237K and Counting

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Do you want to return to the sea on your favorite Carnival Cruise ship or perhaps experience their brand new Mardi Gras?  Would you want to have one of those yummy Guy Fieri Burgers?

If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, you aren't alone.

Today, Carnival Cruise line President Christine Duffy sent an update to their travel partners reporting on the three month period since cruises resumed on July 3, 2021.  Carnival Vista was the first to return to service out of Galveston.  Since then 10 additional ships resumed operations including the brand new Mardi Gras which is a remake of one of their legacy ships.  Of course, she's nothing like her namesake with modern attractions including BOLT, the first roller-coaster at sea.

Guy's Burger Joint

There have been 98 voyages with 237,000 passengers enjoying one of the Carnival FunShips.  Without looking at the infographic, can you take a guess at how many Guy Fieri Burgers they consumed?   Well, it looks like most passengers had at least two of them since 499k burgers were served.

Christine Duffy Commented:

*Our resumption of service has provided much-needed vacations to hundreds of thousands of loyal guests, a boost to the economies in its homeport and port-of-call communities and opportunities for its shipboard team members to support their families in 120 countries around the world. 

We announced plans to have 17 ships back in guest service by the end of 2021, with additional ships returning in January and February and the entire U.S. fleet back in guest operations by spring 2022."

What's It Like Onboard?    Check out this video (click here)  

It looks like 8,000 people have partially paid for their vacation by taking home $1000 jackpots from the casino.    If you are yearning to get back on a cruise (or perhaps you've never been on one before), this is the time to book while the crew to passenger ratio is low, everyone is vaccinated (keeping you healthy) and prices are at an all time low.    

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Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

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2020 in Review

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Looking Back at Historic Year 

As the year drew to a close, we took a look at some of the industry headlines and reviewed our cruise adventures.  COVID-19 made the biggest headlines impacting the cruise industry in 2020. 

Following a year unlike any other in the history of the industry, this Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) State of the Cruise Industry Report offers a look at the trends and analytics propelling the cruise industry forward in the coming year and beyond. 

(Click the link above for the complete report)

CLIA President's Message

"In a year marked by hurricanes, wildfires, and the worst public health crisis the world has experienced in over 100 years, we have seen our industry and our communities challenged in ways we could have never imagined. 

 As with the rest of the world, our plans for 2020 were turned upside down at the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, culminating in the voluntary suspension of cruise operations worldwide in mid-March. In the months that followed, our industry wasted no time engaging leading experts and government authorities to strengthen already robust public health measures and to put people and communities first. With enhanced measures in place, an initial resumption of cruising began in Europe and some other parts of the world, building confidence in the industry’s new protocols and inspiring hope for the future." said Kelly Craighead, CLIA President and CEO.

She also remarked "The reality of 2020 sits in stark contrast to the year that immediately preceded it. In 2019, the global cruise industry welcomed nearly 30 million passengers, creating jobs for 1.8 million people around the world and contributing over $154 billion to the global economy. With this growth came increased recognition of cruising as one of the best ways to experience the world, and our industry was focused on achieving previously unthinkable milestones to pave the path for a brighter and more sustainable future."

Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA), member cruise lines and health industry experts, from CDC and elsewhere, teamed up to outline plans for a safe and healthy resumption of cruise operations.   Those efforts are still ongoing, with the majority of cruises in North America suspended through the first quarter of 2021.

2020 Industry Trends - Putting People First

2020 Industry Trends - Thoughtful Planning

2020 Industry Trends - Following the Science

2020 Industry Trends - Phased Resumption

See our previous post: CDC Publishes Conditional Sailing Orde

Spotlight on Responsible Tourism

Sustainability - Even as CLIA members worked tirelessly to address the impacts of COVID-19, the cruise industry remained focused on its commitment to a cleaner, more sustainable future.

Innovation - The cruise industry continues to lead the way in the adoption of cutting-edge maritime environmental technologies.

Progress - CLIA’s annual 2020 Environmental Technologies and Practices Report highlights the progress that the cruise industry continues to make in the adoption of new environmental technologies.

Partnership - The cruise industry continued to lead the way in sustainable tourism management in 2020.

 New Cruise Ships for 2021

 

Our Favorite Cruise for 2020

Having cruised for 30+ years, our cruise selections are driven primarily by destination and secondly by cruise ship. We love exploring new destinations from our bucket list as well as revisiting some of our favorites. Exploring new ships, including older ships we've never sailed on before, is also quite enjoyable. Of course, we love to share with our readers so that they can discover the world that awaits them.  

We had several cruise adventures planned for 2020, including our National Conference onboard the brand new Celebrity Apex, but those were all rescheduled to 2021.

