Loads of cruise information to compensate for from the previous week, together with protection from Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America and Royal Caribbean. It has been every week filled with cancellations, cutbacks and program modifications, which Cruise Hive will replace you on.
Cruise Information Replace
It’s time to make sure you’re caught up on the newest cruise information throughout the main cruise strains. This previous week we’ve obtained protection on cruise cancellations for 3 Carnival cruise ships, Royal Caribbean making changes for loyalty passengers, Holland America becoming a member of in on the newest development of accelerating gratuities, Carnival increasing on its choices out of Virginia, and Norwegian Cruise Line making a tough determination to chop 9% of its shoreside workers.
Carnival Cruise Line Cancellations
It has been a busy week of Carnival Cruise Line cancellations for a complete of three ships, impacting cruises so far as 2024. We begin with the Carnival Vista cruise ship, with the cruise line canceling all sailings from January 7, 2024, departure by way of the February 10, 2024, cruise.
In complete, 5 sailings have been impacted, and company and journey companions have been contacted through electronic mail about their choices. Throughout the time-frame of the canceled cruises, Carnival Vista will as a substitute be present process a dry dock. The main points of the dry dock haven’t been revealed, however the course of is more likely to embrace quite a lot of upgrades and upkeep that isn’t sensible to do whereas company are onboard.
Carnival Cruise Line has additionally canceled a month of sailings for Carnival Dawn, in addition to a number of cruises canceled for Carnival Miracle.
Carnival Dawn has now been scheduled for an prolonged dry dock in early 2024, and impacted company and journey advisors are being contacted concerning the canceled sailings, which embrace all voyages from February 1 by way of and together with March 4, 2024.
Carnival Cruise Line model ambassador John Heald addressed the cancelations, together with Carnival Vista‘s canceled cruises, on his Fb web page.
“Dry dock planning is finished upfront however generally we do have to alter plans and so a few of you have got had your cruises canceled for 2024 on these two ships,” Heald mentioned.
Along with the cruise cancelations for Carnival Vista and Carnival Dawn, the Spirit-class Carnival Miracle has additionally canceled cruises, however for a unique purpose. Carnival Cruise Line has rescheduled Carnival Miracle for a 14-night “Carnival Journeys” crusing to Hawaii, departing on Sunday, January 21, 2024.
This implies the ship’s beforehand scheduled cruises should be canceled to accommodate the brand new crusing. The brand new Hawaii cruise will nonetheless depart from Carnival Miracle‘s homeport, Lengthy Seashore, California.
The canceled sailings are from January 21, 2024, by way of and together with January 30, 2024, after which the ship will resume its beforehand deliberate Baja Mexico and Mexican Riviera itineraries, with one other Carnival Journeys cruise to Hawaii departing on February 17, 2024.
Friends impacted by the cancelations for any of the three vessels have a number of choices for compensation. Although the now-canceled sailings are greater than a yr away, many vacationers plan cruises effectively upfront and can now want to regulate their plans.
Holland America Line Will increase Service Fees
Holland America Line, a part of Carnival Company & plc, has introduced a slight enhance in gratuity charges to take impact on all sailings from February 1, 2023. The rise will probably be $.50 (USD) per visitor per day in all stateroom classes.
The brand new price will then be $17.50 per particular person per day for company in suites, and $16.00 per particular person per day in non-suite stateroom classes akin to balcony, oceanview, and inside staterooms.
Holland America Line describes these charges as “a every day quantity for every visitor that will probably be mechanically added to your onboard account on your comfort, to acknowledge the efforts of all kinds of crewmembers who contribute to the experiences of all our company.”
Holland America Line has not clarified whether or not or not company booked on sailings after February 1, 2023 can nonetheless pre-pay gratuities earlier than that date to benefit from the decrease price, which stays at $17 per particular person per day for suites and $15.50 per particular person per day for non-suites by way of January 31.
The announcement from Holland America Line follows a comparable enhance from Princess Cruises, which is elevating gratuity charges by $1.50 per particular person, per day for all cabin and suite classes, efficient on Wednesday, December 14, 2022.
Royal Caribbean Loyalty Profit Modifications
The Miami-based cruise line has knowledgeable company about some loyalty profit modifications over the previous week, together with vouchers and a particular onboard venue.
We begin with letting you understand that Royal Caribbean is eradicating Concierge Lounge entry from Diamond Plus advantages. This modification will probably be carried out for all voyages departing on or after December 16, 2022, for all ships within the Royal Caribbean fleet.
