Travelore Cruise News: Silversea Confirms Delays On Two New Cruise Ships In 2020, But Future Ships Still Coming

Silver Moon

 Luxury and expedition cruise line Silversea has confirmed delays on two of its new cruise ships debuting in 2020 -- Silver Moon by two months and Silver Origin by a month.

The 596-passenger Silver Moon, a sister to flagship to Silver Muse, was due to launch in August in Trieste, Italy, but shipyard closures have forced the start date back to October 2. The launch of the line’s purpose-built Galapagos ship, the 100-passenger Silver Origin, will now be August 22.

However, Silversea confirmed its planned new-build program of five ships, including these two, would be unaffected.

The line is not alone -- shipyard closures across Europe have led to a significant number of delays both of new builds and refurbishments.

At a press briefing today, Silversea's President and CEO Roberto Martinoli, said: "Our future expansion projects are not affected.

"We have and we will continue to have five firm ship orders: Origin will be a ship in operation soon, sometime in October we will have Moon starting operations, so that's two of the five.

"And then Silver Moon will be in operation next year, being delivered in Ancona after the summer.

"And the two Evolution vessels that are being built and designed in Germany will come after that, so in terms of firm orders there are no changes."

He added: "We are also looking to other projects, and this pandemic situation has delayed our 'homework' in terms of what it is we want to order next, and I would expect we will have a clearer picture by the end of the summer when we will hopefully be back to a normal operation and we will be able to work on our expansion plans which will continue to be aggressive."

Future Bookings Strong

Martinoli admitted business was difficult in the short term with the line dealing with "hundreds" of cancellations, but that in the long term the interest was still high. The line went from a norm of 10 to 20 cancellations a day to more than 1,000.

"We've had eight weeks of disheartening news, but the numbers are beginning to look positive, and that gives me great hope for the future," he said.

Chief Marketing Officer Barbara Muckermann said she had been heartened by the fact many passengers who canceled and requested a refund then proceeded to rebook two weeks later.

"2021 bookings are really, really doing well," she said.

She added that the age group rebooking the most were the 61- to 80-year-olds: "The older the guest, the more they choose a future cruise credit over a refund. The older generation is booking with a higher frequency than the other generations. ... The Baby Boomers/Silent Generation want to go back."

Expedition Interest Remains Robust

In terms of where passengers want to go, there's a strong trend toward people rebooking the same itinerary in 2021 that they had planned in 2020, Muckermann said. If they booked a Mediterranean cruise this year, that's the exact trip they want to do next year.

Another trend is that the people are seeking out remote destinations, with the Galapagos as the most-popular itinerary, followed by Antarctica. Part of this could be that guests are leery of heavily populated areas and want to go where they know there are fewer people. But another strong factor is that these are "bucket list" places, she said.

With the Galapagos, the cruise executives expressed excitement for Silver Origin, which is being built at Shipyard De Hoop. It underwent sea trials in late April, with much of the work done remotely -- a first for the industry, they said. The ship still needs to get indoor and outdoor furnishings from Italy, the U.S. and China, as well as artwork from the U.K., before it transits the Atlantic to Ecuador over the summer.

Getting to remote destinations during a pandemic is difficult, as countries have different flight regulations; Ecuador is still closed to flights, the line pointed out. But Silversea had already made a practice of chartering passengers to the more remote ports from larger airports; this could be expanded to guarantee that guests still have a luxury Silversea experience, she said.

Another destination emerging as popular are the British Isles, with cruises leaving from Tilbury.

Future Programming and Safety Concerns

Muckermann also directly addressed how the new food and wine program known as S.A.L.T. (Sea And Land Taste) -- which was due to launch on Silver Moon -- would be affected by the delay: "We're not expecting any changes apart from the delay due to the Fincantieri shipyard.

"Once Moon comes out, the S.A.L.T. program will be fully implemented. The biggest difference will be on the shore excursions. We are in touch with our shore excursion operators to ensure they are managed with the highest possible safety, which might mean we rent a whole restaurant for our guests rather than sharing with other people."

