MSC Virtuosa float out

Good news from MSC Cruises for summer 2021 but still no joy for 2020 as the standstill is extended

Summer 2021 will see MSC Cruises’ full fleet of 19-ships in operation, including two brand-new vessels currently still under construction – MSC Virtuosa, left, and MSC Seashore. The company also announced that it will resume shorter-term operations for the winter 2020/21 season in phases and by region only when the time will be right and

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Crystal Symphony

Crystal offers guests “more peace of mind” to encourage bookings

Guests planning to sail with Crystal in 2020 and early 2021 are being offered further assurances to encourage them to book. A new Crystal Voyage Assurance policy offers “additional peace of mind” in the event that unforeseen travel restrictions require significant changes to set itineraries on select 2020 and 2021 sailings. The revised policy allows

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Get set to sail: SeaDream ready for a June return to cruising in Norway

SeaDream Yacht Club has revealed plans to begin sailing again in Norway in June, three months on from pausing voyages due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is now accepting reservations for nine new 2020 Norwegian voyages but has said it will not be resuming operations in the Mediterranean until 31 August. The voyages, from 20

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Hurtigruten ship

Hurtigruten plans “step by step” reintroduction of cruising from 16 June

Hurtigruten has further extended its suspension of worldwide sailings but is drawing up plans to gradually restart operations from 16 June. “We are two months into what is a truly extraordinary situation. In one way or another, the consequences of the pandemic impact us all,” says Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam. “There is still a lot

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Marella Discovery 2

Marella Cruises holds out hope of return to cruising in July

Marella Cruises still holds out hope that improvement in the Coronavirus situation will allow it to commence its summer 2020 program in July with three of its five ships. Marella Explorer will set sail from Corfu, Marella Explorer 2 from the UK and Marella Discovery from Palma all as originally planned. Marella Discovery 2, top

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Now Holland America Line cancels all Alaska, Europe and Canada/New England cruises for 2020

Holland America Line has decided to extend its pause of global cruise operations and cancel all Alaska, Europe and Canada/New England cruises for 2020. In addition, Amsterdam, left, will not operate the 79-day Grand Africa Voyage from Boston, Massachusetts, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that was scheduled to depart on 3 October. Holland America Line had

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Princess Cruises in the Caribbean

Princess Cruises writes off cruising this summer

Princess Cruises will not be resuming cruising until the end of the summer season at the earliest owing to the global damage wreaked by Covid-19. It said the “extremely difficult decision” had been forced on them by a combination of reduced air flight availability, closure of cruise ports around the world and other factors impacting

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Carnival plans to phase in cruising again from 1 August, but offers no guarantee

Carnival Cruise Line is doing its utmost to get cruising again and plans to phase in a resumption in its North American service this summer on 1 August with eight ships sailing from Miami, Port Canaveral and Galveston. However, the pause in operations will be extended in all other North American and Australian markets until

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Disney Magic

Disney Cruise Line extends sailing suspension

Disney Cruise Lines has been forced to extend the postponement of cruise operation s as the US battles to contain the Coronavirus pandemic. It has extended suspension of all US departures until 18 June, Disney Magic sailings to 2 July and Vancouver sailings until the end of June In its latest update the line said:

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Boudicca in The Royal British Legion poppy livery

Itching to get going again, but Fred Olsen extends pause in cruising ‘until the world is ready’

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines is to extend its pause in sailings beyond 23 May in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, “but can’t wait to start sailing again as soon as the world is ready for us to do so”. The company’s managing director, Peter Deer, said today: “At this stage I am not

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