15 Day Australia - Asia Cruise Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip. While onboard Majestic Princess in January, 2019, we looked at cruises for 2020, taking advantage of the ongoing Anniversary sale.  Our selection was a respositioning cruise which included Southern Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore. There were several options for embarkation, including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth. We selected the 15 day itinerary from Melbourne based on cabin availability in the cabin class we were looking for. Due to the COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) epidemic, our cruise was terminated in Perth, Australia (cancelling the segment from Perth to Singapore).  Additional photos can be found on our Soouthern Australia Shutterfly page View Our Other Shutterfly Share Pages

What's Ahead for 2021

There's a lot of uncertainty as the new year begins.   At our virtual national conference, cruise line execs told us that they are planning for the gradual resumption of operations.  They all told us that bookings are strong and they were optimistic about the industry recovery once vaccines become more widely available.

It will be a rebuilding year for the Caribbean and Bahamas and another ship building year as well.  What will the added capacity mean?   There are still a large percentage of the population that have not experienced cruising.   The lines, including new players like Dream Cruises and Virgin Voyages, will continue to advertise which will help spread the word.

There has been a lot of ship re-deployments, with larger ships replacing smaller ones, to allow for social distancing,  The first itineraries that will be sailing will be shorter cruises, 3 - 7 night maximum, to comply with CDC guidelines.  Ship capacity will also be reduced at first, and gradually increase once the world's population has been vaccinated.  Life onboard and in port will be different as new protocols are employed to keep passengers, crew, and countries visited safe and healthy.

We are constantly in communication with our travel partners, learning about the latest itineraries, ship deployments, future cruise credits, and other changes.  We have had multiple re-bookings for some of our guests as these new measures are implemented.  

Travel Professionals are not going away.  In fact, our expertise is even more valuable now, as there are more and more options to sort through.   Matching the right ship and itinerary to the cruisers' desires is one of the biggest values we bring to bear.   Hope to see you on the seven seas in 2021 and beyond. 

Note: while you are waiting for cruising to resume, we can also assist you with land travel.   There are several resorts that have implemented changes to allow for safe and healthy vacations.  We appreciate your business as 2020 has been very devastating for the travel industry (as well as many other industries).

Happy New Year

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Cruise Ships and Earth Day 2016

 Happy Earth Day 2016 
April 22nd

How Green are Cruise Ships?

Cruise ships operate in every ocean worldwide taking thousands of passengers to all parts of the globe.   There is growing concern that these floating resorts are polluting the waterways and air with all the waste that is generated by normal operations.

Polluted discharges (of sewage, grey water and oily bilge water) and air emissions are the chief sources of problems, but they also mark the biggest potential areas for improvement.

Cruise Ship Environmental Report Card

Friends of the Earth’s  annual  Cruise Report Card compares the environmental footprint of 16 major cruise lines and 167 cruise ships. The next report is due out shortly. View a PDF of the latest report card here.

The failures stem from not implementing equipment and procedures which would minimize pollution.  According to their website, the following determined the scores:

• To determine a cruise line’s Sewage Treatment grade, we compared the number of cruise ships in the cruise line that have installed advanced sewage treatment systems against the total number of ships in the cruise line.
• To determine the Air Pollution Reduction grade for each ship in a cruise line, only ships that dock at a port and plug in to available shoreside power hookups were graded. In addition, ships were given credit if they only utilize low sulfur fuels continuously at levels lower than required by international and U.S. law. 
• To determine the Water Quality Compliance grade for ships operating in Alaska, we used 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 notices of violation issued for individual cruise ships to each cruise line by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Ships were given an "N/A" if they traveled to Alaska but avoided Alaska’s strong water quality standards by discharging outside of those protected waters.
• To determine the Transparency grade for each cruise line we graded each line based on whether it responded to our 2014 requests for information regarding their environmental practices.
• The grades for each of the four criteria were averaged to calculate the Final Grade for each cruise line.

 Protect the Environment for Future Generations

Most people that love to cruise also have an interest in protecting the environment for the future.   We want to continue our quest to see more of the world, but at the same time, want to make sure Mother Earth is around for generations to come.  So, what can we as individuals do?

The FOE suggests letting Congress know that we want them to support the Clean Cruise Ship Act.  For those that are interested (click the following links):  Tell Congress to Cleanup the Cruise Industry.    Learn more about the FOE.

Is There Any Good News in the Report Card?

I have to admit that my initial reaction to the report card was one of shock.   The majority of the cruise lines have announced initiatives to protect the environment.   You'll see signs posted in your cabin encouraging you to reuse towels, just like you see in hotel rooms on land.   I have to give them the benefit of the doubt that they do intend to turn things around.   

When on a cruise ship, do your part by doing the little things:   reuse your towel,  don't throw anything overboard, or pollute in any other way.