The webinar also touched upon health and safety concerns, including visits to remote parts of the globe, such as Antarctica, where COVID-19 has not taken hold:

"We follow very stringent protocols today but we also have a little bit of benefit there because we have less contact with other cruise ship guests," SVP of Hotel Operations Damien O'Connor said.

Smaller Ships With More Space

He also addressed the issue of social distancing and said Silversea was well placed as it had one of the highest space-to-passenger ratio of any cruise line: "We are in a privileged position because of the space of our ships. There will no doubt be less guest-to-crew contact, but we are not saying there will be less guest-to-guest contact."

He did not go into any more details in terms of onboard health and safety protocols. "We don’t know 100 percent what that is today." He did note that the buffets on Silversea are not self-serve, so the line likely can continue having that casual option, continuing with waiter service.

The line could not confirm a definite return to the sea date (at present Silver Moon is scheduled to resume sailing July 17).

O'Connor said: "The reason we haven't come out with a back-to-the-sea plan is because we are in a little bit of a better position having smaller ships and having less guests onboard so we will follow what the rest of the industry is doing."

Silversea operates small ships, from the 100-passenger Silver Origin, to the largest, Silver Moon, which carries 596 passengers. The ships are all suite with a high space-to-passenger ratio, so many of the social distancing issues on mainstream ships will not apply on the Silversea fleet.

Customer Confidence

Despite the hardships that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, the guest reaction to the brand, as well as the strong rebookings and new bookings makes the Silversea executives confident that the line and cruise industry strength will return.

"They are all just like us, bored at home," said Mark Conroy, managing director of the Americas. From his customer interactions, he is hearing that the interest to travel again, once it's safe to do so, is strong.

"They are dying to get on a plane again," he said. "They are dying to get on a Silversea ship."

Source: https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5357/

Adam Coulter

UK Managing Editor

Chris Gray Faust

Managing Editor

Italy Seeks To Boost Tourism By Opening Borders June 3

In this picture taken on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, keys hang at the reception of the Saturnia hotel, in Venice, Italy. Venetians are rethinking their city in the quiet brought by the coronavirus pandemic. For years, the unbridled success of Venice's tourism industry threatened to ruin the things that made it an attractive destination to begin with. Now the pandemic has ground to a halt Italy’s most-visited city, stopped the flow of 3 billion euros in annual tourism-related revenue and devastated the city's economy. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

VENICE, Italy (AP) — The Italian government announced Saturday that it will throw open its borders next month, effectively ending Europe’s longest and strictest coronavirus lockdown just as the summer tourism season gets under way.

Both regional and international borders will open June 3, with the government eliminating a 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving from abroad. Many hope the move will revive a decimated tourist industry, which is worth 13% of Italy’s gross domestic product.

Such an opening is exactly what tourism operators have been waiting for -- even if European neighbors so far appeared be wary of the unilateral Italian announcement.

“We hope to work with the neighboring countries, those who can travel by car,” said Gianni Serandrei, the owner of the 4-star Hotel Saturnia near St. Mark’s Square.

The hotel’s last guest -- a determined couple of honeymooners from Argentina -- checked out around March 11, days after Italy’s lockdown. And when phones have rung in recent months, it has been with cancellations, with only a few reservations for 2021 trickling in.

Serandrei said that Saturnia’s clients are overwhelmingly foreign, making open borders and an eventual resumption of air traffic key to a successful season. With no clear indication of when more regular air traffic will resume, he is looking forward to further signals before committing to a June 3 opening. The caution may be merited.

Germany -- whose border is about a 4-hour drive from Venice through Austria -- is instructing citizens not to travel abroad for tourism until at least June 15. And officials in neighboring France made clear that they had sought a coordinated European effort on border openings, indicating Italy had jumped the gun.

During a visit to a Normandy beach, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Saturday that European countries should work together in solidarity and held out the possibility of France acting to protect its citizens.

Italy’s national hotel federation said that by April the sector had already shed 106,000 jobs, with occupancy dropping by 99% for foreigners and 96% for Italians. Another half a million jobs are at risk if the summer season does not take off, according to the association.

Judged by last year’s turnover, the virus lockdown and suspension of touristic activities cost the country 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion), the amount spent by foreigners in Italy from March to May 2019, according to a study by the national statistics agency ISTAT.

