Posted on 06/10/2021 10:24:10 AM PDT by Capt. Tom
Worldwide the cruise industry is making a restart with the strictest of health regulations in place, safety measures that ensure the health and safety of all onboard. Nonetheless, the Australian Government has extended a cruise ban in effect for over a year now.
The move from the Government was met with surprise from the cruise lines and the cruise industry representative group CLIA. After many months of negotiations and promising noises from the Government, the cruise industry is still at a standstill.
“Situation continues to pose an unacceptable risk.” Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt has extended the human biosecurity emergency period in place since March of last year until September of 2021. The ban was previously set to expire this month. According to the health minister, the current pandemic continues to pose an unacceptable risk to the Australian public:
“The AHPPC has advised that the international COVID-19 situation continues to pose an unacceptable risk to public health. The extension of the emergency period is an appropriate response to that risk.”
The extension of the ban means Australians are restricted in pursuing foreign travel, need mandatory testing and mask-wearing on all flights, restrictions on foreign travel to Australia, and restrictions on the entry and operation of cruise vessels within Australian territory. The measures effectively close the borders to ship crews.
News Received with Criticism The cruise industry has been in talks with the Australian Government for many months now on how the cruise lines can resume Down Under. The cruise industry expected a pathway forward for sailings to resume. The cruise industry recently received indications from Tourism Minister Dan Tehan that the measures would be easing slightly.
The news about a further extension was met critically and with great disappointment by Joel Kats, the CLIA representative and managing director for Australasia. The parties have been discussing a restart for cruise lines like P&O Australia, Ponant, MSC, Carnival, and APT for over a year now.
Joel Katz, managing director CLIA:
“After months of discussions with the Government, the suspension has been extended again without any clear route from the Government towards a careful and responsible resumption of cruising. The cruise industry has done an enormous amount of work to implement extensive new health protocols globally, but Australia is now the only major cruise destination in the world where there is no progress towards their adoption.”
Few Operators Are Sailing, Majority Will Not A few small cruise ships have received permission to resume sailings. The 120-guest Caledonian Sky will sail the Kimberley starting next week after the vessel was forced to hire an all Australian hospitality workforce in a market where such staff was in desperately short supply. Another, Coral Expeditions, is currently sailing with three of its small vessels in the Kimberley.
The disappointment for the cruise lines, and expedition cruises in the Kimberley Region remains though. Australia is one of the last countries to insist on banning cruises from leaving from and inside the country. Something Mr. Katz echoed:
“The cruise industry is not asking for special treatment or to simply reopen the doors to cruising. We’ve presented some of the most stringent COVID-19 measures to be found anywhere in tourism, developed with the support of medical experts and we governments to take the next steps forward,”
As it stands, the cruise industry is set to lose over $6 billion since the ban started in March last year. The ban also puts thousands of jobs and businesses in jeopardy, especially those focusing on the cruise industry. For now, it’s another three months of no cruising from Australia.
You would think with the tens of millions of dollars the Cruise Line CEOS get yearly in salaries and stocks they would have handled this situation much better.
Instead thy act surprised, and confused when thy have to postpone cruises again and again and again.
Can the CEOs really be that out of touch and naïve? Or have they decided to run a Ponzi scheme where they pay back cancelled cruisers and creditors with new money from future paid up potential cruisers.- Tom
It would appear this thread is not something about the Cruise Lines most cruisers are interested in. -Tom
This just goes to show that a CEO has no interest in the company, only making money for themselves. They get paid no matter what.
I would expect a few CEOs to be scoundrels but that is no excuse for appearing to be so damn NAIVE when it comes to dealing with politicians and Health agencies.
Their organization the CLIA (Cruise Line Industry Association) also seems to have many clueless people in top positions. -Tom
I care. I want to go back to Australia and I want to see New Zealand.
They have a HANDFUL of cases on that entire CONTINENT. Dumbasses run it.
Many years I was asked to take a "LIFE' magazine photographer out into Boston Harbor to take photos of the different Islands.
