Welcome to the Cruise Radio News Brief for the Week of June 28, 2020, where we bring you the latest cruise news, our weekly podcast, and recent YouTube videos.
1. Norwegian Cruise Line is giving cruisers with canceled sailings an unexpected perk: they will still earn loyalty points towards their Latitude Rewards program. Despite not being able to sail, Norwegian still applied the point to each would-be cruiser’s account, meaning they all got one step closer to rewards like priority check-in, free internet minutes, and more.
2. Royal Caribbean’s Vice President of Food and Beverage Operations Linken D’Souza assured concerned cruisers that “the buffet will exist.” While what changes will be made to the buffet experience remain to be seen, it’s at least refreshing for cruisers to get an answer on whether or not we can look forward to taking advantage of this dining venue when cruising returns.
3. Carnival Legend, while sailing off the coast of the Bahamas, assisted a stranded boat that had run out of fuel by providing the vessel 25 gallons of diesel fuel. With Carnival’s help, the sailors were able to refuel and return to Jacksonville, Florida.
4. Celestyal Cruises, a Greek cruise company, canceled all voyages through March 6, 2021. While the CDC’s no-sail order does not affect the cruise line, the ships source a worldwide audience, which would put both cruisers and crew at risk amid the pandemic. Affected guests will receive a 120 percent future cruise credit.
5. Carnival Cruise Line released a handful of bookings for the first quarter of 2022. While it seems contradictory to make travel plans that far in advance when we aren’t certain on when cruising will officially resume, it also gives us something to look forward to.
Featured Article: Cruise Experiences You Could Pay More For In The Future
You heard it here first, folks. As physical distancing become more important in the longer term, it’s almost guaranteed that cruisers can expect to pay more in the future for more privatized experiences. Spaces like Norwegian’s Haven or Carnival’s Havana Retreat will likely become more valuable, and the cruise lines, who have been losing revenue the last few months, will definitely capitalize on that.
This Week’s Podcast: Previewing New Cruise Ship Casinos
Who would’ve ever imagined that plexiglass partitioning would be a normal part of a cruise ship casino? However, we might need to imagine this as the new norm on cruise ships going forward. Our own Doug Parker speaks to his personal experience after taking a day cruise with Victory Casino Cruises out of Port Canaveral, Florida.
Featured Video: Carnival Mardi Gras Deck Tour
Originally due to hit the high seas this summer, Carnival Cruise Line’s upcoming mega-ship Mardi Gras is anxiously awaiting the opportunity to WOW cruisers with its new innovations. When sailing resumes, this will be Carnival’s largest ship to date weighing in at 180,000 tons and carrying more than 6,000 guests.
