Holland America Line has put a slew of cruises on sale during a limited-time offer that combines discounted fares with onboard credits, lower deposits, and other bonus perks on select voyages.
Dubbed the Summer Savings Event, the promotion was launched on June 4, 2024 and is valid on bookings made no later than June 28, 2024.
The cruise line is offering the incentives on certain departures between June 2024 and May 2025, including on its popular Collectors’ Voyages and on Alaska cruises during the remainder of the current summer season.
Holland America Cruise Ship at Glacier Bay (Photo Credit: Ken Schulze / Shutterstock)
Under the offer, guests can receive up to a 40% reduction in cruise fares, and onboard credits up to $100 per cabin. Also, deposits are reduced by 50% and the third and fourth guests in the same stateroom sail free.
Onboard credits can be used for specialty dining venues, shore excursions, spa treatments, beverages, and other purchases. The offer is for $25 per person, up to $100 total.
“Whether travellers are looking to cruise this summer or into next year, our robust Summer Savings Event is a great time to book, especially for families and group getaways taking advantage of the third and fourth guest free perk,” said Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer for Holland America Line.
“The Summer Savings Event features itineraries in nearly all the places we visit around the world and even includes some of our longer voyages,” added Bodensteiner.
Upcoming voyages that are included in the promotion feature a total of 500-plus sailings, along with Alaska Cruisetours, which combine a 7-night cruise with a multi-day land tour.
During the summer of 2024, Holland America Line has six ships deployed to Alaska: Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Westerdam, and Zaandam.
Cruisers who take advantage of the new booking incentives on Alaska sailings will enjoy the line’s newly launched “Glacier Day” program, a series of activities and events designed to enhance the viewing of glaciers.
The programming features commentary and presentations by Glacier Bay National Park rangers and Native American cultural representatives, special viewing stations with information about the glaciers, and glacier-inspired food and cocktails served on the observation decks.
Every Holland America Line Alaska cruise features a visit to at least one glacier destination, including Glacier Bay National Park, Hubbard Glacier, Dawes Glacier, and the Twin Sawyer Glaciers of Tracy Arm. Shore excursions provide additional chances to see glaciers up close, specifically the Mendenhall and Portage glaciers.
Promotion Features Caribbean, Canada, Asia Sailings
The promotion is also valid on certain Canada/New England and Caribbean sailings in the fall of 2024, along with voyages farther afield, such as the 53-day Majestic Japan cruise.
Among the select voyages is a 14-day Eastern/Western Caribbean on Nieuw Amsterdam, sailing roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 10, 2024.
Holland America in Alaska (Photo Credit: EWY Media)
The ship will feature port calls at Nassau, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; Costa Maya, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Half Moon Cay, the line’s private island in the Bahamas. The cruise can be booked as a 7-day sailing, too, since the ship returns to Florida mid-way during the voyage. With no repeating port calls, the itinerary is ideal for those seeking a longer at-sea vacation.
Regardless of destination or itinerary, all Holland America Line ships will entice guests with the line’s Global Fresh Fish program, which was launched in 2023.
With its network of local seafood providers at ports across the globe, the cruise line has become a pioneer in fresh fish cuisine, all sourced sustainably.
In fact, the line recently received two prestigious awards — one each from the Marine Stewardship Council and Aquaculture Stewardship Council, recognizing its high standards for responsibly sourced seafood.
Less than a week after announcing a few days’ delay to the launch of its new ship Odyssey, Villa Vie Residences has delayed the ship’s debut yet again. This leaves passengers scrambling as the ship is now not expected to set sail until June 15. This adds up to nearly a month of delays for Odyssey‘s launch.
The latest delay for the much-anticipated Odyssey is apparently due to a the rudder stocks requiring replacement before the ship can be certified to sail. Rudder stocks are a critical component that facilitates the movement of the rudder for navigation. If the stocks fail, the ship would be unable to turn efficiently.
Now, the ship is scheduled to depart from the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast on June 15. In the meantime, Villa Vie Residences is searching for alternatives for passengers, arranging accommodations, meals, and even tours to ensure their comfort and enjoyment before they are able to board their cruise.
Villa Vie Odyssey Cruise Ship (Photo Courtesy: Villa Vie Residences)
Reactions are mixed to this delay. Committed passengers are both pleased that the cruise line is ensuring the ship’s peak condition before setting sail on such a lengthy voyage but are also growing concerned about the vessel’s overall seaworthiness as more issues are discovered.
