2011 In Review

Recapping Some of the Major Stories of 2011

Notable Cruise Line Highlights

Three Queens Meet ... On a cold wintry day in January, 3 queens met in New York Harbor.  Cunard Lines Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria  rendezvoused by the Statue of Liberty as crowds watched an amazing fireworks display. Read more ... Royal Rendezvous New York

Watching Live ... Kevin Sheehan, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, appeared on CBS televisions popular "Undercover Boss" where he learned first-hand what the crew faces to bring Freestyle Cruising to their guests.  Read more ... NCL's Boss Goes Undercover    

New Ships ... Several ships entered service this year including Disney Dream, which is the first of two new ships being added to that fleet.   Read more ... Welcome Home Disney Dream

Returning to Service ... One of the most notable cruise line events in 2010 was the fire aboard Carnival Splendor.  The ship returned to service this year where it continues to be one of the few ships in the Mexican Riviera.   Read more ... Carnival Splendor Resumed Cruises

These are just a few of the top cruise line stories making the headlines of our blog posts this past year.

Political Unrest &  Other Issues

Economics, Violence, Unrest ... Poor economic conditions prompted strikes and political unrest in several European & Middle Eastern countries this year impacting cruise line schedules.  Since cruise lines take passenger and crew safety very highly, many itineraries were changed to avoid conflict areas.  Here are some of the notable stories:

Bahrain Protests Spark Cruise Changes Cruise Lines Pull Out of Mazatlan Unrest in Tunisia Prompts Cruise Changes More Changes for Mexican Ports of Call

Egypt Travel Alert Impacts Cruises Protests in Egypt Prompt More Cancellations Protests in Athens Greece

Weather & Natural Disasters

Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Hurricanes, Snow storms, Volcanic Eruptions ... There were several natural disasters and weather-related interruptions to travel, including cruises, this past year.  The most devastating event had to be the earthquakes and resulting tsunami in Japan.  The entire world watched as the country tried to avoid a nuclear disaster.  

Historic Snowstorm Predicted Severe Tsunami Impacting Japan & Hawaii Strong Quakes Continue to Rattle Japan Massive New Zealand Quake and Tsunami Alert 2011 Hurricane Season in Review

After the Tohoku Earthquake Grímsvötn Volcano Causes Travel Woes Iceland Volcanic Ash Grounds Flights Puyehue Volcano Erupts in Southern Chile

As 2012 dawns, the cruise lines that are in the Mexican Riviera are still avoiding Mazatlan,  some of the eliminated European and Middle Eastern ports of call have had some limited resumption of service, and weather will continue to impact schedules.  We will continue to monitor changes in the industry and events that have an impact on cruise schedules in the upcoming months.   Wave Season is about to start, so contact us with your bucket list so that we can watch for specials that might be of interest.

We wish you all a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.   The Sea is Calling ...

Bahrain Protests Spark Cruise Changes

Bahrain - Photo Courtesy Costa Cruises

More Cruise Modifications

Caused by Protests

Updated:  May 7, 2011

The U.S. State Department still has an alert on travel to Tunisia despite some stabilization of the unrest. It warns that  work stoppages and demonstrations could prove bothersome or dangerous for tourists.

Meanwhile, two cruise lines recently made calls in Tunis -  Holland America's Eurodam and AIDA's AIDAbella were greeted by the locals with festive music and roses.   The remaining cruise lines have not altered their original plans of skipping Tunisia ports this season.

 

Updated:  March 2011 Itineraries

Costa Cruises changes “Jewels of the Emirates " itinerary Costa Deliziosa and Costa Luminosa
Due to the critical situation in Bahrain, Costa Cruises informs you that the itinerary "Jewels of the Emirates" has been modified to exclude the call in Bahrain City. Will be included an additional night/day in Muscat, Oman.

Costa Deliziosa - cruise sailing March 6 - 13 - 20, 2011 - New itinerary

Costa Deliziosa - cruise sailing March 27, 2011 - New itinerary

Costa Luminosa - cruise sailing March 7 - 14, 2011 - New itinerary 

Costa Cruises considers the safety of its Guests and crew members as a key priority and it is constantly in contact with the local and international authorities

Bahrain joins Egypt and Tunisia as countries of political unrest.  The violent uprising has prompted government response and cruise line reaction.

Tanks roamed the streets in Bahrain as the government cracked down on anti-government protesters.  Public gatherings were banned Thursday as violence escalated.  Five protesters were killed and hundreds wounded during the rioting.

