As Hurricane Beryl, a Category 5 storm, barreled across the Caribbean much of last week, cruise industry ships including the world’s largest, Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas, changed course. Cruise lines shifted itineraries or flipped port call days to avoid the storm and keep guests and crew safe.
Also making itinerary adjustments were three other Royal Caribbean vessels; Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Beyond; Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Horizon and Carnival Liberty; Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Fantasy; Margaritaville at Sea’s Islander; Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jade and Norwegian Breakaway; Princess Cruises’ Enchanted Princess; and others.
Over the weekend, as the storm approached the Texas coastline, Royal Caribbean also adjusted Mariner of the Seas' schedule. The line delayed the ship's return to its Galveston, TX, homeport by one day. That, in turn, has delayed boarding for the subsequent cruise until Tuesday, July 9.
In other news, Oceania Cruises floated out its newest ship, the 1,200-passenger Allura at Fincantieri’s shipyard near Genoa, Italy. In addition, Viking recently floated out its new 998-passenger Viking Vesta at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy. Both new ships will begin sailing in summer 2025.
Elsewhere, more than 1.6 million cruise passengers visited Juneau, AK, in 2023, accounting for $375 million in annual direct spending. But a measure to ban cruise ships with 250 or more passengers from docking at Juneau, AK, every Saturday has qualified for the city's October 1 municipal ballot, according to The Associated Press. Supporters want to reduce the volume of cruise ship traffic, but Protect Juneau's Future, headed by local business leaders, say that move could hurt businesses and shrink the local economy. Recently, the cruise industry had already agreed to a limit of five ships a day, and plans to cap calls at 16,000 cruise passengers daily by 2026.
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In Europe, German police are investigating the July 4 disappearance of a 14-year-old, American teen with autism, Aydin Brown. He was sailing with his grandmother for a Baltic cruise on Caribbean Princess. He had unexpectedly debarked the Princess Cruises’ ship at the German port of Rostock-Warnemunde and headed to a train station. NBC News is now reporting that the teen was found safe over the weekend, having traveled two hours away to another city.
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection raised $300 million in a high-yield notes issuance, according to Seatrade Cruise News. Plus, the line promoted Jens Gorka to chief shipboard operations officer and Phillip Herbert to vice president of hotel operations.
On November 2, 2024, Sea Cloud Cruises will transform the lounges of Sea Cloud II and Sea Cloud Spirit into concert venues for Steinway piano performers as the ships sail from Malaga, Spain, to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain. In winter 2025-26, Costa Cruises will offer a two-month season of two new 15-day Asia itineraries on Costa Serena.
Many cruise lines extended or expanded summertime promotions during the July 4th week. For example, Windstar Cruises extended its "Sail Beyond Ordinary" promotion through September 30. And for North American travel advisors, Riviera River Cruises introduced a summer sweepstakes. Advisors will receive one sweepstakes entry for every July 2024 booking. For the sweepstakes drawing, the river line will give away two staterooms—one to a U.S. advisor, another to a Canadian advisor.
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