Puerto Vallarta Takes First Step Towards Economic Recovery
The beautiful and popular cruise destination of Puerto Vallarta is taking the first steps towards reopening today after months of shutdowns and social distancing. May 18th marks the start of ‘phase 0’ of the State of Jalisco’s plan to recover economically from COVID-19. This phase of the proce
Bookings Boom
We’ve been saying it since cruise lines began their pause in operation in March: there’s never been a better time to book a cruise. Well, apparently cruisers agree. When Carnival Cruise Line announced last week that they had a tentative plan in place to resume cruising on August 1st, it ma
Orlando Ashford Stepping Down as President of Holland America Line
After six years as the President of Holland America Line, Orlando Ashford is saying goodbye to the cruise line. Ashford announced his decision in a press release today. The news comes just six days after Holland America Line decided to extend its pause of global cruise operations and cancel all Alas
Nevis Announces They’re COVID-Free
When COVID-19 first began spreading globally, the island of Nevis in the Caribbean took an aggressive approach to fighting the virus and it appears those measures have paid off. The island’s Ministry of Health has declared the island free from COVID-19 after all four cases have successfully recove
Blue Angels Salute COVID-19 Responders Over Miami
The sunny skies of South Florida were in for a treat today as the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron buzzed the skyline in a salute to COVID-19 responders working hard to flatten the curve and help those recovering from the virus. Operation “America Strong” flew over Jacksonville this mor
Carnival Corp CEO Talks COVID-19 Response with Porthole Cruise
How important is Carnival Corporation to the cruise industry? The conglomerate holds nine of cruising’s most recognizable brands and employs hundreds of thousands of people both here in America and on ships all over the world. That makes CEO of Carnival Corporation Arnold Donald one of the mo
Hotels May Provide Blueprint for Cruise Cleanliness
We’ve all seen articles about what cruising is going to look like in the aftermath of COVID 19. Precautions like doing away with self-service buffets, not filling ships to the max with passengers and even shorter itineraries where the only stops are cruise line private islands are all possibilitie
Carnival Cruise Line Releases Plan To “Phase-In” Service
In a press release this morning, Carnival Cruise Line released their plan to phase-in cruising operations beginning on August 1, 2020. This is the first concrete plan we’ve heard from any cruise line for a return to service. The line also acknowledged that all cruises until that time would be
Cruise Stoppage Costs Alaska $800 Million
The economic toll of COVID 19 on the cruise industry is devastating, but the people of Alaska may be the biggest losers in the whole ordeal. Mike Tibbles, a Cruise Lines International Association Alaska representative, spoke to the Alaska Board of Marine Pilots this week and explained that with the
St. Thomas Eyes June 1st Return for Tourists
In an address to the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands yesterday, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. outlined a five-tier plan to reopen the islands for tourism by June 1, 2020. A stay at home order remains in effect until May 4 when things will begin to ramp up from a business and tourism standpoint.
Could Cruise Lines Make Passengers Wear Masks?
We’re starting to see what travel in a post-Coronavirus world will look like and for JetBlue passengers, that means masks are mandatory for all passengers beginning May 4th. In a press release, JetBlue became the first airline in America to institute a policy requiring face coverings, but chances
NKOTB’s Annual Cruise Goes Virtual
Thousands of New Kids on the Block fans—and the five New Kids themselves—were meant to be aboard the Carnival Conquest right now, sailing towards Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. When the band’s eleventh annual cruise was canceled due to COVID-19—part of the industry-wide pause the coronavirus
Cunard Line Extends Pause in Operations
Citing “the continued impact of COVID 19,” Cunard Line made the decision to pause their voyages further past the initial date of May 15, 2020 previously announced. The line also announced they have cancelled the entire Alaska season and all departures on Queen Elizabeth through
More People Searching for Travel Says CEO of Revelex
For more than 20 years, Revelex has provided a powerful booking engine for dozens of major cruise lines. Company CEO David Goodis has his pulse on not just cruising, but travel as a whole, and he joined Bill Panoff to discuss the state of the industry, what changes he’s seen in digital consumer be
Happy Anniversary, HAL!
Social distancing is making celebrating a little different these days, but we wanted to give a big Happy Birthday shout out to Holland America Line, who turned 147 years old over the weekend! Way back in 1873, the Netherlands-American Steamship Company started sailing goods and people from the Nethe
Bahamian Prime Minister “We Will Not Open Our Beach”
In a nationally broadcast press conference on Sunday, Bahamian Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis spoke to his people about ongoing lockdown protocols to help prevent the spread of COVID 19. The Prime Minister was encouraged by the effectiveness of curfews and other social distancing measu
Holland America Line Extends Temporary Pause
Holland America Line followed suit with sister line Carnival in extending their pause on cruise operations until mid-summer. In a statement yesterday, company President Orlando Ashford explained the extension was due to a number of factors surrounding the COVID 19 pandemic, including the extension o
Carnival Extends Pause on Operations Once More
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a 100 day extension on the no-sail order from earlier in March. The order did leave some wiggle room for a return to cruising before the 100 day period, but as we commented last week, it was highly unlikely that the conditions for a re
CDC Issues Extension On No-Sail Order
In an order filed to the Federal Registry yesterday, the CDC shut down any hope that the cruise industry would return soon, extending the no-sail order for another 100 days. The order also outlines other measures cruise lines must comply with regarding anyone currently on board their ships to keep t
Tortuga Rum Cakes Founder Talks History and Recovery
Some things really make you think of cruising, like Tortuga Rum Cake Company. The Caribbean brand of cakes, sauces, coffee and more was founded by Robert Hamaty and is one of the most recognizable brands from the region. We spoke with Mr. Hamaty from his home in the Cayman Islands to learn more abou
