NEWS UPDATE: Royal Cancels Australian Summer, Announces NEW Domestic Season | Cruise Mask Mandate

Join my private Facebook group for cruise deals, tips and advice - the more members we have, the better we’ll get! www.facebook.com/groups/CTGdeals Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: www.facebook.comn/thecruiseandtravelguy www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy As has been widely reported and shared this week, Royal Caribbean finally pulled the plug on the scheduled Australian summer cruise season. All sailings on both Ovation of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas from Sydney, between October and April next year were cancelled. I’m sure many of you, like me, are not surprised by the cancellations, with the Quantum of the Seas Brisbane season cancellation giving us a preview of what was to come. Unlike the Quantum cancellation though, Royal Caribbean have offered guests affected by this new round of suspension the option of Lift and Shift, where they are able to move their cruise to select voyages over the 2022/2023 summer season with price protection. In addition, affected guests can choose between a full refund or a future cruise certificate worth 125% of payments made towards the cruise fare on the cancelled voyage. However, as I suspected and had previously mentioned on this channel, Royal Caribbean went one step further, and in the shadow of the cancellations, they launched an entirely new exclusively Australian domestic cruise season. The new season sails from Sydney onboard Ovation of the Seas kicking off on December 13th this year, and ending on March 31st 2022. The scheduled voyages are focused on Australian destinations, and curiously the entire range of cruises offered between December and the end of January sail only within NSW. This could be a sign that some discussion has taken place behind the scenes giving Royal Caribbean faith that the state of NSW will allow domestic cruising to resume earlier than other states, or it could be Royal Caribbean simply taking a bet and hoping for the best. To date, the Australian government has failed to include cruising in its four phase roadmap to normality despite constant pressure from industry body, CLIA. There has certainly been a lot of chatter across social media about the new season, as some of the pricing is ah, a little eye watering. Perhaps a combination of pent up demand, the high travel season and limited sailing capacity has lead to inflated prices, but many would agree they’re a touch on the high side. To that end, during Royal Caribbean’s second quarter earnings call, the company estimated that they would finally return to a cashflow positive position within about six months. This would be helped along no doubt by the company’s confirmation that their entire fleet will be operational come the arrival of the northern hemisphere’s spring season. Royal Caribbean have also called for entries into their volunteer cruise sweepstakes. The cruises will be offered to members of the crown and anchor loyalty program, with each registered member given the chance to win a cruise. The simulation cruises have been prepared in accordance with CDC rules and the offer is available exclusively to residents of the United States. Each member enters only once, but depending on your status level, you may receive additional entries. In the wake of a rising case numbers in the USA, Carnival, Holland America, Princess and Royal Caribbean have all reviewed their onboard safety protocols for US departures. In the weeks ahead, all guests whether vaccinated or not, will require a PCR or antigen test 72 hours before boarding day and will need to supply proof of a negative result before boarding. Additionally, masks will be required in most, if not all indoor areas except when eating or drinking. And to round out cruise news for this week, according to the August 2021 edition of the Cruise Ships in Service Report by Cruise Industry News, there will be 190 cruise ships representing 65 brands operational this month. Surely that’s a fantastic sign of things to come. Thanks for watching, and see you soon!