TUI announces cancellation of restart date

[Saab4444]

15 minutes ago, steamboats said:

 

I saw a news report on RTL where they showed the buffet. You have to stay in a distance and tell the staff what you want. Looked a bit weired and not really practicable... The report was obviouly filmed yesterday in the morning with no pax onboard.

 

I wonder how they will check that elevator rule 😂! I don´t mind... walking the stairs is part of my exercise program on a cruise.

 

steamboats

I believe all this processes and related issues are not different to larger hotels that are back in service. Let‘s hope it works! Hurtigruten has done two 14 day Norway sailings from Hamburg already without bad news.

[little britain]

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/23286-1-200-passengers-are-back-on-a-cruise-ship.html#

[LXA350]

On 7/23/2020 at 3:44 PM, boatseller said:

The 7 cases is more plausible than lack of crew.  What does this mean?

 

It means that the 'success' in Europe is, well, not.  Never was.

 

It means that all these efforts to contain the situation have failed.  Shouldn't surprise anyone.

 

It means that cruising will be just as 'safe' in October, or December, or 2021 as it is now.  Everyone needs to judge their own risk and make plans accordingly.  No one should expect a virus free environment, anywhere, including cruising, even after a vaccine.

 

The way out is through.

 

Excuse me, the crew members were flown in from Asia. The situation in countries in countries such as Germany isn't perfect, but much better handled than in many other countries.

 

It just shows how complex the situation is, starting with bringing back crews to make sure they don't have the virus. Imagine cruising out of a country such as the US, where there is a high likelihood that passengers will bring the virus on board. Hence, no sailing from a US port to be expected before some point in Q1 2021 unless a miracle happens.

[Biker19]

23 hours ago, Germancruiser said:

The first cruise of Mein Schiff 2 left Hamburg six hours ago.

It looks like they did a drive-by last night in Kristiansand - does Germany have foreign port requirements like the US?

[Biker19]

Dup

Edited July 26, 2020 by Biker19

[steamboats]

3 hours ago, Biker19 said:

It looks like they did a drive-by last night in Kristiansand - does Germany have foreign port requirements like the US?

 

No, we don´t have this. It was marked as "technical stop" in the itinerary. The only reason for this "technical stop" is that they want to avoid the VAT although TUI Cruises is basically all inclusive but there are some extra fees for beverages, workshops, fitness classes. The VAT is included in the prices (and not added like on US ships). But let´s say... they can keep the 16% instead of forwarding it to the German tax authorities.

 

BTW AIDA also has a technical stop in non EU waters 😉

 

steamboats

[GarlicBread]

22 hours ago, LXA350 said:

 

 

It just shows how complex the situation is, starting with bringing back crews to make sure they don't have the virus. Imagine cruising out of a country such as the US, where there is a high likelihood that passengers will bring the virus on board. 

 

Exactly this. Right now and for the foreseeable, crew boarding RC ships have to go through a month long quarantine. 

If they're still doing that once guests are back onbaord, crew could potentially be in isolation for a month, only to be infected by the first passenger they interact with....

[sandebeach]

A German member of the RC Casino FB group is on the ship and posted this morning:

Masks in hallways and elevators. Only 4 in one elevator. Social distancing everywhere. Reduced capacity in theater. No test before boarding. Just health questionnaire and daily temperature check. No self service at buffet. But I still love it…… 

they have cameras with temperature checks. Use them when you go to breakfast. Smoking is allowed in the casino. But on this ship they have only a very small casino. Germans don’t gamble so much.

[Kbonner]

On 7/24/2020 at 4:14 PM, steamboats said:

10 crew members of AIDA have been tested postive. All crew member arrived with charter flights by AIDA. Affected are the ships AIDAblu and AIDAmar which are both in the port of Rostock. AIDA expect both ships to sail as scheduled (Aug 12th and 16th).

 

Currently they are waiting for a second test to confirm the first one. But all crew members were tested when going onboard and went into isolation until the results came back.

 

They are now tracing how the crew members got infected as all were negative when they boarded the planes. And all have been in quarantine prior to the flight.

 

steamboats

Well,

rumors started here yesterday , that crew from certain places in Asia bribed the test people before  departing / boarding the planes with 50$ 

and - oh wonder- miraculously got tested positive when they had their arrival screening in Europe.........

[steamboats]

1 hour ago, Kbonner said:

Well,

rumors started here yesterday , that crew from certain places in Asia bribed the test people before  departing / boarding the planes with 50$ 

and - oh wonder- miraculously got tested positive when they had their arrival screening in Europe.........

 

Rumors are rumors... They all knew that they will be tested again prior to boarding. So bribing the test people in Manila doesn´t get them any farther.

