TUI announces cancellation of restart date

[Nami]

8 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Both Mein Schiff 1 & 2 are in Turku Finland today and 2 is probably close enough to the Meyer shipyard to get a glimpse of Icon under construction.

 

Both Mein Schiff 1 & 2 cruised near to Meyer Turku Shipyard and sounded ship horns. That was nice.

 

You can see it on this Video

Edited August 11, 2020 by Nami

[livingonthebeach]

7 hours ago, Nami said:

 

Both Mein Schiff 1 & 2 cruised near to Meyer Turku Shipyard and sounded ship horns. That was nice.

 

You can see it on this Video

 

Beautiful!  Thanks for sharing!

[little britain]

Viking have cancelled all river and ocean cruises until the end of 2020.

 

All eyes 👀 now on MSC Grandiosa resuming sailing this Sunday 

Edited August 13, 2020 by little britain

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, little britain said:

All eyes 👀 now on MSC Grandiosa resuming sailing this Sunday 

Looks like Magnifica's out to get some fresh air before returning to port.

Edited August 13, 2020 by Biker19

[Biker19]

While we're talking about different cruise lines, I noticed the P&O Iona is out for her sea trials, again. She's one of the first LNG ships built at Meyer Wreft. I assume handover will happen soon.

[Dermotsgirl]

2 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

While we're talking about different cruise lines, I noticed the P&O Iona is out for her sea trials, again. She's one of the first LNG ships built at Meyer Wreft. I assume handover will happen soon.

The handover has been announced as ‘before autumn’. But no confirmed date as yet 

[little britain]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

Looks like Magnifica's out to get some fresh air before returning to port.

Or is she heading round to the other side of Italy? MSC Magnifica will offer seven-night cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean departing from the Italian ports of Bari and Trieste and calling at the Greek ports of Corfu, Katakolon and Piraeus from 29 August. 

Edited August 13, 2020 by little britain

[livingonthebeach]

3 hours ago, little britain said:

Viking have cancelled all river and ocean cruises until the end of 2020.

 

All eyes 👀 now on MSC Grandiosa resuming sailing this Sunday 

 

Let's hope there are no glitches and mishaps and their safety plan successful.  I have my doubts on some things:
 

"Leonardo Massa, MSC's Italy country manager, told CNN that the security procedures to access the ship will be threefold. Passengers will need to fill out a form and have their temperature taken followed by an immunofluorescence test to detect the potential for the virus. If they pass that test, they can then check in and get their cruise card.

 

 

Once on board, Massa says restrictions will be enforced.

"We do not want to distort life on board, but we will guarantee that social distancing will continue," he told CNN. "We have over 100 sanitizers and a new air conditioning system."

Each passenger will have to have their temperature checked daily. "The level of attention will remain particularly high."

Port excursions will be for passengers only and all drivers and guides will have to be tested for Covid-19."

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/mediterranean-cruises-back-covid-19/index.html

 

Not sure filling out a form and temperature checks will be very effective. 

[Sunshine3601]

Temperature checks are not going to do anything as asymptomatic people dont get a fever.

[livingonthebeach]

49 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Temperature checks are not going to do anything as asymptomatic people dont get a fever.

 

Exactly.  It might help weed out some symptomatic people with fevers but it isn't the magic bullet.  Testing isn't either as there are delays in getting results coupled with false positives and negatives.  Back to square one....

[livingonthebeach]

Except for a brief delay in restarting the MS1, TUI seems to have gotten things right so far.  MS6 is to start offering round trip sailings from Crete and expanded port excursions in September.  The CV-19 test is included in the fare.  

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/23375-tui-to-add-mein-schiff-6-back-in-september-cruising-from-crete.html

[steamboats]

All passengers of TUI Cruises need a PCR-Test for cruises starting in September. Tests are included in the fare. No mention how they will do this.

 

steamboats

[Biker19]

17 hours ago, little britain said:

Or is she heading round to the other side of Italy? 

Not yet, she's back in Genoa next to Grandiosa.

[Biker19]

19 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

MS6 is to start offering round trip sailings from Crete and expanded port excursions in September. 

Looks like MS5 is heading to Malta (along with MS3), where she's supposed to start 2 weeks after MS6. At current pace, Tui will have more than 1/2 its fleet running by the end of next month. Turn around day today for MS1 and 2.

Edited August 14, 2020 by Biker19

[Biker19]

On 8/8/2020 at 10:01 AM, Saab4444 said:

They are negotiating with Norway if the next three planned trips in August may go to Norway as scheduled. 

Looks like Tui needs more negotiating as Mein Schiff 2 is heading to Stockholm again this week.

[steamboats]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Looks like Tui needs more negotiating as Mein Schiff 2 is heading to Stockholm again this week.

 

Norway extended the ban for another week. So they can´t go for a total of 3 weeks (with one down already).

 

steamboats

[sgmn]

19 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Looks like MS5 is heading to Malta (along with MS3)

Malta's rate of infection has increased by 105% since last week according to a BBC article I was just reading. From today the UK has included it in the list of countries that will require quarantine on arrival back in UK 

[Biker19]

 

[Biker19]

@John&LaLa is the artist at about 3:15 in this video one of the RCI regulars?

 

 

[Biker19]

There's a lengthy review with lots of pics of a 3 night Explorer Dream sailing out of Taiwan here: https://dreamcatcafe.com/dream-cruises-4-days-trip/?fbclid=IwAR0X_AJYbvAZLNcW_sacrm50ve-S8cIo43peXbFAch6Q2hO7JsEp2Ztag-Y

[Biker19]

Day 3 VLOG from Dario:

 

 

[little britain]

MSC Grandiosa has started boarding her first passengers - 1000 today in Genoa, 1000 tomorrow in Civitavecchia and 500 in both Naples and Palermo so she will be at 50% capacity 

Edited August 16, 2020 by little britain

[Saab4444]

32 minutes ago, little britain said:

MSC Grandiosa has started boarding her first passengers - 1000 today in Genoa, 1000 tomorrow in Civitavecchia and 500 in both Naples and Palermo so she will be at 50% capacity 

3000 is 50% capacity? 

[sandebeach]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

MSC Grandiosa has started boarding her first passengers - 1000 today in Genoa, 1000 tomorrow in Civitavecchia and 500 in both Naples and Palermo so she will be at 50% capacity 

The MSC Unofficial Fan Club FB page has been posting pictures of the passengers boarding and on another site an Italian lady has posted a video of her arriving in her cabin. I wish them well!

[little britain]

2 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

3000 is 50% capacity? 

Capacity: : 4,842 (double occupancy); 6,334 (maximum); so it depends which number you look at! 

Edited August 16, 2020 by little britain