International Cruise News For The Time Period of September 24 to October 2,2020.

Below are the mini-cruise news stories on ships sailing from Ports beyond New York. Stories below include new ship construction progress, ship sales, Itinerary changes, coronavirus updates, port of call news and more.

Keel Laying Ceremony For Swan Hellenic Cruises Minerva

The keel laying and symbolic coin ceremony was held for the first of Swan Hellenic’s two new expedition cruise ships. The first block of the ship to be named the SH Minerva was positioned in place after being assembled in Klaipeda. The event took place at Helsinki Shipyard on September 24, 2020.

Project Manager Jonas Packalén explained: “New build 516 and her sister 517 are designed for extreme weather conditions, from polar areas with quite heavy ice conditions to tropical regions. And they are naturally designed to respect the sensitive ecosystems of the regions where they’re going to sail.”

Celestyal Cruises's Celestyal Experience Itineraries.

Celestyal Cruises announced that the Celestyal Experience will start sailing in March, with the seven-night “Three Continents” itinerary calling on Greece (Athens and Rhodes), Turkey (Kusadasi), Israel (Ashdod), Egypt (Port Said) and Cyprus (Limassol).

Beginning on April 3, 2021 the Celestyal Experience, the former Costa neoRomantica, will set sail on the seven-night “Idyllic Aegean” itinerary visiting Athens, Rhodes, Crete (Agios Nikolaos), Santorini, Milos, Mykonos and Kusadasi (Ephesus).

Coral Expedition's Coral Geographer Floated Out.

September 25, 2020, Coral Expeditions has marked the official float out of its Coral Geographer from a VARD shipyard facility in Vietnam. The 120-guest ship, the second in a series, touched water for the first time earlier in the week. The Coral Geographer was originally scheduled to join the expanding Coral fleet later this year but due to COVID was pushed into 2021.

Fred Olsen Announces The Sale of the Boudicca and Black Watch

Fred Olsen Cruises has announced that that Boudicca and Black Watch have been sold as accommodation ships to Turkish interests. The ships were declared redundant when Fred Olsen Cruises purchased the Rotterdam and Amsterdam from Holland America. The new ships have replaced these sleek liners which roots track back to the early 1970s and Royal Viking Line. The sale is effective immediately.

One Ocean Expeditions (OOE) May Sail Again

One Ocean Expeditions’ (OOE) which declared bankruptcy earlier in the year, may be sailing again. According to the company handling the liquidation of the company's assets the former One Ocean Expeditions owner has offered a fair deal - potentially better than if the assets were sold to the open market. Some reports go on to state that One Ocean Expeditions book keeping was less than ideal and that reconstructing the company's finances and financial health have been difficult.

New Carnival Mardi Gras Leaves for Sea Trials

The Mardi Gras, soon to be the latest addition to the Carnival fleet, has set sail from the Finnish yard - Meyer Werft Turku, Finland on her first sea trials on September 28.

The Mardi Gras is the first ship to be based in North American that uses liquefied natural gas (LNG). The Mardi Gras is expected to enter into service in 2021 sailing from Port Canaveral. A second ship in the series, the Carnival Celebration, is also under construction by Meyer Turku and expected to sail for Carnival in 2022.

P&O Australia's Pacific Dawn

On September 28,2020, P&O Australia has announced that the Pacific Dawn has been sold. The ship which was expected to depart the fleet as part of a failed sale to Cruise and Maritime Voyages in February but will now leave the P&O Australia fleet immediately. It is unclear if the Pacific Dawn has been sold for future trading or heading to breakers. Stay tuned for more updates.

Queen Elizabeth's 2021 Cruises Open For Booking

Cunard Line has announced a resumption of Queen Elizabeth cruises starting from March 26, 2021. The first sailings will be shorter, three- and four-nights, and depart from Southampton, featuring the British Isles. The ship will sail three- to 14-day cruises around Europe for the season before heading to Asia and Australia. Cunard's president said: “We are thrilled to announce such a broad new program for Queen Elizabeth, with sailings from Southampton and, later in 2021, from Barcelona. The program starts in Southampton on the March 26 2021 and ends on the Dec. 19 2021 in Melbourne, Australia.

CDC and Cruise Lines Extend No Sail Order

The “No Sail” order for cruise ships leaving from the United States has been extended for the entire month of October. Cruise lines, meanwhile, have imposed their own suspension of operations in the United States through Oct. 31.

Saga Cruises Takes Delivery Of the Spirit of Adventure

The Spirit of Adventure, the second new cruise ship for Saga Cruises, was handed over on September 29, 2020 in Emden by Meyer Werft to Saga Cruises. The 1,000-guest ship is expected to enter revenue service in 2021. The inaugural cruise for the Spirit of Adventure is now scheduled for 5th February 2021. Saga's other ship in the series - the Spirit of Discovery's 2020 cruise program is paused and expected to resume service on March 7,2021. These mid-sized, sleek, modern, cruise-ships are sure to be popular with it's 50 years and older passengers.

