Royal Caribbean International highly anticipated cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas will be sailing from Israel this summer season. Residents of Israel will be the first guests to set sail on Odyssey during its inaugural season which will start in May 2021. The ship will offer Israeli holidaymakers a combination of 3- to 7-night cruises, from Haifa, to idyllic isles and destinations in the Mediterranean, visiting Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos and Athens, Greece and Limassol, Cyprus. 

Royal Caribbean Group was recognized among the top 135 companies in the world for their unwavering commitment that positively impact employees, communities, and broader stakeholders, and contribute to sustainable and long-term business performance.

The cruise ship Celebrity Infinity arrived in Cadiz, Spain to undergo an extensive drydock at Navantia shipyard. During the 16-day drydock Celebrity Infinity will receive new valves, hull improvement, renewal of propellers and stabilizers, and new painting. The work will not include upper decks where the staterooms and public areas are located.

Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises will require crew members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine prior to boarding and resuming work on its ships. While the decision to require guests to be vaccinated continues, the crew will be required to receive the vaccine. Royal Caribbean crew members received a letter from the company which reads:

In the past year, all of us have lost a loved one, a dear friend, a family member, or a colleague. The crew community was hit hard by the pandemic no only during the lockdown of the cruise industry keeping thousands of crew members stranded on the ships, but also once they all returned back home.  Every day we hear that some of our fellow shipmates has passed away.

With the release of the vaccine for COVID for essential workers such as medical professionals and positive thus far response from people who have taken both doses of the vaccine, the cruise industry is starting to review options related to how they can implement policies related to vaccination in order to be able to return the crew to work and the guests to enjoy cruises. However, the views of each cruise line appear to be different, at least for now.

Royal Caribbean Group sold two more cruise ships sailing under the Silversea Cruises and Celebrity Cruises brands reports Tradewinds.com. These are small expedition cruise ships sailing exclusively to the Galapagos Islands that were put on sale last January. According to the source, the two ships, Silver Galapagos (built in 1990) and Celebrity Xperience (built in 1998) have found a buyer.

Following yesterday’s news that Royal Caribbean Group will sell Azamara to the private equity firm Sycamore Partners, Captain Carl Smith – Master of the cruise ship Azamara Pursuit reached out to his crew with encouraging words, reassuring them that the company has a bright future ahead.

Royal Caribbean Group announced today the selling of its luxury cruise line Azamara for $201 million to the private-equity firm Sycamore Partners. The three-ship Azamara brand established 13 years ago has created a tremendous group of loyal followers of cruisers over the years. Azamara raise the bar in the cruise industry under the guidance of Larry Pimentel, President & CEO of Azamara with longer stays and more overnights in ports worldwide.

Royal Caribbean International announced further cancelations of global sailings through April 30th, 2021. In a press release, Royal Caribbean said that exceptions will be the China sailings on Spectrum of the Seas, which at this moment, are suspended for February 16-28, 2021. Singapore cruises on Quantum of the Seas, with only residents of Singapore, will not be affected and continue as scheduled.