Showing posts with label Celebrity Cruises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celebrity Cruises. Show all posts

Monday, September 26, 2022

Preparing for Hurricane Ian


Hurricane Fiona

Archive | Graphics

Hurricane Ian
Updated 9/28/22

Hurricane IAN is predicted to become a major hurricane.   The second of 2022's Atlantic Hurricane Season has formed and is expected to strengthen. Hurricane Ian is projected to bring a perilous storm surge and winds as strong as 140 mph when it nears Florida's Gulf Coast in the middle of this week, the National Hurricane Center said on Monday. Ian is expected to remain at or near major hurricane strength as it passes near the west-central coast of Florida on Wednesday and Thursday. 

State of Emergency Declarations

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for all of Florida on Saturday in preparation for Ian’s arrival this week, encouraging all residents to make preparations ahead of its arrival. 

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for Florida on Saturday as Tropical Storm Ian gained strength and barreled toward the Sunshine State. The declaration authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide assistance. 

Airline Waivers

Due to Ian’s expected arrival, several airlines have proactively issued travel waivers for those that could be impacted for both Florida and other Caribbean airports. If you are traveling to the region this week, check with your airline for latest cancellations or flight changes. 

In addition to possible delays to ship departures, cruisers scheduled to sail out of the central Florida ports of Port Canaveral and Tampa this week could face flight cancellations and delays.


Cruise Line Changes

Cruise lines headquarters are closely monitoring Hurricane Ian and staying in contact with their ships and the National Hurricane Center to keep crew, passengers, and ships out of harms way. During hurricane season, it is common to see itinerary changes which can include shortening or lengthening of cruises, rearranging of ports, changing complete itineraries (eg. from Western to Eastern Caribbean), or any other minor modification necessary to maintain safety. In addition, they are providing the National Hurricane Center with data to help determine conditions in the region. As changes are announced, we will update this page.  

(see below for latest updates)
 

Port Conditions (explanations)


CONDITION "WHISKEY" - The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) has set hurricane condition "WHISKEY" for Port Canaveral: Sustained gale force winds are predicted within 72 hours. Port Canaveral is currently fully open and conducting normal Port operations. Please ensure your businesses and homes are clear of any debris that may become projectiles in the wind. Please monitor Port Canaveral and https://twitter.com/BrevardEOC and the Port Status Hotline at 321-394-3411 for updates.


PortMiami is now in X-Ray condition due to Hurricane Ian. Read the bulletin.


PORT CONDITION YANKEE: Port Tampa Bay is monitoring Hurricane Ian


Port Everglades is currently under Port Condition X-RAY. Click the link below for more information. Read More



If you are sailing this week or next, please consult with your travel agent or the cruise line's website for up to the minute information.  The information below was accurate at the time of publication.
 
Hurricane IAN
800 AM EDT Wed Sep 28 2022

...IAN EXPECTED TO CAUSE CATASTROPHIC STORM SURGE, WINDS, AND 
FLOODING IN THE FLORIDA PENINSULA STARTING LATER TODAY...

WIND:
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...155 MPH...250 KM/H
WATCHES/ WARNINGS:
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for...
* Chokoloskee to Anclote River, including Tampa Bay
* Dry Tortugas

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for...
* Suwannee River southward to Flamingo
* Tampa Bay
* Lower Florida Keys from Big Pine Key westward to Key West
* Dry Tortugas
* Flagler/Volusia Line to the mouth of the St. Mary's River
* St. Johns River

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
* Cuban provinces of La Habana, Mayabeque, and Matanzas
* Indian Pass to the Anclote River
* All of the Florida Keys
* Flamingo to South Santee River
* Flamingo to Chokoloskee
* Lake Okeechobee
* Florida Bay
* Bimini and Grand Bahama Islands

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for...
* Florida Keys from the Card Sound Bridge westward to east of Big
Pine Key
* Florida Bay
* Mouth of St. Mary's River to South Santee River


Click Here to Learn More


Royal Caribbean Itinerary Updates 
(click for latest)
   



  • Mariner of the Seas. The 3,344-passenger Royal Caribbean ship has skipped a call scheduled for Labadee, Haiti, on Monday and instead is at sea. The Port Canaveral, Florida-based ship is on a five-night voyage that began on Saturday. 
  • Liberty of the Seas. The 3,798-passenger Royal Caribbean ship will skip a call at Cozumel on Tuesday as it heads far more easterly than normal to avoid the storm. The ship is on a seven-night cruise out of Galveston, Texas. 
  • Allure of the Seas. The 5,484-passenger Royal Caribbean ship will skip a call at Roatan, Honduras, scheduled for Tuesday as it also stays to the east to avoid the storm. The ship is on a six-night voyage from Fort Lauderdale.