To illustrate the importance of arrivals from nearby countries, Eurostat figures show that French overnight stays in Italy hit 14 million last year, while those from Germany came in at 13.6 million, edging Italians themselves at 13.5 million. Spaniards were the top with 14.6 million.

Italy is hoping also to encourage domestic tourism, offering vouchers to lower income families to spend in Italian hotels, campgrounds and other establishments before the end of the year.

Not everyone is satisfied with the guidelines set out overnight by the government, which foresees the opening Monday of bars, restaurants, shops, hairdressers and beauticians.

Restaurant owners in Milan protested in front of the main train station Saturday, saying that the rules remain unclear and that the entire sector needs more concrete help, including an abolition of taxes. Many worry they will reopen only to have to close again because of lack of business.

And the head of the hotel federation in Florence said Saturday that mask requirements in open spaces seemed redundant if keeping a physical distance.

“We don’t understand why a tourist would have to stay on the terrace or in the garden of a hotel with a mask,” Francesco Bechi said. “We are very attentive to health and prevention. Clear and precise rules can guarantee services to guests.’’

By COLLEEN BARRY

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David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany, and Elaine Ganley in Paris contributed.

Travelore News: Puerto Vallarta To Start Re-Opening On May 18th

PUERTO VALLARTA  – The city of Puerto Vallarta will start its reopening process on May 18h as the State of Jalisco enters Phase 0 of its COVID-19 recovery plan on Monday, May 18. Phase 0 will last at least 15 days and allow for the gradual return of some economic activities. It is the first step in preparing protocols for the next phases of the plan. During this time, social distancing, and the use of face masks outside the home will remain mandatory. Stores, public roads, and businesses previously deemed non-essential that are linked to supply chains are allowed to operate at 50 percent of capacity. Select businesses that do not generate crowds and adhere to social distancing guidelines will also be permitted to open.
 
Beaches, public spaces, shopping malls, bars, and nightclubs will remain closed. Restaurants and cafes that commit to applying established sanitation and safety protocols may operate at 50 percent of their capacity.
 
Hotel services such as access to swimming pools, bars, gyms, beach clubs, and private beaches remain suspended at this time. Cleaning, sanitizing, and disease prevention measures are in place at Puerto Vallarta International Airport, the cruise port, on public transportation, in supermarkets, and in government offices which are providing limited services. Local authorities are working closely with the travel sector to progressively implement updated protocols to support the transition to the next phase of recovery.
 
“Tourism is a very important industry in our state, and we are looking forward to welcoming back international visitors when the time is right,” said German Ralis, Minister of Tourism of the State of Jalisco. “However, we remain very cautious with our plans for re-opening Jalisco, including popular tourism destinations like Puerto Vallarta, to ensure that the safest and cleanest conditions await guests upon their return.”  
 
Throughout Phase 0, the government will continue to monitor the number of new cases identified and the ability to isolate and provide contact tracing for individuals who test positive, in order to determine when the state can proceed to the next phase of opening. More information will be available it the coming weeks.

For more details and updates please visit: https://visitpuertovallarta.com/

Recent Study Says Majority Of Recent Cruise Takers Would Go On A Cruise Despite The Coronavirus

THOSE WILLING TO ENGAGE IN TRAVEL AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES ARE GROWING QUICKLY SAYS “BACK-TO-NORMAL BAROMETER” SURVEY

A groundbreaking “Back-to-Normal” survey comparing travel and leisure attitudes in September 2001 and July 2009 to today finds that a majority of Americans who took a cruise in the past year would go on a cruise right now in spite of widespread health concerns from COVID-19. And the percentage who would engage in other travel and leisure activities right now if they could do so is growing dramatically.

“Looking at our tracking data, we seem to be reaching an inflection point among leisure customers, sports fans and travelers,” said Jon Last, President of Sports and Leisure Research Group, whose firm conducted the research along with Engagious and ROKK Solutions. “There are just as many people concerned about the macro economic situation as there are those concerned about the public health crisis.”

