After a summer with the pandemic at its lowest point and considerable cruise activity, we've reached the last quarter of the year again with highs and lows, but above all, with Omicron.
All entries related to the pandemic timeline are accessible here.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 59 – December 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 Seventh part CruisesNews nº58
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to surprise. If we ended our previous report with infection rates at very low levels and vaccination progressing, in what seemed (again) to be the possible end of the pandemic, we now find ourselves facing the most powerful wave of infections to date, confronting it with the fewest possible restrictions.
Navantia Cádiz reached October having completed refurbishments and maintenance on eight cruise ships, four of them belonging to Carnival Cruise Line. This was a record achievement given the positive outlook for the winter season in the Caribbean. Istanbul's new cruise terminal, Galataport, finally opened in early October with the arrival of the SeaDream II.
In December, with cases spiraling out of control across much of Europe, travel requirements began to rise again.
October was a calm month, with very low infection rates in Spain, France, and Italy, and slightly higher, but acceptable, rates in Germany, while the US was rapidly seeing the end of its major summer surge. However, on October 19, Germany began reporting very worrying figures, which would lead to a doubling of its worst numbers to date in November—precisely those from Christmas 2020. Italy soon followed suit, as did France, and although Spain seemed to be holding on, by December it could no longer avoid the sixth wave.
Demand for autumn/winter cruises was already weak in Europe, despite week-long cruises being offered at unusually low prices, but the surge in infections brought it to a standstill. Many of the ships in the Mediterranean departed for the warm Caribbean and South America as planned, but some of those that remained in Europe returned to port, such as the Costa Smeralda.
MSC Cruises launched six more ships between November and December.
This was not the case for MSC Cruises, which launched six additional ships between November and December, including the MSC Seaside and MSC Splendida offering domestic cruises in Brazil, and the new MSC Seashore, operating from Miami. Furthermore, in its search for cruises closer to its home market, it began offering winter cruises in Northern Europe, with stops and embarkation in Hamburg, Ijmuiden (Amsterdam), Zeebrugge (Bruges), Le Havre, and Southampton. However, on November 24, it announced that all passengers departing from December 4 onward would be required to be fully vaccinated and undergo a COVID-19 test at the terminal before boarding, thus joining North American cruise lines that already mandated this requirement.
Holland America's Rotterdam, delivered in July, finally set sail in October for the Caribbean to begin passenger service, while Carnival Cruise Line's new Mardi Gras, which had been operating since the end of July, was finally christened with a grand celebration in Port Canaveral. The Celebrity Apex was also christened in Fort Lauderdale after months of operation in the Greek Islands.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended its controversial Conditional Sail Order until January 15, unless the CDC director or the Secretary of Health rescinded it beforehand. The surprise came when, after that date, it became a voluntary program, giving cruise lines much more freedom to define their protocols. However, since the CDC made that announcement, the infection rate has continued to rise, so it remains to be seen whether this voluntary approach will be maintained after mid-January.
With the arrival of the Omicron variant, Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises cancelled their season in South Africa.
Royal Caribbean Group, while receiving the Wonder of the Seas, delayed the delivery of most of its ships under construction, both from Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises, TUI Cruises and Silversea, leaving only the Celebrity Beyond for 2022.
If on November 8th NCLH surprised everyone with changes in the top management of Oceania Cruises, the next day it was Richard Fain himself, CEO and president of Royal Caribbean Group, who announced his retirement as CEO and remaining only as president.
Citing complications with LNG supply, Costa Cruises modified its winter schedule in Brazil, changing the Costa Smeralda for the Costa Diadema.
The International Cruise Summit was held in Madrid on November 17 and 18, in person and under a fairly normal atmosphere, where shipping company executives predicted a transitional first half of 2022 and a very strong second half.
Omicron had not yet been detected. It was on November 24th that South Africa notified the WHO of the discovery of this new variant of COVID-19, which caused immediate media and government alarm, and a ban on flights to the area. Furthermore, cruise line stocks plummeted by up to 10%.
Norwegian Cruise Line had planned an exciting winter season between South Africa and Dubai, but was forced to cancel it due to the emergence of the Omicron variant. MSC Cruises also had a winter season planned in South Africa with the MSC Orchestra, and actually completed a 4-day cruise on December 6th, but immediately afterward suspended operations until January 9th.
Despite all these negative trends, bookings for the second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023 at Carnival Corporation are among the highest in its history, with higher prices compared to 2019. Furthermore, cruise lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean have reported record-breaking onboard spending levels, thanks to improvements in pre-booking extras and the fact that cruisers have more money saved.
On November 29, news arrived that Searchlight Capital had bought a stake in Celestyal Cruises and would inject funds, clearing up doubts about the viability of the Greek company after getting rid of the Celestyal Experience without even launching it.
October was a calm month, with very low levels of contagion in Spain, France and Italy, and somewhat higher, but acceptable, in Germany, while the US was rapidly bringing down the big summer wave.
In December, with cases spiraling out of control across much of Europe, travel requirements began to tighten. France, for example, required all cruise ship passengers over 65 to have a booster dose if their second dose had been administered seven months or more prior. The UK and Italy mandated negative COVID tests for all travelers entering the country, even those who were vaccinated.
The new, more contagious variant required cruise lines to take extra precautions, and Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line announced that masks were once again mandatory indoors at all times and outdoors when social distancing could not be maintained.
So, we've arrived at Christmas 2021 with very high infection rates and few containment measures, with Germany beginning to flatten the curve as the only positive sign. January is usually a month with many cruise bookings; we'll have to see what the infection figures are like and how consumers behave.
Shipyard activity
• October 6: First steel cutting for Explora Journeys' second ship at the Castellammare di Stabia shipyard in Naples, owned by Fincantieri, although the ship will actually be assembled in Sestri Ponente, Genoa.
• October 13: Windstar takes delivery of the Star Pride, lengthened at Fincantieri's shipyard in Palermo, although the ship will remain inactive until April 2022.
• October 16: Sunstone receives the Ocean Victory, the third of its Infinity class, from the Chinese shipyards CMHI.
• November 3: Havila receives its first ship, Capella, from the Turkish shipyards Tersan.
• November 5: Royal Caribbean takes delivery of the Wonder of the Seas from Chantiers de l'Atlantique. The ship headed to Marseille where it will remain until its entry into service in March, receiving final touches.
• November 12: Silversea takes delivery of the Silver Dawn from the Fincantieri shipyards in Ancona.
• November 17: First steel cut of the Celebrity Ascent at Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
• November 18: Launching of the MSC Seascape at Fincantieri Monfalcone, one year before its scheduled delivery date.
• November 23: Swan Hellenic's Minerva is christened at the Helsinki Shipyard, and departs 10 days later to begin its inaugural season in Antarctica.
• December 2: The Costa Toscana was delivered by Meyer Turku, but will not begin operating until March 2022.
• December 2: Construction begins on the Silver Nova at Meyer Werft, a hybrid LNG/Electric ship that will be launched in the summer of 2023.
• December 2: The 205,000-tonne MSC World Europa is launched while the coin-tossing ceremony for the MSC Euribia takes place at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, the company's first two LNG-powered ships.
• December 20: The first Carnival Corporation ship built in China is launched at the CSSC shipyards, under the supervision of Fincantieri and based on the Carnival Vista class.
• December 21: The AIDACosma, the company's second LNG ship, was delivered and will be operating Mediterranean cruises with embarkation in Barcelona and Palma throughout spring and summer 2022.
