- Questions remain over port visits in the upcoming Pacific cruise season.
- Disney Cruise Line has cancelled a call in Noumea due to the unrest.
- Port Vila continues to recover from the earthquake damage.
While many cruise lines have already returned or plan to return to Noumea, some cruise lines such as Disney are still staying away. Meanwhile, question marks remain over whether we’ll see ships back at Port Vila this summer, with the city tragically sustaining significant damage, including to its cruise port.
With these two ports representing two mainstays on Pacific itineraries out of Australia, many are likely to see their itineraries affected over the coming months. With limited time to reorganise and shuffle around ports for cruise lines, this could lead to many itineraries rather having more days at sea, than in ports.
Disney Cruise lines pivot away from Noumea
Disney Cruise Line had previously cancelled port stops in Noumea for December and January, and has confirmed it will also skip the destination on another cruise in February, which was scheduled to call at Noumea on February 13. This is a repositioning cruise back to the United States, meaning the 16-night voyage will now have 11 days at sea.
In a statement, Disney highlighted that the current conditions limit the activities available on the island.
“Due to the limited availability of experiences as a result of the prior unrest in Nouméa, New Caledonia, and for the comfort of guests and crew, we have made the decision to bypass Nouméa to spend the day at sea.”
The cruise line also decided to extend its stay in Suva, Fiji, to compensate for the change and allow a couple more hours of exploration.
Other cruise lines have been calling in Noumea since December. Cruisers visiting the island since the return of cruise ships are yet to report any issues.
Guests will receive USD$250 credit per stateroom.
Strong question marks remain over Port Vila sailings
After an earthquake struck near Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu and a popular cruise port, the city suffered heavy damage.
Unfortunately, the small Pacific nation is still heavily suffering the effects. 80,000 people have been directly affected, including thousands displaced from their homes. Furthermore, the city is facing cyclone risks that could exacerbate existing damage, as well as impair recovery efforts.
Cruise lines are yet to come out with statements, but several major cruise lines have itineraries that are scheduled to visit Port Vila throughout the rest of the cruise season, but it remains to be seen if infrastructure repairs will be able to be performed in time.
A Royal Caribbean cruise leaving this week has cancelled its Port Vila stop, but the cruise line hasn’t confirmed its plans for future cruises.