We share this information, not to make any cruise line look bad, but rather to call awareness to a growing problem which can seriously impact all living things if left unchecked.  Thank you for reading this article and for doing your part to protect the environment.

Special thanks to the EPA and FOE for their efforts and for publishing the information which was the basis of this article.   See #EarthDayEveryDay on EPA website.

Earth Day 2015

 Happy Earth Day 2015 

How Green are Cruise Ships?

Cruise ships operate in every ocean worldwide taking thousands of passengers to all parts of the globe.   There is growing concern that these floating resorts are polluting the waterways and air with all the waste that is generated by normal operations.

Polluted discharges (of sewage, grey water and oily bilge water) and air emissions are the chief sources of problems, but they also mark the biggest potential areas for improvement.

Cruise Ship Environmental Report Card

Friends of the Earth’s  annual  Cruise Report Card compares the environmental footprint of 16 major cruise lines and 167 cruise ships. View a PDF of the report card here.

The failures stem from not implementing equipment and procedures which would minimize pollution.  According to their website, the following determined the scores:

• To determine a cruise line’s Sewage Treatment grade, we compared the number of cruise ships in the cruise line that have installed advanced sewage treatment systems against the total number of ships in the cruise line.
• To determine the Air Pollution Reduction grade for each ship in a cruise line, only ships that dock at a North American port that currently provides shoreside power hookups were graded.
• To determine the Water Quality Compliance grade for ships operating in Alaska, we used 2009 notices of violation issued for individual cruise ships to each cruise line by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Ships were given an ‘n/a’ if they traveled to Alaska but avoided Alaska’s strong water quality standards by discharging outside of those protected waters.
• The grades for each of the criteria were averaged to calculate the Final Grade for each cruise line.

 Protect the Environment for Future Generations

Most people that love to cruise also have an interest in protecting the environment for the future.   We want to continue our quest to see more of the world, but at the same time, want to make sure Mother Earth is around for generations to come.  So, what can we as individuals do?

The FOE suggests letting Congress know that we want them to support the Clean Cruise Ship Act.  For those that are interested (click the following links):  Tell Congress to Cleanup the Cruise Industry.    Learn more about the FOE.

Is There Any Good News in the Report Card?

I have to admit that my initial reaction to the report card was one of shock.   The majority of the cruise lines have announced initiatives to protect the environment.   You'll see signs posted in your cabin encouraging you to reuse towels, just like you see in hotel rooms on land.   I have to give them the benefit of the doubt that they do intend to turn things around.   

When on a cruise ship, do your part by doing the little things:   reuse your towel,  don't throw anything overboard, or pollute in any other way.

We share this information, not to make any cruise line look bad, but rather to call awareness to a growing problem which can seriously impact all living things if left unchecked.  Thank you for reading this article and for doing your part to protect the environment.

Special thanks to the EPA and FOE for their efforts and for publishing the information which was the basis of this article.   See #EarthDayEveryDay on EPA website.

Expert Findings Released on Costa Concordia

Costa Concordia & Lifeboats    Courtesy Wikipedia Commons

Expert Panel

Reports Findings

Concordia Tragedy

The panel of experts, that were appointed by the Italian courts to review evidence in the events of the January 14th tragedy which took the lives of 32 people, have released their findings to the court.   A 270 page document was filed with the court on Tuesday and published by Italian media on Thursday.

Captain, Crew, & Costa Cruises to Blame

As expected, the primary blame for the tragic accident falls on Captain Schettino, who has already been condemned in the media as "Captain Coward" and other names. He is charged with several counts including negligent homicide, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning ship before the complete evacuation of the 4,200 passengers and crew. He claims he was commanding the situation from the life boats and denies any wrongdoing.

In the report, the panel also puts blame on the crew for "blunders, delays and security breaches that contributed to the disaster". Early reports from passengers had indicated that the crew was disorganized during the evacuation, which seems to validate the findings.

Costa Crociere, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation plc, is accused of "delaying the emergency alert sent to coastal authorities". In a statement, Costa placed the blame on Francesco Schettino, the ship’s captain: "It is also clear from the records that the communication made by the Master to the crisis department were on the whole not timely, partial and confused, not allowing it to scale a clear perception of the seriousness of what was actually happening."

In response to allegations that the crew was inadequately trained, Costa said: “The alleged defects in the certifications of some of the crew concern only a few individuals who are not key to emergency management”.

A court hearing is scheduled for October 15th to determine if the captain and any of the co-defendants should be put on trial. 

Continuing Coverage

Salvage operations are underway to remove the ship from the coastline of Giglio, Italy.  That operation, which began in June, will last about a year according to current estimates.

We continue to follow all the events around this tragic accident in our anchor article:

Costa Concordia Listing after Deadly Accident