Beforehand, particular lounge entry has been variable relying on the general visitor rely onboard particular person ships and on particular person sailings, relying on what number of company have met particular loyalty profit ranges.
Now lounge entry will probably be totally standardized, and solely Pinnacle degree company (700+ cruise factors) in addition to suite company will probably be licensed to benefit from the area.
This modification solely applies to ships that shouldn’t have a Suite Lounge, which incorporates all Radiance-class ships, all Imaginative and prescient-class ships, the Voyager-class Explorer of the Seas, and the three oldest Quantum-class vessels, Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, and Ovation of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean company who’ve reached the Diamond, Diamond Plus, or Pinnacle degree of the cruise line’s Crown and Anchor loyalty program have lengthy loved every day drink vouchers as a particular perk for his or her loyalty.
An issue, nevertheless, is that the time to reset the voucher use window has at all times been midnight. Which means vouchers redeemed after midnight would rely towards the next day’s complete, although many company take into account a late night time of karaoke, comedy, or hanging out previous midnight to be technically a part of yesterday.
Now, Royal Caribbean has shifted that point to five:00 a.m., which allows company to make use of every day’s drink vouchers anytime from 5 a.m. within the very early morning to 4:59 a.m. the next very late night time.
“We wish to ensure you’re getting probably the most out of this profit!” Royal Caribbean defined in a letter to loyal company. “Your every day complimentary vouchers will now reset at 5:00 AM each morning permitting you to get extra out of this profit throughout prime hours of every day, together with your after-midnight drinks.”
This modification takes impact for all sailings departing on or after Friday, December 16, 2022. It ought to be famous, nevertheless, that the general variety of drink vouchers every visitor receives is just not altering.
Carnival Sunshine Norfolk Cruises
Carnival Cruise Line introduced on Thursday, December 15, 2022, that they are going to be increasing operations from Norfolk with Carnival Sunshine to be homeported from the Previous Dominion state starting in mid-February, 2025. Whereas solely two months of sailings in 2025 are at the moment deliberate, the cruise line continues to work on scheduling for the longer term.
“As we work intently with metropolis and port officers on our plans to extend from seasonal to year-round operations, we’re delighted to open these sailings on the market, so company from everywhere in the southeastern U.S. can begin doing a little planning of their very own for 2025,” mentioned Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
Carnival Sunshine will provide quite a lot of 6-8 night time sailings with two totally different itineraries of every size. Relying on departure date, the 6-night cruises will go to both Bimini or Half Moon Cay, and each itinerary choices will cease in Nassau.
The 8-night sailings will each go to Amber Cove and Grand Turk, and relying on the departure date, may also go to both Princess Cays or Half Moon Cay. At present, Carnival Sunshine is homeported from Charleston, South Carolina, by way of the tip of 2024.
Norwegian Shoreside Workers Cuts
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings introduced up to now week that it will be chopping again on its shoreside workers. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings mentioned the choice to cut back shoreside workers by 9% is among the firm’s “prudent actions throughout our enterprise to align with our strategic priorities.”
An announcement from the corporate mentioned, “After cautious consideration, we’ve made the tough determination to restructure and rightsize our shoreside workforce, decreasing our present and deliberate shoreside roles by roughly 9%. This motion is a part of a broader and ongoing effort to enhance working efficiencies, together with price minimization initiatives, to strengthen the muse for sustained, worthwhile progress.”
Particulars concerning how the workforce discount would have an effect on the operations of the corporate’s three manufacturers weren’t offered. Norwegian Cruise Line is a mainstream line catering largely to households. Oceania Cruises is an upmarket line, and Regent is among the prime luxurious strains working as we speak.
The deliberate cuts in shoreside staffing come on the heels of charge and gratuity will increase the corporate has introduced in current weeks. Friends onboard Norwegian Cruise Line ships are actually being charged a brand new $4.95 service charge for continental breakfast room service.
Extra Cruise Headlines
It was simply one other week throughout the cruise trade, and we’ve obtained all of the protection over on Cruise Hive, together with Princess Cruises implementing worth hikes for beverage and eating, a rescue by the Symphony of the Seas cruise ship, the opportunity of a fourth cruise terminal in Galveston, the brand new Arvia LNG vessel delivered to P&O Cruises, Movie star Cruises enters the metaverse world, new particulars revealed for the Carnival Venezia, spectacular pool numbers for the enormous Icon of the Seas and plenty extra.
