There's been a lot of cruise news to cover from this week, so here's a breakdown of the biggest stories you should know about!
Check out all of the big news from this week!
Disney Wish delayed
Disney Cruise Line announced its newest cruise ship will be delayed by six weeks.
The plan is for the Disney Wish will debut on July 14, 2022, instead of June 9.
The reason for the delay is due to construction delays at the Meyer Werft shipyard as a result of the pandemic.
Read more: Best new cruise ships for 2022
SpaceX aborts rocket launch due to Royal Caribbean cruise ship
A rocket launch from Cape Canaveral had to be delayed by a day after Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas got too close to the no-go zone.
As a result of the incident, the U.S. Coast Guard is investigation the incident.
On Sunday, January 30th, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket aborted takeoff when the ship ventured into the launch site's no-go zone.
Celebrity Cruises launches new hotel booking program
Celebrity Cruises launched its Hotels by Celebrity program, where passengers can book a hotel before or after their cruise.
The new program gives cruisers a choice of 4- and 5-star hotels, and promises exclusive rates.
Available to North American passengers, Hotels by Celebrity will list various hotels and the different amenities each hotel offers.
"We’re so excited to offer this new service to all of our guests. Travel is meant to eliminate the stress in our lives, and Hotels by Celebrity makes finding the perfect accommodations easy and luxurious," said Brian Abel, Celebrity’s Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations.
"Now, guests will be assured of comfortable stays that meet their needs as they prepare for their cruise or extend their vacation a little longer."
Celebrity Beyond begins sea trials
The next Celebrity Edge Class cruise ship is one step closer to completion.
Celebrity Beyond departed the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France to begin her sea trials.
The sea trials will last four days and test the ship's capabilities to ensure systems are working properly.
Disney Cruise Line adds policy for guests who have recovered from Covid-19
Disney Cruise Line updated its policy to cover guests who have recently recovered may still test positive.
If guests have tested positive within 11 to 90 days of their sail date, they may qualify to be considered as “90-Day-Recovered.”
For those guests, this is the new policy:
- A copy of your previous positive COVID-19 test result which is greater than 11 days and less than 90 days from the sail date. The test must have been antigen, NAAT, rapid PCR, or lab-based PCR. The test result must include your date of birth.
- A signed letter (on official letterhead that shows the name, address, and phone number of a licensed healthcare provider or public health official) stating that you have recovered from COVID-19 in the last 90 days and are clear for travel.
Those who are able to prove they have recently recovered from COVID-19 are not exempt from Disney Cruise Line’s current vaccination policy. Those who are ages 5 and older must be vaccinated to sail, regardless of whether they have had COVID-19 recently or not.
Matt Hochberg
Matt loves to cruise, and started Cruise.Blog as a place to share different cruise experiences, advice, and what to know before going on a cruise.
He lives in Florida with his wife and two daughters, where he can be found on any given day trying to convince his wife they "need" to book another cruise.
