Royal Caribbean International plans to restart cruises on the Spectrum of the Seas from Hong Kong this summer. Hong Kong authorities have given Royal Caribbean approval to restart operations with short "cruises to nowhere" only for Hong Kong residents following strict health protocols.
After more than a year since the suspension of cruising in the U.S. Royal Caribbean International announced another big comeback with the cruise line's return to Alaska this summer season. The company plans to launch its popular Alaska itineraries with 7-night cruises – roundtrip from Seattle – on board Serenade and Ovation of the Seas, starting July 19 and August 13, respectively.
Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas is the latest cruise ship to get the crew vaccinated at the port of Limassol, Cyprus. According to information provided by a fellow crew member, vaccination will start today (May 22) and will be completed by tomorrow (May 23). The crew will get their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a crucial step to resume cruise operation scheduled in the UK, this summer.
Royal Caribbean International has canceled Odyssey of the Seas cruises from Israel scheduled for this summer from Haifa to Cyprus and Greece. Several crew members on board reported that the news was announced by the ship’s captain via the PA system. The decision comes after the escalating conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
Royal Caribbean International changed the health and safety protocols onboard Quantum Of The Seas sailing out from Singapore, reports Singapore Cruise Society. The new measures will reduce guest capacity to 25%, all restaurants will be closed for guests and room service with the main dining room menu will be provided.
Starting May 21st Royal Caribbean will once again hire crew from India. This great news comes two weeks after the company announced a temporary suspension of all assignments for shipboard employees from India or people who reside in this country.
Odyssey of the Seas has departed the port of Limassol, Cyprus today and is heading back to its homeport Haifa, Israel where the crew will receive the first dose of the vaccine against Covid-19. According to our source, the captain made an announcement on the ship’s PA system that the port agent confirmed the crew vaccination for tomorrow May, 7. Odyssey of the Seas crew will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, our source said.
Following the recent announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that cruises could resume from the US ports by mid-July, cruise lines are moving forward with the restart plans and already started with the necessary preparations for the upcoming season. Yesterday three major cruise lines announced the start of crew vaccination including MSC Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International.
Indian crew members will not be able to board Royal Caribbean ships at this stage after the company decided to temporary cancel all assignments for shipboard employees from India or people who reside in this country. According to a letter sent to the crew, this decision is based on various reasons and related to recently announced travel restrictions and complexities with crew movement to and from India.
Like many nations struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic, Myanmar faces additional destabilizing risks from the military coup. Cruise ship crew members from this country shared their concerns about the current situation and worries that this might affect their next sign-on date. In hopes that the cruise lines will not forget them they sent an open letter voicing their concerns.
