Royal Caribbean International highly anticipated cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas will be sailing from Israel this summer season. Residents of Israel will be the first guests to set sail on Odyssey during its inaugural season which will start in May 2021. The ship will offer Israeli holidaymakers a combination of 3- to 7-night cruises, from Haifa, to idyllic isles and destinations in the Mediterranean, visiting Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos and Athens, Greece and Limassol, Cyprus. 

The long journey back home for the NCLH crew who were scheduled to be repatriated on Norwegian Joy is canceled. Instead, the company decided to repatriate the non-essential crew using charter flights. The latest update was announced via the ship's PA system informing the crew that the company arranged flights from Aruba which are scheduled for 4th and 6th of March. There are 1053 crew members onboard Norwegian Joy who will be sent via charter flights to the Philippines and Indonesia.

Royal Caribbean Group was recognized among the top 135 companies in the world for their unwavering commitment that positively impact employees, communities, and broader stakeholders, and contribute to sustainable and long-term business performance.

The race to get the Covid-19 vaccine by the major corporations around the world has started before the worldwide rollouts begun. This is most evident across the United States where major corporations such as Amazon, Lyft and Uber are lobbying states and the federal government to designate their employees as essential workers and place them in line for early immunization.

The fate of the Spanish cruise line Pullmantur who filed for reorganization, claiming insolvency under Spanish law, is still unclear after mixed messages in the Spanish media were reported in the past few days.

Crystal Cruises announced today that the company has updated its new health and safety protocols to require all guests sailing on the company’s river and ocean going cruise ships to be fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to their cruise. Guests must provide proof of vaccination that they have received both vaccination doses prior embarkation.

P&O Cruises has announced the name of its second Excel-class ship. The liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered cruise liner will be a sister ship to the recently launched Iona. This new ship will embark on its maiden voyage for P&O Cruises in 2022. The luxury liner is structurally identical to Iona.

The crew of the cruise ship MS Charming, operated by the Chinese startup company Foresee Cruises, claims they didn't receive salary for almost two months. According to our source, there are 121 crew members on board, mostly Filipino nationals, who say that the company violates the terms of their contracts.

The cruise ship Celebrity Infinity arrived in Cadiz, Spain to undergo an extensive drydock at Navantia shipyard. During the 16-day drydock Celebrity Infinity will receive new valves, hull improvement, renewal of propellers and stabilizers, and new painting. The work will not include upper decks where the staterooms and public areas are located.

Two Costa cruise ships are getting ready to set sail again and offer guests holidays with enhanced health and safety protocols. The restart is scheduled for March 27, with the departure of the flagship Costa Smeralda, sailing guests to beautiful Italian destinations, with 3- and 4-day mini-cruises or alternatively a 7-day cruise, calling at Savona, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina and Cagliari.