Jurgen Bailom, the President and CEO of brand new cruise line Cordelia Cruises, recently announced the purchase of former Royal Caribbean cruise ship Empress of the Seas.
Cordelia Cruises, a continuation of the recently shut down Jalesh Cruises, will be operating the vessel in the Indian Luxury market. Last month, Jalesh Cruises suspended all of its operations and sold its vessel MV Karnika for scrap.
Two Ships Sold- One Known Destination
Empress of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas had been sold to a buyer in the Asia Pacific. Whether or not Majesty of the Seas will also be announced as a new addition remains unclear. What is certain is that Jurgen Bailom has announced that a second vessel will be confirmed soon:
“We are working on adding a second ship to the luxury line; the details of which will be shared in due course of time”
The company has set a course to be the exclusive luxury brand explicitly marketed for the Indian Luxury Market.
Cordelia cruises are owned by a company called Waterways Leisure Tourism Private Ltd., which, according to the statement on Linkedin, has also recently acquired the rights to shut down Jalesh Cruises. Waterways Leisure Tourism Private Ltd. has only existed since November 2, 2020.
Jalesh Cruises Demise Was Shocking
Jalesh Cruises’ downfall, which existed only since January 2019, really came as no surprise. While the pandemic caused the line to suspend its voyages with its sole vessel MV Karnika, there was not much time to build a brand in any case.
With mounting debts, the vessel was shut down entirely, while 60 crew members on board the vessel had to deal with a lack of fuel, power, and basic necessities. At the time, the statement from the company, after stating it was waiting for the delayed response from the Indian High Court, said the following,
“Unfortunately, due to this delay, the ship’s crew live in poor conditions with no fuel, power, etc. We are hoping to get the crew members signed off and relieve them so that they can go home as soon as the legal formalities are completed.”
Whether it is the case now is speculation; however, a tried and tested procedure for shipping companies is to bankrupt one company and continue with a hastily formed new company, as a result of this avoiding having to pay debts, salaries, etc.
Whatever the background on the company itself, the statement from Jurgen Bailom further stated that the company would build upon the legacy of Jalesh Cruises:
“I look forward to your support in continuing the legacy of Jalesh cruises in upholding the spirit, culture, and value of “incredible India” and being the evangelist of ‘Joy’ by curating memorable cruise holiday that delight customers by bringing happiness in their lives.”
The company will, at the very least, have a great ship to begin operations with. Built-in 1989 for Admiral Cruises under the name Future Seas, after the merger with Royal Caribbean, the vessel was re-named Nordic Empress and re-named again in 2004 to Empress of the Seas.
After being added to the Pullmantur fleet in 2008, she was named Empress, while in 2016, she was brought back again to Royal Caribbean.
Before being sold to Cordelia Cruises, the vessel was the oldest in the Royal Caribbean fleet. Measuring 210 meters long and weighing in at 48,562 GT, she was also one of the smallest, with a guest capacity of 1840 passengers.
It was recently reported that the former Carnival cruise ship named Carnival Fascination will become a floating hotel in Asia. This came after the ship’s new name was seen on the aft.
It’s lead us to some exclusive photos showing the Fantasy-class cruise ship in Gibraltar during December 2020 and some right before Christmas. When the vessel was still operated by Carnival Cruise Line, she had been in a cold layup in Cadiz, Spain since the end of July 2020.
Take a look at the photos below exclusively for Cruise Hive from Tony Davis:
Former Carnival Fascination
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Copyright: Tony Davis
Copyright: Tony Davis
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Copyright: Tony Davis
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Due to the suspension of cruise operations that first started in March, the cruise line has needed to put several ships into a long-term layup. Carnival has also sold three other Fantasy-class vessels, including Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Inspiration, and Carnival Imagination. They are all currently being scrapped in Turkey.
For Carnival Fascination, the future looks bright as she is set to become a floating hotel in Asia. It was recently reported, the ship is to be named Century Harmony under the new owners of Century Harmony Cruise Limited.
