LIVES OF THE LINERS: CRUISING, CRUISE SHIPS & THE COVID PANDEMIC - From Bill Miller April 2021

LIVES OF THE LINERS:
CRUISING, CRUISE SHIPS & THE COVID
            PANDEMIC

           From Bill Miller
             April 2021

Mon Apr 19th UK-based Saga Holidays has experienced a 127-
percent increase in the number of booking inquiries to its contact
centers in the week after the UK government released a report
suggesting that international travel can be resumed from May 17th.
Wed Apr 21st Royal Caribbean Group CEO Richard Fain expressed
optimism Monday that cruise lines will be able to resume operations
this summer, more than one year after the industry effectively shut
down in the coronavirus pandemic.

         Above: Norwegian Gem & Carnival Splendor at New York

AIDA Cruises will begin offering seven night cruises out of Corfu on
May 23rd. The cruises will travel through the Greek islands to Crete
and Rhodes, as well as to Katakolon (Olympia) and Piraeus (Athens).

Viking Venus & Viking Sea at Valletta on Apr 19th with MSC Musica & MSC
                              Splendida behind

Thu Apr 22 Small-ship operator American Cruise Lines is now
operating six of its 13 vessels in eight states around the country. The
U.S.-flagged company, based in Connecticut, was the first line to
resume operations in the U.S. on Mar 13th when the 100-guest
Independence began coastal cruises from Florida.

Royal Caribbean: The first voyages of the biggest cruise ship ever
built are now available for booking. Royal Caribbean on Tuesday began
taking reservations for the initial sailings of its much-awaited, soon-to-
debut Wonder of the Seas (below), the fifth vessel in its groundbreaking
Oasis Class series. At 236,857 tons, the Wonder of the Seas will be
nearly 4% bigger than the current size leader in the cruise world, Royal
Caribbean’s three-year-old Symphony of the Seas. It’ll be able to hold
up to 6,988 passengers — a new record for a passenger ship.

Cruise Saudi, a public investment fund-owned business that seeks to
develop Saudi Arabia’s cruise industry, and MSC Cruises have
announced the launch of Red Sea cruises in the coming winter 2021-
2022 season. Under the terms of the agreement, the MSC Magnifica
will homeport in Jeddah, the commercial hub and one of the largest
cities of Saudi Arabia, as well as the second-largest port in the Middle
East with a historical centre that has been designated as a UNESCO
World Heritage site. Operating seven-day Red Sea cruises from Nov
2021 to Mar 2022, the vessel will visit a selection of ports and
destinations in the region and three Saudi ports including weekly calls
to the port of AlWajh, the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage site
of AlUla. As the Kingdom prepares to host the inaugural Formula 1
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2021 on Dec 5th in Jeddah, MSC guests will
have the chance to follow this global sports event during their trip
aboard the Magnifica.
Cheap Fares! A recent survey of more than 3,000 past cruisers found
that health and safety tops the list of factors shaping that decision. It’s

not surprising, considering a global pandemic has shut the industry
down for over 13 months and travel restrictions are still in place in
many parts of the world. But it is interesting that when asked about the
most important factors in deciding whether to book a cruise, the top six
on the list are all COVID-related. The ability to get a discount ranked
number eight! And who doesn’t want a discount?

                          Above: Monarch at Rio

Seabourn will homeport in Barbados this summer, starting Jul 18 th.
Carnival Corporation's ultra-luxury brand will sail two different Southern
Caribbean seven-day itineraries with the Seabourn Odyssey. The
Odyssey marks the second Seabourn ship back in service as the
Seabourn Ovation will start cruising in Greece in early July.

Oriana & Golden Princess meet at San Francisco

Mon Apr 26th MSC Cruises may be the biggest cruise brand based on
confirmed resumption plans (as of late Apr 2021) with ships and berths
back in service by Aug 31st. On a corporate level, Carnival Corporation
will have the most ships and berths back in service, with six brands set
to operate 13 ships by late Aug at press time, and indications are that
more announcements are forth coming.

Returning MSC Ships: MSC Virtuosa, MSC Grandiosa, MSC
Seashore, MSC Seaview, MSC Seaside, MSC Preziosa, MSC
Splendida, MSC Magnifica, MSC Orchestra and MSC Musica. Total
Berths: 37,066. Regions: Europe – Western Mediterranean, Eastern
Mediterranean and Northern Europe. After announcing a massive
restart plan, MSC intends to have ten ships in service in Europe by
August.

Above: Four MSC cruise ships together at Genoa

UK-Based Cruise ships sailing in UK waters will be limited to 1,000
passengers when operations begin on or after May 17th. All travelers
must also be residents of the British Isles, according to new regulations
issued by the department of transport. The rules also state Covid-19-
secure guidance will continue to apply.

Carnival Corporation:        The road to a resumption of cruising
worldwide is not as easy as it may sound. To that effect, Carnival
Corporation, the world’s largest cruise operator, has now contracted
Bureau Veritas to support the ships that will be sailing in the upcoming
months and those that are sailing already with various health and
safety measures. The company will be supporting Carnival Corporation
with health and safety services to facilitate the return to cruising,
protecting passengers and crew.

Travel restrictions are evolving for those who have gotten a COVID-
19 vaccine. Fully vaccinated Americans looking to travel this summer
will now be able to add the European Union to their list of potential
destinations.

Queen Elizabeth at Halifax

Tue May 27th Viking Cruises has added two more departures to its
program of short UK coastal cruises for June. The additional cruises
were added after the first three cruises sold out, and will be operated
using the same ship, the 930-berth Viking Venus. The new cruises will
start at £3,690 per person. Sailing from Portsmouth, calls are being
scheduled for Liverpool, Tresco in the Isles of Scilly and in the bay of
Falmouth.

Cunard:       This month Cunard Line announced three centenary
voyages that will celebrate Cunard’s first World Cruise by the Laconia
in 1922-23. And sales are already strong!
Cunard has noted: “2023 marks 100 years since the RMS Laconia
completed Cunard’s first World Voyage and to celebrate we’re sailing
on a season of global adventures inspired by this pioneering feat in
ocean travel.”
“On the morning of Nov 21st 1922, if you were a bit posh and more
than a little adventurous, you might have boarded the luxury liner
Laconia for her inaugural around-the-world cruise. For 130 glorious
days, you’d visit some of the world’s most exotic destinations —
Yokohama and Shanghai, Rangoon and Bombay, Egypt, and Naples.
You’d steam through the Suez Canal, visit the Taj Mahal, and pass
through the Valley of the Kings.“

“Although the ship could carry up to 2200 passengers, this excursion
was limited to just 450 travelers who were assigned to only the largest
and most well-appointed cabins on board.”

     Above: Busy day at Copenhagen in 1935: the Resolute, Laurentic &
                        Statendam berthed together

World cruises boomed in 1922-23, with the Laconia being only the first
of four ships to leave New York on world cruises that winter. The
others, booked either by travel agent Frank C Clark or by American
Express, were United American Line’s 19,653-ton Resolute, Canadian
Pacific’s 18,481-ton Empress of France and Cunard Line’s 19,602-ton
Samaria, which sailed in the opposite direction from the other three,
proceeding from west to east. The rest, as they say, is history.

Norwegian Epic at Barbados

Out of the old shoebox: Above: Cruising in the 1890s
Below: The Explorer of the Seas at New York in Oct 2000

Thank you to all our readers, correspondents, those “agents” in
                        faraway places!