That night he took my wife and I out to eat at a restaurant of my choice. We had a great time.
Before he departed he said this to me:
Tom I have been all over the world taking photos for LIFE magazine, but I have never met a person like you who is more like a New Zealander, even though you are not from there and have never been to New Zealand..
Then he added: Don't you ever visit New Zealand because you won't want to come back here.
He was from Australia so I don't know for sure how to take that. Except he seemed to be happy in my company.-Tom
:)....you might have Maori blood!!
Typical (and offensive) government overreach.
Emails about my Aug 14 cruise on Carnival Mardi Gras
Email at 8.30PM Thursday June 10
Important Operational Update – August 2021 Schedule
GUEST OPERATIONS UPDATE
Mardi Gras – Port Canaveral – 07/31/21 - 08/28/21
Carnival Horizon – PortMiami – 08/01/21- 08/29/21
Carnival Breeze, Carnival Vista – Port of Galveston - 08/02/21 - 08/30/21
Carnival Sunrise – PortMiami – 08/14/21 - 08/28/21
Carnival Panorama – Port of Long Beach – 08/21/21 - 08/28/21
Dear Carnival Guest:
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we work on our return to guest operations. We are happy to share with you our plans to operate the above-referenced sailings in the month of August, including your cruise. We expect to operate with vaccinated guests. We are working with state and local officials to finalize the necessary plans. Attached is the press release that was issued earlier today.
We know you are eager to learn more about our Have Fun. Be Safe. protocols, which continue to evolve based on our discussions with the CDC. We will get this information just as soon as we can. Final payment on your cruise was extended until Monday, June 14. That date is still in effect. If for some reason after we share our protocols you determine that you are unable to sail, we will work with you on rebooking for another date.
If you’re booked on Carnival Sunrise or Mardi Gras, we have had to make some itinerary modifications. You can find out more by logging in to MyCruiseManager on Carnival.com. Changes will be available by Friday morning.
Once again, we appreciate your patience and look forward to welcoming you on board.
Sincerely,
Christine Duffy
President, Carnival Cruise Line
NEWS RELEASE
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE CONFIRMS FIRST SAILING FOR MARDI GRAS;
ANNOUNCES MORE SHIPS RETURNING IN AUGUST
MIAMI, June 10, 2021 – Carnival Cruise Line today laid out plans for its next wave of the summer restart of guest operations, including the first cruise for Mardi Gras and the return of additional ships in August. Highlights of the plan include:
Mardi Gras will start operating her seven-day cruises from Port Canaveral on Saturday, July 31, with pre-inaugural sailings to the eastern and western Caribbean.
Carnival Magic will return from her dry dock – and with her new hull design – and homeport from Port Canaveral where she will pick up four- and five-day cruises to The Bahamas and Caribbean that were previously scheduled for Carnival Elation, effective Aug. 7 through Oct. 7. Guests already booked on Carnival Elation will be re-accommodated on Carnival Magic, and because she is a larger ship, additional stateroom inventory is being made available on Carnival.com and other sales channels. Carnival Magic will also operate three new six-day cruises and one new eight-day cruise from Port Canaveral between Oct. 11-31.
Carnival Sunrise will enter service from Miami, effective Aug. 14, sailing four- and five-day cruises to The Bahamas and Caribbean.
Carnival Panorama will enter service from Long Beach on Aug. 21, sailing her seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises.
Carnival Vista and Breeze (from Galveston), Carnival Horizon (from Miami) and Carnival Miracle (from Seattle to Alaska) will continue with their cruises through August that are part of the line’s restart plans in July.
Given the above plans, Carnival has extended its pause for other ships through Aug. 31, 2021, as follows: Carnival Pride (Baltimore), Carnival Sunshine (Charleston), Carnival Dream (Galveston), Carnival Ecstasy (Jacksonville), Carnival Liberty (Port Canaveral), Carnival Conquest (Miami), Carnival Sensation (Mobile) and Carnival Glory (New Orleans).