The exclusive photos show the current state of the ship. According to the Cruise Ship Tracker, the former Carnival-owned cruise ship has already departed Gibraltar and arrives at Port Said, Egypt, on February 1, 2021. It’s a long journey ahead as the vessel is sailing to Asia to become a floating hotel.
The vessel first entered service for Carnival in 1994 and is over 70,300 gross tons with a guest capacity of over 2,000 at double occupancy. No details have yet been released on what the ship will look like once she becomes a hotel.
Carnival Cruise Line’s new cruise ship has come out on top in Cruise Hive’s annual Cruise Ship Awards. Mardi Gras is the most anticipated new cruise ship for 2021 according to readers of the website.
Mardi Gras Comes Out On Top
It doesn’t really come as a surprise that Carnival’s new Mardi Gras has become the most anticipated new cruise ship for 2021, according to Cruise Hive readers. The ship has no doubt been the most talked about for year’s and after months of delays, she will finally begin sailing in April 2021.
The ship was up against nine new cruise ships that will begin sailing for the first time in 2021. Mardi Gras received more votes than any of the other ships.
In a close second place came Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas that will debut in April 2021. In third came Princess Cruises’ Discovery Princess that is set to debut in November 2021.
Mardi Gras is the largest every Carnival cruise ship and is powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). The new mega-ship was recently delivered from the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.
She’s 180,800 gross tons with a guest capacity of 5,282 at double occupancy along with 1,282 crew members. The ship is currently the ninth-largest in the world and features the first roller coaster at sea called BOLT.
Photo Credit: Jarmo Piironen / Shutterstock.com
The ship will begin Caribbean cruises out of Carnival’s new Terminal 3 a Port Canaveral, Florida on April 24, 2021. She was originally scheduled to debut on August 31, 2020, out of Copenhagen.
2020 Cruise Ship Awards
The 2020 Cruise Ship Awards was more low key this year due to the global pandemic and the impact on the cruise industry. Most cruise lines remain on hold since first suspending operation in March 2020.
With just over two months of cruising this year, we decided to remove several categories and introduce new ones that focus more on what’s to come. The awards were more low-key this year, but as major cruise lines begin cruises in the first half of 2021, things can start getting back to normal.
Here is the full order of the result:
Mardi Gras (Carnival Cruise Line)
Odyssey of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)
Discovery Princess (Princess Cruises)
Valiant Lady (Virgin Voyages)
Disney Wish (Disney Cruise Line)
Costa Toscana (Costa Cruises)
MSC Seashore (MSC Cruises)
Rotterdam (Holland America Line)
AIDAcosma (Aida Cruises)
Viking Venus (Viking Cruises)
Voting opened up on the Cruise Ship Awards in mid-September and since then readers have been able to vote in six different categories. We only allow voting once from each IP address so any repeat votes were discarded. Any suspicious voting was also left out.
Take a look at our dedicated Cruise Ship Awards page to see all the results over the years since our annual awards first started in 2014.
The winners have been revealed in the 2020 Cruise Ship Awards. Cruise Hive readers have been voting since mid-September on their favorite cruise ships, cruise lines, and ports. Finally, we come to announce which ones have come out on top.
In this year’s annual awards, we scaled back due to the global pandemic. With most of the cruise industry on pause since March 2020, it would not be right to include all our usual categories. Instead, the awards mainly focused on 2021 and what we’ve got to look forward to.
There are a total of six categories in which readers have been able to vote in. only one vote was allowed in each category, and any suspicious activity or repeat IPs were not counted.
Most Anticipated Cruise Region for 2021
Caribbean
A new category introduced just for 2020 is “Most Anticipated Cruise Region for 2021” and we aim to get readers excited for the year to come once the industry makes a return.
It comes as no surprise that the Caribbean received more votes than any other. All the major cruise lines sail in this region with so many exciting ports to explore. The Caribbean has the weather everyone prefers, and plenty of cultures to experience. You can read the full list of results in order below:
Caribbean
Alaska
Mediterranean
Northern Europe
Pacific
South America
Asia
Baltic
Bahamas
Asia
Hawaii
British isles
South Africa
Mexican Riviera
In a close second came Alaska, but there could be a long wait to enjoy the region as Transport Canada has banned cruise ships through February 2021. That means cruises out of Vancouver are a no go for a while. However, Seattle could be an option moving forward.
