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☆ China announces 15-day visa-free stay in select provinces for cruise travelers to boost tourism
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Adora Magic City, the first made-in-China large cruise ship, waits for its first commercial passengers on the dockyard in Shanghai on January 1, 2024. Travelers entering China via international cruises can stay in select provinces in the country for up to 15 days without a visa, the government said Wednesday, as Beijing attempts to boost its cruise and tourism industry. The regulations require foreigners to enter through one of 13 coastal cruise ports in the country, according to a statement from China's National Immigration Administration (CNI). China's cruise business made major strides this year, with the country's first domestically-built cruise liner, the Adora Magic City, making its first voyage on Jan. 1, according to state-run media. On Wednesday, seven cruise ports were also added as eligible entry points under China's existing visa-free transit policy, on top of the previous 31.

Persons: CNI Organizations: Magic City, Travelers, National Immigration Administration Locations: Magic, China, Shanghai, Beijing

☆ Royal Caribbean overbooked one of its giant cruise ships and left a group of travelers stuck at port
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Several guests weren't allowed to board a Royal Caribbean cruise because the ship was overbooked. Just hours after arriving at the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal, the couple was sent back home because Royal Caribbean had overbooked its 4,905-guest ship. But if it weren't for this option, Raynor says he would "absolutely not" be inclined to go on another Royal Caribbean cruise. AdvertisementRoyal Caribbean has a history of overbooking its giant cruise shipsRoyal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas. "I know Royal Caribbean generally has a good reputation, but it's certainly left a bad sour taste in our mouths," Raynor said.

Persons: weren't, he's, —, Jai Raynor, Raynor, rebooking, it's Organizations: Royal, Service, Port, Brisbane International Cruise, Business, Royal Caribbean, Caribbean, Seas . Locations: Royal Caribbean, Brisbane, , New Caledonia, Nouméa , New Caledonia . Southern Lightscapes, Australia, Caribbean

☆ Rape at sea: How a broken system is failing passengers and darkening the cruise industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Cruise ship companies are failing sexual assault victims, lawsuits seen by Business Insider show. Carnival told the Washington Post last year that the alleged assailant was fired from the cruise line but that he was never charged. "The truth is, cruise companies don't know much about the employees they hire," he told BI. "I don't know how they sleep at night, I really don't"Jamie Barnett, from the organization International Cruise Victims (ICV), told BI that the behavior of cruise companies makes victims feel "lost and very isolated." Cruise companies, she said, "will fight tooth and nail before they would roll over and not do what they needed to do, to keep the public from knowing."

Persons: —, Ryan, Patrick Connolly, Ross Klein, They'll, they'll, Klein, they've, Justin Sullivan, Jane Doe, Jim Walker, Walker, Jamie Barnett, Barnett, Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal Organizations: Business, Service, MSC, MSC Cruises, MSC Meraviglia, Orlando Sentinel, Tribune, Getty, BI, US Department of Transportation, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Cruise, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Cruise, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Vessel Security, Safety, FBI, Princess Cruises, BuzzFeed, Carnival, Washington Post, International Cruise, Democratic Locations: Port Canaveral, Port of Oakland, California, Caribbean, Miami, Key West , Florida

☆ China kicks off its plan to take on the cruise industry: 'There's no turning back'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Hannah Towey | Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

After a three-year hiatus, international cruise lines can resume sailings from China. AdvertisementAdvertisementRoyal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, once the world's largest cruise ship, was originally scheduled for year-round sailing from China. Then COVID-19 shut down the cruise industry and China blocked sailings from international cruise lines. Now, after a three-year hiatus, international cruise lines can resume sailings from China. Enter the Adora Magic City, the first Chinese-built and operated cruise ship.

Persons: —, Kun Cao, Reddal, James D, Morgan China, Cao, Joel Katz, Asia —, Michael Bayley, Bayley, Yang Guobing, Andy Stuart, Skift, it's Organizations: Service, Seas, Royal Caribbean, Magic City, Cruise, Royal Caribbean International, China China's, China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Carnival Corporation, Publishing, Getty Images, Viking Cruises, China Merchants Group, Royal, MSC, CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping, Xinhua, Getty, Cruise Line, Global Times Locations: China, Shanghai, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, Southern, Magic, Caribbean, Asia, Australasia, CLIA, United States, Miami, Switzerland, Royal Caribbean, —, Norwegian, Alaska

☆ 6 cruise passengers have gone overboard in 3 months. Here's why most ships still don't use detection tech for rescues.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

An average of 19 people go overboard on cruise ships every year, industry data has found. Less than two months after Peale fell overboard, 30-year-old Jaylen Hill also went overboard a Carnival cruise ship. In total, at least five passengers have gone overboard cruise ships this summer, including Hill. The incidents occurred on the cruise ships Carnival Elation, Spectrum of the Seas, Emerald Princess, Mariner of the Seas, and Wonder of the Seas. A Coast Guard spokesperson said there are no regulations preventing cruise lines from installing MOB detection systems on their vessels.

