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Tag: European Cruises

  • The Best European Cruise Lines

    The Best European Cruise Lines

    There are a number of amazing European cruise lines. Booking with them will allow you to sail from Europe all the way across the world. You can stick with local itineraries and visit historic locations throughout the continent or you can head far away for a stunning adventure. But with so many great cruise lines to choose from, how do you know which to pick? While the perfect company will inevitably vary between each traveler, these European cruise lines will always make excellent choices.

    One of the best cruise lines to start with when planning a European vacation is Viking. Headquartered in Switzerland, the company has both ocean and river cruising divisions. Their six-ship fleet flies under the Norwegian flag, and they are a popular choice for visiting the fjords of the Nordic country. Additionally, each ship is quite modern and comfortable, and guests often leave excellent reviews. They have itineraries throughout Scandinavia, Northern Europe, and the Mediterranean. While Viking’s doesn’t offer many affordable cruises, you certainly get what you pay for in terms of luxury. No matter where you are going, you’ll be pleased with a Viking cruise.

    Speaking of luxury cruises, another great European cruise line is Hapag-Lloyd. While it may be less well-known than some of its competitors, that is certainly not due to the quality of their voyages. The lowkey cruise line sails across the entire world — and we mean that literally. From Antarctica to the Arctic and everything in between, Hapag-Lloyd has itineraries. Their Eastern Mediterranean cruises are quite popular, and they’ll let you view a culturally rich side of the world that is perfect for those that want to load up on history. Hapag-Lloyd also offers packages that include travel to and from the departure destination, making things as convenient as possible for travelers from anywhere in the world.

    A list of European cruise lines wouldn’t be complete without talking about a river cruise line. One of the best is Tauck. They have itineraries on the Danube, Douro, Rhine, Rhone, and Seine, in addition to river cruises in other continents. Most of their river cruises are at least a week long, allowing the chance to fully experience all the stops along the way. You can read more about Tauck’s approach to river cruises on their website.

    The world of European cruise lines is very exciting. Whether you’re interested in river adventures or ocean travel, there’s a great cruise line to choose from. All of these companies will treat you well!

  • The Latest Updates from MSC Cruises

    The Latest Updates from MSC Cruises

    For most cruise lines, getting all of their ships back into service is currently their biggest focus. That is definitely the case for MSC Cruises. However, the company has also seen a lot of other updates in recent times. Let’s take a look at everything that is going on with MSC as well as their plan for working towards a full restart.

    Test cruise successfully completed

    On July 20th, MSC became one of the first cruise lines to actually complete a test cruise. The voyage was in accordance with the CDC’s rules around simulated voyages, and it is an encouraging sign for other cruise lines that are hoping to sidestep the CDC safety recommendations on vaccines. The ship in question was the MSC Meraviglia, and it employed new safety measures such as social distancing and frequent sanitization of surfaces. The cruise apparently went quite well, and life for the guests onboard was relatively normal aside from new COVID-related restrictions that were put into place. The President of MSC gave a statement: “We are grateful to our volunteer guests who helped us complete this significant milestone, demonstrating the strength of our protocol to protect our guests, crew and the communities we visit, as well as the memorable cruise vacation we offer.”

    A return to Valencia

    Shortly after their test voyage was completed, MSC announced that they would be returning to the port of Valencia in Spain. MSC Grandiosa will begin sailing from Valencia on July 30th and will sail from there every week until the end of the summer season. The ship will also feature new safety precautions and will sail at 70% capacity rather than maximum capacity. This will allow the space for guests to practice proper social distancing. Other ships have been calling at Valencia for about a month now, so MSC is understandably feeling great that they are once again visiting the port.

    The delivery of MSC Seashore

    As if all of this wasn’t enough for the cruise line, MSC also took the delivery of their newest ship, Seashore, on July 26th. The vessel was built at the Fincantieri shipyard, and it is officially the largest ship to ever be built in Italy. The ship is largely known for its environmental focus, but an MSC spokesperson also revealed that “the MSC Seashore is the first cruise ship in the world to feature a new and ground-breaking air sanitation system. ‘Safe Air’ uses UV-C lamp technology, eliminating 99 percent of viruses and bacteria to guarantee clean and safe air for all guests and crew on board.” The ship’s inaugural voyage comes at the end of October, and it will begin sailing regular itineraries in the beginning of November.

    While there has certainly been some bad news in the industry over the past year or so, it’s great to see companies like MSC doing so well despite the hardships. We’re looking forward to seeing what’s next for them.

