Category: The Cruise Examiner

by Kevin Griffin

Three stories this week, two involving expedition ships and one involving the ship left over after the Alaska season – after a series of cruise ship withdrawals from the Australian cruise market. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

Three stories this week, two involving reductions on smaller ships – 10% off on Aranui 5 to the South Pacific and 20% off on Albatros Expeditions to Antarctica. And Cunard plans two special late season Transatlantic crossings by the Queen Mary 2 from from Southampton to New York and back either side of Christmas. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

Three related stories this week. Australia has finally announced the softening of some of its travel bans, Cunard plans a special sailing from Southampton to Singapore by the Queen Elizabeth, and Singapore considers loosening some of its own travel bans. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

Argentina is finally reopening its borders and Albatros Expeditions has announced a new Antarctica programme for the Ocean Victory meanwhile Europe to Iceland cargo-passsenger route returns on the 22,200-ton Jonni Ritscher. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

On Thursday, May 20, MSC Cruises departs Southampton on the UK’s first so-called “staycation” cruise, restricting her calls to UK ports only, meanwhile new UK operator Ambassador Cruise Line has announced that it will acquire the 1,400-berth Ambience, and The Cruise People will be using in its office, London shopfront, blog and customer email campaigns. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

Norwegian Cruise Line’s next delivery, the first of a new class of six ships, is to be named Norwegian Prima when she enters service in August 2022. Meanwhile, Carnival has put a hold on bookings to most of its fleet while it works out its re-start plans. And Costa Cruises has returned to service in the Med. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

After many normally Us-based cruise ships moved their bases from US ports to Barbados, St Maarten, Nassau and Bermuda, the US Centers for Disease Control have allowed cruise ships to return to US ports starting in |July. Elsewhere, Hurtigruten is back with revised schedules and new dates for the Maud, sailing from Dover, and Princess Cruises is boosting its Medallion as a heathy anti-Covid device due to its contactless feature and elimination of queues. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

This month Cunard Line announced three centenary voyages that will celebrate Cunard’s first World Cruise by the Laconia in 1922-23. Cruise re-starts also continue, with three ships to be brought back into service by Norwegian Cruise Line and two additional UK cruises announced by Viking Cruises. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

The return of cruising gained even more momentum last week, with Viking Cruises announcing its Viking Orion for Bermuda and Virgin Voyages its Scarlet Lady for Portsmouth. Finally, while Prince Philip was more a battleship and destroyer man, we revisit one of his merchant ship visits, eighty years ago. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

The return of cruising gained much momentum last week, with four major cruise lines – Celebrity, Saga, MSC and Royal Caribbean – all announcing new domestic cruise plans for the UK this summer. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

A brief look this week at Oceania’s seventh ship, the Vista. And as with last week, the return of cruising is gaining momentum with Royal Caribbean Group adding two more ships in the Mediterranean, while further operators examine joining the UK coastal trades to English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh and Manx waters. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

The return of cruising is beginning to gain momentum in both the UK and North America by way of Caribbean ports. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

Big and small ships feature this week, with an arm of Disney chartering two 264-berth Ponant ships for Antarctica sailings from Ushuaia and a third vessel for the Galapagos. Princess Cruises has meanwhile announced the addition of two larger 3,560-berth ships to the UK short cruise trade out of Southampton, while Hurtigruten have announced more plans for 2022. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

Malcolm Ginsberg, editor in chief of the UK’s Business Travel News today sent us his summary of restart prospects for the UK this summer. Elsewhere, we have a quick look at solo travel, with Albatros Expeditions offering dedicated single cabins and also male and female share cabins. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

In January, we commented on The Sunday Times carrying the first real cruise supplement in almost a year. Yesterday, it ran an item on some of the five- and six-digit cruise fares that are now being booked for the post-Covid market. Elsewhere, cargo ship passengers will have to wait almost a year before they can sail between Europe and Australia again. And in a changing market, The Cruise People introduce a life coach who their customers can contact for a free trial. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

Two weeks ago, Canada once again put a ban on cruise ships entering Canadian waters, primarily to prevent that country from acquiring more unwanted cases of Corona-19 from outside of Canada. But not only do these decisions affect Canada and the Vancouver-Alaska trade, but also the Seattle-Alaska trade, Great Lakes cruising, the Canada/New England cruise trade and cruises in the Canadian Arctic. This week, we also look at a Valentine’s Day cruise for 2022 and some no fly tall ship cruises from Harwich for this year. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

This week we look at more positive developments. From London’s Sunday Times came suggestions of dozens of cruise, mostly by smaller ships. While no cruise ships are operating from the USA at the moment, plenty is available for European cruisers. And in one effort to avoid the malign influence of the Centers for Disease Control, Royal Caribbean is going to base a ship in Barbados, beyond the CDC’s control. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

This week we look at more positive developments. From London comes news that CLIA is proposing to the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office that it loosen its ban for passengers sailing on members’ cruise ships from the UK. Elsewhere, the Sky Princess is to expand her UK season this autumn. And Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas is moving to a new base in India. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

This week we look at more positive developments. From New Zealand comes news that Ponant will be operating one of its ships exclusively in New Zealand waters and for New Zealand locals this year. This follows earlier market openings in Germany, Norway, Italy and Singapore, among others. In US waters meanwhile American Queen and Victory Cruise Lines have announced 2022 itineraries and recent indications are that two dozen cruise ships will hopefully be “checking in” at Los Angeles this winter for the 2021 Alaska an coastal trades. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

Recent industry reports suggest cruise bookings are on the rise, with strong sales for 2022 and 2023. Travellers are rebooking cruises that were disrupted due to the pandemic and booking those bucket-list cruises. (more…)