Costa Cruises has released some of its safety measures that will be implemented when cruises return. At the time of writing this post, Costa is planning on resuming some cruises starting in mid-August 2020. 
           I normally do not write or cover Costa, but I decided to write a blog post over the planned safety measures the company has announced. This could be indicator of some of the procedures other Carnival Corporation brands may adopt to protect guests and crew, but it is too early to know exactly what each brand's safety procedures will look like. Please keep in mind this information is subject to change and Costa may have to change procedures. Below are a list of the procedures I gathered from Costa's website & press release:

Check-In Information

• Prior to cruising guests will have online check-in and self-certification procedures that must be completed. Costa's website states this will help minimize interaction with staff members that are working in the cruise terminal. 
• Guests will sign a mandatory health questionnaire that will require certification of health. It is not yet clear from Costa's website or press releases what exactly this health questionnaire will require certification of.
• Costa is offering the ability to book onboard services prior to the cruise. 

Temperature Checks & Personal Protective Equipment

• Costa will be taking the temperature of all guests and crew each time they board the ship. This includes the first day of the cruise and each port of call. 
• Once onboard the ship, guests can take take their temperature using a self-service electronic device. This self-service device should be available throughout the day. 
• Costa's press release states the use of masks will be required when in the indoor areas of the ship, but will only be mandatory in outdoor situations where distancing is not possible. The use of masks when off the ship in a port of call depends on local regulations.

Physical Distancing Onboard

• The number of guests able to be onboard the ship has been reduced. Costa did not release the exact capacity reduction for the ships. 
• Costa is planning on having controlled access to entertainment venues in order to prevent crowding. Their plan is to have more shows available throughout the day with a smaller sized audience in each showing. 
• Lounges and venues will have reduced occupancy levels and these areas have had some redesign to allow for the reduced occupancy. 
• Safety signs will be onboard to remind guests to distance. 
• There will be no self-service restaurants onboard the ships. This means crew members will be serving guests food and drinks.
• In dining areas, Costa says the space between tables and seats has been modified to allow for distancing of guests. Furthermore, Costa states access to dining areas will be capacity controlled.

General Onboard Procedures

• Public areas will be sanitized multiple times a day with antiviral disinfectants. Costa's website notes restrooms will be sanitized frequently. 
• Guests staterooms/cabins will be cleaned using an antiviral disinfectant treatment prior to the guest's arrival (this probably means during time after the last guest left the room from the prior cruise and before the guest has access to the room on the next cruise). Costa's website notes that the stateroom/cabin will be cleaned and disinfected daily. 
• Hand sanitizer stations will be available throughout the ship. 
• Shore excursion buses will be sanitized after each use and there will be reduced occupancy on the bus.
• Onboard ventilation systems have new filters. The goal of this is to have less internal air recirculation, but instead have more fresh air from outside. 

Procedures For Crew Members

• Crew members will have to undergo a temperature screening before and after each shift. 
• A multi-step process to test crew members will be implemented. Crew members will be pre-screened in their own country and will have to undergo two swab tests to see if he or she has COVID-19. Once the crew member arrives in Italy, he or she will undergo another test. If the third test comes back negative, the crew member will be allowed on the ship to start a 14 day quarantine period. These crew members onboard will have a temperature check done at least once daily and a swab test done at least once per month. 
• Costa's website states crew members will have protective equipment that is in line with Italian regulations. 

My Sources & For More Reading:
Costa's Sanitation & Safety Procedures On Their Main Website:  Click Here 
​Costa's Full Press Release (August 3, 2020) With Some Information:  Click Here

Please keep in mind this information is subject to change. If you are cruising on Costa, it is best you check with them for the latest safety requirements and measures. 

         The Carnival Fantasy has officially left Carnival's fleet and has now been run aground at a scrapyard in Aliaga, Turkey. Today (7/29/20) videos began to surface on You-Tube that showed the Carnival Fantasy being run-aground (beached) at the scrapyard/ship recycling yard. 
            The Carnival Fantasy was Carnival's oldest ship in the fleet and has been sailing with Carnival since 1990. When the Carnival Fantasy entered service, the ship started the Fantasy class which eventually grew to have 8 ships in total. In a few days, the Carnival Inspiration is expected to arrive in Aliaga, Turkey to be scrapped too. 

