Spectrum of the Seas delayed for third time
Royal Caribbean International's Spectrum of the Seas has postponed
its cruise-to-nowhere trips in Hong Kong for the third time. Spectrum of
the Seas was initially scheduled to begin sailing from Hong Kong in
late July for a cruise-to-nowhere voyage. It was then delayed to late
August, followed by 5 October, and most recently that date was postponed
to 14 October.
This means that the 5th, 8th and 10th departures will be cancelled
and affected passengers will receive notifications and compensation
details with effect.
According to various Royal Caribbean spokespersons, the delays have
been due to crew vaccinations, quarantine challenges, and elevated
restrictions and rules imposed by the Hong Kong government for
passengers from Europe, North America and Asia.
“This will make it difficult to join the voyage service as originally
planned for the crew who are fully vaccinated from the Ocean Spectrum.
As a result, some of the routes will be cancelled,” Royal Caribbean
stated.
Crystal River Cruises prolongs vaccination mandate through 2022
Crystal River Cruises announced that it will be extending its
mandatory vaccination requirement for guests and crew all the way to the
end of 2022, which will give guests more confidence and reassurance
about safety protocols when they book its cruises.
"The health and safety of our guests and crew is paramount to
everything we do at Crystal River Cruises, and as such, we will require
full vaccination through 2022 so that our guests can continue to explore
the world in great comfort and safety," said Walter Littlejohn, Crystal
River Cruises’ SVP and managing director.
Guests and crew are expected to complete a full course of COVID-19
vaccination (with two doses, if recommended by manufacturer) at least 14
days before their embarkation date. Passengers will be required to
produce documents to prove their vaccination status before boarding the
ship.
"After months of planning and preparation, we welcomed guests back on
board in late August and the feedback has been wonderful,” Littlejohn
further stated. “Extending the vaccination requirement provides our
guests with the health and safety information and assurances they need
to plan future travels."
Additional safe measures include Covid-19 tests at embarkation for
both guests and crew, temperature checks when returning from ashore, a
mask policy, social distancing guidelines and enhanced sanitation.