Princess Cruises Takes Delivery Of the Enchanted Princess

On September 30, 2020, the 3,600-passenger Enchanted Princess has been delivered from Fincantieri in Monfalcone, Italy. The new Princess ship is also the 100th ship built by the Italian shipbuilding company and is the first ship to be delivered by Fincantieri since the start of the pandemic.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Has Announced a New World Cruise On The Borealis

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has announced a new world cruise on the Borealis starting in January 2022. Guests can board either in Liverpool on January 4 (for a 104-night sailing) or Southampton on January 6 (for a 100-night sailing). The faster speeds of Borealis, which allows us to offer 37 ports of call with fewer sea days in between. Three days in Hawaii will allow ample time to experience the volcanic vistas and to learn more about the historic site of Pearl Harbor. Sail the scenic fjords of New Zealand; witness the wonder of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia; explore the Lost City of Petra in Jordan and admire the spectacular skylines of the bustling cities of Singapore and Dubai.

The World Cruise itinerary will also be split into shorter fly-cruise sailings, ranging from 17 to 84 nights.

Holland America's New Rotterdam is Floated Out In Italy

Fincantieri has launched the new Rotterdam for Holland America Line at its Marghera (Venice) shipyard. As part of the float out the traditional “coin ceremony" took place which included the ceremonial welding of a silver dollar on the bottom deck of the ship symbolizing good luck.

The new Rotterdam is the latest Pinnacle class ship of Holland America and will join her near-identical sisters, the Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam.

The Rotterdam will now move to the fitting out pier where additional work will be performed in anticipation on a scheduled delivery for next summer,

Marella Dream to Leave Marella Fleet

Marella Cruises today announced it is retiring the 1986-built Marella Dream from its fleet after a decade of service. Additional Details - 2 Related Stories. Marella Dream to Leave Marella Fleet Article 1 LINK, Marella Dream to Leave Marella Fleet Article 2 LINK

Carnival Corp Schedules Business Update Meeting

Carnival Corporation has scheduled a conference call with analysts for Thursday, October 8, 2020 at 10 a.m. (EDT); 3 p.m. (BST) to provide a business update.

Company executives should be fresh off a key meeting at the White House about a return to service in the United States, and are also expected to provide further commentary on refunds, cashflow, booking, the demand environment and an outlook for 2021.

A simulcast of the call will be available via the company's websites at www.carnivalcorp.com and www.carnivalplc.com.

PLEASE NOTE that today's session with the White House on 10/3/20 was Canceled due to the president contracting coronavirus so it is unclear whether the meeting will be held as previously announced.

Lindblad Expeditions Offers First Series of Sailings From Japan.

Lindblad Expeditions has announced that it will add Japan to its deployment with two new itineraries in 2021 aboard the 102-guest National Geographic Orion,

Sailing on Sept 15, the Orion will offer a 14 night coastal Japan sailing.

A second sailing features the East China Sea, with stops in Japan and Taiwan, including snorkeling opportunities at the coral reefs of Kerama Island and the mangrove forests of the Yaeyama Islands. Lindblad said guests can hike among ancient cedar trees in Yakushima’s rainforest and see the hoodoo spires in Taiwan’s Yehliu Geopark. This sailing is 13 nights and departs September 28, 2021.

Costa Has Announced 3rd Ship To Re-enter Service.

The Costa Smeralda will be the third Costa ship back in cruise operation when she relaunches service on Oct. 10. The re-introduction of the Costa Smeralda follows the introductions of the Costa Deliziosa and the Costa Diadema in September / October. Costa announced it has designed a new one-week itinerary dedicated to the rediscovery of the Best of Italy. Ports of calls include Savona (homeport), La Spezia, Cagliari, Naples, Messina and Tarquinia.

Princess Confirms West Coast Sailings In 2021

Princess Cruise has announced a new summer season of cruises departing from Los Angeles in 2021, sailing to Mexico, the California Coast and also Alaska aboard the Crown Princess, now part of the MedallionClass of vessels.

The summer 2021 season includes 23 departures, ranging in length from four to 14 days, and Princess is the only west coast cruise line offering port stops in San Diego and Monterey, Calif., plus an opportunity to overnight in Cabo San Lucas. Itineraries include: Mexican Riviera; California Coastal Cruises and Alaska. After completing her West Coast Summer/Fall Season, the Crown Princess will will sail a full transit of the Panama Canal from Los Angeles Californina to Fort Lauderdale Florida. This cruise departs Los Angeles on October 2, 2021 and is 15 nights.

   

 

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