23RD YEAR OF PUBLICATION ESTABLISHED 1998 DECEMBER 2020 ISSUE 128 PRICE $10.60 (INCL GST) CUNARD CELEBRATES– page 20 Britannia Aquitania SMALL SHIP CRUISING RETURNS “DOWN UNDER” Heritage Expeditions Coral Expeditions – page 14 True North – page 31 in New Zealand – page 10 Murray Princess – page 15 Featuring a comprehensive coverage of Global Cruising www.cruisingnews.com 1 for Cruise Passengers, the Trade and the Industry www.cruisingnews.com FREE FREE FREE Stateroom Location + Onboard Spending + Specialty Dining voucher upgrade+ valued up to Money^ valued up to for 2# on voyages $600 per stateroom $400 per stateroom 7 nights or more SALE RUNS 15 DEC ‘20 - 2 MAR ‘21 LEARN MORE! Visit your Travel Agent | 1300 385 631 | princess.com +^# Offers are per stateroom and apply on select voyages only. Terms and Conditions apply, see princess.com for details. 2 December 2020 99_PC - Cruising News AD - Wave.indd 1 1/12/20 1:58 pm 23RD YEAR OF PUBLICATION ESTABLISHED 1998 DECEMBER 2020 ISSUE 128 PRICE $10.60 (INCL GST) LOOKING TO THE FUTURE! CUNARD CELEBRATES– page 20 Throughout the year we have been accustomed to rolling cancellations, some updates arriving daily. As we move towards a new year we already know that the ability to cruise on large ships is still some time away. Already cancellations are in place to late March, early April 2021. As published in this issue small ships carrying around 100 passengers have recommenced voyages. Britannia Aquitania SMALL SHIP CRUISING RETURNS “DOWN UNDER” The Cruise Lines International Association Australasia, Australian Cruise Association and Cruise New Zealand have continued to lobby governments for Heritage Expeditions – page 14 – page 31 – page 10 – page 15 the recommencement of cruising. Coral Expeditions True North in New Zealand Murray Princess Featuring a comprehensive coverage of Global Cruising www.cruisingnews.com 1 for Cruise Passengers, the Trade and the Industry www.cruisingnews.com CLIA Managing Director Australasia Joel Katz said the cruise industry was Front Cover – Photo from Cunard, Coral Expeditions, True calling on the Australian Government to replace the current ban on cruising, North, Heritage Expeditions & Captain Cook Cruises which expires 17 December, with a conditional process that would allow cruise lines to progress towards approval for a carefully managed resumption in Australia’s Fleet Ready . 5 2021. Extensive new health measures developed with the help of international Six Holland America ships in 2021 . 6 medical experts are laying the foundation for a carefully controlled resumption 2021/22 Australian Season for RCI . 7 of local cruise ship operations in Australia. Antarctic Solar Eclipse . 10 These measures developed as part of a process to create mandatory worldwide Cunard’s 2022 Sailings . 11 policies for all Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) oceangoing cruise MSC 2023 World Cruise . 12 ships have been outlined to Australian government agencies in detail as the New Silversea Ship . 12 cruise industry responds to COVID-19 and plans a pathway towards revival. Aqua Expeditions This Edition This Amazon Operation . 15 “Australia’s relative success in stemming community transmission of COVID-19 Mercy Ships new Global Mercy . 33 together with the Australasian cruise industry’s robust strategy creates an opportunity for a tightly managed and phased revival of the country’s $5 billion a year cruise industry,” Mr Katz said. “This would initially involve restricted local cruises for local residents only, with limited passenger numbers, 100% testing of guests and crew, and extensive screening and sanitation protocols in place.” Under proposals presented to government by CLIA and cruise lines, cruises would initially operate within state or national borders while travel restrictions are in place. This would offer protective protocols against outside infection while at the same time allowing a revival of the economic benefits of cruise tourism in Australia. “Working with governments and health authorities, cruising can progress a responsible restart domestically within Australia, using ships and crew that have gone through all required quarantine procedures,” Mr Katz said. “Ships and crew would then remain within the Australian safe-zone or bubble, offering cruising to locals within Australia until international borders reopen.” SPECIAL While cruise operations have been suspended, cruise lines have used this time Christmas/New Year to develop extensive new health measures in response to COVID-19, to uphold Reading the safety of guests, crew and the communities that cruise ships visit. This process is being guided by eminent medical and scientific experts internationally and locally and forms the basis of an industry-wide policy Farewell to Classic Ships covering almost every aspect of a cruise ship’s operations, including the specific screening, sanitisation and medical protocols that will operate in response to Part 2 16 COVID-19. This work has already supported initial resumptions in several jurisdictions Cunard Celebrates FREE FREE FREE around the world. 