NEWS UPDATE: Oasis Class for Eden? Travel Insurance Required for Fiji, Princess COVID Policy & more!

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 Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: www.facebook.com/thecruiseandtravelguy www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy Support the channel with a slogan tee: https://thecruiseandtravelguy.myshopify.com Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au Despite being one of the first of the large cruise lines to return to service after the start of the pandemic, Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess is only just getting back to sailing with passengers. Her return means that the entire Princess Cruises fleet is once again in operation. The ship will sail out of San Diego and offer cruises to destinations like Mexico and Hawaii until March 2023, when she will reposition to Japan to resume cruising within the Asian market. Princess Cruises Australia has updated their Covid cancellation policy, noting that passengers with covid concerns can cancel their booking, provided the cruise departs before 31 December this year, and transfer all monies to an existing or new future booking. Alternatively, passengers can receive a future cruise credit for the value of any cancellation fees incurred, to be used on a cruise departing by June 1st 2024, as long as it’s booked by June 1st 2023. The updated policy comes on the back of heightened case numbers on land and of course, in ships. Fiji has joined New Caledonia in requiring all guests onboard a cruise ship to hold international travel insurance. Guests on itineraries sailing to either country must have a printed copy of their certificate of insurance clearly showing that coverage has been purchased for both cruise and COVID. Where a cruise is scheduled to visit ports in either country, proof of insurance will be requested at check in, and guests may be requested to show proof during the course of the voyage. Cruise lines reserve the right to deny boarding to anyone not holding a suitable policy. Travel insurance is always recommended for any cruise, as even on domestic voyages, medical care provided onboard is not covered by Medicare. The NSW Port Authority is seeking to modify the wharf infrastructure and use in the south coast town of Eden. In a scoping report prepared in March this year, the Port Authority detailed its proposal for modifications to the wharf that would enable an Oasis Class ship to berth in the town. The modifications would involve the construction of a marine dolphin to allow for the safe berthing of such a sizeable ship, as well as a catwalk to aid in passenger movement. As well, the proposal seeks to remove the current cap of 60 cruise ship visits per year. Instead, the Port Authority is proposing an unrestricted number of vessel visits to the wharf, with those vessels able to remain at the berth 24 hours a day, seven days a week. An Environmental Assessment Report will be lodged to the Department of Planning and Environment this year, and a final assessment and determination by the Department is estimated to take place in late 2023. The proposed wharf upgrade is yet another step in the right direction for the eventual arrival of an Oasis Class ship to our region, though I think have a good few years to go before we see one in local waters. Although the Ovation of the Seas was denied access to Mystery Island on November 12th, citing repair delays to the island’s pier, P&O’s Pacific Adventure and her guests were welcomed to the island on November 18th. The ship’s arrival marked the first cruise ship visit to the island in over 2 years and helps to kick off a more comprehensive return to South Pacific cruising. There are many more planned visits to the island by both P&O and other Australian based cruise lines and I look forward to seeing Mystery Island myself in just a few weeks time. Thanks for watching, and see you soon!