Alaska Trip Report, Part 2: RCI President’s Cruise – Sharing Memories & a Rocking Show
It’s a tough audience on a Royal Caribbean President’s Cruise. A loyal one, because the vast majority of guests are seasoned RCI cruisers, but a demanding one too, because expectations are sky-high based on past performance. The 2022 President’s Cruise, the first in three years due to the pandemic, is no different. The loyalty of […]
Alaska Trip Report: Royal Caribbean Sets Off on First President’s Cruise in 3 Years
Like just about everything else, the annual Royal Caribbean International President’s Cruise took a two-year pause during the pandemic. But as the cruise industry completes a triumphant comeback, the 2022 President’s Cruise is a go, with 4,000 passengers aboard Ovation of the Seas on a roundtrip-Seattle Alaska sailing. Many of the passengers are the world’s […]
Return of Cruise Ships Buoys Tourism in Turks and Caicos
The return of cruise ships to the Caribbean destination Turks and Caicos has jump-started the tiny nation’s tourism recovery, with March numbers almost as high as the same record-setting month in pre-pandemic 2019. For the first quarter, 173,151 visitors arrived by cruise ship, ahead of the 138,762 who arrived by air. “The tourism industry is […]
Royal Caribbean and Azamara the Latest Cruise Lines to Return to Full Service
Two more cruise lines, including the world’s largest, have all their ships sailing again for the first time since March 2020. Royal Caribbean International, the world’s largest single-brand ocean ship fleet, is officially back in action, with all 26 of its ships now sailing. Rhapsody of the Seas was the final vessel to return, departing […]
Resorts World Cruises Rises From the Ashes of Bankrupt Company
Rising from the ashes of Genting Hong Kong, a new cruise line owned by Malaysian tycoon Lim Kok Thay will set sail from its homeport in Singapore next month. Resorts World Cruises will deploy Genting Dream, a ship once operated by the Genting HK-owned Dream Cruises. Controlled by the Lim family, Genting Hong Kong went […]
Carnival Posts Another Huge Loss, But Signs Point To Brighter Days
Carnival Corporation earned $1.6 billion in revenue for the first quarter of 2022, a massive jump from $26 million in Q1 2021, a time when the pandemic had paralyzed the global cruise industry. But there’s still a long road to recovery for the cruise giant, which posted an overall $1.9 billion loss for the first […]
CDC Eases Restrictions on Shore Excursions, Cruise Ship Experiences
Cruising out of the United States is looking more and more like it did before the pandemic, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention once again easing its guidance for passenger vessels. Over the past few weeks, the CDC lowered its risk level for cruising from Level 4 – highest risk – to Level […]
Uncertain Future For Crystal Cruises as Parent Company Sinks Under Debt
Update 1/19, 3:40 pm: Crystal Cruises has suspended operations for its ocean and expedition ships through April 29, 2022. River cruises are suspended through the end of May 2022. Crystal’s three ships that are currently sailing will complete their current voyages. In a statement, the line said “Suspending operations will provide Crystal’s management team with […]
Physician & Cruise Industry Consultant Says Pandemic Nearing An End
Former U.S. Food & Drug Administration Commissioner and cruise industry health consultant Dr. Scott Gottlieb says he believes the pandemic is coming to an end – and he’s planning to take his family on a cruise this summer. In a webinar with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio, Gottlieb said he believes the […]
The Conditional Sail Order Is Set To Expire: What Happens Then?
Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky confirmed to Congress this week that the agency’s COVID-19 regulations for cruise lines will move from mandatory to voluntary on January 15. For the short term at least, cruisers won’t likely see much difference. After being extended last fall, the Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) was set to […]