While new to the cruise line and the residential cruise concept, Odyssey is not a new ship by any means. The vessel was initially built in 1993 for the now-defunct Crown Cruise Line, and has changed ownership many times over the past 31 years. She has been operated by Cunard Line, Majesty Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Commodore Cruise Line, and most recently, by Fred Olsen Cruises.
Odyssey has not welcomed guests since March 2020, when she was evacuated for the industry-wide pandemic shutdown. Fred Olsen Cruises put the ship up for sale in November 2022, and she was purchased by Villa Vie Residences in December 2023.
Latest in a Series of Delays
The ship has been undergoing a massive renovation and refit to return her luxury and prepare for this unprecedented world cruise residence concept. The multi-million dollar transformation officially began on April 28, 2024, and was initially scheduled to leave dry dock on May 21.
That debut date was pushed back to May 30, however, when the refurbishment took longer than expected. The cruise line is taking great care to ensure that passengers have the ultimate in luxury experiences from day one, and prefers to ensure the readiness of the vessel rather than potentially rushing upgrades.
Villa Vie Odyssey During Dry Dock (Photo Courtesy: Villa Vie Residences)
At the end of May, another short delay was announced. That delay was due to “issues with the steelwork in one of our grey water tanks” that affects how the ship is able to process wastewater. Only a few days were needed to correct that issue, and the ship was to have left dry dock on June 3.
Delays of a new ship are not uncommon, whether for new-build vessels or extensive renovations. Because safety is always the top priority for any cruise line, it is certainly best if any issues are discovered before guests are onboard.
This can be especially critical for the 24,344-gross-ton Odyssey, which is scheduled for a 3.5 year voyage that will be visiting many remote ports of call. While these destinations can be phenomenal, they are also far from dry dock or shipyard facilities that might be able to quickly accommodate the vessel for unexpected repairs.
In this case, it is certainly best for Villa Vie Residences to ensure Odyssey is in tip-top shape, even if this means some initial delays or rearranging of the ship’s early schedule. With guests about to embark on such a phenomenal journey, delays at the beginning are far preferable over potentially returning to dry dock after setting sail.
Some travelers live and breathe for cruising. They count down the days until their next cruise. They know their favorite ships like the backs of their hands.
They’ve convinced everyone in their family and friend circle to go on a cruise with them — and maybe even converted a few to the cruising lifestyle as well.
For many of these avid cruisers, cruising comes with special little traditions that first-time cruisers can find a bit odd or unusual. Here are 10 of the weirdly wonderful things that you might see passengers doing on cruise ships (you might even want to get in on the fun and try some of these activities yourself!).
If it hasn’t been that long since you were in college, or if you have a younger family member currently in college, you might be familiar with the habit of decorating your dorm door to reflect your personality and make it easier for your friends to find you.
Some schoolteachers do something similar with their classroom doors, decking them out with themes and fun décor that helps students identify their classroom.
Well, some cruisers have taken this concept and adapted it for the cruise ship. They’ll bring along all sorts of gear, from professionally printed banners to craft supplies, to decorate their doors with a specific theme, whether that be a cruise-specific theme (like if they’re cruising for someone’s birthday or a similar special event) or just something that makes their cabin door easy to recognize in a sea of identical cabin doors.
It’s worth noting, though, that while this is a very fun tradition for some, it does come with a small safety risk. If you put your photo on your door’s exterior, you’re essentially advertising where you’re staying.
Think of it like announcing your hotel room number to an entire crowded bar. Anyone could show up at your door! To stay safe, always check who’s knocking before you answer your cabin door, and don’t let strangers into your cabin.
Hiding Rubber Ducks
You might be aware of the trend among Jeep owners, of placing rubber ducks on other owners’ parked Jeeps, as they come across them in the wild. No need to know the owner. Just stealthily place a rubber duck on the Jeep, as a surprise for the owner to come back to. More likely than not, the owner will show off their duck on social media with a hashtag.
Cruisers do something similar, hiding rubber ducks throughout the ship for other cruisers to find. Ducks can be classic, yellow, plastic ducks, or they can be themed or even homemade.
The ducks will feature a small tag that informs curious spotters what the duck is for and what hashtag to use if the finder wants to post a photo of the duck on social media — and that’s pretty much the basics of the game.
