Furious passengers are anticipating all the necessary actions against Norwegian Cruise Lines which at the last minute removed Antarctica from its upcoming itineraries. Over the weekend, the Norwegian Star, which is currently in the Drake Passage, informed passengers that the trip would have to be altered for operational reasons.
The Norwegian Breakaway, belonging to the Norwegian Cruise Line, docked in New Orleans, on Saturday with at least ten positive cases of Covid-19, according to the Louisiana Health Department.
The ongoing pandemic has compelled cruise companies to forget rivalries and come together to counter the scenario, according to Yahoo Finance. Case in point, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. RCL and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. NCLH have teamed up to develop safety standards.
The novel coronavirus is becoming a financial and public-relations nightmare for the cruise industry, from failed quarantine attempts on ships to passenger lawsuits and a stream of cancellations.
Coronavirus concerns have pushed the US$ 45 billion cruise line industry to cancel trips and reroute ships as it struggles to contain the impact from fearful travellers. But experts say the industry will bounce back after the outbreak is contained.
The Trump administration clamped down on US tourist visits to Cuba on Tuesday, aiming to cut the flow of dollars to a country that Washington accuses of helping prop up Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Busy weekend for Ushuaia with seven cruise vessels and some 12.000 visitors, including passengers and crew members. According to port authorities, the vessels calling were the Celebrity Eclipse, Star Princess, Norwegian plus Le Boreal, Ortelius and Island Sky.
Good news: prices for many cruises in January 2019 are significantly lower than they were a year ago. However, there are major differences by cruise line. While the analysis found that the average cruise price per day actually increased by around 3% – from US$ 397 to US$ 407 per person per night – it also showed substantial price discounts for certain cruise lines.
Cruise lines have followed the lead of major airlines and begun waiving cancellation penalties for some customers booked on voyages to the Caribbean and other destinations affected by the fast-spreading Zika virus.
The return of the Norwegian Cruise Line to South America this season with nine planned calls to the Falkland Islands “is a massive boost to our cruise ship industry,” Sulivan Shipping Tourism Coordinator Samantha Marsh told Penguin News this week.