Of those Americans who have participated in these activities within the past 12 months:

• 58% would take a cruise
• 48% would attend a live sporting event
• 47% would stay at a hotel
• 46% would visit a casino
• 43% would fly commercially
• 39% would see a movie in a theater

While those who would engage in an activity that they did in the past year continues to grow, there are still a large number of Americans overall that remain hesitant to travel long distances.
The latest poll also compared the public’s willingness to engage in various travel and leisure activities now vis-à-vis the weeks after the 9/11 attacks and during the Great Recession. While engagement lags those prior two crises, the latest results shows a consistency in consumer hesitancy compared to the previous polls.

“Our ability to compare today’s findings to the prior crises of 2001 and 2009 makes our 2020 research particularly compelling,” said Rich Thau, President and co-founder of Engagious.
Exactly half the country (50%) strongly agreed in late September 2001 that “Taking a vacation 500+ miles is a priority for me and my family in the next 12 months;” only 35% strongly agreed in our first poll held on April 1, 2020. While the number jumped five points to 40% who strongly agreed April 22, 2020, it has now dipped two points to 38% in our latest poll.

“Our research takes an unprecedented review of consumer attitudes of the past compared to today’s environment, so that a vast variety of industries can make strategic business decisions to navigate the difficult terrain ahead to get back to normal,” said Ron Bonjean, Partner at ROKK Solutions.

The margin of error on the May 6, 2020 online survey is +/- 4.1%. It was fielded May 5-6, 2020, and is comprised of a random sample of Americans who self-identify as participants in sports and leisure activities.

Sports and Leisure Research Group is a market research firm specializing in the sports, travel, and leisure sectors, based in White Plains, NY. Engagious is a bicoastal research firm specializing in corporate and public policy message testing and message refinement. ROKK Solutions is a Washington, DC-based bipartisan public affairs firm specializing in strategic communications, media engagement, digital and social strategy, message amplification and crisis management.

Limited Reopening For Universal’s Entertainment District In Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — After being shuttered for almost two months, Universal Orlando plans to allow the reopening of some restaurants and shops on a limited basis in the theme park resort’s entertainment district this week, company officials said Tuesday.

About a half-dozen restaurants and eateries, as well as two retail shops and some merchandise carts, will reopen at Universal Orlando Citywalk on May 14th in a sign of the baby steps Orlando’s theme parks are taking to get back to business after they closed in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Next week, Walt Disney World will allow some third-party shops and restaurants in its Disney Springs entertainment district to reopen. Workers and guests will be required to wear face masks. Per state rules, indoor capacity will be limited to 25% and dining tables outside must be more than 6 feet apart.

Neither Disney World nor Universal officials have said when theme parks and hotels will reopen.

At Universal’s Citywalk, visitors will have their temperature checked upon arrival, and if it’s 100.4 degrees or higher, they won’t be allowed to enter. Visitors also will have to wear face masks which they can purchase. The venues will limit their capacity to ensure social distancing. They also will have cashless payment options, and visitors will be able to self-park for free, the resort said in a news release.

Workers also will have their temperatures checked and will have to wear face masks. All chairs and tables will be cleaned and disinfected after each seating, and high-touch areas also will be frequently cleaned, the resort said.

The venues will only be open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the restaurants will have a limited menu.

“Guests should evaluate their own risk as they determine whether to visit. And, in line with CDC guidelines, we specifically do not recommend older adults or individuals at high-risk with severe underlying medical conditions visit our facilities,” said the news release, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Paris Awakens Slowly After 2-Month Slumber To World It Lost

PARIS (AP) — After a two-month freeze, Paris slowly awakened on Monday to the world it had lost under lockdown as hairdressers, florists, nail salons and some other businesses reopened - but under mandatory social distancing requirements.

Like a just-awakened sleeping beauty, the City of Light needed to rub its eyes on the first day of relaxed home confinement rules. Shopkeepers trying to recover losses may need to wait days for Parisians to rediscover the daily habits from before the coronavirus halted most public life.

“It’s a bit an act of faith today,” said Edouard Lefebvre, who heads the business district on the Champs-Elysees Avenue, packed with crowds of locals and foreign tourists in normal times.

