We Are Here For You

A lot can happen in a week.

Six days ago the State Department issued a warning advising Americans against traveling on cruise ships. We mobilized all of our efforts to support our guests as they were were concerned, uncertain and even fearful.

On Wednesday evening, President Trump announced sweeping travel restrictions impacting travel from Europe to the US. This was shortly followed on Thursday by announcements to suspend operations by several suppliers, most notably Viking and Princess.

And now the week has culminated with announcements from the major cruise lines to suspend operations until April 11^th. While this is unquestionably a setback to the cruising industry, it is no longer just about us. The NBA announced an indefinite suspension to their season. Events across the country are being cancelled or postponed. Restaurants, museums and other places people gather are closing temporarily. 

We call these things out not to further distress you, but to highlight to you what we see…it is no longer just about us. And with that, comes a chance for the great industry we are in to hit the “reset” button. Cruising is not going away.

We are still open for business. We offer our deepest gratitude to our travel partners for powering through these events with resolve to do one thing – deliver a remarkable experience to our customers. 

Even though ships won’t be sailing over the next few weeks, our work does not stop. As your trusted travel advisors, we know what you are going through right now and we are here for you. Please watch this short video.




Related Posts:
The following posts have links to various resources which will be updated on a daily basis in most cases.  They include both Health and Industry resources.

• Coronavirus Testing Impacting Cruises
• Cruise Line Waivers for COVID-19
• COVID-19 Doctor's Perspective
• Coronavirus Travel Advice

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Lobsters Keep Cruise Ship from Entering National Park

Celebrity Xpedition Cruises Temporarily Suspended 

  

June 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd Cruises Canceled

With all the cruise line stories in the news this year, here is one for the books.  Twenty-six pounds (12 kilograms) of frozen lobster has prevented Celebrity Xpedition from entering the protected waters of Galapagos National Park.  Authorities have suspended the ship's license when it was discovered that the ship was transporting the frozen lobster out of season.   The lobsters were purchased legally during season, but according to a recent change in the laws, should have been consumed within 5 days of the end of the season.

Celebrity Cruises contends that it wasn't aware of the law change and both the cruise line and the authorities did confirm the purchase had been made legally within the season.   A $2,000 fine has been levied against the line along with a 45 day suspension.  Celebrity is appealing the fine and suspension and at press time it isn't known when this matter could be resolved and sailings continue.

According to the line "Celebrity Cruises is committed to complying with the rules and regulations of the Galapagos, which are put in place to protect and safeguard this unique and pristine environment"
We know this first-hand from our Xpedition cruise.  The naturalists onboard explained all the rules and regulations and carefully monitored passengers to be sure all were in compliance.

Booked on a Future Cruise? 

Celebrity Cruises is hopeful that the license can be restored sooner, so they are making decisions on a cruise by cruise basis. June 16th passengers should monitor the situation. We'll provide updates here as we have updates.

Celebrity also has a travel alert dedicated to this topic on their site. Consult this for updates.

Booked guests can also contact them directly at 1-888-829-4050 in the U.S. and 1-408-916-9001 internationally.

Passengers are being compensated for the canceled cruises and also being provided with future credit equal to 50% of cruise fare.  They will have 2 years to rebook.

We hope that Celebrity Xpedition will soon be sailing again in the Galapagos.   This is an amazing voyage - see our series of articles to learn more about visiting the land where Darwin explored.

Cruise West Continues Restructuring

Port of Seattle, Washington

Seattle-based Cruise West is continuing it's restructuring of the company as it attempts to survive.  We first broke the news several days ago that the Spirit of Oceanus' world cruise had been terminated in Newfoundland, Canada.   (Cruise West Undergoing Restructuring).

We have learned that the Washington state Employment Security Department has received a legally required layoff notification from Cruise West.. The department says Cruise West laid off 24 employees last Wednesday and another 41 were to be laid off starting last Friday.  This isn't a surprising event since new bookings were suspended when the original news broke.

Meanwhile other sources indicate that the Spirit of Oceanus might be on the chopping block, which would make sense based on the termination of the world cruise.   Cruise West has been very silent throughout this process but the announcement released September 8th did indicate some cruises would continue through October.

UPDATE: Spirit of Oceanus Sold

When Cruise West abruptly terminated the 335 day world cruise on Spirit of Oceanus last week, it was rumored that the ship would be sold.    We now know the rest of the story...

Spirit of Oceanus has indeed been sold by ship management company International Shipping Partners (ISP), on Cruise West's behalf, to a group of  Danish investors. The ship will be renamed Sea Spirit, and will be available for long-term charter according to ISP.   Full story: ISP Insider

So ends the story of the Spirit of Oceanus.  Secrecy continues surrounding the various changes at Cruise West.   No word yet on the fate of the other ships in the fleet or the company itself.

If you are scheduled to sail on Cruise West, keep a close eye on this developing story.

Cruise West Undergoing Restructuring

New Bookings Suspended

Spirit of Oceanus Cruise Terminated

Cruise West announced the continuation of restructuring of the company.  Passengers on the Spirit of Oceanus' Voyage of the Great Explorers terminated their world cruise in Newfoundland, Canada.

A recorded message indicates that the cruise line has not been sold and that the call center is temporarily closed as the company restructures.

According to the line's press release, "Additional assets may be sold and other steps are being pursued towards a restructure. As part of this process, Cruise West has suspended accepting any new bookings." 

The statement indicated that some cruises will continue:


"The Spirit of Endeavour will sail from Seattle on the British Columbia Cruise and the Spirit of '98 from Portland, or along the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Cruise West will also complete cruises or land tours already underway in Alaska."

According to information on the Cruise West website, impacted guests who have not yet traveled on the Spirit of Oceanus world cruise should file a claim with their third-party insurance company, contact their credit card company, or if payment was made by check, contact info@cruisewest.com.

The statement indicated that executives would not take media calls at this time and will be releasing additional details in the future.   We will monitor this developing story and report any updates.

For more information, call the company's emergency number at 888-396-0280, email info@cruisewest.com or visit www.cruisewest.com.

Why 3rd-party Travel Insurance Important

This unfortunate situation, for passengers impacted by the terminated cruise, underscores the importance of purchasing third-party travel insurance at the time your cruise is booked.    Cruise line failures are rare, but when they occur, passengers can be stranded in remote parts of the world.  Fortunately, this cruise was terminated in one of the scheduled ports of call, perhaps minimizing the impact on the guests.  


About Cruise West

Cruise West offers small-ship experiences to guests.   We hope that they will be able to obtain the necessary funding to continue operations.  We wish them success in their restructuring efforts.    Stayed tuned for more information as it becomes available.