Archives for January 2021

The cruise industry has made many headlines yet again this week. Some of these announcements were encouraging, like new ships being built and ships setting sail again. However, there seems to be one disappointing announcement after another for U.S. cruising. Catch up with all the latest announcements from the cruise lines in our Cruise News January 28th Edition.Cruise News January 28th 2021 … [Read more...]

Sailing the high seas with Disney Cruise Line is something special, but all good things eventually come to an end. However, for those returning through Disney’s terminal at Port Canaveral the experience is not over. In the baggage claim area on the ground floor of Cruise Terminal 8, you will encounter a collection of museum worthy murals featuring various aspects of a Disney Cruise vacation. The … [Read more...]

Princess Cays is an exclusive port of call for those enjoying a Princess Cruise to the Bahamas. Surrounded by clear warm waters and coral reefs teeming with marine life, it’s a beautiful place to experience life in paradise! You might be wondering how you can possibly fill a whole day of your vacation on an isolated sandy island, so let’s show you around! Once you have seen all the activities and … [Read more...]

One of the best parts about a cruise vacation is the incredible entertainment found on board. From musicians and singers to dancers and even magicians, there’s always a live show to enjoy when you’re cruising. Unfortunately, it’s been a difficult year for entertainers since the cruise industry shut down in March 2020.Thankfully, producers Marguerite Scott and Jeff Taveggia have partnered with … [Read more...]

Everyone is trying to get an idea of when cruises might restart by "reading between the lines", so perhaps Port Canaveral's commissioner meeting could shed some light on the subject.Port Canaveral holds public meetings to discuss the port's business operations and plan its budget accordingly.  Ordinarily, this is pretty mundane information to digest, but it includes some speculation on when … [Read more...]

We are honored to be featured in award-winning author’s, Paul C. Thornton, recent book Cruising Interrupted. This sequel to The Joy of Cruising features the stories of many fascinating contributors to the cruise community. We had the pleasure of getting to know Dr. Thornton over the past year and want to share his story with you.If you are interested in his work, you can purchase a copy for … [Read more...]

With further suspensions to May 2021 and a long journey ahead to return to normality for Norwegian Cruise Line, it’s now confirmed that non-essential crew members are being sent back home again after recently returning to the ships. NCL Repatriating Crew Members Again Just as things are starting to happen and cruise ships are starting to prepare on resuming cruises, things still remain unknown. … [Read more...]

Carnival Cruise Line said earlier today that they will protect commission rates for travel agents through next year. The commission tier that travel agents earned in 2019 will carry over for all Carnival cruises booked from now through 2022. “We truly appreciate the continued partnership and loyalty of our valued travel partners,” said Adolfo Perez, Carnival’s senior vice president of global … [Read more...]

“Nobody can quantify or articulate how much our world, and in particular the cruise industry, has changed in the past year and what the new world may look like. The gap between the hope of the cruiseships returning and reality, with still rampant coronavirus and slower than expected roll out of vaccines, is a grave concern to the whole industry. The cruise companies and many organisations and … [Read more...]

Due to popular demand, Star Clippers has extended and expanded their unprecedented Welcome 2021 wave offer. Now, guests have until February 28 to book their sailing and take advantage of 21% off cruise fares on select itineraries across all three ships with sailings in the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Southeast Asia. Offer is valid for residents of North, Central and South America only. Sailing … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises are sister cruise lines, owned by Royal Caribbean Group. So how much do these cruise line have in common?Many cruisers choose between a sailing on either brand because they are both under the same corporate umbrella, and their experiences are more similar these days than different.  However, there are definitely some ways each cruise line … [Read more...]

Sycamore Partners, a leading private equity firm, today announced that Orlando Ashford has been appointed as the incoming Executive Chairman of Azamara, the upmarket, boutique cruise line dedicated to Destination Immersion® experiences. Ashford’s appointment will become effective upon the completion of Sycamore’s acquisition of Azamara, which is expected to occur in Q1. “We are pleased for … [Read more...]

Coral Expeditions has completed the first Australian cruise for 2021 with what it said was successful restart voyage circumnavigating the pristine coastal waters of Tasmania. The voyage was sold out a year in advance, although several guests were not able to travel due to border restrictions at the time of departure on New Year’s Day. An intimate group of 45 guests enjoyed perfect weather and … [Read more...]

In appreciation of travel advisors’ loyalty and commitment, Carnival Cruise Line today announced that it is honoring the commission tier each account earned in 2019 through 2022. With this move, Carnival is ensuring that travel advisors will continue to earn commission at their current rates for the next two years without commission percentage changing. “We truly appreciate the continued … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) is extending its “Cruise with Confidence” program. Effective Feb. 1, 2021 for all bookings created by April 30, 2021, on sailings on or before April 30, 2022, guests will have the flexibility to cancel their cruise up to 48 hours prior to sailing and receive a full credit of the cruise fare paid. The future cruise credit can be used for a cruise on or before Sep. … [Read more...]

MSC Cruises has officially resumed cruises this week when one of their cruise ships departed from Genoa, Italy earlier this week on a seven night cruise.Photo Credit: Daniele Di MariaMSC Grandiosa temporarily paused sailings over the holidays as a result of the Italian decree that restricted movement within the country. However, the cruise ship has now resumed sailings out of Italy. MSC Grandiosa … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean announced yesterday that it will not extend the Lift and Shift program beyond January, but it turns out the option will still remain under one scenario.Lift and Shift allows guests to take the cruise they have booked and defer it by a year, while protecting the original price they paid.While the option to take advantage of Lift and Shift anytime is going away, if there are more … [Read more...]

Port Canaveral, the second-largest cruise port globally, is projecting larger than expected losses for 2020 of $43.12 million. Not only that, the port officials are now estimating cruises will not resume from the Port until July 2021, at the earliest. Four Cruise Lines To Resume Sailings From Port Canaveral in July. Despite plans from the four major cruise lines that regularly sail from the Port … [Read more...]

Will a cruise sailing in 2021 be safe for you to travel? In normal times, cruising is among the safest vacations that you can take. But there are anything but normal times. For almost a year, travel — and cruises in particular — have been turned upside down due to the pandemic. The initial pause in sailing was originally put in place back in March 2020 for only 30 days. Now it has been extended … [Read more...]

It wasn’t a long hiatus from the cruise industry for Orlando Ashford. The former President of Holland America Line stepped down from the company in May of 2020 after six years at the helm, but the news today is he’s back operating a cruise line! Sycamore Partners, the private equity firm that recently purchased Azamara from Royal Caribbean, announced that Orlando Ashford has been … [Read more...]