Follow @JamesVanFleet or visit the Royal Caribbean Facebook page for frequent updates.

Celebrity Cruises
(WEATHER UPDATE See latest advisories)
  • Celebrity Infinity. The 2,170-passenger Celebrity Cruises vessel pulled into Nassau in the Bahamas on Monday instead of being at sea as scheduled. It will skip a call in Belize on Tuesday and replace a call in Cozumel, Mexico, scheduled for Wednesday with a stop in Labadee, Haiti. The Fort Lauderdale-based vessel is on a seven-night voyage that began Saturday.


Disney Cruise Line Weather Alert (click for latest)

As of September 26, at 9:00 PM We are closely monitoring Hurricane Ian. Based on the current projected forecast, we anticipate that the Disney Wish, Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream will sail as scheduled. However, there is a possibility that the Disney Wish will return to Port Canaveral on Friday, September 30, later than originally scheduled. We will notify Guests should it be necessary to delay embarkation for the September 30 Disney Wish sailing.


MSC Cruises

  • MSC Seashore. 4,540-passenger MSC Seashore is also heading to the Eastern Caribbean instead of the Western Caribbean. The Miami-based vessel, which departed the city on Saturday, will visit the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic over the next few days instead of Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Mexico.


Norwegian Cruise Line Weather Alert (click for latest)

  • Norwegian Sky. 2,002-passenger Norwegian Sky was sent to the Eastern Caribbean for the week instead of the Western Caribbean to avoid the storm.

Carnival Cruise Line Travel Alerts (click for latest)

Among other vessels that could face disruptions are Carnival Cruise Line ships based in the Gulf of Mexico ports of Galveston; New Orleans; Mobile, Alabama; and Tampa, including Carnival Dream, Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Glory and Carnival Paradise. The Port Canaveral-based Carnival Liberty also could be affected if Ian tracks eastward across Florida.

"Our fleet operations center in Miami is continuing to monitor Hurricane Ian and its potential impact on the itineraries for the following ships: Carnival Dream, Ecstasy, Glory, Liberty, Paradise and Sunrise," Carnival spokesperson Matt Lupoli said in a statement. 

Of particular concern is Carnival Paradise, the only cruise vessel currently based in Tampa. It's due back in Tampa early Thursday from a five-night cruise to the Western Caribbean and scheduled to depart the city later that day on a new voyage. The current projections for Hurricane Ian's track put it close to Tampa by Thursday.


Virgin Voyages

Scarlet Lady. The 2,770-passenger Virgin Voyages vessel will skip a call at Costa Maya, Mexico, scheduled for Tuesday and visit Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic instead. The ship is on a five-night voyage out of Miami that began Saturday. 






Hurricane Season Dates 

Hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1st and ends November 30th. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15th and also ends November 30th.
Make a Plan (FEMA) 




Read entire series (click here)



More links and information about tropical storms and other weather conditions can be found in the Weather & Hurricane Zone tabs above.


If you live in, or plan to vacation in, an area where hurricanes are prevalent, please prepare in advance by reading our series.

 






I recently completed extensive training and have become Travel Safety Verified. As your dedicated Travel Advisor, your safety is our priority, and it's our job to ensure you have the necessary information you need to give you confidence and peace of mind when making your future travel plans. Click the link to review our Travel Safety program with valuable resources that will answer many of your questions.




Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday afternoon at 4 PM Eastern for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat





Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Exciting News from Celebrity Cruises

Easier to Cruise

Have You Been Waiting To Cruise Again - Wait No Longer

We just concluded the latest briefing by Celebrity Cruises regarding changes to testing and vaccination requirements both in the U.S. and Europe.   They mentioned that Top Gun has their sequel Top Gun Maverick and they said this is Cruising's Sequel.   As you can see from the charts below, more people are now able to cruise with relaxed requirements.  There are only a few exceptions, which are anticipated to change in the near future as well.   We can unravel the requirements and find the perfect cruise for you, your family, and your friends.

We encourage you to contact your Travel Advisor to plan your next vacation NOW.   Pricing has remained steady, allowing ships to fill up.   Don't miss the boat (ship)!  Prices will rise - take our word for it.   Your cruise deposit will lock in these low prices and also an incentive that is currently in place.

Here are the latest updates.  Click on the images to enlarge.   You can also visit Healthy Sailing page.

europe rules

transatlantic rules

vaccination protocols

U.S. testing


We can't stress enough - don't try to plan on your own.  The requirements for our October sailing has changed 3 times in less than a month.   We are keeping updated so you don't need to.