You bring ducks with you on-board. You label the duck with a name, cruise ship and sail date, and the hashtag #cruisingducks, with a paper tag tied around the duck’s neck or a printed sticker on the duck’s bottom.
Many also often label the ducks as “Keep or Hide, You Decide,” meaning that the finder can hide the duck again, or keep the duck, to add to a personal collection. Then, you hide the ducks.
Keep the ducks out of the water — so pools, hot tubs or anywhere that the duck could fall into the ocean, like on a railing — and don’t place them in retail spaces. Otherwise, have fun, both hiding your own ducks and looking for others!
Displaying Upside-Down Pineapples and Pink Flamingoes
For many, a cruise is a time to let loose. Let your hair down. Release your inhibitions. For some, that means taking a little break from monogamy — and that’s where upside-down pineapples and pink flamingoes come in.
Upside down Pineapple
While the former is a more well-known symbol, both are used to show other cruisers you’re interested in a little swinging and partner-swapping during your trip. You can display the symbols as part of your cabin door décor, or you can wear them on your clothing or as accessories.
So, if that’s something you’re into, go ahead and display your upside-down pineapple or pink flamingo proudly; you might just get lucky. If, though, that’s not exactly how you roll, maybe leave the pink flamingo-printed Hawaiian shirt at home.
Wearing Matching T-Shirts
For group cruises, wearing matching t-shirts is basically a must. Typically, one of the group cruise organizers will organize this well in advance, getting everyone’s sizes, designing a shirt and then ordering and distributing the shirts for everyone to wear throughout the cruise.
Matching T-Shirts on Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Aleksandar_Markov)
Shirts often just display the group’s name or the event for which they’re sailing, such as “Grandma Smith’s 90th Birthday Cruise!” Some might include a fun little slogan or saying. It’s totally up to the group; however, all the t-shirts are identical.
So, if you start seeing multiple people all wearing the same shirt, and start to think you might be losing your mind, you’re not.
(And it’s not just matching t-shirts that are a thing; some go all out and do matching outfits as well, including matching-themed outfits, like costumes that all follow the same general theme!)
Going on a Cabin Crawl
Forget the bar crawl! Go on a cabin crawl!
Cabin crawls serve multiple purposes. They allow everyone staying in the cabins to socialize, but then they also allow avid cruisers to see various different cabins and suites on the ship.
Cabin crawls can be organized among groups but, more often than not, they’re organized among strangers that happen to be taking the same cruise.
For example, avid cruisers will all be in the same Facebook group or on the same forum, and they might see who all will be on an upcoming cruise, and then someone will arrange the crawl, taking everyone in the group from one cabin to the next, to meet each other, see the cabins and socialize (with much of the actual socializing saved for one of the larger suites that has space to hold everyone).
Again, while, like some cabin decorations, this trend does come with a slight safety risk — you’re letting complete strangers into your private space — a little awareness will go a long way to mitigate that.
Participating in Roll Calls
Along these lines, while you might not participate in a cabin crawl, you still might find it worthwhile to participate in a cruise ship roll call. This is just where, as alluded above, a group of avid cruisers will connect with others who are going to be on the ship, such as in a forum or in a Facebook group.
There, they’ll compare notes and plans for the cruise, and make plans to meet up and do something fun together, during the cruise.
Collecting Towel Animals
It’s not uncommon on a cruise to come back to your stateroom to see that it’s been cleaned while you were out, and that the attendant left behind a cute little towel expertly folded and shaped into an animal.
Carnival Cruise Line Towel Animals
For some, coming back to find what towel animal’s been left behind on any certain day is a highlight, so much so that they set the animals aside, not using the towels, collecting a little menagerie as the days go on.
Of course, you can’t actually collect the towel animals and take them home with you. That would be theft. However, you can collect them up until the day of your departure, and snap a photo of your zoo before you head out.
Walking Around the Ship in a Robe
This is probably less of a tradition and more of just a slightly weird habit. However, if it makes your day, go for it. Some cruisers just want to experience their cruise in ultimate comfort, and that means wearing their robe all day, every day, no matter where they’re going on the cruise ship.
Keep in mind, though, that there are some areas of the ship that might be off limits to you if you’re just wearing your robe, like a formal dining experience.
Dancing at the Deck Party
When attending the cruise ship’s deck party, you may suddenly realize that everyone around you is dancing in synch. Somehow, all of these strangers know the same dance and all the choreography, and you’re just left there scratching your head.