Violence prompted Costa Cruises to alter cruises on two ships in the area.   Costa Luminosa and Costa Deliziosa  are currently sailing Middle East cruises out of Dubai and will sail modified itineraries this week. Planned calls to Bahrain City will be replaced by an extra day in Dubai.  Further modifications are expected for next week's sailings, but details were not currently released.

U.S. Comments on Protests in Bahrain
The United States is very concerned by recent violence surrounding protests in Bahrain. (click title for U.S. Embassy statement)

Useful Links

• Tips for Traveling Abroad 
• Travel Warnings, Country Specific Information & Travel Alerts
• U.S. Embassy - Bahrain
• Country Specific Information - Bahrain

SeaDream II Skips Tunisia

SeaDream II Aerial View

Travel Summary for Tunisia (click for latest update)
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth office modified the advise against all but essential travel to Tunisia.   Despite the change, cruise lines are still being cautious and have modified itineraries.


Joining Costa Cruises and Disney Cruise Line, SeaDream Yacht Cruises has made the following statement:


Due to unrest in Tunisia, SeaDream Yacht Club has revised the itinerary for SeaDream II voyage # 21120 sailing May 18 - 28, 2011 from Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy roundtrip. The port of La Goulette (Tunis), Tunisia has been replaced with Xlendi, Gozo Island, Malta.

SeaDream’s President, Bob Lepisto said “Based upon the tension in Tunisia, we feel the safety and security there remains uncertain. For that reason, we have elected not to call on the port of La Goulette (Tunis), Tunisia. Instead, we’ve chosen to call on the peaceful island of Gozo. It has some of the Mediterranean’s best dive sites and I think our guests will find this port highly enjoyable.” 

SeaDream's yachts drop anchor and stay overnight at destinations including the Eastern Caribbean, The Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the Amazon.

Related Post:

Cruise With Christine Pappin: Unrest in Tunisia Prompts Cruise Changes

Unrest in Tunisia Prompts Cruise Changes

 

Costa Magica Location courtesy of Costa Cruises / Google Maps

Updated March 10, 2011     Travel Alert  Tunisia 

A travel alert remains in effect for Tunisia, due to the ongoing social and political unrest. Unrest has diminished and public order has returned in many areas; however, spontaneous and unpredictable events, such as work stoppages and demonstrations, have recently occurred. (click link above for US Dept State alert)

Costa Cruises drops Tunisia, Egypt, Israel for rest of year due to unrest in region 

On Mediterranean 7-day cruises including a one day call at Tunis (Tunisia), this call has been replaced by a one day call at Palma de Mallorca (Spain) Malta or Cagliari (Italy).
 

Update: February 14, 2011

Additional cruise cancellations have been made by MSC Cruises.  The following ships are affected: 

• MSC Fantasia from the 16th of April to the 15th of October 2011 
• MSC Splendida from the 10th April to the 06th of November 2011 
• MSC Lirica from the 18th of April to the 07th of October 
• MSC Sinfonia from the 04th of June to the 15th of October 

In case that the situation gets back to normal, the original itinerary will be respected and the call at Tunis will be operated as usual. Updates will  be posted on MSC's website.

Related Blog Post:
SeaDream II Skips Tunisia


Costa Magica Skips Tunisia

Costa Magica's scheduled port of call to Tunis on Monday was cancelled and replaced with Ajaccio due to the political unrest in Tunisia.  Fortunately this is low season for Europe cruises so this is the only impacted cruise ship.    There were several cruises scheduled to call in Tunis over the next few weeks.   Passengers will be informed of additional changes.

Travel Warning for Tunisia

The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens about the current political and social unrest in Tunisia and recommends deferring non-essential travel to Tunisia at this time. A state of emergency was declared in Tunisia on January 14.

The civil unrest has recently spread to Tunis and all major cities, including popular tourist destinations. These spontaneous and unpredictable events have degenerated on several occasions into violent clashes between police and protesters, resulting in multiple deaths, injuries, and extensive property damage.

Travel Summary for Tunisia
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth office advise against all but essential travel to Tunisia. 

A State of Emergency was declared on the afternoon of 14 January under which it is illegal for more than two people to congregate in a public place, including in cars. Parliamentary Speaker Foued Mbazaa has taken over as interim president. It was announced on 17 January that a Government of National Unity had been formed.

The situation overnight (18-19January) in Tunisia was quieter but incidents of violence and looting are still possible. There were further demonstrations in a number of cities across the country yesterday and these are expected to continue today (19 January). The risk of sporadic violence and looting remains.

Consult either the UK or US sites for additional information.

Travel advice by country (UK)
Country Specific Information for Tunisia (US)