I recently completed extensive training and have become Travel Safety Verified. As your dedicated Travel Advisor, your safety is our priority, and it's our job to ensure you have the necessary information you need to give you confidence and peace of mind when making your future travel plans. Click the link to review our Travel Safety program with valuable resources that will answer many of your questions.




Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday afternoon at 4 PM Eastern for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat





Monday, August 15, 2022

Latest Cruise Testing & Vaccination Rules

cruise line adjusting requirements


How Do Changes Impact Your Vacation Plans?

this post serves as an anchor for all updates
Last Update:  October 26, 2022

As of July 18, 2022, CDC’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships is no longer in effect. CDC will continue to publish guidance to help cruise ships continue to provide a safer and healthier environment for passengers, crew and communities going forward.  Since that time the cruise lines have been working with medical consultants and the various ports of calls to establish new protocols and other guidelines for safe travel.

In early August the cruise lines began announcing their plans and some have already adjusted those further.   We continue to meet with the various cruise lines and get weekly (sometimes daily) updates on the latest protocols, testing, and vaccination requirements.  Here is a summary of the latest information.

Most changes go into effect in early September.

Canada (updated September 28, 2022)

Canada has dropped their travel requirements effective October 1, 2022.   Read More

Cruise Line Announcements


Carnival Corporation

(Carnival, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises)   


Updated:  October 26, 2022

Carnival Cruise Line is informing guests and travel agents of additional updates to its pre-cruise testing protocols for guests on voyages 15 nights or less. These changes are consistent with the evolving public health guidelines and will be acceptable for arriving cruise guests effective immediately. 


Updated: October 21, 2022

Princess Cruise Lines has lifted all protocols for most voyages.

Statement

Beginning October 21, protocols to cruising have been lifted. This means that for most voyages there are no longer vaccination or testing requirements. This applies to itineraries to all destinations except where government regulations may vary like Australia and on a few enhanced guidelines voyages that have their own vaccination and testing requirements. 


Updated:  August 24, 2022

Carnival Corporation announced protocol updates that meet public health goals but recognize the evolving nature of COVID-19. With these changes, we are making it easier for more guests to sail with simplified vaccination and testing guidelines, including no testing for vaccinated guests on sailings less than 16 nights, and eliminating the exemption request process for unvaccinated guests, who will only need to show a negative test result at embarkation. 

All new guidelines are effective for cruises departing on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 or later.  Read More

Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Cruises

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have shared vaccination and pre-cruise testing updates for cruises departing from Los Angeles, Galveston, New Orleans, and European ports. They continue to work with local governments in the Eastern Caribbean to align on vaccination requirements for more itineraries. Read More

August 30, 2022 Update

Celebrity Cruises announced new testing & vaccination rules - particularly of note are changes for Trans-Atlantic sailings which will be coming up shortly.  Read More

Royal Caribbean made similar changes to their sailings.  Read More

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings

October 4, 2022  - Norwegian Cruise Line announced it will eliminate COVID-19 requirements … Read More

September 27, 2022 - Norwegian Cruise Line has updated its health & safety requirements.

(Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises)

The day that many of our customers have been waiting for is here! Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) which includes Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises have updated their SailSAFE program with new vaccine requirements to allow unvaccinated guests to sail.   

Disney Cruise Line 

September 27, 2022 - Disney Cruise Line has updated its health & safety requirements.

Today, August 15, Disney Cruise Line announced an update to our Health and Safety Protocols regarding vaccination requirements.  Read More

Windstar 

Small ship line Windstar Cruises has dropped its pre-cruise testing requirements. The line is still requiring that all of its guests be vaccinated to sail.

Azamara  (September 1, 2022)

Azamara has updated their vaccination protocols for Caribbean and European sailings beginning December 1, 2022.  Read More

MSC & Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection (September 2, 2022)

MSC and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection have relaxed their vaccination and testing protocols for U.S. residents sailing from U.S. ports to the Caribbean and The Bahamas. Read More

Virgin Voyages (September 9, 2022)

In keeping in line with the rest of the travel industry, Virgin Voyages updated their guidelines to make all voyages open to everyone — including Sailors who are unvaccinated.  Read More

Sunday, August 14, 2022

Royal and Celebrity Announce Protocol Updates

Royal & Celebrity Updates

Celebrity Cruises & Royal Caribbean

Updated August 22, 2022

Beginning with sailings departing on September 5, 2022, Royal Caribbean is thrilled to welcome ALL GUESTS, regardless of vaccination status, on cruises from any U.S. homeport (excluding sailings visiting Bermuda or Canada).


Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have shared vaccination and pre-cruise testing updates for cruises departing from Los Angeles, Galveston, New Orleans, and European ports. Please review the below carefully.

