Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2021

In Northern Europe, TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff became one of the first cruise ships to restart operations worldwide when she sailed from Hamburg, Germany, on 24 July 2020. A total of 1,200 guests were onboard for the three- night cruise, which sailed off the coast of Norway before returning to Germany. All six of its ships are now in service in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. Cruises in Asia restarted with the departure of Dream Cruises’ Explorer Dream from Keelung, Taiwan, on 26 July 2020. The ship sailed a series of two- and three-night ‘Taiwan Island- Hopping’ itineraries calling at Pegnhu, Matzu and the Kinmen Islands. The cruise line has since sailed cruises from Singapore onboard World Dream and from Hong Kong with Genting Dream. Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Millennium was the first oceangoing ship to restart sailing from North America when she set sail from the Caribbean port of Phillipsburg, St Maarten, on 5 June 2021. The ship embarked on a seven-night itinerary visiting the islands of Aruba, Barbados and Curacao. The cruise line also became the first to resume operations from the USA when Celebrity Edge departed from Fort Lauderdale in Florida in June. “This is a momentous sailing and one that we have been preparing for a long time,” said Richard Fain, chairman of Celebrity’s parent company Royal Caribbean Group, when Celebrity Edge set sail. “It’s not only a huge honour to be the first ship back in the water, leading the industry in the long-awaited return to US-based cruising, it’s also an incredible achievement and testament to the tireless efforts of our shoreside team and onboard crew.” CFR 1 9 MSC Grandiosa was the first ship to resume sailing in the Mediterranean when she departed from Genoa in August 2020 July 2020 TUI Cruises Mein Schiff Hamburg, Germany August 2020 MSC Cruises MSC Grandiosa Genoa, Ital December 2020 Royal Caribbean International Quantum of the Seas Singapore 13 March 2021 American Cruise Lines Independence Savannah, Florida 1 May 2021 Costa Cruises Costa Smeralda Savona, Italy 27 June 2021 P&O Cruises Britannia Southampton, UK 3 July 2021 Carnival Cruises Carnival Vista Galveston, Texas 24 July 2021 Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam Seattle, Washington 25 July 2021 Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Jade Piraeus, Greece