April 10, 2020
Further Requirements Needed to Resume Sailing
In its order, the CDC also called for more robust planning in terms of the care of passengers and crew who get sick with COVID-19 onboard its ships. Such plans must meet several requirements set forth by the CDC, and no cruise line will be permitted to operate in waters that fall under the jurisdiction of the United States until those plans are received and approved by the CDC and implemented by the cruise lines.Cruise lines have seven days from April 9 to submit and implement their plans. It is unclear in the order whether cruise lines could be given permission to resume sailing earlier than 100 days if they meet these requirements; Cruise Critic has reached out to the CDC for clarification.Requirements run the gamut from onboard monitoring of COVID-19 or flu-like illnesses, laboratory sampling and testing, onboard mitigation and prevention strategies, daily and weekly reporting, disinfection protocols, onboard hospital-level emergency-care facilities, personal protective equipment, crew training and repatriation of foreign nationals.Cruise lines must show how they propose to acquire staff and operationalize their plans with a minimal burden placed on U.S. federal, state or local government entities or healthcare systems. For instance, cruise lines' outbreak management plans must include the ability to provision and assist any affected cruise ship using industry resources, such as using other cruise ships to act as a hospital for the infected, a quarantine for the exposed and a residential ship for those providing care and treatment.The requirements also include those previously announced by the CDC barring cruise lines from using domestic commercial airlines to transfer passengers or crew who have disembarked from a ship with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases onboard.Other Operations Covered Under the No Sail Order
In addition to stopping cruise lines from resuming sailing, the CDC order prevents several typical cruise operations.Among them: the disembarkation and re-embarkation of crew at any U.S port; the shifting of crew from one ship to another; moving anchor; or discharging waste. Cruise ships may engage in these activities only in consultation with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the CDC, under the direction of the U.S. Coast Guard and as coordinated with relevant federal, state and local authorities.The order does not prevent ships from taking on provisions, though this also must be done under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and CDC or the U.S. Coast Guard.Cruise Industry Response
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which emphasized its 50-year history of collaborating with the CDC and the World Health Organization, expressed concern the CDC's decision to target a single industry."We value our relationship with the U.S. authorities and will continue to work with these important agencies in our shared commitment and priority for the health and safety of passengers and crew."We are, however, concerned about the unintended consequences of the order in singling out an industry that has been proactive in its escalation of health and sanitation protocols, including the aforementioned proposals mentioned in the CDC's order, as well as transparent in its reporting despite numerous challenges beyond the industry's control."The potential impacts include, but are not limited to, the potential loss to the USA economy of $51 billion and 343,000 lost jobs in the first year alone if we assume the national emergency lasts 1 year (which is how long the last health-related national emergency was for H1N1)."While it's easy to focus on cruising because of its high profile, the fact is cruising is neither the source nor cause of the virus or its spread. What is different about the cruise industry is our reporting requirements. It would be a false assumption to connect a higher frequency in reporting to increased risk/frequency of infection."Despite the CLIA's concerns, cruise lines are taking the order seriously and proactively figuring out how to address the new requirements."We are aware of the CDC order and are studying how best to respond to its provisions," Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines spokesman, Jonathan Fishman, told Cruise Critic, reiterating the company's global sailings are currently suspended through May 11, 2020.Royal Caribbean is not alone in its global suspensions; all cruise lines had voluntarily taken their ships out of commission in mid-March for at least 30 days. The original suspensions have been extended on a line-by-line basis, as the coronavirus continues to be a worldwide health crisis."We voluntarily paused the launch of any new cruises several weeks ago," Roger Frizzell, a spokesman for Carnival Corporation said. "We continue to focus on our people, our guests and our operations during this difficult time."Most cruise lines were able to get their passengers off voyages that were sailing within a few days or weeks of the start of the suspensions. Only a handful of cruises, all of which had set sail before the CDC issued its first no sail order, still have passengers onboard. Some of the more publicized cases, such as Holland America's Zaandam, are in the process of repatriating the last passengers from the ships.Cruise Critic will continue to monitor this story.(Updated 4:52 p.m. EDT) -- With ocean and river cruise lines temporarily suspending service around the world as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping track of the seemingly minute-by-minute changes to the cruise industry can be challenging.
Most cruise lines voluntarily paused sailings for the meantime after being faced with port closures; a lack of suitable infrastructure, including flights; and increased travel restrictions that change on a country-by-country basis. CLIA,the Cruise Lines International Association that represents most cruise lines, issued a further volunatary suspension in operations through October 31.
Adding to voluntary suspensi
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(12:45 p.m. EDT) -- Multi-platinum English singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran and his wife, Cherry, have announced the birth of their first child -- and her name will bring a smile to cruise fans.
Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran was born last week, the singer announced on his social media platforms. "We are completely in love with her. Both mum and baby are doing amazing and we are on cloud nine over here," he wrote on Instagram.
While Sheeran hasn't commented publicly on baby name's inspiration, Cruise Critic has been told the couple took a cruise to Antarctica on Ponant's Le Lyrial(/reviews/r
(Updated 2:09 p.m. EDT) -- Faced with declining revenues and a lack of passengers during the global COVID-10 pandemic, some cruise lines are taking an unpopular but necessary step: Selling off older vessels for scrap.
Most modern cruise ships have service lives of 40 years or more. While it is not uncommon to see cruise ships built in the 1970's and 1980's go to the breakers, older vessels are usually transferred first to another, smaller cruise operator -- a market that is often referred to as "secondhand tonnage."
It's more unusual is to see relatively young vessels head to the breakers. Yet that is precisely what is beginning to happen, due to the coronavirus pandemic. On June 25,
(11:00 a.m. EDT) -- MSC Cruises has announced it will launch discounted fares for healthcare professionals worldwide on its global cruises as a way to thank essential workers who are helping battle the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The program, which is available for healthcare professionals and their families, will be available beginning August 31 for sailings through the end of 2021. Eligible workers will receive discounts of up to 50 percent on bookings made by April 30, 2021.
"As a family-owned company we think it's only right and proper to find a way to express our heartfelt 'thank you' to each and every healthcare professional of the world -- as well as their families -- for th
(4:18 p.m. EDT) -- American Cruise Lines' newest vessel, American Jazz, is one step closer to deployment after successfully completing its sea trials.
The 190-passenger riverboat, which is under construction at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, MD, will be the one of the newest vessels on the Mississippi when it enters service. In conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard, American Jazz underwent its speed trials as well as safety and maneuverability tests last week.
"American Jazz and the modern riverboats we currently have under construction demonstrate our commitment to leading the U.S. river cruise market by adding new small ships each year," said Charles B. Robertson, President &