Photo Courtesy: Virgin Voyages
No, you’re not part of some flash mob. Instead, there are a handful of basic, choreographed dances that many cruisers know (either from past cruises, or from brushing up on YouTube at home, before departure) and, when certain songs come on, they all get into formation, for a fun, group dance that everyone can participate in.
If the thought of learning a new dance before your cruise intimidates you, don’t worry — many are classics that most have seen before, even if they don’t know all the moves, so you don’t need to be up on the latest TikTok dance crazes to participate. Think the Cha Cha Slide and Electric Shuffle.
Bringing Their Own Décor
From hot sauce to tea packets, when asked the oddest things they’ve brought on a cruise, cruisers on Reddit responded with some truly unique items.
However, some answers that really stood out among the weirdest? Bringing your own home décor, to make your cabin feel a little more like home (though, one might argue that the purpose of a cruise vacation is to get away from home!).
Carnival Cruise Cabin
One respondent said that they brought their Christmas tree from home, packing the three-foot tree and then setting it up in their cabin for a Christmas sailing. They decorated it with ornaments from all of the cruises that they had been on.
Another respondent said they liked to bring their kitchen fridge magnets, as well as the photos that they typically keep on their fridge at home, and decorate their cabin with them.
However, that wasn’t the “weird” thing they mentioned bringing with them; instead, they mentioned that they brought along a kitchen timer once, accidentally throwing it in with their magnets.
Carnival Corporation & plc has announced that in less than a year, the P&O Cruises Australia brand will be dissolved and absorbed into Carnival Cruise Line, the largest line under the Carnival umbrella and the largest cruise line in the world.
This is a strategic move designed to further increase Carnival Cruise Line’s capacity in a faster, more efficient way when new build ships would be several years away. Carnival Cruise Line is the corporation’s highest returning brand in the global portfolio, making this a financially sound move that will continue to provide the cruise vacations guests desire most.
“Despite increasing Carnival Cruise Line’s capacity by almost 25% since 2019 including transferring three ships from Costa Cruises, guest demand remains incredibly strong so we’re leveraging our scale in an even more meaningful way by absorbing an entire brand into the world’s most popular cruise line,”said Josh Weinstein, chief executive officer of Carnival Corporation & plc.
P&O and Carnival Cruise Line Ships
The three ships from Costa Cruises – Costa Luminosa, Costa Venezia, and Costa Firenze – were added to the Carnival Cruise Line fleet in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively. Currently, P&O Cruises Australia encompasses just three ships – Pacific Explorer, Pacific Adventure, and Pacific Encounter.
After this restructuring, Carnival Cruise Line will have a total of 29 active ships, as well as two additional Excel-class ships on order with delivery dates expected in 2027 and 2028.
The oldest ship and smallest P&O Cruises Australia ship is Pacific Explorer, originally built in 1997. That vessel will now be retired in February 2025, and will not enter service with Carnival Cruise Line. The 77,499-gross-ton, Sun-class ship could be sold or scrapped, but those plans have not yet been announced.
Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter are both roughly 109,000 gross tons, and both are Grand-class ships. They will be rebranded and added to the Carnival fleet. The exact timeline has not yet been announced, but it is expected that both ships will return to service within 2025, remaining in the South Pacific region.
“We look forward to building on the history and heritage of P&O Cruises Australia by bringing some of our innovations to more cruise guests in the region,”said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
“While we plan to make some technology upgrades and other small changes to the two P&O Cruises Australia ships, they will continue to be geared to the unique Australian market with a familiar feel and much of the same experiences for P&O Cruises Australia guests.”
Photo Courtesy: P&O Cruises Australia
One of the large changes that will be made available on the ships as they join the fleet is the popular Carnival Hub app, permitting convenient dining and shore tour reservations, chat features, and other functionality. The Carnival Cruise Line VIFP loyalty program will also apply to the rebranded ships.
“Given the strategic reality of the South Pacific’s small population and significantly higher operating and regulatory costs, we’re adjusting our approach to give us the efficiencies we need to continue delivering an incredible cruise experience year-round to our guests in the region,” said Weinstein.
When both ships are converted and returned to service, Carnival Cruise Line will dominate the corporation’s cruise capacity while bringing the cruise line’s familiar features to eager travelers. In total, 18 ships under the Carnival Corporation umbrella will operate in the region, encompassing nearly 60% of the cruise market.
