September 16, 2020
Continued Suspensions for Four Ships
- Carnival Magicitineraries operating from Miami will be cancelled until March13, 2021
- Carnival Paradiseitineraries operating from Tampa will be cancelled until March 19, 2021
- Carnival Valoritineraries operating from New Orleans will be cancelled until April 29, 2021 (including the transatlantic cruise from New Orleans on Jan. 25, 2021 and the return from Barcelona on Feb. 26, 2021)
- Carnival Spirititineraries operating from Brisbane will be cancelled through May 16, 2021, with the first sailing being the Singapore to Brisbane voyage embarking on June 12, 2021.
Confidence is on the rise -- in Europe at least -- as dozens of river cruise ships ply the rivers and canals of Europe.
In fact, river cruises have been operating safely here since June -- and I was fortunate enough to be on one of the first, A-ROSA on the Douro.
(There has been just one COVID-19 outbreak, on a Croisi river cruise ship in Portugal at the end of its cruise, infecting two passengers and five crew members.)
However, all these lines have one thing in common -- they are all European. The huge fleets from U.S.-based cruise lines in Europe such as Viking, Uniworld and AmaWaterways are idle, except for one.
In cooperation with the German tour operator e-ho
(4:55 p.m. EDT) -- Virgin Voyages introduced a series of new itineraries for its second modern cruise ship, Valiant Lady, for the 2021 cruise season.
After debuting in the Mediterranean next year, Valiant Lady will join sister-ship Scarlet Lady in the Caribbean for the 2021-2022 winter season. The ship will also inaugurate a series of new Caribbean itineraries for Virgin, including six- and eight-night sailings along with two brand-new destinations in the Caribbean.
Beginning in November 2021, Valiant Lady will offer six-night voyages roundtrip from Miami that call on Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya, Mexico; and Virgin's own Beach Club at Bimini in the Bahamas.
Eight-night cruises wi
(2 p.m. EDT) -- Florida lawmakers have teamed up to introduce a bill that would allow cruise lines and ports to resume operations.
The Set Sail Safely Act, introduced Wednesday by Florida Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, would establish a Maritime Task Force, in coordination with an advisory committee from the private sector, to "address the health, safety, security, and logistical changes" needed to allow for cruise lines and ports to resume operations.
Currently, cruise lines are under a "no sail order" from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) until September 30, 2020, and have been since March 13 when many COVID-19 lockdow
(11:50 a.m. EDT) -- After a false start this summer, Paul Gauguin has resumed cruising in Tahiti and the South Pacific -- and Cruise Critic has some pictures to prove it.
Elaine Fiorina, of Rancho Mirage, California, is onboard the vessel as it sails the Society Islands on a weeklong cruise from Tahiti. She's one of 54 passengers onboard the ship, which can usually hold 350 guests.
It's the third sailing with international passengers from the single-ship line, which was bought by the French cruise company Ponant last year. Synonymous with South Pacific cruising, Paul Gauguin had started cruising with local residents in mid-July after French Polynesia developed strict testing criteria f
(11:25 a.m. EDT) -- Carnival Cruise Line today confirmed the sale of Carnival Fascination, along with sister-ship Carnival Imagination, and announced further suspension of sailings for four other ships until after their scheduled 2021 drydocks.
The 1994-built Carnival Fascination had until recently made its homeport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where it sailed weeklong voyages to the eastern and southern Caribbean. While a buyer wasn't announced, it is expected the ship will be sold to shipbreakers in Turkey.
Sister-ship Carnival Imagination, built in 1995, arrived this week off Aliaga, Turkey where it will be run aground for final demolition. The ship had been based for several years in
(10:30 a.m. EDT) -- Carnival Corp.-owned AIDA has brought forward its planned restart date in the Mediterranean from November 1 to October 17.
The German line will operate AIDAblu from Civitavecchia (for Rome), offering week-long cruises around Italy, calling in at Catania in Sicily, Naples and La Spezia until the end of November.
The ship will oerate a significantly lower capacity and will be open for bookings initially for German speakers only.
The news comes just days after sister brand Costa Cruises made a successful restart of cruising on Costa Deliziosa -- following a strict set of new health protocols, including pre-boarding COVID-19 tests. Another German line