Summer unfolded as expected, with the Greek Islands accounting for the majority of cruise routes and the Western Mediterranean gradually adding more ships. Cruises from the US also began to pick up.
All entries related to the pandemic timeline are accessible here.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 58 – September 2021
First part CruisesNews nº52 Second part CruisesNews nº53 Third part CruisesNews nº54 Fourth part CruisesNews nº55 Fifth part CruisesNews nº56 Sixth part CruisesNews nº57
Another summer during the pandemic, but considerably better than the last. The percentage of the fleet in operation reached 50% by mid-August, with fairly low occupancy rates, but the important thing was to demonstrate the shipping companies' ability to prevent, detect, and control any outbreak, however small, and to gradually release the enormous backlog of bookings pending from the previous year.
The Costa Smeralda and MSC Grandiosa were the stars of the Western Mediterranean, while the Celebrity Apex, Norwegian Jade, and Celestyal Olympia spent the summer sailing in the Greek Islands. From the end of June, a steady stream of new ships entered service. The scenic cruise season kicked off in the UK with the MSC Virtuosa, but also with P&O's Britannia, Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas, Saga's Spirit of Discovery, and others.
In the US, the first permits to sail were granted after trial cruises, so Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises began operating passenger cruises with several ships, the Celebrity Edge departing from Port Everglades on June 26th being the first. On July 3rd, Carnival began sailing with the Carnival Vista from Galveston, and unlike other cruise lines, maintained the self-service buffet on its ships, but ensured that all passengers washed and sanitized their hands before boarding.
From the end of June, the trickle of new ships in operation was constant.
The new Costa Firenze made its debut on July 4th with a cruise from Savona, and more ships were added to the fleet daily, eventually reaching a total of 141 vessels. Virgin Voyages finally made its first passenger voyage on July 30th from Portsmouth.
North American cruise lines strongly favored requiring passengers to present proof of full vaccination, but US lawmakers did not allow them to make it mandatory. Despite this, cruises departing from the US had vaccination rates exceeding 93%.
In Northern Europe, activity was very limited, with the MSC Seaview beginning its Baltic cruises from Kiel on July 5. The scarcity of regular flights to Northern Europe also hampered efforts to promote this destination.
On July 8th, crew vaccinations began in Civitavecchia. The Italian port had 14 ships moored or anchored during the shutdown, and this initiative allowed them to begin vaccinating their crews
At the end of July, the MSC Bellissima began sailing the Red Sea from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as part of its agreement with Cruise Saudi, and in mid-September an extension was announced for the winter of 2021/2022 due to its success.
On July 13, Norwegian Cruise Line Holding sued the State of Florida over its legislation preventing it from requiring vaccination certificates from passengers, when the cruise line had promised cruises with 100% vaccinated passengers.
That day also brought news that could change the cruise destination map forever. Italy decided to prohibit cruise ships over 25,000 tons from transiting the Giudecca and San Marco Canals starting August 1st, thus preventing them from docking in the port of Venice. From now on, large cruise ships will have to dock in Marghera, an industrial area west of Venice, but this won't be possible until 2022 at the earliest, as the government must invest €157 million to prepare the docks. Some cruise lines have already begun considering operating from Trieste, Monfalcone, or Ravenna. In the latter city, Royal Caribbean Group has announced that it will build a terminal that will be operational by spring 2024.
The US mess, again.
On July 18, the US Court of Appeals reversed the victory won by the State of Florida against the CDC, which had made the Conditional Sail Order rules no longer mandatory. The Court of Appeals sided with the CDC, and the Conditional Sail Order, which required test cruises among many other requirements, was once again mandatory. But just five days later, it reversed itself, once again leaving the Conditional Sail Order requirements as “recommendations.” However, the legal tangle continues, and the CDC orders are being followed.
The CDC, the State of Florida, and cruise lines are still fighting in court, but at least the ships have started sailing again.
Day by day, week by week, cruise ships completed their trial cruises and began operating. On July 26, the Majestic Princess set sail from Seattle, the first ship to sail for the cruise line since the start of the pandemic, and moreover, in Alaska, a destination that had considerable difficulty allowing cruises.
The US CDC's war against the cruise industry had a new episode on August 20 when the government agency issued a statement recommending that people at high risk of severe COVID-19 avoid cruise travel, and that unvaccinated people also avoid it.
Europe
, many ports began receiving their first cruise ship calls since the start of the pandemic. On July 25, the Norwegian Jade set sail from Athens on its first cruise with passengers after 500 days of inactivity, becoming the first ship in the company's fleet to return to service.
On July 28, the UK Secretary of State for Transport announced the resumption of international cruises, but many cruise lines would not alter their scheduled cruises around the British Isles during the summer. On the same day, Silversea christened the Silver Moon in Athens.
Italy banned large cruise ships from entering Venice.
July 30th was an exceptional day for the cruise industry, as four megaships entered service: the new Carnival Mardi Gras and the Odyssey of the Seas in the US, the Regal Princess in the UK, and the Genting Dream in Hong Kong. That same day, the Port of Valencia also celebrated the arrival of the MSC Grandiosa, the first of many calls scheduled until November
On August 2, Celestyal Cruises announced its intention to complete its summer cruises and then not sail again until March 2022, thus cancelling the cruises planned for autumn/winter.
