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CRUISE UPDATE : Latest News On Countries, Ports, Ships & On Board
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Feb 22, 2025
In this week’s BIG CRUISE UPDATE, I discuss the 4 biggest things that happened in cruise news, events and announcements that you really need to know about. There is a lot going on in cruising, although cruising is still mostly suspended. We have seen cruise updates for the USA, UK, Europe, Caribbean, protocols and ship disposals and scrapping announced. The 4 cruise updates you need to know about are discussed, so you stay informed about the most important cruise updates and what they mean for you. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join Note: I travelled as a guest of the cruise line before making this video SUPPORT THE CHANNEL BY: Buying my Cruise T-shirts: http://bit.ly/TFTStore Booking your next cruise with CRUISEDIRECT.COM: http://bit.ly/TFTBookCruise WATCH THESE POPULAR RECENT VIDEOS: 10 Cabins to Avoid: https://youtu.be/PgTGLma919A European River Cruise Watch-Outs: https://youtu.be/oqhz54wStyk 5 Cruises To Avoid: https://youtu.be/CNiPzK4IRWA Alaska Cruise Need-to-Knows: https://youtu.be/Tn7dpNw5kSI Things Cruise Lines Don’t Want You to Know: https://youtu.be/cs5UKha9ALc Rules Passengers Break Most: https://youtu.be/djZLZ3XV_f0
View Video Transcript
0:00
I'm Gary Bembridge this is another of my
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tips for travelers cruising updates
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there is an enormous wave a torrent of
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developments and activities that are
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happening and things are really
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accelerating in the world of cruising so
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I want to talk about four really
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significant groups of developments and
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news that have happened over the last
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week when it comes to cruising first of
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all we're seeing an acceleration in the
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rate that cruising is resuming however
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this really depends on where you're
0:27
based in the world the news coming out
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of the United States is less promising
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by the time you watch this you're likely
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to see the CDC extending their no sale
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order which is due to expire on the 24th
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of July the key issue is how long that
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is going to be extended for most of the
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reports at the moment of suggesting that
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could be as far as November or even
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beyond for two reasons one of which the
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growing rate of infections that we're
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seeing reported across the United States
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so until that comes down they're
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unlikely to make an indication of a move
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to resumption of cruising exactly of
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course you have the elections coming up
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in November so from a political
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perspective the feeling is there is a
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lot of pressure to basically keep
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cruising if you excuse the pun at bay so
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in the u.s. not good news however we're
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seeing around the world cruising slowly
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resuming and accelerating resuming as
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infection rates fall for example we've
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seen in Norway we've had cruising for
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some time with Hurtigruten and C dream
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that is now opening to travelers not
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just from Norway and Denmark but for
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travelers across the EU with exception
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of Sweden Germany he started to sell
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with big ships again for German Austrian
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and Swiss residents initially only we
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seen carnival's ieader sailing we're
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seeing Royal Caribbean groups mind shift
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and Hapag Lloyd
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selling these are ships that normally
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hold between 2,000 and 4,000 passengers
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in France ponit are now selling for
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French citizens around a series of
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French ports Iceland has opened to to
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expedition cruising leasing to Cruise
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Lines who tag written and also pronounce
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heading up there to start sailing
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we also ceiling as far Bartok expedition
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cruises going and importantly in the UK
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who to griten have announced some round
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UK cruises and
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very significantly the Foreign and
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Commonwealth Office updated their
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cruisin advice to talk about ocean
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cruising Oh knees have river cruising UK
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residents canal go river cruising in
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Europe which is open and also they very
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importantly in their update to talk
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about international ocean cruising
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strongly suggesting that those round the
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UK cruises alike to start as I mentioned
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Hurtigruten
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have already announced them and there's
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lots of expectation that over the coming
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weeks we will see more and more uk-based
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Cruise Lines offering round UK for UK
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residents so definitely what we're
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seeing is regional cruising starting up
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for regional passengers only initially
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according to one country destinations
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that's very important what we're seeing
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with all of these cruises they are only
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travelling to one country they're not
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moving internationally across borders of
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course as these cruises open up that of
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course again excludes us residents which
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are not allowed to fly into the EU or
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the UK without going through a period of
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quarantine the second really important
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piece of news is kind of a link to that
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which is around cruising doesn't look
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like it's starting with international
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travel anytime soon I'm moving between
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countries it's sticking within one key
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country and we're seeing lots of
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restrictions still building when it
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comes to ports so we've seen for example
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Bar Harbor in Canada having a vote
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around small cruising which could have
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started up and they have excluded cruise
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ships for the whole year Key West is
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also voting whether the large cruise
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ships are gonna be allowed to come into
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Key West and they're doing a vote on
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that in November when the elections are
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happening in the US in November of
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course we've already seen Australia
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excluding cruise ships through third
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quarter Canada excluding cruise ships
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but what we're absolutely seeing is the
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movement of cruise ships between
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countries is really still being locked
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down this is again not great news for us
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residents because the Caribbean is not
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opening up to travelers in a
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particularly good way and when they're
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opening up they're requiring in many
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cases covert 19 tests have regarded
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Bahamas said Martin's solution all big
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cruise ports even if you're coming in as
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a land-based traveler you have to have a
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covered 19 test certificate so we still
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seen lots of barriers to cruise ships
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opening building as
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ports open up again certainly
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international cruising does not seem to
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be on the cards and that's one of the
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big things I've taken from all the news
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over the last week and so in over the
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last two weeks is local cruising with
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local passengers or one country focus
