NEWS UPDATE: Traditional Muster Comeback, Luke's & 400 Gradi Debut & I was on Sunrise!

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 P&O Cruises announced this week that two longed for specialty dining experiences have finally opened on the Pacific Adventure. Luke’s Bar & Grill and 400 Gradi both began operations on the ship 3 days ago. The additions bring the Pacific Adventure in to line with the dining offerings on sister ships Explorer and Encounter. Celebrity Chef Luke Mangan was onboard Adventure for the opening, saying that he was pumped to welcome guests into the new Luke’s Bar and Grill experience. Both venues are in my opinion, a dining highlight on the cruise line’s other ships, so I hope and expect that there will be similar love for the restaurants by those who are willing to pay the dining fee to visit onboard Adventure. Norwegian Cruise Line has ruffled feathers by announcing a return to a traditional muster drill process, effective immediately. Social distancing requirements forced cruise lines to rethink the traditional muster process, with most lines introducing digital versions of the emergency drill. Requiring passengers to watch explanatory videos on their stateroom tv or smart device, before proceeding in person to their muster station for a final check off meant that hoards of people weren’t congregating in one spot for an extended period of time. Personally, I’m a huge fan of e-musters or muster 2.0, however you refer to it, as it eliminated a major bottle neck and boating day pain point but quite obviously still met maritime safety requirements. NCL joins Disney Cruise Line in its elimination of muster 2.0, and I can only hope that other major cruise lines don’t follow suit, but time will ultimately tell. Carnival Corporation has confirmed that its Australian based ships, including all of those from P&O Australia, Carnival, Princess, Holland America and Cunard among others will continue with mask requirements but the nature of their use will depend on the length of the voyage. For departures of 10 days or longer, masks are required indoors except for when eating or drinking, whilst on cruises of 9 days or fewer, masks indoors will be recommended as opposed to required. Irrespective of the cruise duration, masks will be required during the entire embarkation and debarkation process. Earlier this week, I was invited to join Sunrise’s weather man, Sam Mac, to chat about cruising and the incredible Quantum Class Ovation of the Seas. Although it went by very quickly, I had a great time and both Sam and his producer Sean helped make me comfortable for the live tv-cross, so thank you both. There are some incredible deals to be had on the Brisbane based Quantum of the Seas for the remainder of this summer season. With a reduction in fares almost across the board and destinations around Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific to choose from, if you’re interested in a departure within the next couple of months, now is the time to act. If you want to learn any more about those deals, you can head to my website www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au where you can search and book a cruise using our search tool, or complete the form to be contacted by my travel agent partner. Thanks for watching!