Goodbye Rome, shalom Israel: Odyssey Of The Seas moves its base to Haifa
Royal Caribbean will be the first to offer fully vaccinated cruises, where both crew and guests over the age of 16 will be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Recommended by TFC
It is one of the most anticipated ships of 2021, perhaps the most anticipated, along with the Scarlet Lady which was scheduled to debut in 2020 and instead should make its first cruise this summer.
In an official statement, Royal Caribbean announced that the newest addition to its fleet will not be debuting in Italy with its home port in Rome/Civitavecchia, but will depart for weekly cruises in the eastern Mediterranean starting from Haifa in Israel and no longer calling at any Italian port
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7MBsPo3fB0&feature=youtu.be
Hard to imagine that the decision of the largest cruise line on the planet, the one that has in service the 3 largest cruise ships in the world, does not depend on the state of immunization in Israel, which, to date, has immunized almost 50% of the population. And it is precisely the vaccine that is the key to the restart of the cruises, unlike in Italy with Costa and MSC..
In cooperation with Israeli health and tourism authorities, Royal Caribbean will be the first to offer fully vaccinated cruises, where both crew and guests over the age of 16 will have received their dose against Covid-19.
"Thanks to the millions of inoculations we have carried out, I am proud that Israel will be the first country in the world to launch Royal Caribbean's new flagship. The decision to choose our nation is a significant expression of confidence in our policy, an important economic and tourism moment for the State of Israel, " said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu .
"Israel is a successful global model. We will continue our program-the 'green passport'-so that we can come out of the Covid-19 virus in peace. Just as we made Israel the world champion in vaccines, we will also make it the world champion in economics and tourism in the post-Corona period."
This announcement, in many ways, is "momentous" because it breaks the mould by openly talking about cruise 100% vax, a topic that other companies in the industry had already covered, as the CEO of Qantas back in late December..
There are no other details in today's announcement about security protocols, but the fact that it will be open only to vaccinated passengers could open a precedent. Considering the size of Royal Caribbean, decision may in fact make this road the only road to jumpstart the U.S. market, which is the world's top cruise market. Now we will see what the other giants of the sea will respond.
- 6,000 Mile Registration Bonus
- Collect miles WITH EACH PURCHASE
- Your miles with no expiration*
- No fees for ATM withdrawals and foreign purchases
- Without having to change banks
- Autonomous card activation
- Multi-function mobile application
- Free travel insurance
- Free credit for up to 7 weeks
- Contactless Payment
- Mastercard® SecureCode
- 20€ discount directly in your statement by spending €60 in one or more transactions with Carta on Italotreno.it
- Free fee the 1st year. From the 2nd €5.50 per month
- You can choose to pay in full or in installments
- Premium level of the Italo Più program
- 4 Vouchers per year for access to Italo Club Lounges
- Preferential Access to Italo's Fast Track at the station
- For every 5 purchases of Italo ticketing and/or onboard services made with Italo American Express Credit Card you will receive 1 voucher for room upgrade
- Welcome bonus of 100,000 Volare points upon reaching 6 thousand in spending in the first 3 months after card issuance
- Accumulate 1.5 qualifying Volare points for every euro spent, accumulate an additional 3 non-qualifying Volare points ( for a total of 4.5 Volare points) for every euro spent on ticketing purchases and other services offered by ITA Airways
- Access to the Premium Club of ITA Airways' Volare program.
- ITA Airways Lounge Access
- Free excess baggage
- Points Back