Great Lakes Cruise News

Hapag Lloyd recently announced that it's adventurous cruise ship, the Hanseatic Inspiration, would be returning to North America in the year 2023 to cruise the Great Lakes once again. After many hurdles caused by the travel industry's pandemic slump, ourselves and many others were overjoyed to learn that Hapag Lloyd would finally be making a comeback.

​The cruise line is known for its immersive German-speaking -- but English-friendly -- adventures that offer voyagers the chance to travel in places many other ships can't. Aboard the Hanseatic Inspiration, cruisers are given an intimate experience filled with culinary and natural excursions. Only carrying up to 230 passengers, the ship is one of the smallest vessels among our Great Lakes cruise lines. With its small size and a uniquely European feel, the Inspiration is one of the greatest new ways to explore the Great Lakes, providing an easy entry point for European travelers and a fresh point-of-view for those that've already cruised the lakes.

For their 2023 return, the line plans to offer a total of five cruises across the Great Lakes and North America. Sailing from May to early July, voyagers will have the chance to visit popular Great Lakes destinations like Chicago, Toronto, and the famous Mackinac Island while traveling in fashion aboard the Hanseatic Inspiration. The Great Lakes cruises individually range from 10 to 15 days, allowing for plenty of time to take in the wonders. With excursions like whale watching from a rigid inflatable boat and carriage rides across scenic islands, these cruises are sure to impress new and experienced travelers alike. 

While many other lines have made their return in 2022, Hapag Lloyd's 2023 return is wonderful news for Great Lakes travelers looking for a one-of-a-kind cruise. At Great Lakes Cruises, 2023 already has us excited for the future of the lakes! Learn more about our upcoming 2022 and 2023 cruise itineraries.

Transport Canada Minister Omar Alghabra announced that the health restrictions which prevented cruise ships from visiting Canadian waters would be lifted November 1, 2021. Minister Alghabra said "We will welcome cruise ships - an important part of our tourism sector - back in Canadian waters for the 2022 season." 

The original ban was set to expire in February 2022, so the difference between a November re-opening and next February is negligible, given that prime sailing for Alaska cruises and Great Lakes cruises generally runs from May through September. Most cruise lines have already canceled the remainder of the 2021 season and have focused their efforts on preparing for the 2022 season. 

The Jones Act is an American law that requires foreign flagged vessels to make a call at a foreign port before visiting another American port. This, combined with Canada's cruise ban effectively shut down all cruising in the Great Lakes and Alaska. The US Congress passed a law granting a temporary exemption to the Jones Act, allowing Alaska cruises to sail directly from the lower 48 states to Alaska without a foreign port call. The first revenue cruise departed Port Seattle on July 19, 2021, effectively restarting the Alaska cruise season.

After all Alaska and Great Lakes cruising was shut down until February, 2022 by Transport Canada's no-sail order, the cruise industry worked hard to find a way to save the 2021 summer cruising season. CLIA, the Cruise Lines International Association, swung into action with publicity and lobbying to educate our elected representatives on the economic impact of the no-sail order.

At issue, was the 1886 Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA).  The PVSA,  requires foreign-flagged ships (like large cruise ships) to stop in at least one foreign port when sailing between two U.S. destinations. This is why Great Lakes cruises alternate between U.S. and Canadian ports. It also requires Alaskan cruises to make a technical stop in Canada on the way to Alaska.

Alaska senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan introduced the The Alaska Tourism Restoration Act. It provides a reprieve from the PVSA requirements, but only for ships traveling between Washington state and Alaksa.  Murkowski commented, "Senate passage of my legislation sends a strong signal that we will not stand idly by, withering on the vine, until another country catches up to our level of readiness.... This shows that the health and restoration of our economy cannot be held up by Canada, especially since Alaska has led with vaccinations in the country and our communities are ready to welcome visitors back."

