As the 2023 Antarctica cruise season continues through March, the U.S. Coast Guard publicly has confirmed that it's heading to Ushuaia, Argentina, along with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and other global agencies. They'll investigate several passenger deaths and injuries that occurred between November 15, 2022 and December 1, 2022 during expedition cruises in the Antarctica region:
- Two U.S. citizens sailing on Quark Expeditions' World Explorer died when their inflatable boat from the ship capsized near Elephant Island, Antarctica. Others on the vessel survived.
- Separately, one U.S. citizen was injured when an inflatable boat from Viking's expedition ship,Viking Polaris, suffered a structural failure.
- In a third incident, one U.S. citizen died and four others were injured when Viking Polaris was struck by a "rogue wave" while transiting the Drake Passage.
- And finally, another U.S. citizen died from an injury sustained aboard Plancius, a Netherlands' flagged passenger ship of Oceanwide Expeditions.
Of course, other expedition cruises operated by those vessels and many other ships of multiple cruise lines also have operated safely and without incident during this Antarctica season. In the third of a three-part series last week, sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor offered first-hand feedback and tips about this season's expedition experience for Silversea Cruises’ Silver Endeavour.
New Itineraries
Last week, Oceania Cruises announced that its second Allura-class ship will be fittingly called Allura. The first ship in that new 1,200-passenger series, Vista, will launch this year. Separately, Oceania unveiled new Asian itineraries for 2023-2024. Operating 25 voyages in the region, the 1,238-passenger Riviera will sail to Asian ports in the United Arab Emirates, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.
Holland America Line revealed highlights of its new 2024 Canada and New England season. From April through October, Volendam and Zuiderdam will offer seven-day “Canada & New England Discovery” departures with ports that showcase the region’s cuisine, maritime history and eco-beauty. Ten- and 11-day cruises on Volendam will also add Newfoundland, while a 24-day expedition will add Greenland and a circumnavigation of Iceland.
In luxury cruising, the new Crystal officially relaunched, as reported by Luxury Travel Advisor. The new Crystal web site and new branding are both underway by the A&K Travel Group, which acquired the brand and Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony in June 2022. The line also revealed initial itineraries. Travel Advisors and guests with "open deposits" have exclusive access to the early booking window that began on February 1. Bookings for the general public will open later this month. The first sailings will be Mediterranean cruises. Crystal Serenity will set sail from Marseille, France, on July 31, 2023, and Crystal Symphony will sail from Athens, Greece, on September 1, 2023.
More Cruise News
In Alaska, after months of discussion between the cruise industry and Juneau officials, the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly adopted a limit of five cruise ships a day in the city's port. Recommended by a 2019 Visitor Industry Task Force, the goal has been to manage visitor impact. Currently, there are just four cruise berths and one anchorage point, so, for the near term, the limitation doesn't appear to impact deployment.
On the river cruise front, Viva Cruises, which opened North American sales in 2022, announced the start of its 2023 European river season. Viva One and Viva Moments departed from their home port of Dusseldorf, Germany, in January to operate short cruises. Currently, Viva One is offering wellness itineraries through March 2023; all guests on those wellness cruises will receive a complimentary 30-minute massage.
And as cruising continues to expand across the globe, ports are adding new features and destinations have many new options to entice travelers to visit. In a separate story today, TravelAgent provides a peek at what's new in San Diego, CA, for attractions, dining, port development, hotels and more.