Cruise & Ferry Review - Spring/Summer 2021

2 0 MARKETWATCH MSC Cruises has revealed details of the MSC Starship Club, an integrated bar and entertainment experience that will be featured onboard the line’s new ship MSC Virtuosa. The venue is inspired by the concept of a spaceship and is enabled with new technologies intended to create a futuristic atmosphere. Among these will be Rob, the first humanoid robotic bartender at sea. Rob will mix and serve signature cocktails and drinks, and engage with guests via human-like expressions and in eight different languages. Port Everglades is preparing to open its new Heron Parking Garage to serve Cruise Terminals 2 and 4. Guests going to Terminal 2, Princess Cruises’ prototype Ocean Medallion terminal, will be able to travel between the two facilities along an air- conditioned bridge with moving walkways. The 1,818-space garage also features solar energy, nine elevators, touchless smart parking entry and payment, a dedicated level for drop off and pick up, and a 70-foot-tall optical illusion mural of a Florida Great White Heron. New wayfinding signs, also spotlighting Florida’s wildlife, are being installed in the garage and throughout the port’s roadways. MSC Cruises introduces MSC Starship Club Port Everglades builds new cruise garage The SSA International Cruise Terminal in the port of Progreso, Mexico has enhanced its sanitary protocols in preparation for cruise ships to return. The terminal has received ‘Good Sanitary Practices’ recognition from the state government as part of a programme created by the Tourism Development Secretariat (SEFOTUR) of the state of Yucatan with the support of the World Travel and Tourism Council. “We have confidence in the recovery of arrivals based on the sustained growth presented in the first two months of 2020, before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Michelle Fridman, head of SEFOTUR. SSA Mexico Progreso strengthens sanitary protocols PortMiami and Carnival Cruise Line break ground on terminal PortMiami and Carnival Cruise Line have started building work for the expansion of Terminal F, which will serve as the homeport of Carnival Celebration, Carnival’s next Excel-class ship. The 471,000-square-foot facility will be Carnival’s third terminal at the port and its largest in South Florida. “Despite the global pandemic, today’s ground-breaking ceremony is another example of the growth happening at PortMiami – the cruise capital of the world – and how together, we can and we will continue to thrive,” said Levine Cava, mayor of Miami-Dade County.