Now, the bill must be passed by the House of Representatives in order to become law.  Alaska U.S. Congressman Don Young introduced companion legislation in the House. CLIA congratulated Murkowski and Sullivan "for all their efforts to help save the Alaska cruise season. CLIA and its members hope to return this summer and help support Alaskan communities by bringing people back to work."

Unfortunately, the law does not grant a reprieve for the Great Lake Cruise industry, so the fate of the 2021 season continues to be at risk.

​Source: Travel Weekly

Windstar Cruises announced a new requirement that all guests be vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to sailing. Upon arrival at the cruise terminal, guests will need to provide proof of a full vaccine treatment (if it is a two-shot vaccine, the second shot must be completed 14 days before boarding.)

Windstar Cruises offers small-ship and yacht cruises at over 150 ports around the world. Their 2022 Great Lakes Cruise offering includes an 11-day Montreal-Boston itinerary, sailing in September and October 2022.

The cruise line is offering their "Beyond Ordinary Care" program, representing a multi-million dollar investment in HEPA filters, UV-C germicidal irradiation, and other upgrades to provide a healthy environment. They are currently not sailing, but are offering 2022 and 2023 voyages for sale.

​Source: Windstar Website

Virgin Voyages is the latest cruise line to announce that all crew and guests must be vaccinated against COVID-19 before sailing. Tom McAlpin, Virgin Voyages' CEO, said "The is a step towards the safe return to sailing and is the right decision for Virgin Voyages. We're really encouraged by the latest rollout plans in the May time frame from the new administration, and we know the future is about vaccinations. Our business makes us uniquely set up to do this with testing and vaccine travel requirements." 

In addition, on March 17th, P&O Cruises has announced a vaccine requirement for guests as well. This applies to their newly launched cruises solely for UK residents. While most cruise lines require that guests' vaccine regimen be completed 14 days before departure, to allow plenty of time for immunity to kick in, P&O is allowing guests to sail within 7 days of their vaccination. P&O said that the decision was made due to the "advanced progress of the UK vaccination program and strong expressed preference on the part of our guests."

For Great Lake Cruising only one cruise line has announced a requirement that all guests be vaccinated. Pearl Seas, Viking Expeditions and Ponant have said they will have comprehensive testing, but Victory Cruise Lines announced they would require 100% of crew and guests to be vaccinated before sailing.

Source: Business Insider

With the worldwide drop in travel due to COVID-19, many of our guests have been at home for more than a year now. In fact, it has been exactly a year since the European Union closed its borders to outside travelers. At the time of this writing, the new surge in cases and  hospitalizations in Europe don't bode well for a strong European travel season in the Summer of 2021. Also, Transport Canada has closed the door on any cruise ship activity anywhere along the Canadian border, including Great Lakes Cruises until February, 2022.

This combination of factors means that most people will have gone through two full summer travel seasons without any long-haul trips or cruises. While this has been a disaster for the travel industry, it also represents a huge pent-up demand for travel once the world opens up again. 

Consider what happened this month when cruise lines opened up their 2022 and 2023. Most major cruise lines - including Norwegian, Crystal Cruises, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas - reported the biggest booking days in the history of their company. Airlines are reporting strong sales and are planning to bring 100% of their fleet back into service for the summer of 2022. Even the iconic San Fermin festival in Spain says that the Running of the Bulls 2022 will be the most in-demand year ever for this European summer fiesta.

If you're in the market to travel in 2022, we think it will be an exciting way to get out and celebrate the re-opening of the world. We also believe it will be a challenging year, due to all the competition for a scarce number of cabins, hotel rooms, flights, etc. We encourage you to book as early as possible to get one step ahead of the crowds.

U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Ore) and Representative Sam Graves (R-Mo) have sent a letter to Candian ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman addressing Transport Canada's decision to ban all cruise ships carrying over 100 people until February, 2022.