 

steamboats

Edited July 26, 2020 by steamboats

[Milwaukee Eight]

2 hours ago, Kbonner said:

Well,

rumors started here yesterday , that crew from certain places in Asia bribed the test people before  departing / boarding the planes with 50$ 

and - oh wonder- miraculously got tested positive when they had their arrival screening in Europe.........

Rumors run wild here. 
 

M8

[Kbonner]

1 hour ago, steamboats said:

 

Rumors are rumors... They all knew that they will be tested again prior to boarding. So bribing the test people in Manila doesn´t get them any farther.

 

steamboats

Yes it does. Appr. by 8000km

[jg51]

To help relative newcomers to Royal Caribbean / Celebrity Cruises (i.e., since the end of 2011) -- and to bring old-timers up-to-date on some things that may have evaded their notice:

 

Two cruise ships are prominently mentioned in several posts, above -- Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2.   These are ships managed by the German cruise line, "TUI Cruises," which is partially owned by the Royal Caribbean Group.  As may surprise some RCI / X old-timers -- they are newly built ships (2018 and 2019, respectively).

 

The new "Mein Schiff 1" and "Mein Schiff 2" replaced a pair of sister ships that used to have the same names -- and those two old ships used to be part of the Celebrity fleet!  Here is a quick breakdown of the old ships' histories, from their building to the present:

 

FIRST SHIP:

~~~  1996 to 2009: (Celebrity) Galaxy

~~~  2010 to 2018: Mein Schiff [then Mein Schiff 1]

~~~  2018 to present: Marella Explorer (in fleet of Thomson Cruises [of Great Britain]) ...

~~~ [According to one online site, Thomson is hoping to resume use of this ship for Mediterranean cruising in October.]

 

SECOND SHIP:

~~~ 1997 to 2011: (Celebrity) Mercury

~~~ 2011 to 2019: (Mein Schiff 2)

~~~ 2020: (renamed Mein Schiff Herz [German for My Ship Heart]) ...

~~~ [Although it is difficult to know if current, online information (July 26 PM) is accurate, this ship is allegedly about nine days into a 14-night, one-way cruise -- originally intended to be from Valletta, Malta, to Malaga, Spain.  Other online info places the ship's current location as "approaching Tenerife, Canary Islands" -- which would indicate that it is way off course from its itinerary!  Someone will undoubtedly clarify this little mystery soon.  (We hope that the "Herz" did not begin to have medical problems, causing it to be unable to land, as planned, at Sete, France (July 26), Barcelona, Spain (July 27), Ibiza, Balearic Islands (July 28), Alicante, Spain (July 29), and Malaga, Spain (July 31).]

[Speedbird01]

2 hours ago, jg51 said:

 [Although it is difficult to know if current, online information (July 26 PM) is accurate, this ship is allegedly about nine days into a 14-night, one-way cruise -- originally intended to be from Valletta, Malta, to Malaga, Spain.  Other online info places the ship's current location as "approaching Tenerife, Canary Islands" -- which would indicate that it is way off course from its itinerary!  Someone will undoubtedly clarify this little mystery soon.  (We hope that the "Herz" did not begin to have medical problems, causing it to be unable to land, as planned, at Sete, France (July 26), Barcelona, Spain (July 27), Ibiza, Balearic Islands (July 28), Alicante, Spain (July 29), and Malaga, Spain (July 31).]

 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2020 by Speedbird01

[Speedbird01]

That is very informative as I, for one was somewhat confused with the references to Mein Schiffs.

One thing however, according to my resources Mein Schiff 2 (hertz) is about at Hamburg or will be very shortly.

 

[twins_to_alaska]

Miami Herald...

 

Ten crew members on German-based ships slated to begin cruises in August have tested positive for COVID-19.

The AIDA-brand cruise ships are owned by Miami-based Carnival Corporation.

The crew members had recently flown to Germany from their home countries in Asia to begin working on the ships, local media reported. After testing negative in their home countries, they then tested negative again in Germany. Shortly after boarding the ships, docked in Rostock, Germany, they tested positive.

Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article244474032.html#storylink=cpy

[Saab4444]

1 hour ago, Speedbird01 said:

That is very informative as I, for one was somewhat confused with the references to Mein Schiffs.

One thing however, according to my resources Mein Schiff 2 (hertz) is about at Hamburg or will be very shortly.

 

The new and current Mein Schiff 2 is currently cruising from Hamburg with guests. The former Mein Schiff 2, former Celebrity Mercury and now Mein Schiff Herz is around the Canary Islands without guests.

[Saab4444]

16 minutes ago, twins_to_alaska said:

Miami Herald...

 

Ten crew members on German-based ships slated to begin cruises in August have tested positive for COVID-19.

The AIDA-brand cruise ships are owned by Miami-based Carnival Corporation.

The crew members had recently flown to Germany from their home countries in Asia to begin working on the ships, local media reported. After testing negative in their home countries, they then tested negative again in Germany. Shortly after boarding the ships, docked in Rostock, Germany, they tested positive.

Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article244474032.html#storylink=cpy

Yes, this are old news from the beginning of this thread, However, Aida sailings in August are still on as scheduled.

[jg51]

25 minutes ago, Saab4444 said:

The new and current Mein Schiff 2 is currently cruising from Hamburg with guests. The former Mein Schiff 2, former Celebrity Mercury and now Mein Schiff Herz is around the Canary Islands without guests.

 

Thanks, "Saab4444," for  posting one clarification for "Speedbird01" (the two ships' names) and another clarification for us (the "empty" status of Herz).  We were not aware that Herz had no guests, because that was not mentioned on the pages we read (including pages at the TUI site).

[sandebeach]

9 hours ago, sandebeach said:

A German member of the RC Casino FB group is on the ship and posted this morning:

Masks in hallways and elevators. Only 4 in one elevator. Social distancing everywhere. Reduced capacity in theater. No test before boarding. Just health questionnaire and daily temperature check. No self service at buffet. But I still love it…… 

 

they have cameras with temperature checks. Use them when you go to breakfast. Smoking is allowed in the casino. But on this ship they have only a very small casino. Germans don’t gamble so much.

 

Here are some pictures he posted. 

[Covepointcruiser]

Looks wonderful, I would love to sail with some social distancing.   Glad a large cruise liner finally sailed with passengers.

[Biker19]

Meanwhile, in Asia:

 

Festivities in Keelung on Sunday marked Dream Cruises' return to service with short sailings from Taiwan for the local market.

These island-hopping getaways include Peng Hu, Matsu Island and Kinmen as well as Hualien.

 

Hope for the global cruise industry

 

'It is a great honor for Genting Cruise Lines to continue its long and fruitful partnership with Taiwan which began over 20 years ago, as we begin on the road to recovery together due to the COVID-19 pandemic and which will bring hope to the global cruise industry as well,' said Kent Zhu, president of Genting Cruise Lines.

 

He acknowledged support from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the Ministry of Health & Welfare, the Ministry of the Interior, the city of Keelung's advocacy and that of travel partners.

 

Potential for cruise 'bubbles' with other places where virus under control 

 

'The restarting of the cruise industry is a remarkable achievement which was made possible by the Taiwan authorities’ swift and effective handling of the COVID-19 crisis and their foresight in resuming the tourism industry to benefit all the ports, the economy and the lifestyle of the people of Taiwan,' Zhu added.

'Looking forward, we believe the development of cruise "bubbles" between Taiwan and neighboring regions that also have their pandemic situation under control, such as the outlying islands of Japan, can further initiate the next phase in the re-establishment of international tourism and spur the economic recovery for a post COVID-19 world.'

 

Taiwanese food and drink

 

Explorer Dream's cruises will feature Taiwanese specialties thanks to collaboration with the Council of Agriculture to provide local produce and a new order-to-home service for their '2020 Top 100 Premium Agricultural Products' on the ship. Additionally, local brands available on board include Sharetea, Taihu Beer, Tien Hsia San Chueh Noodle Cuisine, Formosa Chang, SunnyHills and Mark’s Teppanyaki from Marriott Taipei, for everything from bubble tea to local craft beer and popular Taiwanese dishes.

 

Flexi-Feast dining allows people to spread out

The new Flexi-Feast dining concept allows a customized dining experience by giving a wider choice of venues and the opportunity to dine at leisure. As well, Flexi-Feast will ease bottlenecks at certain venues to provide better social distancing by seating guests across all restaurants instead of concentrating on a few outlets where dining is included in the fare.

 

Dream Ambassadors

Local travel experts have been recruited as Dream Ambassadors to offer assistance and guidance to travelers in their native language.

 

Preparations to resume sailing included outbreak simulation drill

Over the past months, Genting Cruise Lines examined and enhanced its health, hygiene and operating protocols. Actions included working with DNV GL to become the first cruise operator to achieve the classification society's Certification in Infection Prevention for the Marine Industry.

 

In accordance with Taiwan’s regulations, Explorer Dream crew completed a total of 21 days of isolation and tested negative for COVID-19. The ship also underwent a deep cleaning following EU standards. The crew participated in an outbreak simulation drill under the guidance of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and with consultation by medical experts from the Taiwan Public Health Association.

 

[Biker19]

^ Explorer Dream is about the same size (though 20 years older) as Mein Schiff 2, which is already docked for her turn around day.

 

RCI has yet to push back its planned mid August sailings of Spectrum and Ovation.

Edited July 27, 2020 by Biker19

[Biker19]

From Explorer Dream:

 

 

[Kbonner]

Here is a video from yesterday when MeinSchiff2 with 1200 pax onboard was greeted by sister ships MeinSchiff 4 and 6 in German Bight

 

 

Edited July 27, 2020 by Kbonner