 2024.
Guests impacted by the cancelations for any of the three vessels have a number of choices for compensation. Though the now-canceled sailings are greater than a yr away, many vacationers plan cruises effectively prematurely and can now want to regulate their plans.
Holland America Line Increases Service Charges
Holland America Line, a part of Carnival Corporation & plc, has introduced a slight improve in gratuity charges to take impact on all sailings from February 1, 2023. The improve will likely be $.50 (USD) per visitor per day in all stateroom classes.
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The new price will then be $17.50 per particular person per day for company in suites, and $16.00 per particular person per day in non-suite stateroom classes comparable to balcony, oceanview, and inside staterooms.
Holland America Line describes these charges as “a daily amount for each guest that will be automatically added to your onboard account for your convenience, to recognize the efforts of a wide variety of crewmembers who contribute to the experiences of all our guests.”
Holland America Line has not clarified whether or not or not company booked on sailings after February 1, 2023 can nonetheless pre-pay gratuities earlier than that date to reap the benefits of the decrease price, which stays at $17 per particular person per day for suites and $15.50 per particular person per day for non-suites by way of January 31.
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The announcement from Holland America Line follows a comparable improve from Princess Cruises, which is elevating gratuity charges by $1.50 per particular person, per day for all cabin and suite classes, efficient on Wednesday, December 14, 2022.
Royal Caribbean Loyalty Benefit Changes
The Miami-based cruise line has knowledgeable company about some loyalty profit adjustments over the previous week, together with vouchers and a selected onboard venue.
We begin with letting you already know that Royal Caribbean is eradicating Concierge Lounge entry from Diamond Plus advantages. This change will likely be applied for all voyages departing on or after December 16, 2022, for all ships within the Royal Caribbean fleet.
Previously, particular lounge entry has been variable relying on the general visitor rely onboard particular person ships and on particular person sailings, relying on what number of company have met particular loyalty profit ranges.
Now lounge entry will likely be absolutely standardized, and solely Pinnacle degree company (700+ cruise factors) in addition to suite company will likely be approved to benefit from the house.
This change solely applies to ships that shouldn’t have a Suite Lounge, which incorporates all Radiance-class ships, all Vision-class ships, the Voyager-class Explorer of the Seas, and the three oldest Quantum-class vessels, Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, and Ovation of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean company who’ve reached the Diamond, Diamond Plus, or Pinnacle degree of the cruise line’s Crown and Anchor loyalty program have lengthy loved each day drink vouchers as a particular perk for his or her loyalty.
An issue, nonetheless, is that the time to reset the voucher use window has at all times been midnight. This implies that vouchers redeemed after midnight would rely towards the next day’s complete, although many company contemplate a late night time of karaoke, comedy, or hanging out previous midnight to be technically a part of the day past.
Now, Royal Caribbean has shifted that point to five:00 a.m., which allows company to make use of every day’s drink vouchers anytime from 5 a.m. within the very early morning to 4:59 a.m. the next very late night time.
“We want to make sure you’re getting the most out of this benefit!” Royal Caribbean defined in a letter to loyal company. “Your daily complimentary vouchers will now reset at 5:00 AM every morning allowing you to get more out of this benefit during prime hours of each day, including your after-midnight drinks.”
This change takes impact for all sailings departing on or after Friday, December 16, 2022. It needs to be famous, nonetheless, that the general variety of drink vouchers every visitor receives just isn’t altering.
Carnival Sunshine Norfolk Cruises
Carnival Cruise Line introduced on Thursday, December 15, 2022, that they are going to be increasing operations from Norfolk with Carnival Sunshine to be homeported from the Old Dominion state starting in mid-February, 2025. While solely two months of sailings in 2025 are at the moment deliberate, the cruise line continues to work on scheduling for the longer term.
“As we work closely with city and port officials on our plans to increase from seasonal to year-round operations, we’re delighted to open these sailings for sale, so guests from all over the southeastern U.S. can start doing some planning of their own for 2025,” mentioned Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
Carnival Sunshine will supply a wide range of 6-8 night time sailings with two totally different itineraries of every size. Depending on departure date, the 6-night cruises will go to both Bimini or Half Moon Cay, and each itinerary choices will cease in Nassau.
The 8-night sailings will each go to Amber Cove and Grand Turk, and relying on the departure date, may also go to both Princess Cays or Half Moon Cay. Currently, Carnival Sunshine is homeported from Charleston, South Carolina, by way of the top of 2024.
Norwegian Shoreside Staff Cuts
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings introduced prior to now week that it will be reducing again on its shoreside employees. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings mentioned the choice to scale back shoreside employees by 9% is among the firm’s “prudent actions across our business to align with our strategic priorities.”
A press release from the corporate mentioned, “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to restructure and rightsize our shoreside workforce, reducing our current and planned shoreside roles by approximately 9%. This action is part of a broader and ongoing effort to improve operating efficiencies, including cost minimization initiatives, to strengthen the foundation for sustained, profitable growth.”
Details concerning how the workforce discount would have an effect on the operations of the corporate’s three manufacturers weren’t offered. Norwegian Cruise Line is a mainstream line catering largely to households. Oceania Cruises is an upmarket line, and Regent is among the high luxurious strains working at this time.
The deliberate cuts in shoreside staffing come on the heels of charge and gratuity will increase the corporate has introduced in current weeks. Guests onboard Norwegian Cruise Line ships at the moment are being charged a brand new $4.95 service charge for continental breakfast room service.
More Cruise Headlines
It was simply one other week throughout the cruise trade, and we’ve bought all of the protection over on Cruise Hive, together with Princess Cruises implementing value hikes for beverage and eating, a rescue by the Symphony of the Seas cruise ship, the opportunity of a fourth cruise terminal in Galveston, the brand new Arvia LNG vessel delivered to P&O Cruises, Celebrity Cruises enters the metaverse world, new particulars revealed for the Carnival Venezia, spectacular pool numbers for the large Icon of the Seas and much extra.
