~ The Empire State Road Trip, hosted by the prestigious Harbor Hotel Collection ~ Cover photo: Chautauqua Harbor Hotel Pinch me. Are we really taking a trip after 15 lo-o-ong months of COVID lockdown? Ouch! I guess we are! There’s no escaping that feeling of unreality, nor the sheer joy of traveling again, that both Pam and I felt as we headed up I-95. With U.S. ports still locked down, we are setting aside sailing for the …
The French island of Martinique staged its first-ever virtual Travel Show this week, welcoming more than 1,000 virtual guests and exhibitors to discover this picturesque “Island of Flowers” and “Rum Capital of the World,” located in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies. Among the topics drawing the most interest was the status of the cruise industry. In her keynote address, “The State of the Cruise Industry in the Caribbean,” Lisa Cummins, senator and Minister of International …
April 29, 2021: Today, Disney pulled the curtain back on their newest ship, Disney Wish, and judging from the what they spotlighted, it will be everything a family could “wish” for in a cruise vacation. Known for their story-telling and immersive experiences, Wish will take that to a whole new level when it sets sail in the summer of 2022. The video session, led by Cruise Director Ashley Long, with help from Mickey, Minnie and other Disney …
Seatrade Cruise Virtual, the cruise industry’s premier event, just concluded, and as the name implies, it was held online as the world continues to deal with the COVID pandemic. Over the course of three days, industry experts and cruise executives shared the state of where cruising is today and a look ahead to what guests can expect when cruising restarts on a wide scale. Each day focused on a different topic: Day one was “Health and Safety”; …
Participants the world-over “zoomed” together March 8-9 for “Seatrade Cruise Virtual – Expedition Cruising” to learn more about one of the cruise industry’s fastest-growing segments. The keynote session, “The State of the Expedition Cruise Industry,” brought together five leaders who provided insight into where it stands and where it’s going. Moderated by the Seatrade News Editor Anne Kalosh, she asked the panelists why expedition cruising is booming. One reason, cited by Roberto Martinoli, president and CEO of …
“The good news is there is still a strong desire for cruise vacations. Del Rio noted their Oceania brand has had its highest holiday sales ever, while the 2023 Regent Seven Seas world cruise sold out in a week.” HOME_Normally, reporting from Seatrade Global would carry a Miami dateline. But in the upside down year of 2020, the premier event for the cruise industry is being held virtually this week. So speakers, vendors, participants and press are …
As cruise lines continue to adapt their operations in response to COVID, Seatrade Cruise Talks are staging an ongoing series of webinars to update us on the latest developments in the industry. Most recently, the topic was “Making Expedition Destinations Stronger than Ever,” featuring a panel of experts, moderated by Liz Gammon, an independent cruise consultant. As you may know, expedition cruising is the fastest growing segment of the cruise industry. Gammon pointed out there are 39 …
As COVID-19 continues to sideline the cruise industry, ships and their personnel aren’t the only ones affected. Those of us who cover it — hundreds of journalists, media and public relations professionals — are also in lockdown, perched in front of computers in our homes, dreaming about when we can get back to sea. But thanks to technologies like Zoom, we can still interact with our colleagues and share information. The latest example was a virtual happy …
As some river and expedition cruising begins to come back in Europe, Seatrade Cruise Talks hosted a webinar July 16 on “Restarting Europe’s River and Luxury Cruises: Lessons Learnt.” Moderated by Seatrade’s Frederik Erdmann, it featured panelists Rudi Schreiner, president and co-founder of AmaWaterways, Monic van der Heyden, commercial manager for the Port of Amsterdam, and Emilio Freeman, vice-president of Itineraries and Destinations for Sea Dream Yacht Club. Freeman kicked things off by reviewing how Sea Dream …
Excerpt: “On a positive note,” said Burrows, “the month of June was the highest booking month we’ve had in the 18-year history of our company.” … some of that is moving guests from suspended sailings to 2021 and 2022, but the river cruise industry has been very resilient … — Jon Burrows (VP-Operations at AmaWaterways) On July 10, Seatrade Cruise Talks hosted a webinar on “How COVID-19 Will Affect the Future of Food & Beverage, and …
Heidi, Editor-In-Chief
