More Deployment Changes in Asia

AIDAbella

The latest news from Asia in the cruise industry as the coronavirus outbreak continues:

**The Sapphire Princess and Seabourn Ovation have moved to a shipyard in Singapore. With the ships temporarily out of service, it may prove an opportune time to take care of any short-term interior and technical needs.

**Costa has cancelled cruises through mid March on its four China-based vessels, the Venezia, Atlantica, Serena and neoRomantica.

**Out of an what it said was abundance of caution, Holland America Line has decided to cancel the Feb. 29, 2020, cruise of Westerdam. The ship was due to depart Yokohama, Japan, for a 14-day roundtrip cruise visiting mostly Japanese ports. Holland America Line has been closely monitoring the very fluid and evolving situation with respect to the new Covid-19 that originated in mainland China. The difficult decision to cancel this cruise comes after carefully considering the highly dynamic and unpredictable changes seen the past couple of weeks in travel restrictions and port operations that could affect the cruise, the company said. All guests will receive a full refund. Each guest will also receive a 50% future cruise credit and reimbursement of cancellation fees.

**The Westerdam remains alongside in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, where officials from the Cambodian Health Ministry are onboard today to complete testing for COVID-19 on the 255 guests and 747 crew that are awaiting clearance. This will take several days. Guests at a hotel in Phnom Penh have all completed the COVID-19 screening. Results are being returned when completed, with the first batch of 406 all being negative. Cleared guests may travel home, and arrangements are being made for those guests.

**Guests in both locations are being very well cared for, including assistance with any medications needed. A full team is on the ground in both Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh, including Holland America Line’s President Orlando Ashford. 

**Expect major deployment announcements in Australia extending into the summer as a number of cruise lines have booked port space for ships that were previously scheduled to be sailing in Asia.

**AIDA has been forced to cancel the rest of its 2020 spring Asia program. The AIDAvita has cancelled all cruises through early April, when she arrives in Dubai. The AIDAbella is disembarking guests in Thailand this week and has cancelled voyages through April 30.

**Princess has extended cancellations for the under-quarantine Diamond Princess through April 20.

**TUI Cruises said it is looking into the spring deployment of the Mein Schiff 6, which is in Southeast Asia, and will make an announcement on any potential changes this week.

**P&O Cruises’ Arcadia has cancelled a number of port stops on her current world cruise, including will Manila, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Klang and Penang. The ship will instead offer a more in-depth Australia leg with calls in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Port Arthuer, Adelaide, Albany and Fremantle.

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