If any week in the past 16 months was a positive one for the cruise industry, it was this past week. The industry's relaunch extended across multiple lines and from ports in multiple countries across the globe.
Most notably, Royal Caribbean International's Freedom of the Seas was the first ship to sail for the line on a revenue cruise and also the first big ship to sail from Florida. It sailed Friday from PortMiami, following earlier approval from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after a test cruise a few days earlier.
Freedom of the Seas had received a $116 million dollar revitalization in March 2020, so it returned to cruising with many new spaces and features—everything from the Perfect Storm duo of high-speed waterslides to the cruise line's first Giovanni's Kitchen.
Also in the U.S., Carnival Cruise Line restarted sailings with Carnival Vista's departure from Galveston on Saturday and Carnival Horizon's sailing from PortMiami on Sunday, the Fourth of July.
In addition, on Saturday, Crystal Cruises' Crystal Serenity began sailing from Nassau, Bahamas; the voyage was that line's first since the pandemic began.
Another luxury line, Seabourn, welcomed guests back on board Seabourn Ovation, which departed on a voyage from Piraeus, Greece.
More Tidbits
Travel Agent is aboard Celestyal Crystal in the Greek Isles this week, after sailing from Piraeus on Saturday. Look for our reports soon on this week-long Greece journey, focused on the experiences of "getting there," the Celestyal product, and shipboard and land-side intel.
Also in the Piraeus harbor on Saturday was Celebrity Cruises' new Celebrity Apex, readying to sail.
Finally, on the personnel front, Kris Endreson was named VP of strategic sales for MSC Cruises USA.
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