Royal Caribbean

What You Need to Know

 Eligible Itineraries

Please note that any itinerary not listed below will continue to follow the published protocols, until further notice.  Please continue to reference the Healthy Cruising Hub for the latest information.

  • Cruises departing from Los Angeles, California 
  • Cruises departing from Galveston, Texas 
  • Cruises departing from New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Cruises departing from a European homeport 

Protocol Updates

Effective on select itineraries, beginning September 5, 2022

LAX & GAL Departures

  • Vaccination
    • We recommend that our guests be fully vaccinated against COVID‐19, if eligible.
    • While vaccination is not required, we kindly ask that guests disclose their status during check-in to ensure we maintain a highly vaccinated onboard population.
    • IMPORTANT Sailings that visit Grand Cayman: unvaccinated guests 12 years and older can join our sailing; however, they’ll need to stay onboard when we arrive in Grand Cayman.
  • Pre-cruise Testing
    Accepted tests are FDAapproved PCR or antigen tests supervised in person or supervised by a telehealth professional.
    • Sailings 5 nights or less –
      • Unvaccinated guests ages 2 years and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 3 days of the sail date.
      • Fully vaccinated guests do not need to test for these sailings.
    • Sailings 6 nights or more –
      • All guests ages 2 years and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 3 days of the sail date.

New Orleans Season (November 1, 2022 – January 31, 2023)

  • Vaccination
    • We recommend that our guests be fully vaccinated against COVID‐19, if eligible.
    • While vaccination is not required, we kindly ask that guests disclose their status during check-in to ensure we maintain a highly vaccinated onboard population.
    • IMPORTANT Sailings that visit Grand Cayman: unvaccinated guests 12 years and older can join our sailing however, they’ll need to stay onboard when we arrive in Grand Cayman.
  • Pre-cruise Testing
    • Testing for these sailings is still being finalized
    • We will contact booked guests and travel partners directly with more information.

 

All EU departures

 

  • Vaccination
    • We recommend that our guests be fully vaccinated and up to date against COVID‐19, if eligible.
    • While vaccination is not required, we kindly ask that guests disclose their status during check-in to ensure we maintain a highly vaccinated onboard population.
    • Guests who are 12 years and older who are considered unvaccinated or who are not up to date with their vaccination will require additional testing.
  • Pre-cruise Testing
    • Testing will remain the same for EU departures.
    • Guests that are not “up to date” on their vaccination per EMA standards will need to take a test onboard in order to get off the ship in Greece and Spain

 

Other Homeports & Destinations

We are working with local governments in the Eastern Caribbean to align on vaccination requirements for more itineraries. We want to ensure a great experience going ashore at these ports, for guests of any vaccination status, while meeting local health regulations. We’ll share information as it becomes available to both you and your clients.  We continue to maintain additional layers of protection that far exceed any other vacation experience - This includes vaccination of all crew and keeping them up to date with boosters when eligible, routine surveillance of all crew, enhanced testing, and treatment capabilities in our onboard medical centers, and much more. 

 

Effective September 5, 2022

 

LAX & GAL

Sailing 5 nights or less

LAX & GAL

Sailing 6 nights or more

New Orleans

Europe

Other Homeports

Vaccinated

  • Vaccination Recommended
  • No Testing Required
  • Vaccination Recommended
  • Testing Required (3 days)
  • Vaccination Recommended
  • Testing To Be Determined

Unvaccinated

  • Vaccination Recommended*
  • Testing Required (3 days)
  • Vaccination Recommended*
  • Testing Required (3 days)
  • Vaccination Recommended*
  • Testing To Be Determined
  • Vaccination Recommended
  • Testing Required – see details

*Unvaccinated guests cannot disembark in Grand Cayman

Resources


Celebrity

 What You Need to Know 

  • Vaccination
    • Beginning September 5th, 2022, all travelers, regardless of vaccination status, can now cruise on the following itineraries as long as they meet any testing requirements to board:
      • All sailings departing from the UK and Europe (with the exception of Iceland)
      • All sailings departing from Los Angeles 
    • For all other sailings, please visit the Country Travel Requirements page for the country of embarkation for your sailing for more information regarding vaccination age requirements.
  • Testing
    • Testing and timing of requirements may vary by homeport country and port of embarkation. We continually evaluate and update country travel requirements to sail here. Booked guests will also be advised of the latest requirements.

 

Resources

 


I recently completed extensive training and have become Travel Safety Verified. As your dedicated Travel Advisor, your safety is our priority, and it's our job to ensure you have the necessary information you need to give you confidence and peace of mind when making your future travel plans. Click the link to review our Travel Safety program with valuable resources that will answer many of your questions.




Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday afternoon at 4 PM Eastern for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat