Bar Harbor Wont Try To Stop Cruise Ships From Coming This Year
Crystal Cruises has canceled seven cruise ship visits planned for Bar Harbor this summer because of the companys reported bankruptcy, but the cancellations arent expected to soothe the angst of Bar Harbor residents who feel like their town is besieged on cruise ship days.
There still are more than 150 visits scheduled for 2022, and the town council has decided it lacks the legal authority to force cruise companies to cancel reservations.
This week the council voted 6-1 to take no action to try to reduce cruise ships visits this year, with many councilors citing the likelihood of an unsuccessful court battle with cruise ship companies if they tried to impose any such limits only two months before the first ship, the Norwegian Pearl, is scheduled to arrive in Frenchman Bay.
The council met in executive session last month with Camden lawyer William Sandy Welte, who specializes in maritime law, to discuss what sort of legal authority the town has to restrict local cruise ship traffic.
Instead, the council voted unanimously to have Town Manager Kevin Sutherland, councilors Jill Goldthwait and Val Peacock, and other town staff to negotiate with industry representatives for reductions in 2023.
I know the community is upset about 2022, but I think we lost that chance a year ago, Sutherland said, citing the timing needed to negotiate over ship schedules that sometimes are set 18 months in advance.
Where Are All The Cruise Ships
While we see the images of parked airliners lined up on taxiways and wing-to-wing at various airports around the world, where are all the cruise ships?
Living across from the Port of Miami, months after the pause on cruising, ships continue to sail in and out on a daily basis. That sort of makes sense. One might guess they need to refuel and get more provisions. But clearly, unlike airliners, the over 300 cruise ships that are out there, arent just static, shutdown, mothballed, and tied up somewhere.
Despite the pause on cruising, ships are on the move. Where are they going? Who’s on board? Why not … just park them like airliners?
Cruisemapper.com website
Looking at Cruisemapper.com heightened my intrigue. While its apparent some of these vacation wonderlands anchor offshore for periods of time , they also seem to be on the move, in some cases on long voyages .
Cruise ships anchored near Great Habour Cay in the Bahamas.
Cruisemapper.com
To find out whats going on, I reached out to the three biggest operators of cruise ships.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings operates the Oceania and Regent Seven Seas brands in addition to its namesake. They responded first and politely declined to offer answers to my questions about what was going on just beyond the horizon.
Royal Caribbean Group, which counts Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Silversea, Azamara, TUI, and Hapag-Lloyd in its portfolio was next up, and gave me a glimpse into whats going on.
Like A Pack Of Wolves
I was heartbroken to see the ships sold off and scrapped like that, said Maggie Hetherington, 74, a retired nurse from Norwich in southeast England who has taken several cruises on the Fantasy and its sister ship Inspiration. They look like theyve been attacked by a pack of wolves.
Ms. Hetherington said she understood the economic considerations of the cruise companies but believes there will still be a demand for older ships once the pandemic is over.
Not everyone is into the big new high-tech ships, as impressive as they may be, she said. The Fantasys décor may be a little dated, but there is something appealing about walking into a smaller ship, hanging your hat and knowing your way around, she added. Theres also the element of nostalgia.
Derek Watson, 69, an avid cruiser from Liverpool in northern England took his first Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy. He said that such iconic ships should be phased out gradually and fans of the vessels should be allowed to take tours or book final excursions before they are scrapped.
Its just sad that these ships are being dismantled before having one last hurrah, Mr. Watson said. Its hard to stay optimistic and get excited about future cruises when so many are being retired at the same time.
But the cases aboard the Costa Diadema cropped up despite testing after passengers took shore excursions on the Greek Islands. The guests were asymptomatic and tested positive upon re-entry into Italy.
Don’t Miss: Best Cruise Out Of Port Canaveral
What It Means For A Ship To Be Monitored Or Under ‘investigation’ By Cdc
Just one case of coronavirus or COVID-19-like symptoms could prompt the CDC to monitor or investigate a ship, which is why it’s important to understand how the CDC determines ship status and where to find the latest ship-specific information.
