24TH YEAR OF PUBLICATION ESTABLISHED 1998 APRIL 2021 ISSUE 130 PRICE $10.60 (INCL GST) POSITIVE SIGNS FOR RETURN OF CRUISING – Page 4 Odyssey Of The Seas Delivered – page 10 Quantum Of The Seas at Marina Bay Terminal – Singapore Featuring a comprehensive coverage of Global Cruising www.cruisingnews.com 1 for Cruise Passengers, the Trade and the Industry www.cruisingnews.com New discoveries await... Princess® is pleased to announce our largest ever program release, with a full 12 months of cruises on offer throughout 2022-2023. The year long season will feature 4 ships visiting 108 destinations in 33 countries with 90 unique itineraries. Featuring popular cruises across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, as well as popular repositioning cruises to or from Asia & across the Pacific. In 2023, Coral Princess® sets sail on her world cruise to Greenland, the Mediterranean, Canada, The Americas as well as a transit of the historic locks of the Panama Canal. The itinerary features 44 destinations in 26 countries across 6 continents. Guests will enjoy 10 late night stays and 3 overnight stays on this historic 107-night journey. Princess MedallionClassTM will be available fleetwide from resumption of cruising and uses leading-edge technology so guests can enjoy a personalised and effortless holiday. Stay connected with fast & reliable WiFi, order food & beverages to your location on the ship and find your travelling companions with ease. MedallionClass also offers a TrulyTouchlessTM experience from staggered boarding to contactless payment and stateroom entry. LEARN MORE! Visit your Travel Agent | 1300 385 631 | princess.com 2 April 2021 112_PC - Cruising News.indd 1 18/3/21 4:35 pm 24TH YEAR OF PUBLICATION ESTABLISHED 1998 APRIL 2021 ISSUE 130 PRICE $10.60 (INCL GST) POSITIVE SIGNS FOR RETURN OF CRUISING – Page 4 We are now into our second year of cruise disruptions. Odyssey Of The Seas Delivered – page 10 There are some positive signs for cruising to resume in selected parts of the world with many cruiselines announcing plans for this resumption in coming months – see page 4. Over the past year there has New discoveries await... been limited cruising in Asia and the Med with bigger ships, but with reduced capacity and strict health Quantum Of The Seas at Marina Bay Terminal – Singapore guidelines. In Europe, Australia and New Zealand there has been some cruising with small ships also with limited capacity and ® strict guidelines. In Australia the worrying situation is the slowness in the Princess is pleased to announce our largest delivery of Covid vaccinations and this could delay a planned recovery for some ever program release, with a full 12 months of time. We await news re International travel. CLIA International responded Featuring a comprehensive coverage of Global Cruising to the cruise industry instructions issued 2 April by the Centers for Disease cruises on offer throughout 2022-2023. The www.cruisingnews.com 1 for Cruise Passengers, the Trade and the Industry www.cruisingnews.com year long season will feature 4 ships visiting Control and Prevention (CDC) under the Framework for Conditional Sailing Front Cover – Photos from RCI & Meyer Werft (CSO) in the USA as disappointing. They say the new requirements are unduly 108 destinations in 33 countries with 90 unique burdensome, largely unworkable, and seem to reflect a zero-risk objective itineraries. Viking’s Grand Voyages . 6 rather than the mitigation approach to COVID that is the basis for every other Cunard’s 100 Years . 8 US sector of society. Featuring popular cruises across Australia, New Solar Eclipse . 8 In Australia and New Zealand the Cruise Lines, CLIA, Australian Cruise Silversea’s World Cruise 2023 . 12 Zealand and the South Pacific, as well as popular Polar Ship Launched . 14 Association and Cruise New Zealand continue discussions with authorities. repositioning cruises to or from Asia & across American Queen Christened . 20 CLIA Australasia Managing Director Joel Katz said cruise lines had committed the Pacific. Celebrating 49 years . 21 to extensive new health measures to support future operations, and that it Tim Ryan’s Feature was now vital that governments agreed on a pathway towards a phased and – New Book Launch . 22 carefully controlled resumption of local cruising. This Edition This Between the War Years Part 5 Peter Plowman . 26 The plans to resume cruising in the Kimberley region hit a hurdle with an New Ships . 