June 30, 2020
(1:45 p.m. EDT) -- Carnival has sent its hotly-anticipated cruise ship Mardi Gras out on its first sea trials.
The trials, which test a ship's technical and marine handling capabilities, began today from the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland. They are expected to last for a period of 10 days,
Once completed, Mardi Gras will return to the shipyard for final fitting-out of the vessel's interior spaces before setting sail for the United States.
Carnival's Mardi Gras is the first Carnival vessel to be built on the Excellence platform that also includes P&O's new Iona and AIDA's AIDAnova. Mardi Gras will be the first Carnival ship of
(10:30 a.m. EDT) -- CLIA Australasia has created a new Cruise Suppliers Advisory Group in response to Australia's current ban on cruises, which is scheduled to run through until at least December 17, 2020.
The Advisory Group will include representatives from Australia's transport companies, food and beverage providers, local farmers and wholesalers who provide provisions, services and goods for the Australian cruise industry.
The goal of the Advisory Group is to support a phased return to cruise operations in Australia. CLIA Australasia managing director Joel Katz had said the Advisory Group would meet regularly and would play a part in the
(11:45 a.m. EDT) -- Greek cruise line Celestyal Cruises has revealed a new logo and livery for the fleet as well as new itineraries for its new flagship, Celestyal Experience.
The line took ownership of Costa NeoRomantica in July, renaming the 1,800 passenger ship Celestyal Experience, and boosting its fleet to three.
Celestyal Experience will take over the seven- and 14-night itineraries from Celestyal Crystal, throwing the future of the smaller ship into doubt.
"We're bringing her into service on March 6 on the 'Three Continents' itinerary," Chief Commercial Officer Leslie Peden said, speaking exclusively to Cruise Critic: "She'll execute the en
(3:45 a.m. EDT) -- Royal Caribbean has announced a series of new cruises to Europe and the Caribbean for the Summer 2021 season, along with the redeployment of Adventure, Brilliance, Jewel, Independence, and Vision of the Seas.
The new itineraries include the debut of the line's newest ship Odyssey of the Seas as well as four-and-five-night Mediterranean getaways from Barcelona and additional summer sailings in the Caribbean, with ships sailing from Tampa, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Royal Caribbean said the decision to shuffle ships around was guided by market research and valuable passenger feedback.
The new deployment schedule is a
(4:30 p.m. EDT) -- A report issued by U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner Louis E. Sola says there is an urgent need for the cruise industry to resume sailing from Florida's cruise ports, citing staggering losses to revenue, local employment and the contributions cruise passengers make to other tourism sectors such as the airline and hospitality industries.
In its latest Fact Finding 30 report, FMC Commissioner Sola indicates that Florida has lost $3.2 billion in economic activity and 49,500 local jobs paying approximately $2.3 billion in wages as a result of the suspension of
(Updated 4:15 p.m EDT) -- As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to progress around the world, cruise lines are rolling out detailed health and safety protocols that will allow them to safely resume service.
For experienced cruisers, these measures represent a significant departure from the way cruising has been over the past few years, with some lines electing to require masks, eliminate buffet service and self-serve table snacks, and introduce social distancing measures that will alter -- but not destroy -- many of the onboard features that passengers know and love.
Cruise Critic has compiled a list of currently available, confirmed health policies by the cruise lines listed below, altho