This morning P&O Cruises started with bookings of the recently announced series of short breaks from the UK this summer on the Britannia and week-long cruises on the latest cruise ship Iona. The overwhelming interest for these cruises, which are only accessible for vaccinated Brits, has been and continues to be enormous.
P&O and Princess Cruises announced a series of short itineraries sailing from the United Kingdom this Summer with strict corona vaccination requirements. Only British citizens are allowed to board the ships, with proof that they've been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
This summer, cruise are back to the Caribbean with Royal Caribbean International. The global cruise brand has announced summer itineraries of 7-night cruises on board Adventure of the Seas, setting sail this June from new homeport Nassau, The Bahamas. These cruises will include the first series of two back-to-back days on Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island destination in The Bahamas, and quality time exploring Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas and Cozumel, Mexico.
The boutique cruise line Azamara, announced the name and vessel handover of its new ship, Azamara Onward. The vessel handover, which took place on March 15, 2021, coincides with Azamara's transition into an independent brand from Royal Caribbean Group.
A colossal container ship struck berthed expedition cruise ship in Hamburg, Germany while leaving the port. The incident happen yesterday morning when the 150,853 Gross Tonnage cargo ship CSCL Star, struck the Hapag-Lloyd ship Hanseatic Inspiration, during a turning maneuver assisted by tugboats. The container ship came dangerously close to the cruise ship until a slight collision actually occurred at the end.
The Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Cruises) announced today that three upcoming voyages on the cruise ship Asuka II are suspended after one crew member tested positive for Covid-19. According to the company statement, the crew member underwent three polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for coronavirus before boarding, and all results were negative. The crew member is undergoing medical treatment at an onshore hospital and doesn’t have serious symptoms or fever.
The float out ceremony of the cruise ship Discovery Princess, took place today at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. The 145,000 gross tons Discovery Princess is the sixth ship of the Royal class, built on the basis of the successful project for Princess Cruises, further consolidating Fincantieri's long-time partnership with Carnival Corporation. The shipyard will now start Interior fittings, leading the vessel to delivery, scheduled for 2022.
The new Indian start-up company, Cordelia Cruises plans to set sail in May 2021, with short coastal voyages on board the recently purchased Royal Caribbean cruise ship Empress of the Seas.
Dream Cruises and Singapore Marina Bay Cruise Centre have welcomed 100,000th cruise passenger since the restart of the global shutdown of the cruise industry, safely piloting cruises in the city. The first cruise ship to restart voyages out of Singapore was World Dream setting sail for the first time on 6 November 2020.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced today another round of cancelations, extending the suspension of its global cruise operations by another month. The latest cancelations will affect all cruises on Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas through June 30. NCLH said it continues to work through its safe return-to-service plan to meet the CDC requirements of the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order.
