January and February were months of waiting, with the cruise suspension dragging on. With the arrival of March and the risk of losing the summer season as well, the cruise lines' patience ran out, and they changed their strategy.
All entries related to the pandemic timeline are accessible here.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 56 – March 2021
First part CruisesNews nº52 Second part CruisesNews nº53 Third part CruisesNews nº54 Fourth part CruisesNews nº55
In January, MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises, which had been suspended for Christmas, were scheduled to resume operations. While the MSC Grandiosa resumed activity on January 24, Costa would not resume operations. Although it announced that it would do so from March 27, a few days before that date it announced that it was delaying it to May.
Meanwhile, MSC Cruises, which had announced cruises with the MSC Magnifica through the Greek Islands starting on February 14, cancelled those cruises and announced their return for the end of April.
Both companies, faced with the requirements of several countries, including Spain, to present a negative PCR test to enter their territory, announced the possibility of taking the test on board at an additional cost, since, for passengers, taking the test during a layover and receiving the results on paper was logistically impossible.
During January and February, companies repeatedly extended their suspension of operations until the end of May or June, although we began to see signs of change regarding ports of embarkation and vaccines.
In mid-January, Royal Caribbean announced that the Grandeur of the Seas would offer cruises from Barbados next winter, which was interpreted both as a diversification of embarkation ports in light of the situation and as the beginning of a plan B in case restrictions in the US did not improve. It was a subtle warning.
A few days later, Royal Caribbean Group announced the sale of Azamara Cruises to the investment fund Sycamore Partners, a move that allowed them to raise cash and, at the same time, resolve the uncertainty surrounding the brand's positioning after Silversea Cruises' acquisition of the group. Sycamore Partners purchased the Pacific Princess, a sister ship to the company's other vessels, from Princess Cruises and renamed it Azamara Onward.
Shipping companies are starting to opt for cruises only for vaccinated passengers.
In January, MSC Cruises launched a video illustrating how its onboard protocol is applied to clear up any doubts, and its Executive Chairman, Pierfrancesco Vago, was appointed Chairman of CLIA Global, becoming the first European to hold this position, at a crucial time for the sector.
At the end of January, Saga Cruises announced that it would only accept vaccinated passengers on its cruises. It argued that, given its regular passengers are elderly British citizens, this was the most appropriate course of action, especially considering the rapid progress of vaccinations in the UK.
On January 29, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund launched Cruise Saudi Arabia, a company whose objective is to establish and develop the cruise industry in Saudi Arabia, bolster the kingdom's efforts to become a leading international cruise destination, and further develop the tourism sector. The management team includes Miguel Reyna, with 20 years of experience as an executive at Royal Caribbean, and Mark Robinson, with 30 years of experience at Intercruises and Global Ports Holding.
In early February, Canada surprised the industry with a ban on cruises in its territory until February 28, 2022, something that directly affects Alaskan cruises, since the most common embarkation port is Vancouver.
On February 19, Crystal Cruises implemented a requirement for its passengers to be vaccinated at least 14 days prior to their embarkation date. It is the first North American cruise line to do so.
Around that time, Pullmantur announced it was in advanced negotiations with an investor to revive the company, but at the same time, it was proceeding with a mass layoff plan (ERE) affecting almost all employees, who publicly expressed their dissatisfaction with the severance packages offered. The agreement was ultimately approved with a majority vote from the employees. Costa Cruises didn't hesitate to target Pullmantur's customers, who were now without a cruise line, and announced a series of adaptations for Spanish passengers on three of the ships it planned to operate that summer: performances by Spanish comedians, changes to dinner times, and the addition of traditional Spanish dishes to the menu.
The publication of the technical guide for the restart of cruise ships by the US CDC has been a cold shower for the industry.
Days later, Celestyal Cruises also announced that Spanish-speaking passengers will have access to Spanish-speaking reception staff, as well as additional Spanish-speaking personnel on board. The daily program and restaurant menus will be available in Spanish, and excursions with a minimum of 30 people will have Spanish-speaking guides.
March. Time is running out, and cruise lines are going on the offensive.
On March 1st, Royal Caribbean dropped its first bombshell: The Odyssey of the Seas, its brand-new ship, will sail from the port of Haifa, Israel, offering 3- to 7-night cruises visiting Greece and Cyprus, starting in May. And it will do so with all passengers and crew vaccinated, admitting only Israeli passengers. The announcement is surprising from every angle. Not only is it the first major cruise company to announce that it will only accept vaccinated individuals and is betting on the country most advanced in vaccination, but also, in doing so, it creates a new homeport in the southern Eastern Mediterranean, which, if it consolidates after the pandemic, could completely reshape the cruise landscape in that region.
There is a real boom in cruises around the British Isles for vaccinated British passengers.
At the same time, Royal Caribbean released a study conducted with the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the National Institute of Research that concludes the chances of aerosol particle transmission through ventilation and air conditioning systems are minimal, once the improvements recommended by the Healthy Sail Panel are applied, such as HEPA and MERV 13 filters, and the maximum possible air change per hour.