The two top-ranking members of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure sent the letter to underscore the economic importance of cruising to both Canada and the USA. While the pandemic devastated cruising in 2020, cruise lines have hoped for a successful, and safe return to cruising in 2021. The Canadian order effectively shut down cruising on the Great Lakes until 2022. 

Their letter stated, "As public servants, we must focus on protecting the public health and safety of citizens, while at the same time providing opportunities for economic recovery," the letter says, adding that prepandemic, the cruise industry generated $2.85 billion in direct economic spending and supported more than 53,000 jobs in the regions impacted by Canada's cruise ban (Alaska, Washington state, the Great Lakes and New England) and nearly $1.5 billion in spending and 30,000 Canadian jobs.

​Source: Travel Weekly

We're all ready for life to get back to normal - especially those of us whose livelihoods are driven by tourism. Captain, crew, cooks and travel agents are all looking forward to getting back to work. Not to mention, the millions of avid cruisers looking to get back out on the water.

Even with all of this enthusiasm, we all want to return to cruising safely. So it is appropriate to take the time to debate what that means. Some cruise lines are already leading the way and declaring that 100% of guests and crew will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before they sail. We've already reported previously that Victory Cruise Lines has taken an industry-leading stance by making this declaration early.

It is encouraging to see other cruise lines following their lead. Crystal Cruises has announced a similar requirement that all guests have the vaccine before sailing. Interim President and CEO Jack Anderson said, "“We know that peace of mind is the greatest luxury; and the vaccine requirement is simply the best way to ensure the safest possible Crystal Experience for all on board. This sentiment is underscored by conversations with our guests and travel partners and a recent Cruise Critic survey of cruisers that revealed that more than 80 percent of respondents would cruise if a vaccine were required.”

Crystal will continue to test all crew before sailing, and as soon as vaccine distribution allows, will ensure that all crew are vaccinated as well. We applaud Crystal in their efforts to create safety and peace of mind for potential cruiers.

​Source: Crystal Cruises Media 

Since Transport Canada's announcement that they would ban cruise ships with a capacity over 100 for one more year, the industry has been scrambling to find a way to salvage a 2021 Great Lakes cruising season. Some approaches advocate sailing with less than 100 on-board, but with the number counting both guests and crew, this may not be economically viable for carriers.

Louis E. Sola, a commissioner at the Federal Maritime Commission has made a public statement endorsing a temporary suspension of the Jones Act. This is the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) which requires a stop in non-USA ports for foreign-flagged vessels. Sola says, "I encourage both the Biden administration and Congress to quickly review this issue and consider a limited exception to the PVSA while simultaneously engaging the Canadian government on the diplomatic front to address this particular problem."

The Transport Canada order, combined with the Jones Act effectively shuts down cruising for 2021. But with an exception to the PVSA, passenger vessels could operate a U.S.-only cruise itinerary with a full complement on-board.

​Source: Federal Maritime Commission

Our cruise line partners have spent much of the past year updating their health and safety procedures to maximize guest safety while on-board. Several new innovations have come out of this process, including pre-boarding screening, capacity controls and social distancing, careful cleaning of public spaces, and fresh-air ventilation systems.

The biggest development came from Victory Cruise Lines, who has announced that they will require COVID-19 vaccinations for 100% of guests and crew, once sailing begins again. This will help ensure that everyone aboard is as safe as possible, but also allows us to make a commitment to the communities we visit that our presence there does not represent an elevated risk. 

Even with the confidence of having a fully-vaccinated ship, Victory has gone the extra step of mandating mask usage. Their SAFECRUISE™ protocol specifies that, "Masks will be required in all venues and in situations where recommended social distancing is not possible, including entertainment venues, elevators, shoreside terminals and shore excursion motorcoaches." Since the CDC has left open the possibility that even vaccinated people could carry virus in their nasal passages, the mask requirement helps ensure that we are not a risk to others.

We appreciate the lengths our Great Lakes cruise partners are going to, in order to ensure the health and safety of everyone associated with Great Lakes cruising.