Last week marked a year since we had to make the difficult decision to stop cruising. Next week marks a year since the closure of Carnival House. But today marks a turning point – the start of our countdown to once again creating unforgettable holiday happiness for our Guests.
We’ve come an awfully long way since March 2020, so I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past 12 months and recognise everything we’ve achieved together in the most difficult and uncertain of times.
We kicked off 2020 with ambitious targets for what was expected to be a very exciting year for Carnival UK: New ships on the horizon, a bold sustainability agenda and of course, our recently relaunched Values. Well, it was certainly exciting but for all the wrong reasons. News of a virus spreading in the Far East rapidly overshadowed our plans – what started as unwelcome shifts in itineraries for QM2 and Arcadia, ended up turning our industry and company on its head.
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Fast forward to today…
…and we can look back and be proud of just how much we have achieved together. Over the past twelve months we’ve had highs: Reuniting nearly 21,000 Guests with their loved ones; successfully and safely repatriating over 7,500 fleet colleagues; and quickly adapting to virtual ways of working while juggling our new ‘stay-at-home’ lives.
We’ve also had some lows: Nine operational pauses for P&O Cruises and seven for Cunard; postponing Iona’s handover and celebrations; financial sacrifices; and an early retirement for our much-loved Oceana, to name just a few. But none was as tough as sadly parting ways with many talented colleagues.
However, today should most definitely be celebrated as a high as our countdown to cruising begins and we see much needed light at the end of the tunnel.
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This morning, P&O Cruises new UK holidays went on sale. In 96 days the Guests who are booking now will be setting sail on our first cruise in over 15 months. And very soon we’ll be releasing details of Cunard’s new UK voyages.
These UK holidays (sailing around the UK for UK Guests) are just the first phase of our Return to Service plan. For three months, we’re focusing on just three ships: Britannia, Iona and Queen Elizabeth.
No doubt many of you will have seen some passionate responses on social media to the news of our vaccination policy on these new cruises. Rest assured that our policy reflects the desire of the overwhelming majority of our Guests and, as always, our primary focus is to protect the health and wellbeing of our fleet colleagues, our Guests and the communities we visit. Our vaccination policy and our new health protocols do just this.
I have no doubt 2021 will continue to be a challenging, busy, exhilarating and rewarding year. We will navigate our way out of lockdown, starting with our UK holiday programme, then followed by the reintroduction of International and Fly-Cruises (phases two and three of our Return to Service plan). We’ll also be adjusting to our hybrid ways of working, finding home/office working patterns that empower us to be our best selves.
As we look to our bright future, I’d like to say thank you for everything you’ve done to ensure we’re still standing tall. Thank you for your flexibility, your determination, and your willingness to take up the challenge.
We’re on our way back to business, creating unforgettable holiday happiness for our Guests and we’ll be stronger and better than before. I could not be more excited – I hope you are too!
Let the countdown begin…
Best wishes and take care,
Simon
Simon Palethorpe
President, Carnival UK
As the cruising countdown continues, we’ll be sharing weekly updates on our Return to Service plan; marking milestones and celebrating the achievements and hard work of our fleet and shoreside colleagues. Look out for more on The Insider.