Some You-Tube Videos Showing The Ship Arriving & Being Run Aground (Beached) In Turkey:
               Below you will find some links that show the ship being run-aground. Some of these videos have sound and some do not. I do not own these videos and am not responsible for any of the content these videos contain. Please note, by clicking the video links you will be taken to You-Tube. 

Video #1 -  This video shows the Carnival Fantasy being beached from a distance. As the ship gets closer, the smoke from the ship is thick black. When the ship is beached & stopped, take a look at the ship's front and notice that the tip of the bow is slightly pointed upwards. Seeing this indicates the ship is beached. 
Link To Video:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm2cyG6BQ9M 

Video #2 -   This video shows shows a closer view of the Carnival Fantasy being beached. One thing I noticed in this video is the ship had to quickly adjust its course as it got closer in order to be beached in the exactly correct location. 
Link To Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtgsMhB1v-U 

​Video #3 -   Although this video does not show the actual beaching, I wanted to share it here because it shows some of the final Carnival crew leaving the Carnival Fantasy. These crew members were taken off the ship and as they leave the ship's horn blew. The video of the ship makes it look like a normal cruise ship that was lite up for the evening. 
Link To Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB2UWDys2no 

Video #4 -   This video shows a view from the Carnival Fantasy as the ship was being breached. It appears this video may have been taken from the Verandah Deck observation deck, which is right above the ship's navigational bridge. 
Link To Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAB3l-BVLLs 
​
If additional videos of the Carnival Fantasy are posted I will share them here. 

         The Carnival Freedom will sail Alaska again in summer 2022. Currently, Carnival's booking engine shows Alaska cruises available for the Carnival Freedom from May 2022 through mid-September 2022 before the ship repositions to Miami. 

Overview Of The Ship's Alaska Itineraries: 
        Starting on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, the Carnival Freedom will begin sailing seven night round-trip Alaska cruises departing from Seattle, Washington. These cruises are scheduled to visit Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Victoria, and have a scenic cruise day in Tracy Arm Fjord. The port of call stop in Victoria is an evening stop.  These round-trip seven night cruises from Seattle will begin in early May and end in mid-September 2022. 

Carnival Freedom's End of Alaska Season Repositioning Cruise:
                    On September 20, 2022, the Carnival Freedom will be reposition from Seattle to Miami, Florida. This cruise is 16 days in length and includes a Panama Canal crossing. Carnival's booking engine shows this cruise as having scheduled stops in Cabo San Lucas, Huatulco, Puntarenas, and Cartagena. Furthermore, this cruise is considered a Carnival Journeys cruise. 

For more Alaska cruise information, including some generic Alaska cruise tips, check out Alaska guide:
Click Here

​All information was compiled from Carnival Cruise Line's booking engine. Please visit Carnival's website for more information. All information is subject to change at any time! Make sure you check Carnival's website or with your travel agent for any changes to the ship's itineraries. 
​

         The Pullmantur Monarch recently arrived in Turkey because the ship is being scrapped. In June 2020, Royal Caribbean Group announced Pullmantur was seeking relief by filing for reorganization. Approximately one month later the Monarch's tracker showed the ship arriving in Turkey and the ship has been run aground to start the process of scrapping and recycling materials. 
                   The ship entered service in 1991 for Royal Caribbean as the Monarch of the Seas. This ship was considered a Sovereign class cruise ship. According to Pullmantur's website, the ship held 2,733 passengers and had a length of 268 meters. The ship joined Pullmantur in 2013 and has been sailing a variety of itineraries since this time. 

​
Interesting You-Tube Video That Shows The Ship Being Run Aground:
A video of the ship being run aground in Turkey was posted to You-Tube. It is nearly 4 minutes in length and shows the view from the bridge as the ship is being run aground. In the background you can hear someone giving instructions on how to navigate the ship into the proper spot. The last minute of the video shows a view from land as the ship runs aground on land.  Please note, this is not my video and I am not responsible for the content in this video!
If you want to watch this video here is a link to the You-Tube video:   Click Here (you will be taken to You-Tube) 

Pictures I Took Of the Pullmantur Monarch's Exterior In Progreso: 
    During my 2015 cruise on the Carnival Elation, I had the opportunity to dock with the Pullmantur Monarch in both Cozumel and Progreso. At Progreso the Carnival Elation was docked right next to the Monarch and I was able to walk right beside and look down on the ship from the Carnival Elation. ​Here are my pictures: 
Click any photo to make it larger! 