  • Three Affordable (and Beautiful) European Cruises

    Three Affordable (and Beautiful) European Cruises

    We’ll come right out and say it: European cruises are underrated. There’s nothing wrong with the classic tropical destinations, but you are missing out on a whole world of cruising if you’ve never considered hopping on a ship and heading to Europe. There are thousands of beautiful areas to visit, and many European itineraries are comparable in price to the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Here are a few choice European cruises that won’t break the bank.

    5-Day Belgium and Netherlands Sampler from Princess, $509

    Departing October 7th, 2021, this itinerary from Princess is the perfect way to experience a part Europe that some travelers never visit. You start off in Southampton, England before visiting Brussels in the Netherlands and Rotterdam in the Netherlands. You’ll spend a day in each of those port cities before a two-day stint at sea. The price is right with this one, but if you’re looking for an itinerary of this length that will allow for more time in port cities, this may not be the one for you. If you want a bit of time to relax while enjoying some scenic sailing, however, this might be right up your alley. Check out their website for details.

    5-Night France and Italy Cruise from Royal Caribbean, $362

    A price like this is what you might expect to see for a two-night itinerary, but five nights of cruising around France and Italy? Yeah, sounds good to us. This cruise starts off in Barcelona and takes you to Nice, Rome, Florence, and Provence before finally depositing you back in Barcelona. You’ll have just enough time to really delve into both countries while you’re there, and you can always extend the trip a few days by adding in some time in Barcelona before or after the cruise itself. You can check out all the details over here. The two dates that are currently being offered are October 1st, 2022 and October 22nd, 2022.

    7-Night Scandinavia and Russia Cruise from Royal Caribbean, $466

    Another awesome itinerary from Royal Caribbean, this cruise takes you to some of the most interesting places in Europe. From a start in Denmark, you’ll visit Sweden, Estonia, Russia, and Finland. Not a bad price for a cruise that allows you to check five countries off the list! There are only two days of only cruising, meaning five of your seven days are spent fully immersing yourself in the amazing port cities. There are multiple dates for this itinerary through May and August of 2022. Check out the details and book your trip here.

    If you’re someone who loves visiting new cultures and trying out unique things, you should definitely be looking out for a European cruise. All three of these itineraries make great options, so go ahead and book yours now!

  • English Cruises Returning on May 17th

    English Cruises Returning on May 17th

    It looks like cruises are going to be returning to England sooner than we thought! Right now is arguably the most exciting time in the cruise world since the beginning of the pandemic. While we have seen flickers of hope throughout, our optimism has been mostly stifled by continuous cancellations and delays. The recent distribution of vaccines throughout the world has bolstered the confidence of many nations throughout the world, however, and a return to cruising seems imminent. The news from England is definitely a step in the right direction!

    English cruises in 2021

    Cruises were expected to return to England in 2021, but no one was sure when this would happen. The government had been relatively silent on the issue up until now. An announcement from Robert Courts, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Aviation and Maritime, changed everything. According to him, cruises will be allowed in England starting May 17th, 2021. This was made public news on March 8th, and some cruise lines are already prepping changes to their plans for the year in light of this.

    Are cruises throughout Europe coming as well?

    Cruising returning to England is certainly an exciting thing, but many people are now asking whether or not this means that the rest of Europe will follow suit. As of now, there are no indications that this will influence the decisions of any other European countries. However, Courts said that the English government is “working with the home nations to get UK-wide domestic cruising up and running.” Sailing between English ports will start right away on May 17th, but a trip between England and other UK countries might not be too far away. Additionally, the Independent wrote that “the domestic move would help the cruise industry restore confidence and demonstrate the robustness of their protocols for passengers and crew.”

    Which cruise lines are involved?

    This is another detail that is currently unknown. Cruise lines will undoubtedly jump at the chance, though. P&O Cruises was one cruise line that was planning on sailing around the United Kingdom in 2021, and they are quite happy with the news. According to Paul Ludlow, P&O’s president, they are “delighted that the government has acknowledged that UK domestic cruise holidays can begin from May 17.” From this, we can expect P&O to be one of the cruise lines to focus on the English market beginning in May.

    A safe and smooth return to sailing in the United Kingdom could definitely prove to the world that cruises are a good idea in a post-vaccine world. Let’s hope that it goes well!