Throughout August, many more ships were added to the service, reaching a total of 190 ships sailing, approximately 50% of the global cruise fleet. Also, some companies, such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean, which had relied heavily on vaccination, modified their protocols to require the use of masks on board and pre-boarding antigen tests, even for vaccinated passengers.
In mid-August, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced that it was extending, at least until December 31, the period during which it will continue to require proof of vaccination to board its cruises, thus preventing travel with unvaccinated children, currently those under 12 years old. Popular destinations like the Bahamas have tightened their protocols and only accept shore excursions for vaccinated passengers over 12 years of age, including on the cruise lines' private islands.
On August 23, Denmark, which since June had allowed vaccinated passengers to disembark without further requirements, hardened its stance, requiring passengers to undergo a PCR or antigen test in the days prior to their stopover.
Days later, Princess Cruises revealed that the Diamond Princess would return to service in spring 2022 in Japan and the Island Princess in April 2022 in the Caribbean. This announcement implied the cancellation of the 2021/22 season in South America and the planned 2022 world cruise.
Celestyal Cruises sold the Celestyal Experience without ever operating it, but at least made money from the transaction.
Meanwhile, the Access Accelerator Small Business Development Center and Royal Caribbean Group have joined forces to launch a program supporting small businesses in the tourism sector of New Providence, Grand Bahama, and the Berry Islands. The $500,000 fund offers grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, half of which is a soft loan and the other half a grant. Applicants are required to complete training to enhance their professional knowledge and skills.
In early September, Celestyal Cruises announced the sale of the Celestyal Experience (formerly the Costa neoRomantica), a year after its purchase without it ever having entered service. This sale, in addition to relieving them of a financial burden, resulted in a profit of $3.6 million for the company. Meanwhile, Crystal Cruises announced the sale of the Crystal Esprit, the company's smallest yacht.
Galataport Istanbul announced its intention to begin receiving cruise ships in September. This $1.7 billion urban regeneration project includes the construction of Istanbul's first underground cruise terminal, spanning 29,000 square meters and capable of handling three ships and 15,000 passengers daily. Holland America, Costa Cruises, and NCL, among others, have scheduled calls there. The area also offers leisure, dining, office space, and a new building for Istanbul's Museum of Contemporary Art, designed by Renzo Piano. Located in the Karakoy district, these new facilities are poised to play a key role in cruise route planning in the coming years.
The reactivation of the sector gained even more momentum in September, with some ports, such as Malaga, with 17 planned stops, picking up the pace, and Barcelona, with two, three or four cruise ships each day.
Asia continues to be a destination with many restrictions, and shipping companies are leaving the area.
Carnival Cruise Line announced it would accept at-home COVID-19 tests, but for them to be valid, a medical professional must supervise the entire process via video conference, identifying the person, observing the sample collection, and its processing. Furthermore, it also announced it would conduct pre-boarding COVID-19 tests at its cruise terminals to comply with CDC requirements, but in mid-September it reversed course and canceled that option, citing "logistical" reasons that made it "unfeasible" to test so many passengers in a single morning, even though it was being done without much difficulty in Europe.
TUI Cruises announced the cancellation of its planned November Asia season with the Mein Schiff 5, due to travel restrictions in the region, while Norwegian Cruise Line had the Norwegian Epic sailing from Barcelona and the Norwegian Getaway from Civitavecchia.
On September 15, Royal Caribbean announced that its new ship, the Wonder of the Seas, would make its inaugural 2022 season in Europe and the Caribbean, instead of in Asia as originally planned.
As September progressed, with very high vaccination figures and the fifth wave rapidly declining, some onboard services began to recover on both Costa Cruises and its subsidiary AIDA Cruises, such as the buffet, although obviously served by waiters.
Asia continues to be a destination with many restrictions and cruise lines continue to cancel their seasons there; thus, Costa Cruises announced that the Costa Venezia would return from China to begin cruises from Istanbul next May 2022.
By the end of September, coronavirus cases in Spain, France, and Italy were rapidly declining to very low levels, with Greece also beginning its downward trend. However, with the arrival of autumn and winter, demand for cruises also drops, and far fewer ships will be operating in the Mediterranean. It remains to be seen how both the pandemic and demand will affect cruises departing from the southern United States, as the South American season is likely to be canceled entirely (many cruise lines have already done so) due to uncertainty about whether Brazil will accept cruise ships.
SHIPYARD ACTIVITY
• June 28: Construction begins on the MSC Euribia, a Meraviglia-Plus class ship powered by LNG
• June 29: VARD delivers the Hanseatic Spirit to its owner, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, for luxury exploration cruises
• July 8: MSC Cruises announces that Fincantieri will build its new terminal in Miami, scheduled to be operational by December 2023
• July 11: MV Werften delivers the Crystal Endeavour
• July 26: MSC Cruises takes delivery of the MSC Seashore from Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard
• July 28: The keel of Arvia, P&O's second Excel class ship, is laid in the Meyer Werft dry dock
• July 30: Holland America Line takes delivery of the Rotterdam from Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard
• August 2: Ponant takes delivery of Le Commandant from VARD Charcot, a polar-class 2 vessel
• August 11: Seabourn Venture is launched at the T. Mariotti shipyards
• August 20: Wonder of the Seas conducts its first sea trials in Saint Nazaire, France
