NEWS UPDATE: P&O + Carnival 2022 Cancellations | NSW Cruising Restart Meeting | When will it end?

Join my private Facebook group for cruise deals, tips and advice - the more members we have, the better we’ll get! www.facebook.com/groups/CTGdeals Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: www.facebook.comn/thecruiseandtravelguy www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy In another blow to the local cruising industry, @POCruisesAustraliaChannel has cancelled next year’s scheduled departures from Cairns, Adelaide and Fremantle. Amid continuing state border issues, and the broader matter of cruising still being on the banned activities list, P&O determined that cancellation was the only course of action. Home-port seasons for all three cities won’t return until 2023, and P&O Australia president Sture Myrmell said that the cruise line remains committed to serving these cities in the future. This latest round of cancellations did not affect the scheduled cruises from Sydney or Brisbane, which are still set to depart both east coast cities in mid-February. We are at a tipping point however, with only three months until those scheduled departures, P&O will likely be forced to cancel more sailings if the Australian government doesn’t remove its continuing ban on cruising. The current prohibition on cruising ends on December 17th, unless revoked earlier - or extended. To that end, overnight, @Carnival announced the further cancellation of cruises on its Australian based Splendor and Spirit. All cruises onboard Carnival Splendor through to and including March 4th have been cancelled, and all cruises onboard Carnival Spirit through to and including March 6th have been cancelled. This announcement is yet another example of the Australian government’s inability to commit to the resumption of the local cruise industry having an unnecessarily prolonged and devastating effect on the thousands of individuals that have come to rely on it for their way of life. At the same time as making this announcement, Carnival confirmed that by the end of March, its entire US based fleet will once again be operational. Which although fantastic news, is a hard pill to swallow for local cruising fanatics and those invested in the industry here. Even when the Australian federal government lifts its ban on cruising, it will be up to individual state governments to allow cruising to resume within their jurisdictions. NSW and Victoria are the states best placed to engage with the cruise industry first - NSW having lead the charge to opening up the country and now sporting a full vaccination rate for people 16 years and older of over 90%. Nationally, Australia has now surpassed an average of 80% vaccination for the same age group, which has triggered the final two phases of the country’s four phase roadmap out of this pandemic. So with Aussies now jetting off overseas, the lunacy of the continuing ban on cruising is even more damning. Earlier this week, a meeting between key industry players was set to take place in Sydney, with the Cruise Passenger publication reporting that many members of the state government are fully supportive of a cruising restart. It was reported that Paul Nicolaou, Business Sydney executive was instrumental in establishing talks between government and business, with Mr Nicolaou saying, “I understand that the NSW Government has set up a group within the Premier & Cabinet Department which includes Steve Cox from Destination NSW, someone from Health and a few others to coordinate the way forward once the Federal Government gives the green light.” However it was also reported that NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard remains overly cautious over the return of cruising, in light of his department’s complete failure to properly handle the Ruby Princess issue in 2020. This all leads me to truly believe that the return of cruising in Australia has more to do with political egos and careers than it does facts. Welcome to politics. On a lighter note, Princess have announced their 2024 world cruise, which will set sail from Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale onboard Island Princess. The 111 night voyage will cross the equator twice, visit 25 UNESCO world heritage sites including the Acropolis in Greece, and as an added perk, anyone that books by January 31st will receive the premier beverage package, unlimited wifi, included gratuities, $500 onboard credit and 4 nights of specialty dining. Plus residents of the US will receive free return flights to either Los Angeles or Miami. Details of the Australian-originating world cruise for 2024 are yet to be released, but should be in early December as part of Princess’ local deployment announcement for the 2023/2024 cruise season. Thanks for watching!