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cruising is seems to be the way forward
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certainly for much of 2020 the third is
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a round consolidation contraction of the
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cruise industry we seen for example
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cruise lines in reducing their capacity
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so Carnival has been the most aggressive
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so far getting rid of 13 ships
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they've saw one of the UK piano ships
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most recently Sony that happened within
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24 hours before I recorded this his hond
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America have got rid of 30% 4 of 14 of
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their ships within their fleet so they
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have sold off four of their ships which
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are the mast arm lavinda on the
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Rotterdam and the Amsterdam two of those
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ships have been bought by Fred Olson in
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the UK and they're going to take two of
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their ships out of service and replace
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them with those two ships so we
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definitely seen consolidation will also
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sing Royal Caribbean have bought out the
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part of silver sea they didn't earn so
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that's now Hurley percent operating
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cruise line within their portfolio
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they've also led Pullman to go which was
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their joint venture that they had in
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Spain and those ships that were in their
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fleets are basically being scrapped
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we're also seeing with new ships those
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are being delayed partly because of the
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restrictions with the shipbuilding yards
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not being able to build in as fast
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because of the disruption because of
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covered 19 but sony trying to bring on
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new capacity in a much slower fashion so
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we are seeing a contraction in size of
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the cruise industry and number of ships
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and they've already indicated that when
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ships to start selling again it's going
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to be a slow way as they start to
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release capacity to try and match
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tomorrow of course trying I guess keep
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Affairs a little bit more inflated if
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they possibly can the next very
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significant piece of news is protocols
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for starting cruising in these regions
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which have lower infection rates are
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looking pretty consistent as we move
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ahead now
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Royal Caribbean group Norwegian Cruise
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Line group they have formed a healthy
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sailing panel which is working on
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recommendations which will be ready at
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the end of August to start the
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discussion with the CDC on how they can
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start sailing particular of US ports but
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we think real consistent
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see as ordered from Cruise Lines
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announced the protocols and start
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selling so we've seen for example over
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65s after being suggested they seek
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medical advice before traveling there's
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no need for certificates we're seeing
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reduced capacity so fewer passengers on
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board round about 60 to 70 percent of
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passengers on board cruise ships
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we're seeing a stronger pre-screening so
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you pre book invocation stronger
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pre-screening with questionnaires which
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have to be filled out online before hand
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temperature checks and also the ability
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to have co19 tests for passengers that
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are felt to be at risk in some ways I'm
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always seeing structures which enables
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social or physical distancing sure we
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want to call it also we're seeing out of
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controls on the amount of people allowed
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any venues around in swimming pools
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around the theaters we're seeing amount
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of people who can go into things like
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kids clubs various events all being
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controlled very you know reduced numbers
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in those venues even though there's a
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few passengers are on board lots of
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changes to dining where we're seeing you
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have to pre booked diming in advance and
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you can only sit with members of your
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same household or traveling party again
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distance one and a half meters apart
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with tables no self service venues are
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operating we're also seeing when it
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comes to excursions a lot of the cruises
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that started up have no port O'Call saw
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them our cruises to nowhere or those
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that do have some ports are tending to
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call at very small ports and again with
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very controlled excursions which are
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linked to and signed off and following
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the same protocols as the cruise line
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has onboard so for example fewer
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passengers on boards at the bus the use
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of masks in some cases when it comes to
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mass on board what we're seeing the
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cruise lines are adopting whatever is
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the norm in that country so because a
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lot of these cruises are cruising within
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one country with its Germany and France
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whatever they're following both on board
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and we had in Port whatever the mask
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rules are so we are seeing in some
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regions the use of masks being part of
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the experience tend to be mostly where
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there are crowds coming together lots of
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additional cleaning and the introduction
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of things like HEPA filters through the
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air conditioning system significant
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ramping up of the medical facilities on
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board the ability to do more quarantine
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on board and also very importantly which
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maybe also made easier because they are
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cruising only in one country is a plan
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if there is an outbreak in terms of how
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people have dealt on board how they've
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gone to the health system and
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repatriation home again because these
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ships are not moving across
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international waters I guess it becomes
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much easier to develop those plans and
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that could be another factor really
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strongly influencing why cruises as they
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start up are sticking within one country
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and staying within one healthcare and
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government system huge amounts of things
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happening in the cruise industry
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constant flood and new information and
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changes coming so every week I'll try
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and update you with one of these videos
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updating you on what the latest news is
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and what it could mean for you as a
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cruiser so why don't you watch another
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video that I have within this cruising
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series or just general video about
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cruising right now
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