Category: The Cruise Examiner

by Kevin Griffin

This week sees The Cruise Examiner’s guest editor, Dr Jennifer Holland deliver the second of her four-part series concentrating on the perceptions of risk in the cruise industry. Elsewhere we look at how the combination of Covid-19 and the CDC have affected the repatriation of thousands of cruise ship workers to their homelands. Finally, Congress is preparing to throw the Christians to the lions in Washington. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

This week sees The Cruise Examiner introduce a guest editor, Dr Jennifer Holland, who over four weeks will deliver a four-part series concentrating on the perceptions of risk in the cruise industry. Elsewhere we look at how Covid-19 has affected two Great Lakes operators, causing the withdrawal of two ships with a total of 432 berths from that market this year. And we catch up with the latest news from One Ocean Expeditions. For them, after the edicts of Public Heath Canada and Transport Canada, there would have been no Canadian Arctic season this year anyway (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

With Cunard Line, Hurtigruten and Windstar all cancelling their Alaska cruise seasons this year and industry leaders Holland America and Princess cutting back substantially, Canada’s inside Passage and Alaska’s fjords will be seeing much less traffic this summer than last. Cunard’s 2,101-berth Queen Elizabeth, now in the UK, is a long way from Alaska and after an appearance in 2019 will be absent for the whole of 2020. Similarly, Hurtigruten’s 530-berth Roald Amundsen has cancelled her planned Alaska season as well, in her case because she will not be able to perform her planned transit of the Northwest Passage in 2020. And Windstar’s 320-berth Star Breeze will be delayed from her refit in Italy. Disney’s 1,750-berth Disney Wonder, however, will likely offer a truncated Alaska season from Vancouver. This week, we have a new book for you and next week the start of a 4-week series from guest editor Dr Jennifer Holland that we are sure you will find of interest. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

The 386-berth Viking Mississippi and intended sister ships start service in 2022 and reservations have now opened. Elsewhere we look at how cruise lines are using their own ships to repatriate cruise ship crews to their home countries until they are needed again. And we observe the passing of Capt Petr Golikov, well-known for many years as the master of the Kapitan Khlebnikov, who passed in Toronto last week. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

For the past three weeks, cruise ship news has been overwhelmed by the Corona-virus. This week, it gets worse with the CDC starting to interfere with how cruise ships should organise themselves. And while we note what is occurring with the present virus, we look back to another life-threatening disease from almost two centuries ago, that of cholera. And a replace of an Irish trader of the period. And we look at another ship, the St Louis, that was refused docking in US ports, a position in which several cruise ships have unwantingly fiound themselves. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

Last week, Holland America’s Zaandam and Rotterdam arrived at Port Everglades. Last week we looked at a third Princess ship affected by corona-virus as Ruby Princess arrived and was laid up at Sydney. This week it is the turn of the Coral Princess arriving at Miami from South America. Meanwhile US authorities have issued new regulations concerning domestic fights in the US. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

This week we look at a third Princess ship affected by corona-virus (why is it only Princess as a brand that seems to have this draw?), as Ruby Princess is laid up at Sydney. The Canadian Arctic meanwhile will see no cruises this year unless one of the professional expedition companies manages to negotiate its way in. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

In a period of just three weeks, the Coronavirus C-19 has hit the world hard. Cruise ships taken out of service for 30, sometimes 60 days, ports refusing entry to cruise ships where there is any hint of fever on board, whole countries such as India and Canada banning cruise ships to protect their own populations, whole fleets of aircraft grounded, huge hospital ships deploying to New York and Los Angeles. Kevin Griffin has been writing the weekly “Cruise Examiner” column since 2008. He also owns The Cruise People in London, and is now called away to save his business and its jobs. Lots of things are happening to tight deadlines this week. So because of the various items delineated in his briefing below, there will be no “Cruise Examiner” this week. But we plan to return next week. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

Yesterday, “USA Today” informed its readers that “the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all people avoid travelling on cruise ships, not just the most at-risk for the coronavirus.” Never in peacetime has there been such a disruption of sea travel as is occurring right now, with announcements of wholesale global suspensions, port bans for cruise ships and travel bans for individuals of many nationalities. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

Last night, the US State Department issued a warning to its citizens, especially older ones or those with underlying health conditions, not to travel by cruise ship. How much this is exaggeration is not known, but more residents appear to have died in a single nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, than in the entire world cruise fleet. Meanwhile, domestically, after as many as seven years under study, Viking River Cruises is about to make a move into US-flag Mississippi River cruising. And Victory Cruise Lines is planning to offer a two-ship Alaska cruising operation in 2021. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

According to Wikipedia, a cruise director is “a high-ranking or senior officer of a cruise ship with responsibility for all onboard hospitality, entertainment and social events, who acts as the public face of the company.” As far as can be determined, the first cruise directors seem to have appeared about a century ago on American banana boats. As the number of passengers carried rose from 12 to 30 to 60 and eventually to 120, the fruit companies had found that they needed to introduce more diversions to distract their paying passengers from being bored at sea. Elsewhere this week, we look at changes at Arena River Cruises and APT River Cruises. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

This week we look at how the coronavirus is continuing to affect cruise shipping, and particularly one ship berthed at Yokohama. On a more upbeat note we look at Regent Seven Seas’ new 750-berth Splendor of the Seas. And take a quick glance at the first World Cruises to call in Antarctica, back in 1999-2000. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

This week we look at how the coronavirus is affecting cruise shipping and other passenger operations. On a more upbeat note we look at Emerald Yacht Cruises new 100-berth Emerald Azzurra. And take a quick glance at the Wonder of the Seas, which will be next year’s largest cruise ship in the world. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

This week we look at Viking’s first two expedition ships and the new itineraries that will be offered by the Viking Octantis starting in 2022. From Germany come reports that Royal Caribbean Cruises may take a half share in Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, in a similar manner to its 50% share it owns in TUI Cruises. And finally today, we look at the two lady names that have been chosen by CMV for its next two ships. Virgin will not be the only cruise line to have ladies in its fleet. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

The CLIA Annual State of the Industry message forecasts 32 million cruise passengers for 2020 and a fleet of 278 ocean ships. Other news includes a new Empress for the St Lawrence and the final unfortunate demise of One Ocean Expeditions. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

As Christmas draws upon us, we comment on a couple of cargo ship trades carrying passengers, on the old routes of the Australian National Line and to and from the Great Lakes, and remember the volcanic ash cloud of a decade ago, in April 2010. (more…)

by Kevin Griffin

With almost forty new small ships and expedition vessels being built in shipyards that are new to building cruise ships, it is not surprising that there have been some serious delays and cost-over-runs. But why SeaDream cancelled the order or its 220-berth SeaDream Innovation is not fully known yet. And while the Scenic Eclipse was delivered a year late, Scenic Eclipse II is being built in a bankrupt shipyard. Elsewhere, two ships ordered in Spain by Havila Shipping have been so badly delayed that the owner is looking to charter two ships from elsewhere to fill in for the new ships on the Norwegian coast. And after a series of winter cruises announced for the Maud from Dover in 2021 comes news that the Fridtjof Nansen will offer a series of ex-UK cruises in 2020 as she’ll be delivered a month before intended. (more…)