Editorial: Cruise ships locked out of transtasman bubble
14 May, 2021 05:00 PM
4 minutes to read
The Diamond Princess cruise ship at Yokohama, Japan, in February 2020. Photo / AP file
NZ Herald
EDITORIAL
As tourists, airlines, tourism operators and travel agents exhale with relief over extra business from the transtasman bubble, another part of the industry remains out in the cold. Cruise operators - and those who love to sail on the ships - are still marooned, unable to make the crossing.
Generally, the health concern with cruises is that people spend hours indoors - the most risky conditions for a Covid-19 super-spreader event.
InfoMigrants By Emma Wallis Published on : 2021/05/14
The IOM has confirmed that at least 17 migrants are believed to have drowned in the Mediterranean on Wednesday evening. Their ship, which is thought to have departed from Libya, got into difficulty off the Tunisian coast. Two women were rescued.
The latest tragedy to occur in the Mediterranean was confirmed on Thursday (May 13) by a spokesperson for the UN Migration Agency IOM, Safa Mseheli. She said on Twitter that the boat had reportedly left Zwara, in eastern Libya, two days earlier.
‼️ At least 17 migrants drowned off the Tunisian coast today according to two survivors rescued by authorities.
2 hours ago
MSC Cruises’ flagship, MSC Virtuosa, has arrived in Southampton, ready to welcome guests as cruising restarts in the UK.
The newest ship in the fleet, she will embark on her maiden voyage around the British Isles on May 20th.
Antonio Paradiso, UK managing director, MSC Cruises, said: “The arrival of our flagship MSC Virtuosa into Southampton today is an exciting moment, as we prepare to welcome UK guests back on board for her inaugural season around the British Isles.
“We are proud to be the first cruise line to set sail from UK waters this summer and offer holidaymakers the chance to experience all of the new and incredible features on board our latest and most innovative ship. ”
5 hours ago
While Princess Cruises has cancelled a number of trips over the coming months as it battles back toward operation.
All California Coast and Mexico sailings on Ruby Princess have been suspended until at least August 21st this year, while Caribbean sailings on Caribbean Princess will not restart until at least the same date.
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All remaining 2021 Mediterranean summer season voyages on Enchanted Princess have also been cut.
The news comes as the company said it continues to work with various government and port authorities to finalise its plans for a return to cruising.
Princess added it continues its discussions with various United States and Canadian government officials to try to preserve a portion of the Alaska 2021 cruise season.
Entertainment
Wed, May 12, 2021
American actor Tom Cruise was at the receiving end of intense backlash in December last year when he was caught ferociously berating crew members of
Mission: Impossible 7 for breaking COVID-19 guidelines on set.
Despite the outrage that mounted against the actor following the charged expletive-ridden rant, the 58-year-old
Top Gun star stands by his words.
Speaking to
Empire, Cruise said: “I said what I said. There was a lot at stake at that point.”
“All those emotions were going through my mind. I was thinking about the people I work with, and my industry. And for the whole crew to know that we’d started rolling on a movie was just a huge relief. It was very emotional, I gotta tell you,” he added.