If you would like to read Royal Caribbean's press release about the Pullmantur filing for reorganization: Click Here

      This morning Carnival Cruise Line announced several changes to fleet operations that are a result of the coronavirus pandemic pause in service. Here are the details of today's big announcement regarding Carnival's ships:

Sale of Two Ships
             Carnival announced the Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration have been sold. Both ships are Fantasy class cruise ships. The Carnival Fantasy entered service for Carnival in 1990 and the Carnival Inspiration entered service in 1996. At the time of writing, the Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration are on their way to Turkey. Carnival's press release did not specify any further details about the future of these two ships. 
(Note:  I am aware of several places online saying these two ships may be scrapped, but I am trying to get Carnival to confirm this information. Until this is confirmed by Carnival, I don't want to publish information that could still change.) 

Long Term Layup Of Two More Ships
                   Two more Fantasy class ships, the Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination, are going to be out of service for an indefinite period of time in long-term layup. This essential means the ships will stay with Carnival, but will not be used. The Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination are both Fantasy class ships. No timeline of events was released by Carnival to indicate when these ships might come back into service. 

Carnival Sensation To Mobile
                   The Carnival Sensation will be deployed to Mobile to take over the Carnival Fantasy's existing cruise bookings and itineraries. Furthermore, the Carnival Fascination was originally scheduled to sail out of Mobile in 2022, but now these itineraries are being taken over by the Carnival Sensation as well. The Carnival Sensation will primarily sail 4 & 5 night cruises from Mobile, Alabama. Guests originally booked on the Carnival Fantasy or Carnival Fascination should have their booking automatically transferred to the Carnival Sensation. The ships are both Fantasy class ships and have similar layouts. 

Carnival Sunrise Will Move From Port Everglades to Miami 
                           The Carnival Sunrise will be moving from Port Everglades to Miami to take over the Carnival Sensation's short cruise itineraries. The Carnival Sunrise is a larger ship than the Carnival Sensation. Carnival's press release states guests booked on the Carnival Sunrise's 4 & 5 day itineraries out of Port Everglades will be automatically transferred to the Carnival Sunrise's 4 & 5 day itineraries out of Miami. It is unclear what Carnival did for guests already booked on the Carnival Sensation. If you are one of the affected passengers you should have gotten an email from Carnival. 

Carnival Radiance Will Move To Long Beach, California 
                             Since the Carnival Inspiration is being sold and the Carnival Imagination will be out of service due to the long term layup, the short cruises from Long Beach, California will be unavailable until 2021. In 2021 the Carnival Radiance will be launched into service in April 2021 and will take over short cruises that these ships previously did. Carnival's press release indicates guests booked out of Long Beach on the Carnival Inspiration & Carnival Imagination after April 22, 2021, will be accommodated to be on the Carnival Radiance. The Carnival Panorama will be the only ship out of Long Beach prior to April 2021 and this ship will focus on seven night cruises. 
                                    The Carnival Radiance was supposed to be transformed in spring 2020, but due to the pandemic the Carnival Victory to Radiance transformation was put on halt. Carnival hopes to finish the transformation in spring 2021 and launch this transformed ship. 

Additional Service Pause For Australia Cruises
                              Carnival also announced an additional operational pause for Australia cruises. Guests scheduled to cruise between September 25 and October 29th now have their sailings cancelled. 

This was a big announcement from Carnival and filled with information. I will be sharing additional information as I find out more. For more information I recommend you read Carnival's full press release (click here). You will be taken away from RyG's Cruise Guide and go to Carnival's news website. 

        This year on July 4th Carnival's ships will not be sailing regular cruises due the service pause caused by the coronavirus pandemic. However, in past years Carnival has had events and special dessert cakes to celebrate Independence Day (Fourth of July) on their ships. In this post I will take a look at some of the activities, events, and special food items Carnival has previously had to celebrate the United State's Independence Day. 

​Does Carnival do fireworks on the ships for the Independence Day holiday?
             One question that is frequently asked is if Carnival Cruise Line does fireworks on the ships. Carnival does not do fireworks shows on their ships for any holidays, such as Independence Day or when celebrating on New Year's Eve. I personally would enjoy seeing a fireworks show from the ship, but right now Carnival does not do fireworks. 