The CDC’s “Cruise Ship Color Status” chart is kept available to the public on its website and is updated regularly. Ships are broken into five color-coded classifications: Green, Orange, Yellow, Red and Gray.
“Ship color status is determined using surveillance data from the previous 7 days regardless of voyage dates and CDC investigation findings,” the CDC says on its website.
COVID on a cruise:How a breakthrough case sent one couple from an ocean view balcony to the ‘dungeon’
Green status means there have been no reported cases of coronavirus or COVID-19-like illnesses on board. As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 19 ships with green status, and some of those ships are on crew-only voyages.
Orange status means the ship has reported cases among passengers and is being monitored but levels don’t meet the threshold for CDC investigation. There were only four ships with orange status as of Tuesday afternoon.
On restricted voyages, or cruises carrying paying passengers, just one case among crew merits a yellow status, prompting a CDC investigation.
Yellow means reported cases meet the CDC’s threshold for investigation. The vast majority of ships are currently categorized as yellow.
Types Of Cruise Ships
Types of cruise ships and recreational vessels designed to satisfy the most varied preferences and expectations.
A cruise ship is a passenger ship used for recreational and leisure voyages, in which the journey itself and the onboard amenities, attractions, activities and entertainment options are integrant part of the cruise experience.
The rapid growth and specialization process experienced by the cruise industry in the last decades has also affected the design and general aesthetics, materials, size and overall onboard functionalities, equipment and amenities of modern cruise ships and recreational vessels to satisfy a clientele more and more numerous and sensitive to quality, who demands the most diversified services with assurance of satisfaction and excellence, while providing solutions to the growing concerns about the cruise industrys environmental impact on marine and coastal communities and ecosystems.
Nowaydays, every continent and region on Earth can be visited onboard a cruise or recreational ship, including the most exotic, faraway places and secluded destinations.
In the same way, and along the last years, a good number of vessels managed by companies and organizations unrelated to the cruise industry have been redesigned or adapted to offer cruise services to passengers looking for unconventional experiences.
You May Like: Hotels Near 9810 August Drive
List Of Top 10 Biggest Cruise Ships
Take a look at the current largest cruise ships in the industry, as expected it will keep changing as newer more advanced ships are built. Here is a quick list of the top 10 largest cruise ships in the world:
When Will Royal Caribbean Ships Sail Again
Currently, only Quantum of the Seas is the only ship sailing, but more ships are preparing to restart operations.
Five ships will restart sailings this summer from outside the United States in June and July 2021.
- Adventure of the Seas from Nassau, Bahamas in June 2021
- Vision of the Seas from Bermuda in June 2021
- Odyssey of the Seas from Haifa, Israel in June 2021
- Anthem of the Seas from Southampton, England in July 2021
- Jewel of the Seas from sail Limassol, Cyprus in July 2021
The rest of the fleet is shutdown through the end of June 2021, although more cancellations are likely.
Royal Caribbean is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to receive permission to start cruises again.
During Royal Caribbean Group’s fourth quarter 2020 earnings call with investors, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley reported Royal Caribbean has been in “regular communication” with the CDC and expects to get technical instructions on what each ship needs to do in order to prepare itself for test cruises.
Test cruises will be the opportunity for cruise lines to demonstrate they can operate in a safe manner through a variety of new protocols.
The reality is no one really know when exactly cruises will start, and that means Royal Caribbean’s ships will remain idle around the world until the company is ready to start operations up.
The best expectation is for a handful of ships beginning at first, with a phased approach to bringing the entire fleet back.
Also Check: Celebrity Cruise Classes
New Cruise Ships To Look Forward To In 2022
Theres lots for cruise goers to look forward to in 2022 including 17 brand new ocean-going cruise ships that run the gamut from big to small, and include a number of highly-anticipated first-in-class ships.
Practically every category of the cruise industry will see the entry of at least one new ship, giving cruise-selling advisors a wide range of new choices to offer their clientele.
Here are the 17 new ocean-going cruise ships cruise-selling advisors can look forward to in 2022.