  • AIDA is Sailing Again

    AIDA is Sailing Again

    AIDA has now joined the relatively short list of cruise lines that are currently operating. The German cruise line had been prepping to get back into the waters for a while now, and they were finally able to get back into business on October 17th. Following Costa as the second cruise line owned by the Carnival Corporation to resume operations, AIDA is the next step in Carnival’s goal of restarting the operations of several of their cruise lines. AIDA only brought back one ship on Saturday: the AIDAblu. Here are all the details you need to know about AIDAblu’s current plans.

    The AIDAblu

    The first ship to begin sailing again for AIDA is the AIDAblu. Joining the AIDA fleet in 2010, AIDAblu has a capacity of about 2000 passengers. As you might expect, however, the capacity has been limited by quite a bit with social distancing in mind. There will also be, according to Travel Daily News, “enhanced health protocols developed in coordination with government and health authorities to follow shoreside mitigation guidelines.” While there aren’t many details about these health protocols now, we can assume that they will largely be similar to Costa’s.

    The itineraries

    Starting on October 17th, the AIDAblu will be sailing week-long itineraries from Civitavecchia in Italy. These itineraries will occur every week until November 28th, at which point it is assumed that the AIDAblu will change its destinations. The current ports that it will be visiting along its route are Palermo, Naples, La Spezia, Catania, and Rome. The next locations that AIDAblu will be visiting have yet to be revealed, however, the Mediterranean is one of the only regions where cruises are currently allowed. Something major would have to change by December for it to sail outside of Italy.

    Being strict about health rules

    While the exact health protocols that AIDA is using aren’t yet known to those who aren’t on the ship, we do know that they are being strict about it. During their first sailing, AIDA refused boarding to a guest who did not follow the rules. Rather than sticking with the group during a shore excursion, this particular passenger went off on his own. Because the cruise line had no idea what he had been doing and whether or not he had been safe, they then did not allow him back on the ship. In a statement, the company stated that they would “support the guest in organizing his return trip.”

    We’re glad to see AIDA back in business, and we’re even more glad that they are being serious about the safety of their guests. Hopefully the next few itineraries on AIDAblu go well!

  • Here are the Major Cruise Lines in Service as of October 2020

    Here are the Major Cruise Lines in Service as of October 2020

    A quick look at the cruise lines that are currently in service as of October 2020 seems to confirm that the cruise industry is still in a shaky spot. While many thought that ships would be sailing from the United States by now (or even far earlier than now), this has not been the case. Other countries around the world are still struggling to fully restart their respective cruise industries. With that said, there are still some cruise lines that have managed to restart services. Here’s a look at the current list.

    Dream Cruises

    After a few months of the coronavirus pandemic, many predicted that Asia would be the first continent to get back into sailing. This largely proved true when Dream Cruises, a subsidiary of Genting Hong Kong, started sailing a few months ago. As of now, however, they currently only have one active ship: Explorer Dream. The ship, which used to sail for Star Cruises, is currently running short itineraries to Taiwan, including cities such as Kaohsiung and Hualien.

    MSC Cruises

    MSC (which stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company, their parent company) is one of the biggest cruise lines in Europe. With a fleet of 17 ships, it was imperative for them to get back into business as quickly as possible to help offset their maintenance costs. MSC Grandiosa, a new ship for the company, was able to resume operations just a few weeks ago. They have plans to bring another ship, MSC Magnifica, back into business soon as well. The plan is for Magnifica to begin sailing 10-day itineraries starting on October 19th. These cruises will travel across Italy before heading to Malta and Greece.

    Costa Cruises

    Costa is only now easing into sailing again, but they have pretty big plans through October and the rest of the year. Costa Deliziosa and Costa Smeralda are both currently sailing around Italy, and Costa Diadema has plans to cruise again on October 28th. Two more ships will return in December: Costa Favolosa on December 6th and Costa Firenze on December 27th.

    TUI Cruises

    TUI recently had a bit of a scare with a slight coronavirus outbreak on one of their ships. It seems that this has passed without much trouble, though, and the cruise line has plans to keep sailing throughout October. Both Mein Schiff and Mein Schiff 2 are doing short itineraries without any shore excursions.

    These are just the major cruise lines that are currently sailing, but the list continues beyond them. Paul Gauguin, Ponant, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, CroisiEurope, Aranui Cruises, Variety Cruises, Red Sea Cruise Company, and True North Cruises are all sailing on a small scale. AIDA will also have a ship sailing on October 17th. We’ll have to wait and see what other cruise lines join in soon.

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