On the "restart" front, Regent Seven Seas Cruises resumed cruise operations as Seven Seas Splendor sailed from Southampton, U.K. on the luxury line's first voyage in nearly 18 months. All guests and crew aboard are vaccinated.
With Carnival Dream and Carnival Glory resuming guest operations over the weekend, Carnival Cruise Line now has 11 ships—representing half of its U.S. fleet—sailing again. The line is now operating from seven U.S. homeports including Miami, Galveston, Seattle, Port Canaveral, Long Beach, Baltimore and New Orleans
Royal Caribbean International announced that its newest, Oasis-class ship, Wonder of the Seas will not debut in China as planned. Instead, it will home port in Miami in March 2022, before heading for Europe for the 2022 summer season.
Last week, many New York-area travel advisors and media, including Travel Agent toured the fun, colorful spaces of the new 2,770-passenger Scarlet Lady. This new Virgin Voyages' vessel will sail from PortMiami this fall and winter.
Some lines are taking time during the pandemic to refresh their cruise products. As reported by our sister site, Luxury Travel Advisor, Seabourn will elevate its onboard experience with eight new product and perks. Guests can expect everything from a new Seabourn Source app to free Wi-Fi, a new housekeeping "duo" concept, the new "Breakfast at the Patio" dining option and new entertainment, including a Latin-themed production show on Seabourn Ovation.
On the health and safety side, the Globus family of brands, including Avalon Waterways, will now require all travelers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 through the end of 2022. In good news for river and ocean lines sailing from Amsterdam, the Netherlands has now dropped its quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated travelers, starting September 22, 2021.
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