180th Anniversary 20 Stateroom Location + Onboard Spending + Specialty Dining voucher A layered strategy for Australia – Key to the cruise industry’s plan for upgrade+ valued up to Money^ valued up to for 2# on voyages resumption of cruising in Australia is a layered prevention, mitigation and The First 50 Years for Royal $600 per stateroom $400 per stateroom 7 nights or more response strategy, which aims to go far beyond the COVID-19 responses of other Caribbean Cruise Line 24 areas of the travel industry. The plan presented to government is extensive and meets or exceeds the Communicable Diseases Network of Australia (CDNA) South Pacific Cruises guidelines. Examples of measures presented within the strategy include: SALE RUNS 15 DEC ‘20 - 2 MAR ‘21 between the War Years Part 3 28 Memories Part 2 This magazine has been produced in a controlled 34 environment – Once received dispose of the plastic wrap LEARN MORE! Visit your Travel Agent | 1300 385 631 | princess.com responsibly and immediately wash your hands. Plus the latest news and Proudly Published in Australia by John Treacy & Associates. +^# Offers are per stateroom and apply on select voyages only. Terms and Conditions apply, see princess.com for details. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. information on Global Every effort is made to ensure the information published is correct. www.cruisingnews.com 3 Passenger Cruising 99_PC - Cruising News AD - Wave.indd 1 1/12/20 1:58 pm • Plans to quarantine ships and crew on within cruise terminals to match those $1.1 billion, while cruise lines spend return to Australia, and for ongoing onboard. more than $1.0 billion in Australia over a crew movements, without putting • Risk assessments for port visits year. Thousands of Australian businesses additional burden on existing hotel and shoreside activities to ensure are supported by this spending in quarantine systems. appropriate shoreside systems. destinations around the country and • 100% pre-boarding health screening The Australian economy and communities many are under threat while operations and COVID-19 testing for all around the country have lost almost are suspended,” she said. passengers and crew, with a negative $2 billion while cruise operations On national television on the Channel test required for boarding. are suspended because of the global 9 Today show on 30 November Simon • Passenger health declarations for pandemic, with new figures highlighting Birmingham, Minister for Trade, Tourism illnesses and contact history screening. the massive economic impact and jobs at and Investment and recently appointed • Passenger communication from risk while ships are forced to remain at as Leader of the Government in the time of booking, outlining screening anchor. Senate and Minister for Finance said the requirements, safety precautions, CLIA Australasia Managing Director shipping companies had “a lot of work to reporting responsibilities, and how to Joel Katz said the industry’s latest do” to persuade health officials to allow comply with sanitation and prevention annual Economic Impact Assessment them to start over, as well as to “restore protocols. highlighted the pandemic’s impact on the public confidence”. “We won’t be seeing • No boarding for anyone subject to any $5.2 billion annual economic contribution trips around the world for a while but if COVID-19 exposure restrictions or and 18,000 jobs that the cruise industry some of the domestic items come back, who has recently arrived in Australia. supports in Australia in usual times. we’ll see how it goes.” • Daily health monitoring and daily The report, commissioned by Cruise Meanwhile Viking has announced that temperature checks on board. Lines International Association (CLIA) it has completed installation of the first and the Australian Cruise Association full-scale PCR laboratory at sea. This • Limited passenger numbers and (ACA), shows about $500 million was lost new onboard facility – an industry first – capacity management controls that from March, when cruise ships stopped allows for unprecedented testing capacity take into account the size, layout, and sailing, to July this year alone. “By the in the cruise industry, enabling Viking to design of each ship. end of December this will have risen to a conduct PCR testing of all crew members • Onboard venue restrictions, to massive $2 billion loss, given the ongoing and guests with a non-invasive saliva comply with