In third came the Mediterranean, always a popular choice for cruise vacations. the region just missed out on the second spot.
Best Cruise Line Web Site in 2020
Photo By: Russell Otway
Cruise Line websites were a major factor for 2020 as guests scrambled to find out about cancelled sailings. Cruise lines are posting the latest developments on the suspensions, and as demand starts to go up for 2021, there is no doubt the first call will be the official sites.
Carnival Cruise Line took first place in this category, followed by Royal Caribbean, and then in third was Norwegian Cruise Line.
Carnival Cruise Line
Royal Caribbean International
Norwegian Cruise Line
Princess Cruises
Celebrity Cruises
MSC Cruises
Costa Cruises
Viking Cruises
Holland America Line
Cunard Line
American Queen Steamboat Company
P&O Cruises
Virgin Voyages
P&O Australia
Aida Cruises
Best Cruise Homeport in the United States for 2020
Photo Credit: Francisco Blanco / Shutterstock.com
In 2019, Port Canaveral was voted best cruise homeport, but this year it has turned around, and PortMiami has taken the top spot. The cruise capital of the world received the most votes, and more recently during the suspension, cruise ships have started to return to Miami so port activity is picking up.
PortMiami, Florida
Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), Florida
Port Canaveral, Florida
Port of New Orleans, Louisiana
Port of Galveston, Texas
Manhattan Cruise Terminal, New York
Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey
Long Beach Cruise Terminal, California
Port of Baltimore, Maryland
Port of Tampa, Florida
Port of Seattle, Washington
Port of Jacksonville, Florida
Port of Mobile, Alabama
Port of Los Angeles, California
Port of Charleston, South Carolina
Best Cruise Line in 2020
Photo Credit: richard pross / Shutterstock.com
Cruise Hive readers have chosen, and Carnival Cruise Line has become the best cruise line of 2020. Carnival operates a total of 24 cruise ships, including the recently delivered Mardi Gras. This comes after the cruise line has had a difficult year and sold off four of its older Fantasy-class ships.
During the year, Carnival has continued to keep guests updated and support crew members. During the festive period, the cruise line launched “Operations Happy Holidays” and delivered more than 10,000 cards to workers. Even president Christine Duffy has been keeping morale up with advice and hope.
Carnival Cruise Line
Royal Caribbean International
Celebrity Cruises
Princess Cruises
Norwegian Cruise Line
Holland America Line
MSC Cruises
Costa Cruises
P&O Cruises
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Viking Cruises
Disney Cruise Line
Crystal Cruises
Seabourn
Cunard Line
Aida Cruises
P&O Australia
In second place came Royal Caribbean International which has a total of 24 ships, no identical to rival Carnival. In third came Celebrity Cruises which is much smaller but has recently found a new spark thanks to the new Edge-class vessels.
Most Anticipated New Cruise Ship for 2021
Photo Courtesy: Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival’s new Mari Gras cruise ship has received more votes than any other cruise ship for the most anticipated new cruise ship for 2021. Cruise Hive already detailed the results of this category.
There were some really exciting new ships in this category, some of them were supposed to have arrived in 2020 but the pandemic forced delays. We now look forward to a busy 2021 with new ship debuts. Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas came is second and she will arrive in April 2021. Discovery Princess from Princess Cruises completed the top three.
Mardi Gras (Carnival Cruise Line)
Odyssey of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)
Discovery Princess (Princess Cruises)
Valiant Lady (Virgin Voyages)
Disney Wish (Disney Cruise Line)
Costa Toscana (Costa Cruises)
MSC Seashore (MSC Cruises)
Rotterdam (Holland America Line)
AIDAcosma (Aida Cruises)
Viking Venus (Viking Cruises)
Mardi Gras was delivered by the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland towards the end of December 2020 and is the first ship in the fleet powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). She’s over 180,800 gross tons and is the ninth-largest cruise ship in the world right now.