The Port of Barcelona has released its financial results, reporting a 94% drop in cruise passenger numbers. President Merce Conesa is calling for clear protocols to restart operations, as another year without cruises would mean losses of €11 million for the port alone. The impact on Catalonia's GDP is estimated at €560 million. Shortly afterward, Valencia reported that the economic impact of cruises on the city and its surrounding area is €56 million.
On March 3, P&O canceled its cruises until the end of August, except for summer cruises around the British Isles departing from Southampton. A week later, the UK gave the green light to the domestic cruise market, and throughout the month several companies announced their British Isles cruises for vaccinated British passengers, including Fred. Olsen Cruises, Viking Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, and Princess Cruises, which would be deploying its two newest ships, the Regal Princess and Sky Princess. At the end of the month, it was revealed that MSC Cruises was also offering British Isles cruises with its newest ship, the MSC Virtuosa, but without requiring vaccination, instead applying its pre-boarding testing protocol.
Definitely, in March, with summer just around the corner, the news keeps coming: Croatia cancels restrictions on cruises, Malta approves updated guidelines to continue receiving cruises, and shipping companies are taking a stand in favor of vaccination.
Virgin Voyages first announces that its third ship will be called Resilient Lady, and shortly afterwards that it will only accept vaccinated passengers and crew.
Meanwhile, Crystal Cruises, which had already announced it would only accept vaccinated passengers, reports that it will begin operating from the Bahamas in July. Another cruise line opting for embarkation ports outside the US.
Most shipping companies have plans to sail in the summer.
On March 19, Royal Caribbean Group dropped its second bombshell. The Adventure of the Seas will offer cruises exclusively for vaccinated passengers departing from Nassau, Bahamas, starting in June, with stops at its private island, CocoCay, and Cozumel, Mexico. Celebrity Cruises will do the same with the Celebrity Millennium from St. Maarten, with stops in Aruba, Curaçao, and Barbados on one itinerary, and in Tortola, St. Lucia, and Barbados on the other. Days later, it announced that the Vision of the Seas will also sail the Caribbean from late June to August, based in Bermuda with a single stop at CocoCay.
Royal Caribbean Group's third major announcement is set to take place in Europe: the Jewel of the Seas will sail from Limassol, Cyprus, on Greek Islands cruises starting July 10, and the new Celebrity Apex will sail from Athens starting June 19, with stops in the Greek Islands, Cyprus, and Israel. As with the Caribbean cruises, these cruises will only accept fully vaccinated adult passengers and passengers under 18 with a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure.
This global restart of Royal Caribbean Group's operations, with eight ships sailing from new embarkation ports outside the U.S., brought about a shift in attitude across the entire industry. CLIA began a campaign to pressure the CDC to allow cruises to operate in the U.S. starting July 1st, a campaign joined by North American travel agencies through various associations and even by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who held a press conference in support alongside several cruise line executives and went so far as to threaten legal action against the CDC.
Royal Caribbean Group circumvents the bans by scheduling cruises only for vaccinated people in Israel, the Caribbean and the Greek Islands.
That pressure seemed to work, and the CDC committed to updating its guidance within days. On April 2, the CDC stated that international travel was safe for vaccinated individuals without the need for quarantine, but with the added requirement of wearing a mask. This statement led everyone to believe that approval for cruises exclusively for vaccinated passengers was imminent, but just hours later, the CDC released its technical guidance for restarting cruises, which proved to be a complete disappointment. The technical guidance incorporates vaccination requirements and dozens of requirements regarding evacuation plans, land-based hospitalization agreements, and so on, but it doesn't even establish a date for the start of trial cruises. In other words, it's a small technical step five months after issuing the Conditional Sail Order, but it still fails to set any concrete dates, leaving the industry once again at a standstill in the US.
So we arrive at the beginning of April with several shipping companies wanting to start sailing in late May or early June in Europe, a real boom in cruises in the British Isles for vaccinated Britons, and the expectation that more North American shipping companies will schedule cruises outside the US in the face of the possibility of losing another summer.
In Europe, Italy is beginning to flatten the third wave, which has already passed in Spain, while Greece, France, and Germany are experiencing a new wave. The United Kingdom, with its mass vaccination campaign, has also flattened the third wave and is improving daily.
We also learned at the end of March that Mario Zanetti is the new president of Costa Cruises.
Activity in shipyards and ports
• January 13: The first steel cutting of the Carnival Celebration begins
• January 15: Launching of the Silver Dawn in Ancona
• January 16 – Costa Toscana touches the water for the first time in Turku
• February 1: MSC Cruises welcomes the MSC Virtuosa
• February 1: PortMiami and Carnival begin construction of Terminal F for the Carnival Celebration
• February 11: The keel of the SH Vega, Swan Hellenic's second ship, is laid at Helsinki Shipyards
• February 18: P&O announces that its new ship will be named Arvia
• March 12: The Port Authority of Las Palmas launches a tender for the construction and management of new cruise terminals in its ports
• March 16: Oceania Cruises announces that its new ship will be called Vista
• March 17: The MSC Group unveils the management team for its new luxury cruise brand, headed by Michael Ungerer as CEO.
• March 17: The Evrima leaves the Barreras shipyards in Vigo bound for Santander where Astander will carry out the painting work.
