October 07, 2020
Smaller Casts, Illusion of Touch for Main Stage Shows
For main-stage performances in the ship's theater, shows are having to be completely re-tooled in order to suit new COVID-19 health and safety protocols being developed by cruise lines, RWS Entertainment, and other organizations. Often, this has to be done for little to no cost, given the current cash flow restrictions facing cruise lines. "We've spent time the last couple months re-staging shows completely, at our cost, to make sure it's ready to come back into service," says Ryan Stana, CEO and founder, RWS Entertainment Group."The other thing we have to accept is that budgets will not be there for the next three to four years to make these changes," Stana said. "We have to figure out how to make the performers safe without spending any money."The head of entertainment's job is to say, 'How are we going to redo what we currently have?'"Stana also points out a myriad of small changes that are being adopted to keep performers and audiences safe. These range from increased costume numbers onboard to ensure costumes, particularly costumed characters, can be sanitized properly between performances. "Production shows are different," said McCoy. "We're trying to figure out how we can appropriately place these people up there. One idea is a reduction of cast sizes. New approaches to scenery - -moving away from traditional scenery and moving to LED scenery behind you -- can give an additional six, ten, 12 feet of space."Another new legal requirement is something called "Illusion of Touch." Stage shows are engineered to make it look like performers are touching each other when they actually aren't. Stana points out this is a legal requirement for many stage performances for the next 12 months. "This isn't just happening at sea," said Stana. "This is the entertainment world at large."Shipboard dressing rooms -- already a tight, claustrophobic space with little room for physical distancing -- are being rethought, to the point where performers may do some costume changes in their own cabins. For other performances, costume changes might require more dramatic measures. "What's worth calling out is really evaluating each case individually," said McCoy. "If we have a lead singer in a vocal show and she's doing a Whitney Houston number and the costume is a big spectacle, we might need to engineer a very specific and safe way to get that individual into their costume. "We might have someone in a full respirator and a face shield and a gown to change her. We'd have a reserved changing area for this individual."Different Doesn't Mean Worse
Despite the numerous changes being consider to entertainment options on land and sea, McCoy stresses that different doesn't have to mean that the cruise entertainment experience guests have come to know and love will be worse off."There is instrumental forward momentum right now," McCoy said of the industry's recovery. "There are a lot of really fascinating, creative solutions that are coming up."The best thing we can do at this point is not fall into the trap of realizing that just because something is a certain way doesn't mean it is going to be gone forever."(5:50 p.m. EDT) -- A report issued by U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner Louis E. Sola concluded that, "when considered on a per capita basis, there may not be another state in the Nation paying as high a cost from passenger ships not sailing than Alaska."
The latest in a series of in-depth assessments into the impact of the cruise industry's shutdown on the U.S economy, the report notes that the cancellation of the entire Alaskan cruise season because of the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected Alaskans, as many state towns are heavily dependent on cruise tourism.
"While tourism benefits all our Northwestern states, it is one of three pillars of t
(3:10 p.m. EDT) -- Cruise lines in Europe are continuing to bar passengers who violate their health and safety regulations when it comes to shore excursions and staying within the ship-sponsored "bubble" in port.
Tuesday, a guest on AIDAblu left his travel group during a ship-sponsored shore excursion in Catania, Italy. "As a result, the guest was unable to continue sailing on AIDAblu, and AIDA supported the guest in organizing his trip home," the line said in a statement.
AIDAblu is the first ship to resume cruising in the COVID-19 era from the German line AIDA, which is owned by Carnival Corporation. The current cruise is the first one back, sailing a seven-day itinera
(11:05 a.m. EDT) -- MSC Cruises will install a new and advanced technology sanitation system to improve the quality and cleanliness of the onboard air for its passengers and crew.
Known as 'Safe Air', the new system will be fitted on MSC Seashore, the line's newest ship, which is due to launch in July 2021 and will be the first of two "Seaside Evo"-class ships.
MSC claims that the technology -- which uses ultraviolet rays to blast organic particles and so prevents the circulation of air pollutants -- will be a world first for a cruise line.
However, other lines are trialling similar technologies, including Norwegian Cruise Line, which [announced new health a
(12:15 p.m. EDT) -- As Royal Caribbean gears up for a restart in Asia in December, the line has released several infographics outlining changes passengers will see on its ship in that region.
Quantum of the Seas will start sailing from Singapore on December 1, at half capacity with only passengers who live in the country and on "Ocean Getaways", or cruises to nowhere. While Royal Caribbean Group has a partial interest in TUI Cruises, a German line that has also resumed cruising, the sailing could mark the first Royal Caribbean ship to welcome back passengers worldwide; the line has canceled all U.S. sailings through November 30 and is await
(7 p.m. EDT) -- Princess Cruises announced Wednesday it would accelerate the transfer of two Grand-class ships – Golden Princess and Star Princess -- to sister-brand P&O Cruises Australia.
In 2018, the line announced it would transition the 2001-built Golden Princess and its 2002-built sister, Star Princess, to its P&O Australia brand. Golden Princess was slated to enter service down under this October, while Star Princess had been scheduled to sail its last voyage under the Princess banner at the end of 2021.
While Golden Princess had already been removed from Princess Cruises' active fleet, Star Princess was scheduled to continue
(12:25 p.m. EDT) -- Holland America Line will deploy six of its vessels to Alaska next year, including a full roster of sailings departing from Vancouver, Seattle and Whittier (Anchorage).
For the 2021 season, the line will send Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Oosterdam and Volendam to Alaska. Sailings will run from April through September of 2021.
The move by the line, which has always maintained a strong presence in Alaska, is a big vote of confidence in the region after the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic saw the cancellation of the entire 2020 Alaskan cruise season, which in turn devastated many smaller ports of call like the former Gold Rush town of Ska