Viking Octantis , Viking Polaris New ships from Viking Cruises arent as exciting as they once were, but Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris arent like any of Vikings previous vessels. The lines first polar class ships, the 378-passenger sister ships represent Vikings entry into expedition cruising. Both will feature the Scandinavian aesthetic past Viking Ocean cruisers are familiar with, but will also introduce new spaces designed with expedition cruising in mind.
Highlights
Emerald Azzurra The 100-passenger Emerald Azzurra will be river cruise operator Emerald Cruises first ocean-going vessel. The ship, which the company refers to as a superyacht, will sail the warm waters of the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Black and Red Seas.
Highlights
- Used for water fun like paddle boarding and snorkeling, as well as for boarding the ships fleet of three tenders and two Zodiacs.
- Spacious Cabins: The smallest cabin onboard is more than 285-square-feet in size and 88% of the cabins have a balcony.
Celestyal Experience / Costa Neoromantica
What Made It Special: Debuting in 1993, Celestyal Experience started life as Costa Romantica, and was later renamed Costa neoRomantica to coincide with a sweeping refit of the vessel in November 2021 that added new cabins, additional balconies, and refitted public rooms.
In July 2020, Costa Cruises to Celestyal Cruises, which promptly refitted the vessel, , and renamed it Celestyal Experience.
Although destined to be Celestyal’s new flagship, the line disposed of the vessel in September 2021, citing “current market conditions resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic”.
In October 2021, it was reported the ship was sold for $3.6 million in cash to a buyer out of Dubai.
On November 30, 2021 the former Costa NeoRomantica was confirmed to be destined for a Pakistani shipbreaker. It arrived for scrapping in December 2021, and was beached soon after.
It marks the end to one of the most initially optimistic, and then saddest, developments for any vessel over the course of the pandemic.
Don’t Miss: The Grand Celebration Cruise Ship Reviews
Watch: Where Did All Empty Cruise Ships Go Amidst Covid
By Ankur Kundu | In: Videos | Last Updated on December 10, 2021
With COVID-19 impacting all sectors of the economy, the cruise industry has been particularly brought to its knees. The industry is now afloat on life support, literally.
Cruise ships became the first carriers/hot-spots of the deadly virus, with luxury yachts and mega cruises turning into large quarantine centres. Governments all around the world have imposed a strict No Cruise ban, something that is likely to carry on throughout the rest of the year.
The sheer scale of this global shut down is unlike something the industry has ever witnessed, easily dwarfing global events like 9/11 or stock market crashes.
A multitude of cruise ships such as Ruby Princess, Diamond Princess and Artania saw large scale outbreaks onboard. But even though these are a few names, the vast majority of the cruise fleets around the world remained free from the outbreak.
Majority of the passengers disembarked on ports all around the world, and the ships were gradually emptied.
Now the question that arises in everyones mind is Where did hundreds of these humongous cruise ships go? The answer might make you rethink about the situation of the industry.
Naturally, the first place cruise ships are supposed to go after emptying is ports.
Dream Cruises To Continue Operating In Singapore Even As Parent Company Files To Be Wound Up
For sale: The 342m and almost finished cruise ship is pictured in the shipyard of MV Merften in Wismar, Germany. The vessels sale, which began with three potential buyers, has attracted a significant number of interested parties. AFP
A number of potential buyers are lining up for Genting Hong Kong Ltds Global Dream the unfinished mega liner set to be the worlds biggest cruise ship by capacity and a deal needs to be inked by summer when the companys shuttered German shipbuilder will run out of cash, says the liquidator overseeing the sale.
Still, the ship wont be sold in a rush despite it sitting unfinished in a German shipyard thats filed for insolvency, according to Christoph Morgen, the German court-appointed provisional insolvency administrator for MV Werften, the troubled shipbuilding unit owned by Genting.
The vessels sale, which began with three potential buyers, has now attracted a significant number of interested parties, including investors who are keen on it as part of a larger purchase that includes operator Dream Cruises, Morgen told Bloomberg News.
We will have a speedy process, but theres no need for a fire sale, Morgen said in an interview Thursday from Berlin.
Our target is to get the highest price.
The Global Dream was reported to cost US$1.8bil to build and lenders had financed about 1.4bil for the ships construction.
