June 30, 2020
(Updated 11: 54 a.m. EDT) -- The first U.S. cruise to set sail since the COVID-19 pandemic began has returned to Juneau after cutting short its voyage to Alaska after a passenger received notification he had tested positive for the virus.
UnCruise Adventures' Wilderness Adventurer, which left Juneau on Saturday for a weeklong cruise with 37 passengers and 30 crewmembers onboard, docked in the port city Wednesday morning, with all passengers being transferred to a local hotel where they will be placed into quarantine until doctors and state officials determine it is safe for them to leave. Crew will quarantine onboard the boat.
In announcing the news of the positive test
(10:50 a.m. EDT) -- The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has announced it will be extending its voluntary suspension of U.S. cruise operations for all member lines until at least October 31, 2020.
It is the third time that CLIA has issued a voluntary suspension of sailing notice, following the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's initial "No-Sail" order that was issued in March and extended further in April and July.
CLIA member lines include some of the world's largest brands, including all Carnival Corporation & plc lines like Carnival, Holland America and Princess; Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' brands including Norwegian,
(10:50 a.m. EDT) -- After a positive COVID-19 outbreak was detected on Hurtigruten's Roald Amundsen, Norway has suspended cruise ships sailing with over 100 people from disembarking in the country's ports for the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, Norwegian newspapers are reporting that passengers on the luxury ship SeaDream I are at sea in quarantine, as a guest on a previous voyage tested positive for COVID-19.
Hurtigruten Case Count Grows
Accord
(3:45 p.m. BST) -- P&O Cruises has updated two major dates for its fleet, announcing that Iona will be arriving before autumn and its sister ship will be delivered in December 2022.
The 5,200-passener Iona, which will be the largest ship custom-built for the U.K. cruise market, was originally set to debut in May 2020. It is also the first British ship to be powered by liquified natural gas. Delivery from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, has been delayed because of the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The sister ship is yet unnamed and will also be built at Meyer Werft. Itineraries will go on sale in spring 2021.
P&O Cruises has voluntarily suspended operations t
(5 p.m. EDT) -- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has poured cold water over the idea of a Trans-Tasman travel "bubble" between New Zealand and Australia, according to reports in the Sydney Morning Herald.
While New Zealand has managed to go over three months without a case of COVID-19 with no known source, the Australian city of Melbourne saw 760 active cases of COVID-19 with no known source on Sunday, according to the Herald.
Those increasing numbers have led Australia's second-largest city to impose lockdown restrictions for si
(12:05 p.m. EDT) -- MSC Cruises announced some of the industry's most ground-breaking health and safety protocols this week, as the international cruise line eyes a return to sailings in the Mediterranean this fall.
Cruise Critic conducted a question-and-answer session with Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises. Here's what he had to say:
Cruise Critic: Where will you restart your operations?
Gianni Onorato: We are ready with a passion to get back to the sea, and we've put together a really strong new health and safety protocol for our guests and our crew. We have had great feedback from the relevant authorities on where we propose to sail, and we're waiting in eager anticipati