“In 2019, Carnival Cruise Line was 29% of our total capacity, and when we complete this move early next year, Carnival Cruise Line … will make up approximately 35% of our total global capacity,”said Weinstein.
Photo Courtesy: Carnival Cruise Line
Over the next few years, demand for Carnival Cruise Line is expected to grow by approximately 50% – phenomenal growth that highlights the popularity of the brand worldwide.
It must be noted that this announcement does not in any way impact P&O Cruises, which is a British-based cruise line and operates primarily for the UK and European market.
Celebrating P&O Cruises Australia
With this announcement being made nine months before the three ships will be removed from service, travel fans have plenty of time to set sail with their favorite vessels one last time.
“Over the coming months, we will find ways to celebrate and honor P&O Cruises Australia – a valued part of our legacy and an important contributor to the tourism industry in the South Pacific,”said Weinstein.
All three ships may have months of sailings cancelled, as itineraries have already been announced and made available for booking through early- to mid-2026.
It is possible that the original itineraries may be preserved for Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure, but with several weeks’ of sailings cancelled to make room for the rebranding renovations.
As yet, scheduling and itineraries for the expanded Carnival Cruise Line in Australia have not yet been confirmed, but those announcements are sure to be coming in the next few months. Booked guests will want to stay in touch with P&O Cruises Australia for further details.
Outbreaks on cruise ships aren’t overly common, but when they do happen, norovirus is usually to blame – and the gastrointestinal virus most recently struck on Celebrity Summit.
Celebrity Cruises reported that there was an outbreak on the Millennium-class vessel’s 7-night cruise from Vancouver, Canada, to Seward, Alaska, which embarked on May 24, 2024, and concluded on May 31, 2024.
According to the (CDC), norovirus is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea in the US. While this stomach bug is highly contagious, it typically only lasts for one to three days and resolves on its own without medical intervention.
Photo Credit: Carlos Yudica / Shutterstock.com
Throughout the sailing, 68 of the 2,264 passengers on board and five of the 943 crew members experienced gastrointestinal symptoms, which were subsequently diagnosed as norovirus.
This equates to only 3% of the guests and less than 1% of the crew. Still, cruise ships are required to report potential outbreaks – even minor ones – to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) when the ship carries more than 100 passengers, the voyage duration is longer than three days. At least 3% of passengers are symptomatic.
But the majority of passengers onboard Celebrity Summit may not have even known about the outbreak – and were able to enjoy the calls on Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, and Ketchikan in Alaska worry-free.
While the major cruise lines have sanitation measures in place on every voyage to prevent outbreaks, passengers can take steps to further protect themselves from illness. For example, frequent hand washing, especially before meals or after touching high-contact surfaces, can go a long way.
Celebrity Crew Members Effectively Handle The Outbreak
While the goal is for an outbreak to never occur, protocols are in place to quickly address them when outbreaks do happen in a way that limits the spread of disease as much as possible.
Celebrity Summit, which weighs in at 91,003-gross tons, acted appropriately by seeking urgent advice from the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation program (VSP) – and the crew’s quick action likely contributed to the fact less than 100 people fell ill.
Measures taken onboard included increased sanitation of common areas, such as the buffets, and isolating all sick passengers and crew members.
At the conclusion of the Alaska voyage, crew members utilized a staggered disembarkation process to keep contagious guests separate from healthy cruisers, and implemented increased sanitation protocols at the cruise terminal in Seward, Alaska.
Aside from some extra cleaning required at the start of the next sailing, the subsequent week-long sailing to Alaska has not been impacted.
The next voyage, which is currently in progress after embarking from Seward on May 31, 2024, has already visited Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, and Skagway, and is still scheduled to call on Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan, Alaska, before disembarking in Vancouver on June 7.
Celebrity Summit, will continue sailing between Seward and Vancouver for the remainder of the Alaska season, which concludes in mid-September for this 2001-built ship – hopefully without any future outbreaks.
That said, outbreaks are relatively uncommon on cruise ships. According to Statista, an estimated 35.7 million people go on a cruise annually across hundreds if not thousands of sailings – and that number is growing as cruises become increasingly more popular.
But according to the VSP, the outbreak on Celebrity Summit is only the seventh of 2024 – and the year is just about half over.
The numbers also were low in previous years – with 14 outbreaks reported in 2023 and four in 2022. Looking back to 2019 before Covid-19 halted travel, only 10 outbreaks occurred.