Only half of the avenue’s shops were open Monday, Lefebvre said, reflecting the extensive preparations needed to safely receive customers and the hesitant steps many people took toward pre-pandemic routines.

“Clients won’t come back in day one. It takes time to get used to coming back to the Champs-Elysees, to come back to Paris,” Lefebvre said in an interview with the Associated Press.

Vehicles began filling streets again, but there were no traffic jams reported, and numerous people used bicycles to get around.

Restaurants and bars - at the heart of France’s proverbial joie de vivre - are still waiting to learn when they will be back in business and cafe life can resume under the French government’s phased-in lifting of restrictions it imposed to stem the country’s coronavirus outbreak.

Some Parisians couldn’t resist the temptations of their newly-recovered freedom, and conviviality was accompanied by wine or beer. As the sun set over the picturesque Canal Saint Martin, youths gathered for conversation, standing shoulder-to-shoulder or sitting knee-to-knee on the ground, — until police moved in with a megaphone to disburse the crowd. The Paris police chief later issued a ban on consumption of alcoholic drinks along the banks of the Seine river, saying he “deplored” having to take action to ensure distancing on the first day of de-confinement.

France was hit hard by COVID-19, recording more than 26,600 virus-related deaths as of Monday night. The virus still is circulating. Authorities, trying to strike a balance between public health and boosting the economy as cases plateaued, reopened numerous sectors around the country. They will reassess the situation in three weeks, wary of a second wave.

Parisians grown used to hearing birds and smelling clean air from windows during lockdown may find some aspects of deconfinement unpleasant, like motorists honking their horns and the heavy equipment at the capital’s thousands of construction sites, a source of inconvenient detours and noise that drowns out the sounds of nature.

A construction worker on a Left Bank residential project that’s been in the works for two years said it was a pleasure to be back on the job after a period of home confinement that got a bit long. To guard against exposure to the virus, masks are obligatory for workers, hand sanitizer dispensers are in place around the huge site, and crews use one-way routes to move from floor to floor to maintain social distancing.

Parisians donned heavy coats against a blustering wind and colder weather to stroll through their neighborhoods without the permission slips they needed to venture out for just a few permitted purposes: food shopping, short jogs and imperative business.

Now, the French can travel legally within a radius of 100 kilometers (60 miles) from their homes.

For many shopkeepers, survival may depend on quickly enchanting everyone again, a special challenge with distancing rules that keep some waiting at the door to enter.

“It will be a return, but slowly,” said florist Iswar Boodhoo whose shop is located on a strategic corner of the Montparnasse area, a Left Bank entertainment haunt.

“People haven’t been working. They have lots of problems and flowers are a luxury,” he said.

Lefebvre, of the Champs-Elysees business district, bemoaned what he said has been an 18-month-long economic “disaster” for Paris, from the weekly demonstrations by yellow vests movement protesters, to a major transportation strike over pension reform and then the coronavirus crisis.

“Despite this, we are opening full of hope, even if it will take a long time to reconquer,” he said. “It’s important for a city like Paris to live again.”

ELAINE GANLEY

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Masha Macpherson in Paris contributed.

Shanghai Disneyland Reopens With Anti-Virus Controls

SHANGHAI (AP) — Visitors in face masks streamed into Shanghai Disneyland as the theme park reopened Monday in a high-profile step toward reviving tourism that was shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.

The House of Mouse’s experience in Shanghai, the first of its parks to reopen, foreshadows hurdles global entertainment industries might face. Disney is limiting visitor numbers, requiring masks and checking for the virus’s telltale fever.

China, where the pandemic began in December, was the first country to reopen factories and other businesses after declaring the disease under control in March even as infections rise and controls are tightened in some other countries.

“We hope that today’s reopening serves as a beacon of light across the globe, providing hope and inspiration to everyone,” the president of Shanghai Disney Resort, Joe Schott, told reporters.

Tourism has been hit especially hard by controls imposed worldwide that shut down airline and cruise ship travel, theme parks and cinemas. Disney blamed a 91% plunge in its latest quarter profit on $1.4 billion in virus-related costs.

Shanghai Disneyland and Disney’s park in Hong Kong closed on Jan. 25 as China isolated cities with 60 million people to try to contain the outbreak. Tokyo Disneyland closed the following month and parks in the United States and Europe in March.

