Cruise Line Forced to Hire Plane for Passengers

Editorial Summary

Doug Parker reports on several developments within the cruise industry, beginning with a legal and logistical issue involving MSC Cruises. Dozens of Bolivian passengers were detained in Barcelona after arriving on the MSC Armonia with invalid visas for the Schengen area. To resolve the situation, the Spanish government announced that the passengers will be returned to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, via a charter jet hired by MSC Cruises. This incident resulted in the ship being held for two days and the cancellation of its subsequent cruise from Rome. In ship construction news, the MSC World America has been successfully floated out at a shipyard in France and is entering its final construction phase. The vessel will feature a new top deck attraction called the Cliffhanger. Additionally, Holland America Line is introducing new concert style production shows, such as Class Act and All That, which follow a jukebox musical format. These entertainment updates began rolling out in February and will continue to be added to various ships. The report concludes with a photo of the Enchanted Princess at Port Everglades and a brief update on cruise line stock performance, noting gains for both Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean.

Written by TripBacon from this video's transcript.