The Future of Cruising in Key West In Doubt As Ballot Measure Seeks to Eliminate Up to 95% Of Cruise Traffic

Key West residents will soon have the opportunity to decide on significantly reducing the prevalence of cruise ships calling on the tropical island city. Understandably, some residents are concerned that such a prohibition would significantly affect Key West’s economy. But others are eager to see the cruise ships go.  TheMaritimeExecutive.com reports that a set of…

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Holland America Announces The Sale of Four Cruise Ships

Following the lead of its parent company Carnival Cruise Line, which announced the sale of 13 cruise ships last week, Holland America has recently announced that it will sell multiple ships as well. CruiseIndustryNews.com reports that Holland America will sell the Amsterdam, Maasdam, Rotterdam and Veendam.  In a statement Stein Kruse, CEO of both Holland America…

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Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Join Forces to Fight Coronavirus

In an effort to help ensure passenger safety, at least two major cruise companies are teaming up to create a safety-oriented panel. USA Today.com reports that Royal Caribbean and Norweigan Cruise Line have created a task force to help the companies devise a solution for keeping passengers safe in the era of coronavirus. The so-called “Healthy…

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Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line Forced To Postpone Return

Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the fact that most of the world’s international cruise ships will be grounded until at least September, a South Florida based cruise line was set to return to cruising later this month. But with the resurgence of coronavirus, the company has now scrapped its planned return. Bahamas Paradise Cruise…

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Report: Key West Mulling Ban On Large Cruise Ships

Residents of Key West are reportedly considering banning large cruise ships from calling on the island city. CruiseIndustryNews.com reports that in November 2021 a referendum will be placed on Key West’s ballot which limit the size of vessels calling on the city. Ships with over 1,300 guests would not be allowed to call on Key West…

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In Major Cruise News Carnival Announces That It Will Sell 13 Ships

For months the cruise industry has speculated that some cruise companies may not remain financially solvent throughout the era of coronavirus. A couple of smaller cruise lines have already declared themselves insolvent, and many are wondering if a major cruise line may be next. With dwindling resources, it was only a matter of time before cruise…

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Carnival Announces That It Will Delay Launch of Mardi Gras Cruise Ship

In yet another setback for the cruise industry, Carnival Cruise Line has announced that it will delay the launch of its Mardi Gras cruise ship until at least February 2021. Carnival Mardi Gras Debut Pushed to 2021 https://t.co/OSaCwfUDQr pic.twitter.com/roCq73esB7 — Cruise Industry News (@CruiseIndustry) July 7, 2020 CruiseRadio.net reports that the company issued the notification in…

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The Coronavirus Pandemic Claims Yet Another Cruise Line

Last week we blogged about the Spain-based cruise company Pullmantur, which recently declared itself insolvent as a result of financial strains caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, another cruise line has made a similar announcement. ThePointsGuy.com reports that Sweden-based cruise company Birka Cruises has announced that it will cease operations after suffering over 3 months…

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Pullmantur Ships Appear Likely Headed to the Scrap Yard

Last month the Spain-based cruise line Pullmantur announced that it had become insolvent and would be filing to restructure under Spanish laws. Almost immediately industry watchers began to speculate whether the company would ever return to service and what would happen to the company’s cruise vessels. While both of these questions seem to be up…

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Six Carnival Cruise Ships To Be Demolished

Experts are speculating that the Costa Victoria cruise ship will be demolished after Carnival initially announced that it would be removing vessels from its fleet, without giving details as to which ships the company was expecting to retire. According to CNN.com Francesco Ferrari, mayor of the Italian town of Piombino, announced on his Facebook page the…

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Disney Wonder Crew Member Dies As Ship Circles in the Caribbean

A Disney Cruises crew member has died while aboard the ship on which he worked. Authorities say that they will test him for COVID-19. Miami Herald.com reports that Eddie Burgos Ragodon, who worked as a painter aboard the Disney Wonder, began suffering from chills in recent days. He visited the ship’s infirmary for treatment but never…

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