Two cruise ships were stranded in Elliott Bay outside of Seattle on the morning of June 3, 2024, due to high winds. Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas and Hurtigruten Expeditions’ ms Roald Amundsen could not make port and were stranded waiting for tugboats to assist.
As Quantum of the Seas approached its berth at the Port of Seattle for its 6 a.m. arrival, strong winds forced the ship to wait until more tugboats could assist. Typically, two tugboats are used to bring in cruise ships, but with strong winds, the ship required extra caution to dock at Pier 91 and chose to anchor in Elliott Bay as it waited.
— Seattle Weather Blog (@KSeattleWeather) June 3, 2024
Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier said to Cruise Hive: “The high winds affecting the Seattle area did impact 1 cruise ship today. The pilot aboard the Royal Caribbean ‘Quantum of the Seas’ requested an anchorage spot in Elliott Bay to wait for tugs to assist them into their berth at Pier 91. A small craft advisory exists for the entire Puget Sound area.“
“Two tugs from the Foss corporation were able to assist the cruise ship around noon on Monday to get to Pier 91,” Strohmaier added.
A spokesperson for Royal Caribbeantoldlocal news, “Due to high winds, Quantum of the Seas is delayed in returning to port. We’re closely monitoring the weather and are communicating updates directly to our guests.”
The ship, which holds over 4,900 passengers and measures more than 1,100 feet long, is homeported in Seattle for the summer, taking passengers on week-long trips to Alaska. Quantum of the Seas was returning from a voyage that departed Seattle on May 27 and journeyed to Ketchikan, Sitka, Tracy Arm/Endicott Arm, and Juneau, Alaska, along with Victoria, British Columbia.
On the same day, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a wind advisory for western Washington, including Elliott Bay, forecasting gusts up to 40 miles per hour until 11 a.m. June 4.
Norwegian expedition cruise line Hurtigruten Expeditions’ 1,018-passenger ms Roald Amundsen, which is only 460 feet long, was also stranded in the sound, requiring additional tugs. The ship is also currently spending the summer exploring Alaska.
Weather-Related Delays Disrupts Travel Plans
Quantum of the Seas arrived in Elliott Bay shortly after 5 a.m., according tocruise tracking data, and did not dock until after 1 p.m. Pacific Time (PT). The delay had significant implications for passengers with early morning or afternoon flights as they missed their connections. Those with flights later in the day were still at risk as disembarkation on mega ships as large as Quantum of the Seas can take up to four hours to complete.
Quantum of the Seas was also scheduled to embark on another Alaskan voyage at 4 p.m. (PT).
Passengers waiting to board that 7-night roundtrip adventure, which also included trips to Sitka, Skagway, Tracy Arm, Juneau, and Victoria, were expected to experience delays in embarkation and departure due to the late arrival.
Cruise Ships in Seattle
Following disembarkation, the ship’s crew needs time to clean and prepare the ship between the sailings, further delaying the process. High winds are expected to continue until the following day, which could potentially require additional tugboat assistance leaving the cruise terminal.
At press time, Royal Caribbean had not released a statement regarding further delays or possible compensation offered to either itinerary’s passengers who were inconvenienced.
Royal Caribbean is likely to face the challenge of coordinating with passengers to adjust their travel schedules. However, weather-related delays do not warrant compensation from cruise lines. Cruise lines also warn passengers not to book early morning flights to allow time for potential arrival delays. Any additional fees incurred for missing a flight will likely be at the expense of the passenger.
The predicament highlights the advantages of having travel insurance, which typically covers unforeseen events such as trip delays, cancellations, and interruptions. In the case of Quantum of the Seas, passengers with travel insurance may be able to claim expenses for rebooking flights, accommodations, and meals.
Local businesses have once again petitioned the Maine District Court to prevent the town of Bar Harbor, Maine, from enforcing a new regulation that limits cruise ship passengers allowed to disembark to 1,000 per day.
The petition follows a decision by the United States First Circuit Court to allow the ban to remain in effect during ongoing litigation.
The injunction request, filed on May 30, aims to stop Bar Harbor from using the ordinance to deny cruise ship reservations while the nearly two-year legal dispute continues to unfold.
Photo Credit: Eric Jeremiah photos / Shutterstock
The ordinance follows a November 2022 vote, where 58% of Bar Harbor residents approved the new law in an effort to prevent overcrowding and to promote sustainability in the area, which is home to Acadia National Park.
