Ocean & River Cruises Travel
1251 12th Avenue SW T3C 3S7 Calgary, AB, Canada

** CDC gives green light for summer cruise restart ** Late yesterday, the CDC released updated guidance for the restart of the cruise industry from US ports, taking into account the rapid pace of vaccination in the US and Caribbean, and the significant new health and sanitation protocols that the cruise industry has developed over the last year to ensure a healthy and safe return to service. Some of the CDC stipulations include a requirement for 95% or more of all passengers ...to be vaccinated in order to sail, plus additional safeguards including rapid antigen testing at cruise pier prior to embarkation. Onboard, new hospital grade air filtration and HVAC systems will ensure every stateroom receives individual fresh air control with no flow-through from other rooms, along with electrostatic fogging in public areas and other new sanitation protocols. While this is very positive news, for Canadian based travellers, the guidance continues to be that while many social distancing restrictions will be progressively lifted at home over the summer as vaccine rollouts continue, it is likely that it will be September onwards before we see a relaxation of international border restrictions - including return quarantine or isolation requirements. This announcement from the CDC provides much more certainty for voyages to operate as planned during the upcoming October 2021 - March 2022 Caribbean, Tropics and US based cruise season. https://www.travelweekly.com//CDC-relaxes-guidelines-on-te

Celebrity Cruises announces that all guests will have complimentary COVID19 insurance included with their fare. This will include refund of your cruise fare and those in your party should you test positive in the 14-days prior to sailing, as well as the cost of any COVID testing or treatment onboard with additional nurses and a newly enhanced onboard medical facility. It also extends to providing coverage for costs for return transportation home and even shoreside quarantine... requirements and costs. With a requirement for all guests and crew to be fully vaccinated in order to sail, plus antigen COVID testing of all vaccinated guests prior to sailing - and with vaccines providing upwards of 90% efficacy in many cases - the aspiration is to avoid COVID transmission at all onboard vessels. However these additional guest protections will ensure that cruise guests will be fully taken care of at no out of pocket cost in the event of a positive COVID test.

We're excited to see the first steps to a return to cruise travel this summer. Voyages with many lines restart in as little as 60-days time. However it will take several months for cruise lines to return most of their fleet to service, and in the early phases of relaunch, all passengers must be fully vaccinated with a 2-week wait period after the second dose in order to sail. The Canadian border continues to be closed at this time, but current vaccination timelines and guidance from the office of Destination Canada give us confidence in the ability for most travel services to resume by November of this year. With flexible booking policies for the upcoming winter 2021/2022 season, now is a great time to start planning for your next cruise vacation! https://thepointsguy.com/gu/when-cruise-ships-lines-resume/

Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises are sending ships to St. Vincent in the Caribbean to evacuate residents currently at risk from a potential eruption of the island’s La Soufriere volcano which has seen increasing activity in recent days. Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas and Celebrity’s Celebrity Reflection will assist with evacuation efforts. The cruise line industry has been involved in countless humanitarian missions through hurricanes and floods in the Caribbean region. Kudos to Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean for providing their ships, crew and resources to help in this vital mission. https://www.usatoday.com//la-soufriere-volcano/7150529002/

** Air Canada brings Aeroplan back in-house, offers 100% bonus points ** Air Canada recently completed the transaction to purchase the Aeroplan loyalty program and bring it fully in-house. To celebrate, Air Canada is offering a limited time offer to purchase Aeroplan points with up to 100% gifted free bonus points on top. You can purchase 65,000 points and receive 65,000 additional gifted points, for just $1950 CAD - enough for a redemption for roundtrip Business Class to Eur...ope! This offer is only available through 2nd April, login to your Aeroplan account for more details. NOTE: Aeroplan point purchases and ticket redemptions are handled directly through Air Canada. Visit https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/aeroplan.html for more details

All signs continue to point to a largely domestic travel landscape for Canadian's this summer, with August or September likely being the "restart months" where travel restrictions and quarantines are likely to ease as populations in Canada, the US, UK and EU move towards being fully vaccinated. While we have a few more months ahead until broadscale travel opportunities return, it's very much "now's the time" for those considering planning and booking for longer more exotic it...ineraries. Silversea is just the latest line to release their 2023 World Cruise - and sell out the entire voyage in just one day! Please contact our team to be on the priority waitlist for upcoming longer voyages of 30+ days as they are released. https://www.travelmarketreport.com//Silversea-Opens-2023-t

Today is a busy news day for cruise industry. Transport Canada has extended the no-sail order for both larger cruise ships and smaller expedition ships through to 1/March/2022. Unfortunately, this will likely mean the suspension of the Alaska cruise season this year, as well as Fall 2021 Canada/New England voyages. Over the coming days, we expect to hear more details from our cruise line partners, and will be reaching out to all impacted guests with your options. In addition..., US based river cruise and small ship operator American Queen, including their Victory Cruises ocean ship brand, announced that proof of vaccination will be required for all guests from 1/July onwards this year. We are also aware that earlier this week on a Facebook Live address with Dr Hinshaw, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney stated that Alberta would not be providing vaccine passports - or any documentation of vaccination. It is almost certain that many different jurisdictions and countries around the world will require proof of vaccination in the short to medium term until the global threat of COVID19 has passed. We encourage any concerned Albertan's to reach out to their MLA's to express their concerns about the lack of vaccine documentation, as outlined this week by Premier Kenney.

The stunning far flung archipelago of The Seychelles in the Indian Ocean is one of the first jurisdictions to formalize the need for full COVID vaccination for entry. We expect that for many smaller island nations, this will become the short to medium term "new-normal" as these isolated countries balance tourism contributions to the economy with the need to maintain COVID-free status locally. https://www.luxurytraveladvisor.com//seychelles-opens-to-f

We recently sent out our 2021 Travel Outlook update. Not on our email update list? Read full details here: https://conta.cc/2YbVqDt

As we continue to navigate choppy waters for the winter ahead, the commencement of vaccination rollouts provides a ray of light for the return of global travel later this year. In the January edition of Virtuoso Life magazine, I speak to why I love being on the water, and look forward to the time that we can travel together again when safe, and viable.

COVID testing requirements for entry into Canada: For those currently outside of Canada, please note that effective this Thursday 7th January, a negative PCR Covid test is required at your destination, within 72 hours of your return flight to Canada. Guests without appropriate test results will be denied boarding. Additional details from WestJet and Air Canada below: https://www.westjet.com/e/travel-info/pcr-test-canada-entry... https://www.aircanada.com//2020/new-entry-requirements.html