Cruise Line Starts Moving Casinos to Smoke-Free

Editorial Summary

Doug Parker reports on several developments within the cruise industry, beginning with a policy shift at MSC Cruises. The company has implemented a ban on smoking in the casinos of the MSC Euribia and MSC Virtuosa. To accommodate smokers, MSC has established separate smoking casino areas near sports bars on the MSC Seascape and MSC Seashore. This change reflects a wider industry trend toward non-smoking casino environments seen on lines such as Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Carnival, Celebrity, and Virgin Voyages. In other news, Royal Caribbean announced that its upcoming Oasis class ship, Utopia of the Seas, will enter service earlier than originally planned. The cruise line is offering guests booked on the original inaugural sailing the option to move to the new three-night inaugural sailing. Utopia of the Seas will operate out of Port Canaveral with itineraries to the Bahamas starting this summer. Additionally, the SS United States faces potential eviction from its Philadelphia pier due to unpaid dock fees totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. A federal judge is expected to decide the fate of the retired ocean liner, with concerns that eviction could lead to the vessel being scrapped. Finally, the report notes that cruise line stocks, including Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian, saw increases on Wednesday.

Written by TripBacon from this video's transcript.