A month after the vote, local businesses challenged the ordinance, claiming it violated the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution by interfering with interstate commerce. The case went to trial in July 2023 and on March 1, 2024, Judge Lance E. Walker, ruled in favor of Bar Harbor, upholding the passenger limit.
The Association to Preserve and Protect Local Livelihoods (APPLL), representing the local business owners, appealed the decision to the First Circuit Court in late March. They also sought an injunction to stop Bar Harbor from enforcing the limit while the appeal is pending.
However, on May 24, the court denied the motion “without prejudice,” allowing the plaintiffs to seek a similar injunction in District Court, which they did on May 30.
As the cruise season to the destination launched with the May 2 arrival of the 2,394-passenger Norwegian Gem, the first of many visits by a Norwegian Cruise Line vessel, APPLL is requesting an expedited process, with a 12-day window for briefs before a judge issues a ruling in hopes of preventing the city from enforcing the ordinance as other cruise lines are scheduled to call through October.
The Town Council voted to hold a public hearing on the ordinance on June 18, directing the Town Manager to gather input. The outcome of the hearing will determine if the town moves ahead with the daily passenger cap.
Implications for the 2024 Cruise Season
As the race between Bar Harbor and local businesses intensifies, cruise lines are left waiting in the wings.
If the Town Council begins enforcing the ban, cruise ships like Holland America’s ms Volendam, scheduled to arrive five times in June alone with 1,432 passengers and 647 crew members, will have to limit the number of disembarkments, potentially disappointing many cruisegoers and crew, and forcing cancelations of shore excursions.
However, ahead of the 2024 cruise season, other cruise lines made the decision to skip Bar Harbor and avoid the confusion altogether. For instance, Royal Caribbean’s 2,514-passenger Vision of the Seas and 3,634-passenger Liberty of the Seas, along with Celebrity Cruises’ 2,850-passenger Celebrity Eclipse, are now calling on Portland, Maine.
Photo Credit: Darryl Brooks / Shutterstock
Also adding to the legal woes is a challenge initiated by Charles Sidman, who led the 2022 citizens’ call for the partial ban. Sidman points out that the Town Council has allowed ships with more than 1,000 passengers to dock if booked before the November 2022 vote. He says the decision contradicts the town’s code, which required the limit to apply to all permit applications pending or filed after March 17, 2022.
Sidman filed a lawsuit with the Hancock County Superior Court to stop the town from honoring reservations by cruise ships that violate the passenger limit.
The town dismissed his case on May 2, and he is now asking the Bar Harbor Board of Appeals to override the Council. The Board will be reviewing his request on June 11.
The newest Queen in the Cunard Line fleet has been officially named, with a symbolic godparent no one was expecting. Rather than a single godmother or godfather – widely speculated to be a member of the British Royal Family – the iconic cruise line chose the whole historic City of Liverpool as Queen Anne‘s official godparent.
Five women – all hailing from the amazing city with its rich maritime history – were selected, each representing the unique and diverse culture of the city.
“These distinguished women, who embody the heart and future of Liverpool, just as Queen Anne does for Cunard, have been chosen for their significant contributions to culture at a local, national or international level,”Cunard Line stated.
Queen Anne In Liverpool (Credit: Cunard Line)
The iconic women are Spice Girl and author Melanie C (Sporty Spice), broadcaster and community leader Ngunan Adamu, local restaurant entrepreneur Natalie Haywood, Liverpool punk music and cultural legend Jayne Casey, and British Olympian track-and-field heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thomson. Each attended the ship’s official christening to add their own blessings and good fortune to the vessel.
“All [these women] remarkable in their own right, they have inspired generations and collectively capture the essence of the city that has shaped global culture,”said Katie McAlister, President of Cunard.
While the choice of the entire City of Liverpool and these five representative women was a shock for Cunard Line fans, the city itself has a long-standing maritime history, from trade routes to emigration to modern tourism. Liverpool is also notable for its iconic music scene and cultural arts, and is the fourth largest port in the UK.
“Liverpool is the spiritual home of Cunard, and we are therefore delighted and feel it very fitting that the City of Liverpool is the godparent to Queen Anne,” said McAlister. “It’s testament to the enduring relationship that connects Cunard and the city in which it was founded to the present day when we officially named our new ship on the Liverpool Waterfront, in front of the Cunard Building.”