Most Anticipated Future Class Cruise Ship
Photo Credit: Darryl Brooks / Shutterstock.com
We finally come to ‘Most Anticipated Future Class Cruise Ship’ and Royal Caribbean’s Icon-class has come out on top with the most votes. Not a huge deal is yet known about this future class but they will be huge at around 200,000 gross tons.
The first of these vessels will arrive in 2022 and the cruise line has ordered a total of three. these will be the first cruise ships to be LNG powered for Royal Caribbean.
Icon-Class (Royal Caribbean)
New Generation LNG-Class (Princess Cruises)
Leonardo-Class (Norwegian Cruise Line)
World-Class (MSC Cruises)
Global-Class (Dream Cruises)
The Icon-class ships were also the winners of the 2019 Cruise Ship Awards. In second came the new generation of LNG for Princess Cruises and in third the Leonardo-class for Norwegian Cruise Line. Plenty of new ships to look forward to in the years to come.
Thanks for Voting!
It has been a tough year but hopefully, the altered 2020 Cruise Ship Awards have provided some hope on what’s to come in 2021. Thanks to all our readers for taking the time to vote!
The new year did not start well for former Carnival cruise line ship Ocean Dream, formerly known as Tropicale. After a long life sailing the world’s oceans for multiple cruise lines since 1982, she was beached at the shipbreakers in Alang, India, on January 1, 2021.
The Ocean Dream is the latest in an ever-increasing list of ships that have been beached in India and Turkey over the last year. Companies are hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and are forced to eliminate costly and financially ineffective vessels.
In the last 12 months, Carnival Cruise Line has scrapped Carnival Imagination, Carnival Inspiration, and Carnival Fantasy, sold Carnival Fascination, while another former Carnival Cruise ship is also heading for the shipbreakers in India, Grand Celebration.
You can watch the cruise ship beached in Alang, India below:
Carnival’s first new-build ship
At the time she was built, Tropicale was a first in many different ways. While Carnival was sailing with Mardi Gras, Carnivale, and TSS Festivale, the line needed to increase its presence. Building a new ship was the only option to remain competitive with the stiff competition in the Caribean; Tropicale was ordered and delivered in 1982.
Built at the Aalborg Værft, Denmark, in 1981, Carnival Tropicale could hold 1,022 passengers. As-built, she weighed in at 36,674 gross tons and measured 204.76 metres from bow to stern.
She was the first vessel to feature the iconic winged funnel, designed by Joe Farcus, who would significantly influence how cruise ships would be designed and built in the future. Due to the success of Tropicale, Carnival cruise line ordered Carnival Holiday in 1985, Carnival Jubilee in 1986, and Carnival Celebration in 1987.
Tropicale for Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Tropicale sailed for Carnival cruise line from 1982 until the year 2000. As Carnival cruise line grew in size and took on larger vessels, the line used Tropicale mainly for test voyages in places like Alaska, New Orleans, Tampa, and Puerto Rico. She became a front runner in what would ultimately become incredibly popular cruise destinations.
A Lifetime Roaming The High Seas
Tropicale was transferred to sail for Costa Cruises in the year 2000 and was renamed Costa Tropicale. During her 40-year career as a cruise ship, she was a testament to the build quality of the time. Tropicale sailed for five different operators and was renamed several times as well.
After sailing with Costa Cruises until the year 2005, she was transferred to P&O Cruises Australia under the name Pacific Star, where she sailed until the year 2008. In 2008 she left Carnival Corporation and sailed for Pullmantur and renamed yet again to Ocean Dream.
The vessel’s last assignment was for the Peace Boat organization. Peace Boat is a Japanese NGO that raises awareness internationally for human rights, sustainability, environmental protection, and other global causes. Peace Boat had operated Tropicale, or how it was now named Ocean Dream, since 2008.
In 2020 the organization purchased the former Princess cruise line ship, Sun Princess, marking the end of the line for Tropicale. The end of the line sadly ended on a beach in India, amongst other iconic vessels made obsolete by the pandemic.