Events Generally Held On Carnival's Ships To Celebrate:

• 4th of July Bash -  Carnival's website shows ships will hold a 4th of July themed deck party in the evening. When I cruised over the 4th of July in 2018, my cruise had a special 4th of July themed deck party at 1:00pm. The time will most likely vary depending on the events scheduled for the day. 
• Misc. Outdoor Activities - Carnival has previously held an ice cream eating contest on the 4th of July. On my cruise over the 4th of July, this event has held as part of the outside deck party. If you cruise during the 4th of July and want to try to be a participant in this event, I recommend looking at your copy of the Fun-Times daily newsletter to see if this event is being held during your cruise. 
• Line Dancing -  Carnival's website shows line dancing is a part of the 4th of July celebrations on the ships. 
• Carnival's website says some of the activities offered may included themed trivia games, bingo, and a slot tournament. The bingo and slot tournament will cost extra to participate. I am unsure of how the bingo & slot tournament games are changed to have a theme related to the 4th of July, but two are events Carnival will generally offer on sea days. 
• For ships with SeaSide Theaters, Carnival will show American themed movies. On my Carnival Valor 2018 cruise, the movies shown were Independence Day and Captain America: The First Avenger. The specific movies that could be shown if you cruise during the 4th of July could vary. 

Is any special food offered during the 4th of July in the buffet?
                Carnival's website does not specifically describe food offered on the 4th of July. However, during my experience on the Carnival Valor in 2018 the ship's buffet served several cakes & desserts that were red, white, & blue. The other food items in the buffet and main dining room on this day were the same as what would typically be offered. Here are a few pictures of the desserts offered during my Carnival Valor 2018 cruise: 

               If you are cruising during the 4th of July in the future I recommend you check out your daily activity newsletter, the Fun-Times, to make sure you don't miss any special events that may be held on your cruise.
If you would like more information about what Carnival's website says will be done onboard check out this page of their website: Click Here (link will take you away from RyG's Cruise Guide) 

Carnival Dream
                  The Carnival Dream is scheduled to continue sailing from Galveston. Based on Carnival's booking engine, the Carnival Dream will primarily sail 6 and 8 night cruises from May 2022-April 2023. 

​Carnival Vista
                    The Carnival Vista is scheduled to continue sailing from Galveston, Texas. The ship has cruises scheduled through April 2023. During this time the Carnival Vista will continue to primarily sail alternating 7 night cruise itineraries.

​​Carnival Breeze
                    The Carnival Breeze is scheduled to continue sailing from Galveston, Texas. The ship has cruises scheduled through April 2023. During this time the Carnival Breeze will continue to primarily sail alternating 4 and 5 night cruise itineraries.

Carnival Horizon
                    The Carnival Horizon is scheduled to continue sailing from Miami, Florida, and has cruises scheduled through April 2023. During this time the Carnival Horizon will continue primarily sailing 6 & 8 night cruises. ​

Carnival Paradise
                    The Carnival Paradise is scheduled to continue sailing from Tampa, Florida, and has cruises scheduled through April 2023. During this time the Carnival Paradise will continue primarily sailing 4 & 5 night cruises.      ​

Carnival Panorama
                    The Carnival Panorama is scheduled to continue sailing from Los Angeles, California. The ship has cruises scheduled through April 2023. During this time the Carnival Panorama will continue to primarily sail alternating 7 night cruise itineraries. ​

Carnival Sunshine
                    The Carnival Sunshine is scheduled to continue sailing from Charleston, South Carolina. The ship has cruises scheduled through April 2023. During this time the Carnival Sunshine will continue to primarily sail alternating 4 & 5 night cruise itineraries. ​

Carnival Spirit
                     Carnival recently opened the Carnival Spirit's bookings for May 2022 and June 2022 only. During these two months the ship will sail from Brisbane, Australia. 

Carnival Splendor
                     Carnival recently opened the Carnival Splendor's bookings for May 2022 and June 2022 only. During these two months the ship will sail from Sydney, Australia. ​
​

It's time to wait for more Carnival ships to be released! I'm hoping more will be posted soon!

