These are the cruises open to Americans this summer
2021-04-12Starting this spring, at least seven cruise brands will launch their ships from foreign ports on cruises that will be open to North American passengers. Cruising is still banned in U.S. waters, due to the CDC’s conditional sailing order. But Beginning in June, about 15 ships will cruise from ports in Europe and the Caribbean. […]
READ MORE
When Will Cruises Resume?
2021-04-12Update: On April 2, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its cruising guidelines to include the following: All cruise lines must form safety agreements with the ports where they hope to operate, cruise operators must routinely test their crew members for COVID-19 and trial voyages may begin 30 days after a cruise […]
READ MORE
Several cruise lines require vaccines, but not everybody is on board
2021-03-29This summer, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Crystal Cruises will launch the first large-ship ocean cruises in North America in more than a year. But with a caveat: Adults and crew must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. In Crystal’s case, the vaccination requirement extends to all passengers, minors not excepted. Prior to those departures, small ships in U.S. waters will […]
READ MORE
A pandemic lesson for a post-pandemic world
2021-03-22Last April, Signature Travel Network CEO Alex Sharpe sent around a note that included reflections, by an anonymous author, on what was then the early stages of the pandemic. At that time, before politics, paranoia and paralysis came together to reshape the pandemic narrative, we frequently heard — and could deeply feel — the sentiment […]
READ MORE
The psychology of vaccinations and travel
2021-03-08I couldn’t describe with any authority what is happening inside my body now that I’ve gotten my first Pfizer jab. But the effect on my brain was immediate, clear and welcome. If the other Americans who have been vaccinated by this point feel the same way, the travel industry’s hopeful forecast for an explosive recovery […]
READ MORE
What Will Happen to My Elite Status and Points Because of the Coronavirus?
2021-03-08Limited travel due to the coronavirus prompts airline and hotel rewards programs to make policy changes. The fallout from the coronavirus continues to leave its mark on the travel industry. While frequent travelers were initially stressed about canceled flights, now they must also worry about maintaining their status and accruals in hotel and airline rewards […]
READ MORE When Will Cruises Resume?
2021-02-23Find out when you can cruise again and when each cruise line will be sailing in 2021 and beyond. After almost a year stuck on dry land, cruise lovers may be itching to hit the high seas again on their favorite cruise lines. But with rules and regulations about cruising in flux, it can be hard to […]
READ MORE
Travel unraveled
2021-02-23Once upon a time, the travel industry was represented by a scattering of siloed interest groups. The Travel Industry Association of America ostensibly looked after the interests of the domestic tourist attractions, the Discover America Partnership was focused on inbound travel to those sites, and the Travel Business Roundtable tended to the needs of domestic […]
READ MORE
The biggest post-pandemic challenge in travel
2021-02-09How is travel changing? That question is really two questions, with two completely different answers, one for the traveling public and one for the travel industry. In the near term, consumers are facing uncertainty: a shape-shifting landscape of border closures and testing mandates; the potential linkage of vaccine requirements to places and products; the specter […]
READ MORE
Looking Forward to Cruising Again!
2021-01-26Hello Again Everyone, Welcome to this Captain’s Blog written for you and The World’s Greatest Vacations by Captain Peter Philpott, retired Captain of Queen Mary 2 of Cunard Lines. When I retired from Queen Mary 2 and my sea-going career in late 2018, I could not possibly have imagined how, only a little over one […]
READ MORE