One of the oldest cruise ships in the world has been designated to be scrapped. A storied history of more than 55 years sailing the world’s oceans comes to a sad end as the former Cruise and Maritime Voyages liner MS Marco Polo sets a course to the shipbreaking yard in Alang, India.
A fan favorite, Cruise and Maritime Voyages catered mostly for the UK market, focusing on an older, mature crowd that enjoyed indulging in the classic cruise setup. While the line had a steady client base for many years, it was to be one of the first victims in the cruise industry to succumb to the pandemic’s effects.
Unexpected End Of Operations
Cruise and Maritime Voyages’ demise was not something that many would have seen coming just over twelve months ago. As a cruise line with a steady base of fans and growing steadily over the years, December 2019 saw the purchase of two new vessels.
P&O Australia’s Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria were both bought. Still, they never entered service, as March 2019 saw a cease of operations. Subsequently, in June of last year, reports surfaced that the company could not repatriate crew members, pay salaries, and pay bills. The company went into administration on July 20, 2020, and cruise ships went up for auction.
MS Marco Polo was sold at auction in October 2020 as part of CMV’s administration phase for only US $2,770,000. As recently as November 2020, there was still hope for the 55-year-old vessel as she was offered for charter by Offshore Solutions Unlimited. She has now been taken off the website and, according to Cruise & Harbour News, has been designated to be scrapped.
All of CMV’s vessels were sold at auction in October. As Cruise Hive reported on November 24, 2020, MV Astor has already been beached at the Aliaga ship breaking facility in Turkey. Pacific Dawn, which was designated to be a ‘cryptocurrency’ ship called Satoshi, is currently at anchor outside Colon, Panama, but will also be scrapped eventually unless a buyer is found soon.
As for the other CMV vessels, Magellan, Columbus, and the Pacific Aria have been sold to Seajets in Greece. Astoria has been returned to the Portuguese bank that owns her, and Mystic Invest, a relatively new cruise operator from Portugal, has bought the Vasco Da Gama.
55-Years Of Sailing The Seven Seas
These days, very few ships can say they have sailed with passengers for more than half a century. Built-in East Germany for the Baltic State Shipping Company, the 19.860 gross ton and 176 meters long MS Marco Polo was first and foremost an Ocean Liner that sailed on the Leningrad- Montreal route.
Not until 1990, when the vessel was laid up for three years, the ship was rebuilt entirely as a cruise liner for now-defunct cruise line Orient Lines, here MS Marco Polo sailed until 2008. After that, the vessel sailed for Transocean Tours, the German subsidiary of Cruise and Maritime Voyages, and later CMV.
MS Marco Polo is currently sailing on a course to the yard with a reported arrival date of January 9, 2021, making this iconic 55-year old Ocean Liner another in a long line of ships that fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Carnival Cruise Line has announced further cancellations, and it now means that no Carnival cruise ships will sail in March. It delays the resumption of operations until April at the very earliest.
Carnival Cancels All March Sailings
Carnival Cruise Line has announced a new round of cancellations, and the suspension of operations will continue until April 2021. Select ships will also be delayed due to dry dock upgrades. Here is the full list of which ships are delayed and the current situation:
All embarkations from U.S. homeports through March 31, 2021
Carnival Freedom from Galveston through April 10, 2021 (which includes a repositioning of the ship from Galveston to Seattle and a 17-day Carnival Journeys cruise which is not allowed under the current guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))
Carnival Miracle from San Diego and San Francisco through September 16, 2021 (which includes many 10-day and longer itineraries not allowed under the current CDC guidelines)
Carnival Liberty from Port Canaveral from September 17-October 18, 2021 (to accommodate rescheduled dry dock work)
Carnival Sunshine from Charleston from October 11-November 13, 2021 (to accommodate rescheduled dry dock work)
Carnival Spirit’s 15-day cruise from Singapore to Brisbane on June 12, 2021 (consistent with the current limitations on international travel in place in Australia).
