Grandeur of the Seas Isn’t Going Anywhere

Grandeur of the Seas Isn’t Going Anywhere

Grandeur of the Seas
Royal Caribbean has just confirmed that the Grandeur of the Seas will not be sold.

Built in 1996, the Grandeur, or Lady G as some passengers call her, was planned to be sold to Pullmantur in April of 2021. Since Pullmantur has closed up shop, Royal has decided to keep the Grandeur of the Seas in service.

The Vision Class ship has been calling the port of Baltimore home for many years, currently running Caribbean cruises. We don’t know if she will remain in Baltimore, since she was scheduled to be replaced by sister ship Enchantment of the Seas next year.

No new future sailing dates has been added yet, the last date for the Grandeur is still March 26, 2021. We hope to see new dates added soon!

Grandeur of the Seas in Villefranche
St Kitts and Nevis is Opening their Borders to Cruise Travel

St Kitts and Nevis is Opening their Borders to Cruise Travel

St Kitts Welcomes Cruise Ships
In October, St Kitts and Nevis will be reopening and allowing international travel, including cruise ships. This means that international flights and ships with international passengers can resume operations here. It’s great news for the cruise industry in the US.

The government is working with agencies to make sure the opening of borders will happen safely to make sure there is no risk of COVID-19 outbreaks. Thus far, St Kitts has no cases of the virus.

St Kitts Volcano
Royal Caribbean has already been approved to dock two of their ships at Zante, which will allow 140 crew members to disembark, though they will be required to quarantine for 14 days.

There will be strict health measures in place when the cruise ships eventually return to Basseterre, St Kitts. Even when the borders reopen, it’s not likely too many US ships will be headed there, however; as most cruise lines have suspended operations until at least November. However, UK’s Fred Olsen Cruise Line is now featuring St Kitts in their 2021 and 2022 itineraries.

Ride ATVs in St Kitts
Unfortunately, most other Caribbean destinations are banning cruises until 2021, but we hope this announcement will help get the balls rolling for caribbean cruises to slowly start opening up again. This is definitely a step in the right direction!

Have you ever been to St Kitts and Nevis? What are your favorite Caribbean destinations?

Construction Milestone Reached for MSC Seashore

Construction Milestone Reached for MSC Seashore

More good news from MSC Cruises this week as they have successfully floated out the MSC Seashore. This means the ship has left it’s dry dock and will be headed to a wet dock to finish construction, mostly fitting out the interior spaces.

The MSC Seashore is going to hold 4540 passengers and around 1400 crew members. It’s the longest in MSC’s fleet at 1,112 feet and also the biggest cruise ship ever built in Italy. It’s the next evolution of the MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview.

MSC Seashore Leaving Dry Dock
She will have a wide range of accommodations, featuring more suites than her sister ships. There will be 28 terraced suites, two of them with private whirlpools. The MSC Yacht Club will have 2 new stateroom categories that offer 41 Deluxe Grand Suites and two Owners Suites that will also have whirlpools.

The MSC Seashore will also be great for families and groups, having modular staterooms that you can connect to accommodate six to ten people, also including 75 total accessible staterooms that are larger and more spacious.

MSC Seashore Float Out
She will also offer two brand new restaurants and five specialty restaurants with waterfront seating along the ship’s boardwalk so guests can dine al fresco. Also included will be a two-deck aft lounge, bigger casino and 20 different bars, lounges and cafes. The ship features a new aft pool design, larger indoor pool and an interactive waterpark for guests of all ages. The kids clubs will be in separate areas of the shop so younger and older children will have their own areas.

The MSC Seashore will have her inaugural season in the Western Mediterranean along with other Seaside class ships, starting in the summer of 2021, offering cruises out of Genoa and stopping in Naples, Valletta, Barcelona and Marseille. After that, she will head to Miamin in November of 2021 and offer 7-night Caribbean itineraries including stops at MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

Save up to $350 per person and 60% off 2nd Guest for Royal Caribbean

Save up to $350 per person and 60% off 2nd Guest for Royal Caribbean

The world is full of incredible destinations worth exploring. Like misty rainforests teeming with wildlife. Secluded coves lapped by crystal clear waters. And dazzling coral reefs bursting with color. Book your future getaway now and save up to $350 when you sail in 2021. You’ll also enjoy 60% off your second guest, and bring the whole family because kids sail free*.

If you need to change your plans, that’s okay – Royal Caribbean’s Cruise With Confidence policy allows you to cancel your booking up to 48 hours before you sail, and their Best Price Guarantee ensures you’ll always get the best deal. Come Seek the Royal Caribbean®.

This sale is valid on new bookings only. If you are interested in booking a Royal Caribbean cruise and taking advantage of this deal, contact us now! Hurry, this offer is only available until August 23.

* Up to $200 off applies to new bookings made on 8/21 – 8/23/20. Up to $200 off offers up to $200 up to $200 USD instant savings for select sailings departing on or after 11/1/20. Savings amount is per stateroom and determined by category booked and sailing length: On sailings 5 nights or less, $25 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $75 for Balconies and $75 for Suites; on sailings 6 nights or longer, $50 savings for Interior and Ocean View, $100 for Balconies and $200 for Suites. Instant savings applied as instant rebate to the price of cruise fare at checkout. Instant savings do not apply to China departures. The “Cruise with Confidence” program allows individual guests and guests in non-contracted groups who booked a cruise on or before September 30, 2020, for cruises sailing between June 12, 2020 and April 30, 2022, to opt-in for RCI’s “best price guarantee” on their current sailing, or cancel their cruise up to 48 hours prior to the vacation start date and have the option to either (i) move their booking to an eligible alternate sailing and receive our “best price guarantee” for the re-booked sailing or (ii) receive a Future Cruise Credit equal to the full amount of the cruise fare the guest paid for their cruise. Visit www.royalcaribbean.com/cruisewithconfi dence for complete details. All other NRDB cancelled prior to final payment due date will receive a future cruise credit in the amount of the deposit minus a 100USD/CAD per person service fee. FCC is non-transferable and expires after 12-months from issue date. 100USD/CAD per person service fee applies to changes to NRDB ship or sail date. Deposits made toward Guarantees and Grand Suites and higher categories are non-refundable and are subject to NRD Booking Terms. O er applies to new, individual and named group bookings confirmed at prevailing rates. Off er open to residents of US, Canada, Puerto Rico and select countries in the Caribbean. Changes to the booking may result in removal of the o er. Prices and offers are subject to availability and change without notice, capacity controlled, and may be withdrawn at any time. Refer to www.RoyalCaribbean.com for complete terms and conditions. Royal Caribbean International reserves the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions and to change or update fares, fees and surcharges at any time without prior notice. ©2020 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Ships’ registry: Bahamas. 20074233• 8/17/2020

MSC Cruises resumes sailing!

MSC Cruises resumes sailing!

Looks like MSC Cruises is the first major cruise line to resume operations! Their newest ship, the MSC Grandiosa is about to start sailing around Italy, offering 7-Night Cruises to Genoa, Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples, Palermo, and Valetta.

Currently, these cruises are only available to western European citizens. The ship will have many new safety measures in place such as wearing masks in public areas and social distancing. The destinations they are visiting were selected because they have easy access to reduce crowds when getting on or off the ship.

If all goes well, MSC plans to have Grandiosa’s sister ship, the MSC Magnifica, resume operations starting on August 29th.

There have been some other smaller cruise lines that have been trying to resume, such as AIDA Cruises and Hurtigruten, with mixed results. Fingers crossed that MSC can get things moving again and their passengers can enjoy a great cruise without a hitch!