Guests and travel agents are being advised of the August schedule plans and Carnival will be providing more details directly to them next week on guidelines and protocols. Carnival plans to operate these August sailings with vaccinated guests.
“We are very excited to finally welcome guests on Mardi Gras,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “With our desire to preserve summer vacations for our Mardi Gras guests, we are going to find a later date to formally christen her so that we can operate these pre-inaugural sailings just as soon as we can.”
Duffy also noted that Carnival intends to expand its initial restart from Florida, Texas and Washington to California, with the return of Carnival Panorama from Long Beach in late August. “ We are excited to resume our West Coast operations and intend to sail Carnival Panorama with vaccinated guests starting August 21. We are working with state and local officials to finalize the necessary plans,” Duffy said.
Carnival will continue to ramp up more ships and homeports in September and beyond, bringing hundreds of crew on board each week to be vaccinated, complete CDC-mandated quarantine and then begin work to prepare for guests and the return to guest operations.
“Our focus remains on the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we serve and visit,” said Duffy. “We are taking a deliberate approach so we can execute with excellence and deliver a fun experience to our guests, who have been tremendously patient and supportive throughout this pause.”
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
EMail at 9.05PM today, Friday
Important Operational Update About Upcoming Voyages
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING CRUISE
Dear Carnival Guest:
We are excited about our summer restart and I wanted to follow up on our email from late Thursday about our plans to operate your cruise.
Things are moving quickly, and in our desire to share information with you in timely fashion, we know that there a gaps to fill in.
First, as we work through this restart process and our operations for August, we are extending final payment on your sailing to Monday, June 21.
As we operate to meet the CDC guidelines, there is an exemption process to accommodate a small number of guests who are unable or ineligible to be vaccinated (children under 12 and other exceptions as required by federal law). The current standard to meet the CDC’s criteria for a fully vaccinated cruise – under which guests can sail without a mask and other restrictions – is that at least 95 percent of all guests on board are fully vaccinated. In addition, our crew will be fully vaccinated.
We will be sending details next week about this exemption process, and additional protocols as they are finalized. It’s important to note that the number of exemptions will be a very small subset, will largely be children under 12, and it will be less than 5 percent of guests to account for no shows and other operational matters. And, we cannot begin to process these exemptions until after all final payments are received and we have certainty on the total number of guests on board – so that we can determine the number of exemptions. But we are committed to moving as quickly as possible.
In the meantime, it is important that you make sure your booking is up to date, which includes the names and ages of all guests in your party. You can manage that in the MyCruisePlanner function on Carnival.com, with your Personal Vacation Planner, your travel agent or by calling us at 1-800-CARNIVAL.
Thank you for your support and patience. We are working hard to restart operations and welcome you and our other great guests back on board.
Sincerely,
Christine Duffy
President, Carnival Cruise Line
The female PM of NZ is a Democrat wannabe...shes been cloned from a concoction of our worst liberals...
I hope your cruise goes through.
With all the arbitrary decisions being made by politicians and medical organizations cruise lines have more problems to solve. - Tom
“It would appear this thread is not something about the Cruise Lines most cruisers are interested in. -Tom”
Perhaps this thread would be of more interest.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3967223/posts
This penal colony known as Australia has it too good these days with their Covid-19 free island. So many Hollywood movie productions have moved down there due to Covid. Where is their Chinese export income these days? The nasty-arse Chinese are boycotting Australian coal which has been essential for them.
We all know the US Federal Reserve is “printing” money with abandon. UK- Bank of England too and all to paper over what Covid-19 has done and half the economy forced to shutdown for a year.
My question is— Is the Australian Central bank also juicing their money supply?
“Emails about my Aug 14 cruise on Carnival Mardi Gras”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More info coming.Read article below. -Tom
https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-sends-follow-up-update-to-guests/51940
They’re not naive.
They’re venal.
That was the 2nd EMail sent out Friday at 9PM
It is breathtakingly disgusting to behold.
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