This announcement was expected with many cruisers already noticing on social media that Carnival had removed all sailing in March 2021 from its booking engine.
Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said:
“We are sorry to disappoint our guests, as we can see from our booking activity that there is clearly a pent-up demand for cruising on Carnival. We appreciate their patience and support as we continue to work on our plans to resume operations in 2021 with a gradual, phased in approach.”
Impacted Guests
The Miami-based cruise line is contacting guests and travel agents impacted by the new round of cancellations. The cruise line is offering a Future Cruises Credit (FCC) and onboard credit. Guests can alternatively request a full refund if they no longer want to cruise in the future.
Photo Credit: Igor_Koptilin / Shutterstock.com
The Delays Keep on Coming
As the pandemic sweeps across the United States and the world, cruising continues to be on hold. Carnival Cruise Line hoped to return with a limited number of ships in March 2021, but now this won’t be the case.
The Conditional Sailing Order implemented by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) needs cruise lines to implement many changes to make sure guests and crew remain safe.
With the fleet being on hold for almost a year, it’s not easy to prepare the ships. Crew members need to be brought back and trained along with test sailings. Cruise Hive has already reported on several ships recently returning to the U.S. to start the preparations.
With cruise lines not not being able to offer cruises longer than seven days, many itineraries have been moved until November 2021 and that has impacted operations for ships that sail Carnival Journeys and longer sailings.
It’s going to be a long recovery for the cruise industry.
Previous Cancellations
Carnival has suspended operations since March 2020. The cruise line had previously cancelled scheduled sailings out of Miami, Port Canaveral and Galveston through February 28, 2021.
The original hope was that cruises would resume once 2021 arrived but the return dates seem to keep being delayed. Carnival’s new Mardi Gras which is the most anticipated new cruise ship for 2021 is delayed until April 24 out of Port Canaveral.
Two major cruise lines owned by Carnival have announced further extensions on the pause in operations well into Spring 2021. Holland America Line and Princess Cruises are canceling more sailings as they continue to develop on meeting the framework on the CDC Conditional Sailing Order.
Princess Cruises Cancellations
The cruise line which has been hit hard by the global pandemic has announced a further suspension on cruise operations. Cruises have been cancelled through May 14, 2021 including departures in the Caribbean, the California Coast along with sailings in Alaska and Europe.
Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, said:
“We appreciate the patience from our loyal guests and travel advisors as we work to meet the health and safety requirements for our return to service.”
“We continue to prepare our ships for our return to service and we are eager to see our guests back on board to create summertime memories.”
Princess Cruises had previously suspended cruises through March 2021 but it’s going to take longer than expected to resume cruises safely. Those guests impacted by the further cancellations are being offered compensation. There are the options of a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) plus an additional 25% bonus.
Guests can also request a full refund of what’s been paid on the booking using an online form. The requests have to be completed by February 15, 2021 or they will automatically be put on the FCC option.
Holland America Cancellations
Holland America Line is another major cruise line that’s part of the Carnival Corporation and it has also extended the pause on operations. All departures through April 30, 2021, are now cancelled including cruises in Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Pacific Coast, Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Canada/New England departures.
The cruise line has also cancelled Alaska cruises on three of its ships through early June 2021. Land+Sea Journeys connected with the Alaska sailings are also cancelled along with departures in the Mediterranean. Canada and New England cruises on the Zaandam have will also no longer take place through early June 2021.
Photo Credit: JL IMAGES / Shutterstock.com
Here’s the full list of cancellations for Holland America:
All cruise departures through April 30, 2021.
Alaska: Eurodam and Oosterdam through the first week of June (roundtrip from Seattle); Koningsdam through mid-May (roundtrip from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada); Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam through mid-May (roundtrip Vancouver and between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska); and Zuiderdam through early June (roundtrip from Vancouver).
Mediterranean: Volendam cruises through early June (between Venice and Civitavecchia [Rome], Italy); Westerdam through early June (roundtrip from Venice or between Venice and Piraeus [Athens], Greece).
Canada/New England: Zaandam cruises through August (between Boston, Massachusetts, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada).
