Cruise Radio: Weekly Cruise News & Travel Tips

Since MSC Cruises returned to cruising this past week, it's only appropriate to get a review of the MSC Meraviglia. Sheri and her family had an opportunity to sail the Yacht Club (ship within a ship concept) in the Mediterranean. We get a full review of one of MSC Cruises' newest ships.

Sherry has cruise news:

• Cruises are officially underway in Europe and a couple was kicked off the ship
• Cruise line cleared of health incident
• Carnival Corp compromised by hackers
• Grand Cayman tells cruise ships no
• Carnival Corp gives a financial update

Listener Q: We are in the early planning stages of our 2022 summer cruise. We are older and do not like crowds and crazy traffic. What is easier to navigate - Port Canaveral or Fort Lauderdale?

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In our series of exploring personalities within the cruise space, we speak with Bill Panoff. Bill started his career aboard a Carnival Cruise Line ship where he worked at sea for 13 years and then went launched Porthole Cruise Magazine, the largest cruise magazine in the world.

• Porthole Cruise Magazine Digital: https://bit.ly/3atTJ9I
• Cruise Control Video Series: https://bit.ly/3kQuXFk

Date: August 16, 2020

Nancy Schretter from the Family Travel Network joins us to talk about her seven-night Mediterranean cruise on Crystal Cruises' Crystal Serenity. Crystal Cruises recently announced that they will not welcome guests back until 2021.

Sherry has cruise news:

• Another round of cruise cancellations
• Crew members file a lawsuit against the cruise company
• Norwegian Cruise Line puts rumors to bed
• Recapping Royal Caribbean Group's Q2 earnings call
• Med cruises were given the green flag for August 15

Listener Q: What is the difference between a Bahamas and a Bermuda cruise?

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Thoughts or questions? [email protected]

Want daily cruise news? Subscribe to the Cruise Radio News podcast feed.

Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net.

We tackle your listener questions this week. Sherry Laskin joins us to break down using onboard credits on multiple sailings and the best way to remove canceled guests from a cruise. Barbara lets us know the main differences between the cruise line vacation planner and a travel agent. Richard talks about cruise embarkation out of New York City.

Date: August 9, 2020

We sit down with Carnival Corporation (CCL) CEO Arnold Donald on the current state of the cruise industry. We speak with Arnold about how cruising could look moving forward, what will really determine when the cruise ships can sail again, what the cruise industry resumption of service will look like, and vessels leaving the fleet.

Sherry has cruise news:

• Cruise lines cancel sailings until November 1, 2020
• MSC relaunching with instant testing, masks, and dining rules
• Norwegian Cruise Line is reclaiming loyalty points from canceled cruises
• Carnival addresses rumors of selling two of its cruise lines

Listener Q: Looking for a Port Canaveral hotel with a free shuttle preferably for the cruise port, on the beach or an extremely short walk to one and breakfast?

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Thoughts or questions? [email protected]

Want daily cruise news? Subscribe to the Cruise Radio News podcast feed.

Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net.

Over a dozen cruise ships have been sold off throughout the cruise industry shutdown, with more likely to come. But what happens to cruise ships once they are sold? What do they do with the equipment? How long does the deconstruction process take? Maritime historian and journalist Peter Knego drops in to answer our questions.

Peter also shares details about his collection of relics he's salvaged from the doomed ocean liners and some of his thoughts on modern-day cruising.

Last Look: Carnival Fantasy Remembered: https://cruiseradio.net/last-look-remembering-carnival-fantasy/

MidShipCentury.com: https://www.midshipcentury.com/

The Sands of Alang documentary: https://www.midshipcentury.com/the-sands-of-alang

Date: August 2, 2020

A 2020 review of Norwegian Cruise Lines Norwegian Gem. this was a 10-night cruise from New York City that went to the Southern Caribbean.

Sherry has cruise news:

• First major cruise line sailed from Europe
• Norwegian Cruise Line extends suspension
• Carnival Fantasy ends her final voyage
• Cruise line debuts new safety drill
• Cruise line refund policies could soon change
• CDC wants cruise passengers to help restart cruises

Listener Q: Is the FCC refundable back to cash if needed?

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Thoughts or questions? [email protected]

Want daily cruise news? Subscribe to the Cruise Radio News podcast feed.

Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net.

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have published 28 questions to the general public. We read the questions and tell you how you can respond with your answers.

You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2020-0087 by any of the following methods listed below. CDC does not accept comments by email.

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Maritime Unit, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS V18-2, Atlanta, GA 30329.

Date: July 25, 2020

PJ shares his experience of being on the last Disney Cruise Line ship before the industry shutdown. This is a seven-night review of Disney Fantasy that went down to the Eastern Caribbean with a stop at private island Castaway Cay.

Sherry has cruise news:

• CDC extending the No Sail Order, again
• Carnival is almost done with crew repatriation
• Grand Bahama Island on two-week lockdown
• Carnival Inspiration heads to the scrapyard
• Two former Holland America ships find a new home
• Update on two new cruise ships

Listener Q: Can I transfer my future cruise credit and onboard credit to a travel agent — if so, what are the steps?

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Thoughts or questions? [email protected]

Want daily cruise news? Subscribe to the Cruise Radio News podcast feed.

Get in-depth cruise news and industry insight at www.cruiseradio.net.

Follow Cruise Radio's Socials:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Patreon

Cruise expert Stewart Chiron drops by the answer some listener questions. Matt Hochberg from Royal Caribbean Blog answer questions on Royal Caribbeans "Lift and Shift" program and the difference between a Quantum and Quantum Ultra class ship.

1. When a ship is said to be 130,000-tons, what does that mean?

2. We are seeing cruise lines like Princess move a lot of inventory on the West Coast in the coming years -- could that be a sign of what's to come with so many Caribbean islands having different protocols post-Pandemic? 3. What's up with all the Fantasy-class ships leaving the fleet? A lot of use cruisers, myself included, love the smaller 2,000 passenger vessels. Do you think it has to do with them not having aft balconies? 4. Do ships that sail in China have the same rules as the US and the Jones Act? Does the ship or at least part of the ship need to be built in China in order to sail throughout the country? 5. When we see cities like Key West fighting the cruise lines to limit capacity and ship size, is that a vocal minority or does Key West really not place any value on us cruise passengers? It is offensive, given my family spend over $1000 there in February on a half-day fishing charter and jet skis. Date: July 19, 2020