31 announcement from the Northern Territory Government. Now it appears only local ships will be able to follow their schedules with international operators locked out. Sarina Bratton from PONANT told us “The States and Territory are all In 2023, Coral Princess® sets sail on her world waiting for the Federal Government to provide their Framework for a phased resumption of cruise activity. The intent of this framework is to provide cruise to Greenland, the Mediterranean, Canada, guidelines to commence expedition and/or cruise activity at a level they feel The Americas as well as a transit of the historic comfortable with doing so under their respective State/Territory Health locks of the Panama Canal. Frameworks. The Federal Draft Framework provides for small expedition ship activity as its first step then moves to larger vessel capacities in a staged approach. The itinerary features 44 destinations in 26 countries across 6 continents. Guests will enjoy RCI 2022/2023 Under the principles announced by the Chief Health Officer of the NT, it 6 does not allow any of the international operators to operate or any domestic 10 late night stays and 3 overnight stays on this operations with more than 100 persons (pax and crew). This effectively kills the historic 107-night journey. Kimberley operations using Darwin as the homeport. Of course, this present position causes us all great concern for the many thousands of Australians who have confirmed bookings for the 2021 Kimberley season; the many Darwin based suppliers, hotels, ground operators, food and beverage suppliers, all of whom have long term supplier agreements with a number of us, and of course our valued distribution system – the travel agents. Just across APT and PONANT’s bookings alone, some $6 million of agents Princess MedallionClassTM will be available commissions are being jeopardised. fleetwide from resumption of cruising and uses We are in continual dialogue with the Federal and State/Territory Governments trying to find our way through to an acceptable solution. The leading-edge technology so guests can enjoy a 100,000th Passenger personalised and effortless holiday. Stay connected industry provides about $60m of economic impact to the NT and Darwin 14 economies in a normal year.” with fast & reliable WiFi, order food & beverages to your location on the ship and find your travelling Australian farmers and food suppliers are among thousands of local businesses hit by the ongoing suspension of cruise operations, with losses to the companions with ease. Australian economy now surpassing $5 billion over the past year. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has highlighted the devastating impact the MedallionClass also offers a TrulyTouchlessTM suspension is having on local producers who supply cruise ships, releasing a experience from staggered boarding to contactless new video today as part of its #WeAreCruise series. payment and stateroom entry. continued next page... This magazine has been produced in a controlled Coral Expeditions New Ship environment – Once received dispose of the plastic wrap 14 responsibly and immediately wash your hands. Plus the latest news and Proudly Published in Australia by John Treacy & Associates. LEARN MORE! Visit your Travel Agent | 1300 385 631 | princess.com 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 112_PC - Cruising News.indd 1 18/3/21 4:35 pm Positive Signs for Return to Cruising Also hundreds of live entertainers and performing artists who Questions are being asked when and Crystal Symphony sailing the depended on cruising for much cruising may return to ports in the Caribbean and new expedition ship, of their livelihoods have been hit United States as there are concerns Crystal Endeavor, sailing Iceland. hard by the pandemic as they with the release of data from the CDC Viking plan to offer cruises in Bermuda now hope for the early restart of as referred to in my Editors Say on and in Iceland. page 3. This had led to the Governor cruise tourism. Many have taken In Australia P&O Cruises is extending Ron DeSantis of Florida suing the US up alternative work driving hire its pause until the end of July and Federal Government and the CDC vehicles, landscape gardening, cancelling all cruises to Papua New demanding that cruises be allowed to stacking supermarket shelves or Guinea and the Solomon Islands for recommence immediately. Carnival reinventing their careers. Gold the remainder of the year. This affects has made it known they may have Coast-based comedy hypnotist this year’s Cairns season where Pacific to consider cruises from other places. Anthony Laffan is emblematic of the Explorer was to be based for two Norwegian Cruise Line has sought pandemic’s impact on Australia’s months from October. Carnival have permission to cruise from USA ports and entertainers and their efforts to plans to resume cruises on Carnival have announced new itineraries will overcome its challenges. Anthony Splendor from Sydney in mid August, and his wife Kasey have used their begin 25 July 2021 sailing Europe and Carnival Spirit from Brisbane in late life savings to open a pizza shop the Caribbean providing approval September. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity at Labrador on the Broadwater is given. The restart is planned with and Princess Australian cruises are – the Cara Mia Pizzeria – after a Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Gem and planned later in the year.