Guests impacted by today’s announcement by the Carnival cruise brand do have options for re-booking. if guests have paid in full already, they can receive a 125% Future Cruise Credit. Those that haven’t paid in full will receive an FCC of double the amount of the deposit.
A full 100% refund is also available and guests need to decide using an online form no later than February 15, 2021 which is the same as sister line Princess Cruises.
Huge Disappointment
There was hope that cruises would finally start to resume for both cruise lines in April but it seems to prepare for cruises again is taking longer than expected. With the virus sweeping across the globe and now end in letting up it does make the return more difficult.
Cruise lines are working with the relevant authorities including the CDC in the United States and cruise ships have already started moving to start that process on returning, However, a lot needs to be done to make sure guests and crew can remain safe.
This news follows Carnival Cruise Line which also announced further cancellations with cruises now delayed until April 2021 at the very earliest. P&O Australia has also announced further cancellations in New Zealand.
Keep checking all the latest as more cruise lines could follow.
Main Photo Credit: Stories In Light / Shutterstock.com
Grand Celebration has been beached at the shipbreaking yard in Alang, India. While we reported already in November this might be coming, the vessel can be seen today on our cruise ship tracker as on the beach at the facility in Bhavnagar district.
A fan favorite for short breaks to the Bahamas from Florida, the vessel had been sailing for Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line since 2014. As early as September 2020 the cruise line announced that the vessel would return to sailing on November 4, 2020. While that date never happened due to the CDC’s no-sail-order, it is staggering to think how fast these things can change.
This makes the Grand Celebration the next in a long line of cruise ships that have been beached this year and the previous.
Beached and Scrapped
On Nov 16, 2020, Cruise Hive reported that the ship could well be heading to the scrapyard, as a course had been planned into a shipping tracker. Today was finally the day that Grand Celebration met her end. You can see a photo of the vessel beached which was posted by Janvi Bhuri Baraiya:
Photo Credit: Janvi Bhuri Baraiya
Video footage of the former Carnival cruise ship has also been posted online and in the coming weeks she will no longer start to look like a cruise ship:
Of the other Holiday class ships, the only one that is still under operations is the former Holiday itself, which is currently under the ownership of Seajets in Greece as the MV Magellan.
Grand Celebration sailed for Carnival Cruise Line between 1987 and 2008. She was one of three out of the Holiday class of ships, the first set of new-builds by Carnival Cruise Line.
The ship was built in 1986 at the Kockums Varv shipyard in Malmö, Sweden, for Carnival. Carnival Celebration was in service for the cruise giant for 20 years. The 1497 passenger, 47,262 GT, was turned over to Ibero Cruises in 2008 and renamed Grand Celebration after a refit.
The vessel remained in Ibero Cruises for only six years until 2014. The ship was transferred to Costa Cruises and quickly sold on to Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, where she sailed on 2-day Bahamas cruises from Florida.
The Pandemic Hits Hard
It is the next thing on the list for Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line since the start of the pandemic. Crew members stuck on board for months and months, and a court case against the cruise line with settlements to be paid. It’s been a hectic year for the cruise line.
$612,000 to 276 crew members of both Grand Celebration and Grand Classica. The settlement Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line is to pay back pay for crew members held onboard Grand Celebration against their will during the first months of the pandemic.
Photo Credit: YES Market Media / Shutterstock.com
A judge in Florida signed a settlement last Thursday, which forces the cruise line to pay a significant settlement that will provide up to two months’ severance pay for former employees. The crew members were not only held but also subsequently lost their jobs when the cruise industry shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether the lawsuit is why the ship has been sold and scrapped is not known; it certainly would not have helped the small cruise line. The lawsuit goes into great detail about how far the Cruise Line went to force the crew into submission.
As a sign of the times, and probably no one is present to update the website, the cruise line still advertises the Grand Celebration on its website, although it’s not possible to book any cruises.
Where this leaves Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line for when the pandemic ends is not entirely clear. Grand Classica is currently moored in the Bahamas, so we’ll keep an eye on this.