Genting reported a record loss of US$1.7bil in May as the pandemic ravaged the cruising industry.
Read Also: When Is The Best Time To Cruise To Bermuda
Carnival To Make Masks Optional On Cruise Ships
Carnival Cruise Line plans to make masks optional for its guests after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its warnings for cruise ships, the company said.
Masks will be recommended but not required beginning March 1, the company said in a statement Friday.
There may, however, be certain venues and events where masks will be required, Carnival said in the statement.
Carnival also said it plans to be offer more flexibility in pre-cruise testing requirements.
The cruise line said children under 5 will be allowed to sail without any need for vaccine or exemption.
Passengers And Cruise Crew Who Dont Show Symptoms Will Be Allowed To Walk Off The Dock
Mexico ports will receive cruises with coronavirus outbreaks onboard, the countrys health department announced Tuesday, ensuring no more of the massive ships will be turned away in search of another landing.
Passengers and crew who show symptoms or test positive will quarantine or be admitted to hospitals, the statement says. People who show no symptoms are allowed to leave the ships and interact with locals on land with encouragement to wear a mask and frequently clean their hands.
According to the statement from the Secretariat of Health, a ship that was rebuffed from two previous ports was allowed to dock at the port of Guaymas in the northern state of Sonora. Reuters identified that ship as Holland Americas MS Zuiderdam, reporting that the vessel embarking from San Diego with 2,000 people held 28 crew members and two passengers who tested positive, according to Sonora health minister José Luis Alomía Zegarra.
In a story about rising outbreaks and disruptions on cruise ships over Christmas holidays, The Washington Post reported the Holland America-owned Koningsdam was unable to dock in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, after 21 crew members tested positive. The report also identified the Carnival Freedom, heading for Bonaire, and Royal Caribbeans Odyssey of the Seas as ships that were unable to dock because of the coronavirus.
Recommended Reading: Cheapest Way To Visit Alaska
The Coronavirus Pandemic: Key Things To Know
Some mask mandates ending.Several states in liberal-leaning parts of the U.S. are quickly moving away from mask requirements as the Omicron wave recedes, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was not ready to change its guidance in regards to masks.
Unvaccinated city workers.New York City is expected to fire up to 3,000 municipal workers, including police officers, firefighters and teachers, on Feb. 11 for refusing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus possibly the largest worker reduction in the nation tied to a vaccine mandate.
Around the world.Blockades at the U.S.-Canada border, a spillover from protests in Ottawa against vaccine mandates, are disrupting production at major car companies. In Britain, Prince Charles tested positive for the coronavirus for a second time.
We have mainly seen local collectors and customers this year because of the pandemic, but normally tourists come here from all over the world to buy the items from the ships, Mr. Yurttas said.
Where Cruise Ships Are Sent To Die
At a shipyard in Turkey, the boats, including some from Carnivals Fantasy fleet, are being turned into scrap, even as the industry hopes to find a way to start sailing.
- Read in app
Along the meandering industrial peninsula of Aliaga on Turkeys Aegean coast, the contents of gutted vessels lay strewn on the dusty roadside, scattered among clusters of orange lifeboats that tower so high they obscure the dramatic scene unfolding in the shipyard below.
There, five mammoth cruise ships sit crammed into a muddied cove, as hundreds of workers chip away at their hulls and bows, exposing the intricate anatomies of the boats that once carried thousands of people around the world. Now, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate the cruise industry, companies are downsizing their fleets and selling the ships for scrap.
Weve never seen anything like this, said Kamil Onal, chairman of the Ship Recyclers Association of Turkey. Before the pandemic we mainly dismantled cargo ships, but now this has become the fate for cruise ships after months of sitting idle without passengers.
Among the ships being recycled at Aliaga, are three Carnival cruise liners Inspiration,Imagination and Fantasy, which had just been refurbished in 2019. The worlds largest cruise company reported a loss of $2.9 billion in the quarter ending on Aug. 31 and announced that it would remove 13 of its older, less efficient ships from its global fleet.
You May Like: How Much Does An Average Cruise Cost