Last Updated:  Saturday, July 18, 2020
Please keep in mind itineraries are subject to change at any time and I am not affiliated with any cruise line so I have no control over itineraries. All of this information was compiled from Carnival's booking engine, is subject to change, and does not reflect all sailings that each ship does. When I use the term "primarily sail" I intend to mean this is what the ship does the majority of the time, which does not mean all cruises the ship is scheduled to sail. ​

          Although this year's cruises have been disrupted due to coronavirus, Carnival Cruise Line is already looking to the future. Recently Carnival Cruise Line opened bookings for the 2022-2023 cruise season.
               One of the first ships to have cruises opened for May 2022-April 2023 is the Carnival Panorama out of Long Beach, California. The Carnival Panorama was launched into service near the end of 2019. No other itineraries are open yet out of Long Beach, California. 
                Carnival has also opened a few sailings in May and June 2022 for Sydney and Brisbane, Australia. Right now the booking engine is showing some Carnival Splendor sailings from Sydney during both of these months. The Carnival Spirit is also showing sailings from Brisbane, Australia throughout May & June 2022. Carnival has not opened any itineraries for Australia past June 2022 yet. 
                      Additional itineraries will likely be posted to the booking engine in the coming weeks and months. It is not yet clear if any Carnival ships will be switching homeports, but hopefully this information will be known soon.

This information was compiled by looking at Carnival Cruise Line's booking engine on their website. Itineraries and ship deployments are subject to change. 

       Earlier this week Carnival Cruise Lines announced an extension in the pause in service of cruise operations. The announcement of this pause in service indicated that all Carnival Cruises were cancelled through September 30th. 
              Carnival Cruise Line previously announced some other ships had cancelled cruises that go beyond this date. These ships are as follows:​
1.  Carnival previously cancelled all San Francisco cruises for the year 2020. 
2.  The Carnival Sunrise's cruises through & including October 19, 2020. This cancellation was already announced prior to this week's announcement.
3. The Carnival Legend's sailings through and including the October 30, 2020 voyage are cancelled. This cancellation was already announced prior to this week's announcement.
​4.  The Carnival Radiance's sailings through and including the November 1, 2020 voyage are also cancelled. The Carnival Radiance is supposed to be the transformed Carnival Victory. Construction was supposed to begin earlier this year, but had to stop due to the coronavirus pandemic and an inability to work on the ship in Spain. The cancellation of these cruises was announced prior to this week's additional cancellation of cruises.
​5.  Carnival's announcement also indicated the Carnival Spirit's Alaska, Hawaii, and Trans-Pacific cruises through & including October 6, 2020 are cancelled. This was previously announced.

              Any ships that were not specifically mentioned on Carnival's website are currently cancelled through September 30, 2020. Unfortunately, it is not yet clear if any additional cancellations will occur. 
                 Guests on the affected cruises were given options by Carnival. One option offered is to receive a full refund. The other option is to receive a future cruise credit that is good for the amount paid plus Carnival will offer onboard credit to guests that take this option. If the cancelled cruise was 6+ days, the onboard credit with this option is $600, but if the cancelled cruise was 5 days or less the onboard credit is $300. The full terms and conditions related to the refund option or future cruise credit option should have been emailed to guests. If you are one of the guests trying to make a decision on which option to choose make sure you read the full terms and conditions that were sent to you. 

All of this information was compiled on June 24, 2020. Information is subject to change and additional cancellations can occur. For my information source as well as to check for any updates to information I recommend you check out Carnival's website:  Click Here (you will be taken away from RyG's Cruise Guide) 

​

Update: In a subsequent pause in service Carnival Cruise Line announced a suspension of cruises through the end of September 2020. The information in this article is no longer accurate. 

         Today Carnival Cruise Line announced a plan for a phased in-return to cruise operations after the pause in cruises due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Gradual Ship Reintroduction Plan
              Before discussing Carnival's plan to gradually return ships to cruising, it is important to note this plan is contingent on multiple factors, cooperation with authorities, and may include some different operational protocols.  Carnival had to release a follow-up statement after this morning's press release because media outlets were not fully covering this fact that this plan is contingent on numerous factors. 
              As of today's press release (5/4/2020) Carnival's plan to return to service includes sailings from Galveston, Miami, and Port Canaveral (Orlando). The following ships from these homeports will be allowed to resume cruising on August 1, 2020:

• Galveston, Texas: Carnival Vista, Carnival Freedom, and Carnival Dream
• Miami, Florida:  Carnival Horizon, Carnival Magic, and Carnival Sensation
• Port Canaveral, Florida:  Carnival Breeze and Carnival Elation

The other Carnival ships will not be returning to service until at least after August 31. It is unclear at this time which homeports or ships will be part of Carnival's next planned phased in return to service. Also, it is important to keep in mind things can change which could alter this current plan.

If you want to read more about Carnival's phased-in return to service or want to learn about which cruises were cancelled today please click here. The link will take you to Carnival's news website.