“It’s an incredible honour for the City of Liverpool to be chosen as the Godparent of Queen Anne,” said Andrew Lewis, Chief Executive of the Liverpool City Council. “This city shares a treasured bond with Cunard dating back to 1839 when we were the original home of the world-famous line.”
While Cunard Line is now headquartered in Southampton, the cruise line still shares interests with Liverpool with occasional visits by the different Queens. Queen Mary 2, for example, will spend a day in the city in September. The 113,000-gross-ton, Pinnacle-class Queen Anne has several additional visits to Liverpool planned for 2025, on different itineraries.
Mixed Reactions
Reactions have been mixed to the announcement of Liverpool and its iconic women being named as the new ship’s official godparents. While this is a departure from tradition, it does show the cruise line’s adaptability and acknowledgment of a new era in diversity and community connection.
Some less enthusiastic reactions had hoped for a British Royal to name the new ship, as has been tradition for the other three Cunard Queens currently in service.
Cunard Queen Anne Arrives in South Queensferry (Photo Courtesy: Cunard Line)
The late Queen Elizabeth II christened Queen Mary 2 in 2004, and when Queen Victoria joined the fleet in 2007, she was christened by Camilla Rosemary, now Queen Camilla. Queen Elizabeth II also christened the next youngest of the cruise line’s ships, Queen Elizabeth, in 2010.
Several royal candidates were heavily favored for the honors, including the Princess Royal, Anne Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, or Catherine, Princess of Wales. It was also believed that Queen Camilla might reprise her ceremonial role for the new ship.
The confused and disappointed reactions are similar to the reaction when Gwen Stephani was named godmother of Carnival Jubilee. Carnival Cruise Line had spent months hyping the new ship’s connection to Texas and her homeport of Galveston. Despite her accolades in the music industry, however, Stefani has no personal connection to the Lone Star State.
Queen Anne, the much anticipated new ship from Cunard Line and the first new Queen to join the fleet in 14 years, has arrived in Liverpool ahead of her official christening. But who will do the honors to name the new ship? The closely guarded secret will be revealed today.
The new ship is currently in the midst of a 14-night British Isles sailing that departed Southampton on Friday, May 24. She has visited Edinburgh, Kirkwall, Belfast, and other ports, but the stop in Liverpool is the most sought-after of the voyage, as this is where Queen Anne will be officially blessed and named as part of the fleet.
Spectators gathered to watch the ship sail into the historic port on this historic occasion, and the facilities are decked out for the celebration with a waterfront stage and special areas ready for guests, VIPs, media, and more.
The naming ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. local time, and is sure to include a variety of remarks from local dignitaries as well as cruise line executives. Live music, solemn blessings, and entertainment are generally part of cruise ship naming ceremonies, as well as the traditional breaking of a champagne bottle on the ship’s hull. The full ceremony will take approximately one hour.
Queen Anne‘s naming ceremony will include one-of-a-kind performances from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, and local DJ Lauren Lo Sung. As the ship sails away to continue her voyage at 8:30 p.m., fireworks will send her off in brilliant style.
From Liverpool, the ship will head to Cobh as her last port of call on this sailing. The 113,000-gross-ton, Pinnacle-class ship is offering a diverse selection of European itineraries for the remainder of 2024, and she will begin her Maiden World Voyage on January 7, 2025.
Who Will Do the Honors?
Cunard Line has closely guarded the secret of who will christen the new ship. Most cruise lines announce each vessel’s ceremonial godmother or godfather well in advance of the ceremony.
Celebrities, military veterans, and other notable personalities are often named as ship godmothers. Some of the select individuals have connections to the cruise line or other godparents.
Each of the other three active Queen ships has had an illustrious grandmother worthy of the honor and the association with more than 180 years of ocean liner history.
Queen Anne Ship Sea Trials (Credit: Cunard Line)
Queen Elizabeth II christened Queen Mary 2 in 2004, as well as Queen Elizabeth in 2010. When Queen Victoria entered service in 2007, she was christened by Camilla Rosemary, now Queen Camilla.
Speculation is high that the Princess Royal, Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, second child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, may do the honors for the ship that bears her name. Another top contender for the honors is Catherine, Princess of Wales, or Queen Camilla may christen the new vessel.
Cunard Line has given no hint of who will do the honors for the new ship, but now crowds are gathered, champagne is chilled, and the moment is near at hand to officially welcome the cruise line’s 249th ship in a time honored ceremony for a truly historic moment.