Persons: Ronnie Peale Jr, Peale, Linda Peale, —, Travis Heggie, Hill, Eric Rodriguez, Princess, Joe Perez, Ross Klein, Paul McConnell, Jamie Barnett, James Michael Grimes, Grimes, CLIA, it's, Mike Collier, MOBtronic, Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Collier, Blumenthal, Linda Peale Jennilyn Blosser, Blosser, didn't, Barnett, Jim Walker Organizations: US Coast Guard, Carnival, Coast Guard, Bowling Green State University, Cruise Lines International Association, Jacksonville , Florida . U.S . Coast, Washington Post, Carnival Corporation, U.S . Coast Guard, Getty, Cruise Vessel Security, Safety, Guard, International Cruise Victims Association, Line International Association, USA, Royal Caribbean, International, Organization Locations: Virginia's Shenandoah, Connecticut, Hill, Jacksonville , Florida . U.S, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, MOBtronic

☆ 4 people have gone overboard on cruise ships this summer. Here's why most cruise lines don't use technology that could've helped save them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

An average of 19 people go overboard on cruise ships every year, industry data has found. At 6:36 p.m. — more than 12 hours after Peale fell overboard — Carnival contacted the Coast Guard, according to the agency. Less than two months after Peale fell overboard, 30-year-old Jaylen Hill also went overboard a Carnival cruise ship. Legislation without regulationThe US Coast Guard does not check for man-overboard image capture or detection technology during compliance inspections of cruise ships. A Coast Guard spokesperson said there are no regulations preventing cruise lines from installing MOB detection systems on their vessels.

Persons: Ronnie Peale Jr, Peale, Linda Peale, —, Travis Heggie, Hill, Eric Rodriguez, Joe Perez, Ross Klein, Paul McConnell, Jamie Barnett, James Michael Grimes, Grimes, CLIA, it's, Mike Collier, MOBtronic, Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Collier, Blumenthal, Linda Peale Jennilyn Blosser, Blosser, didn't, Barnett, Jim Walker Organizations: US Coast Guard, Carnival, Coast Guard, Bowling Green State University, Cruise Lines International Association, Royal Caribbean's, Princess Cruises, Jacksonville , Florida . U.S . Coast, Washington Post, Carnival Corporation, U.S . Coast Guard, Getty, Cruise Vessel Security, Safety, Guard, International Cruise Victims Association, Line International Association, USA, Royal Caribbean, International, Organization Locations: Virginia's Shenandoah, Connecticut, Jacksonville , Florida . U.S, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, MOBtronic

☆ A cruise expert that's been on over 300 ships shares his top tips and tricks for your next trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Cruise ships and their destinations are overflowing with travelers this summer. Cruise ships — and their destinations — are jam-packed with travelers this summer. Pick a cruise line that matches your personality and expectationsNot all cruise lines, or cruise ships for that matter, cater to the same kind of clientele. Buy travel insurance if you're going on an international cruiseChiron said he never travels internationally without purchasing trip insurance. Weigh the pros and cons of booking airfare through the cruise lineSome cruise lines have access to discounted flights and allow you to bundle your airfare with your cruise.

Persons: Guy, Stewart Chiron, Chiron, Don't, I've Locations: Mykonos, Santorini, It's, Miami, Seattle, Los Angeles, Rome

☆ A cruise expert shares his top tips and tricks after sailing on 311 ships
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Persons: Guy, Stewart Chiron, Chiron, Don't, I've Locations: Mykonos, Santorini, It's, Miami, Seattle, Los Angeles, Rome

☆ A Carnival cruise to the Bahamas became a 'cruise to nowhere' after inclement weather kept passengers stuck onboard the entire trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Windy weather forced a Carnival cruise ship to cancel its only planned port stop earlier this month. Passengers onboard received partial refunds and compensation for the unexpected cancellation. Passenger Kat O'Donnell told Insider the decision was disappointing. "It was the first time either one of us have ever gone out of the country," she told Insider. The Carnival Sunshine cruise ship docked in South Carolina in March 2020.

☆ Factbox: China to reopen borders, including with Hong Kong, after 3 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Jan 6 (Reuters) - China will reopen its borders on Sunday, including with its special administrative region of Hong Kong, after nearly three years of COVID-19 closures and restrictions. Travellers from both Hong Kong and China must obtain a negative COVID test result and log it online within 48 hours of departure. Hong Kong and the neighbouring Chinese city of Shenzhen have launched an online booking system for travellers to reserve a slot. China will from Sunday resume issuing tourist and business visas for mainland residents to travel to Hong Kong and Macau. Reporting by Farah Master in Hong Kong, Bernard Orr and the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Edmund KlamannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Carnival’s Princess Cruises will return to Japan in March 2023 after nearly three-year hiatus
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

People look out from aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship, operated by Princess Cruises, as it maintains a holding pattern about 25 miles off the coast of San Francisco, California on March 8, 2020. Princess Cruises, a Carnival Corporation brand, is resuming trips in its homeport of Japan early next year, the company said in a press release on Friday. Japan initiated the cruise ban in March 2020 after a fatal coronavirus outbreak took place in February on the Diamond Princess, a Princess cruise ship. Since Japan reopened to international cruises, other vacation ships are gearing up to return to the country. Japan joins a growing pool of countries warming back up to cruise tourism after hitting pause for Covid.

☆ Foreign visitors in Japan surge after tourism reopening
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The number of foreign visitors to Japan rose to nearly 500,000 in October, the first month it fully reopened to overseas visitors after more than two years of COVID restrictions, more than doubling the volume from September. The number of foreign visitors, for both tourism and business, rose to 498,600 in October, more than double September's 206,500 and surging a massive 2,155% from the year before, the Japan National Tourism Organization said, though it was still down 80% on 2019. This year, 1.52 million foreign visitors have arrived, a far cry from the record 31.8 million in 2019 and the government's 2020 goal - pegged to the Summer Olympics, that were ultimately postponed - of 40 million. "We are seeing the weak yen in a positive way," he said. Japan said on Tuesday it was reopening its ports to cruise ships from March 2023, with some 166 ships slated to visit next year, industry group Japan International Cruise Committee (JICC).

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