Disney is opening Shanghai cautiously as it evaluates reopening other parks around the world. Parks are a crucial revenue driver for Disney. Parks, experiences and product division accounts for around 30% to 35% of total revenue.

What the company learns in Shanghai could become a guide, executives said in a conference call to discuss earnings last week.

Typical capacity in the Shanghai park is 80,000 visitors a day, but the government has cut that to about 30%, or 24,000 a day, said CEO Bob Chapek.

“We’re going to actually open up far below that just to have our training wheels on with our new procedures and processes to make sure we don’t have any lines backing up, either as guests enter into the park or as they wade through the park,” Chapek said. “So we’re going to approach that very, very slowly, but after a few weeks we’ll actually be up to what the government’s guideline is.”

Disney hasn’t said when their four theme parks and nearly two dozen resorts at Disney World will reopen. However, next week it will begin to allow some third-party shops and restaurants in Disney Worlds entertainment district, Disney Springs, to reopen. Workers and guests will be required to wear face masks. Per state rules, indoor capacity will be limited to 25% and dining tables outside must be more than six feet apart.

In China, the government allowed shops and offices to reopen but is keeping cinemas, bars, karaoke parlors and other businesses closed.

Authorities are trying to revive China’s tourism market by offering free admission to scenic spots and discount vouchers to consumers. But there is no indication when travel curbs that have cut off the flow of free-spending Chinese tourists to Thailand and other neighboring Asian countries might be lifted.

China’s own industry might benefit while those travel curbs limit Chinese tourists to spending in their own country, Taohai Lin of Fitch Solutions said in an email. However, Lin said their spending power could be hurt if weakness in global demand for Chinese exports leads to job losses.

Disney guests, some wearing Mickey Mouse ears, and children in Little Mermaid, Mulan, Minnie Mouse and Snow White costumes were checked Monday for fever at the park gate and then walked down nearly empty lanes as employees waved to them. The company’s signature tune, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” played over loudspeakers.

“It really felt like a princess’s homecoming, especially when the staff lined up after the ticket check and said, ‘Welcome home!’,” said visitor Dilys Ding of Shanghai.

“It feels like so many fewer people than normal. You don’t need to line up,” said Ding, 26. “You can play all the entertainment items at least once. That’s very good.”

Decals on sidewalks and at lines for attractions show visitors where to stand to leave space between themselves. The company said rides will be limited to one group of visitors per car to keep strangers apart.

“We don’t want people too close — front, back or side,” said Andrew Bolstein, the park’s senior vice president for operations.

The company said its plans were based on the experience of Disneytown, an adjacent shopping and entertainment facility that reopened earlier in the 1,000-acre (400-hectare) Shanghai Disney Resort.

Advance reservations are required and visitors are assigned times to enter. The company said earlier guest numbers will be limited to one-third of the usual daily level of 80,000 at the start and will gradually increase.

“Excited about the opening of the gate!” people in the first group of guests shouted as they entered the park at 9:30 a.m.

Shanghai Disneyland, which opened in 2016, is a joint venture between Walt Disney Co. and a company owned by the Shanghai city government.

Disney has a 43% stake in the Shanghai Disney Resort, which includes the theme park, two hotels and Disneytown. The resort said earlier it attracted about 12 million guests last year and a total of 66 million since it opened.

Disney, headquartered in Burbank, California, said some outlets in Disney Springs, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex attached to the Disney World theme park in Florida, will reopen this month. The company has yet to to set a date for reopening Disney World or its other parks worldwide.

Visitors to Shanghai Disney are required to show government-issued identification and use a smartphone app issued by the Shanghai city government that tracks their health and contacts with anyone who might have been exposed to he virus.

That allows the company to “understand and regulate the flow of traffic,” said Bolstein.

Activities including children’s play areas and indoor theater shows are closed in line with government restrictions, Bolstein said.

“We hope to bring them back some time soon,” he said.

By SAM McNEIL

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AP researcher Si Chen, AP Business Writer Mae Anderson in New York and Michael Schneider in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this report.

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Walt Disney Co.: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/