Volunteers of the Seas - Royal Caribbean Test Sailings

Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) has launched a website where you can volunteer and apply to be a passenger on an upcoming test sailing in preparation for the relaunch of cruising in the U.S.. Over 20,000 people signed up in the first 24 hours to assist the company in earning their ‘conditional sailing certificate',

Cruise ships haven't been sailing since March 14th, 2020, but the CDC officially lifted its ‘no sail order‘ on October 31st, 2020 and implemented a strict ‘conditional sail order' which gives cruise lines permission to sail again in U.S. waters if they meet all safety requirements. 

As of this post, no official date has been set for the trial cruise/s but according to the Royal Caribbean website, the cruise line has scheduled their first real cruises starting in January, 2021. This means that the test sailings could come as early as December giving the cruise line enough time to for its voyages to be given the green light by the CDC. 

The trial cruises are expected to sail to Royal Caribbean's private island of Cococay which will allow the cruise line to strictly control the voyage conditions. Onboard the simulation cruises will be CDC officials, cruise line officials and an unbiased third party auditor.

COVID-19 prevention protocols passengers can expect during the test cruise and real cruises once they start are mandatory Covid testing and temperature checks before boarding, face coverings in public areas of the ship, reduced ship capacity, socially distanced dining and shorter voyages. 

A simulated voyage must meet the following requirements:

• The cruise ship operator must design and conduct a simulated voyage insofar as practicable to test the efficacy of the cruise ship operator’s ability to mitigate the risks  of COVID-19 onboard its cruise ship.
• Volunteer passengers are to be told in writing of the "inherently risky activity" of their test sailing.
• All volunteer passengers must be at least eighteen years old or older.
• All volunteer passengers must have a written certification from a healthcare provider that they have no pre-existing medical conditions.
• Royal Caribbean must conduct any simulation on a consensual basis.
• Royal Caribbean must embark additional crew members beyond safe minimum manning levels only as determined through CDC technical instructions or orders.
• The cruise ship operator must conduct a monitored observation period and laboratory testing of volunteer passengers, as directed in CDC technical instructions or orders, prior to embarking volunteer passengers on a simulated voyage.

Get Free Comped Cruises from URComped.com

Cancelled - AZ Halloween Marketplace - September 19th, 2020

The AZHaunters.com Haunted Swap Meet is now the AZ Halloween Marketplace and has been canceled for the 2020 Halloween Season.

FREE ATTENDANCE & FREE PARKING

The AZ Halloween Marketplace, formerly the Haunted Swap Meet, is a one-day annual marketplace held every September where you can buy, sell, and trade your homemade, gently used Halloween props and collectables to other haunters.The event is a gathering of Halloween enthusiasts that buy sell or trade props, costumes, decorations, and other Halloween related items. Buy, sell and trade till you have the perfect yard haunt.

Over 100 Vendors featuring Halloween wares

• Artisans selling hand-crafted or original wares 
• Home haunters selling thrift-sale-type items
• Entertainers 
• Make-up artists 
• This year they are adding a haunted house *$5 charge to enter haunted house
• Hearse Display
• Raffle with hourly prize drawings
• Special Appearances by:
• AZ Ghostbusters
• United Zombies
• Live Pumpkin Carving by Villafane Studios (master carver)

You will find creepy cupcakes, costumes, spell books, macabre original artwork, and so much more.

They are again in a nice air-conditioned venue at MetroCenter Mall. If you attended last year, you know how big the crowd was and will be happy to know that they are taking over the entire lower level of the mall instead of a single store space. That means you can use any mall entrance and should not expect any lines standing between you and your Halloween fun!

The AZ Halloween Marketplace is organized by The AZHaunters.com website, an online community of individuals of all ages that have come together celebrate Halloween Haunting by sharing and learning with each other. The HAunted Swap Meet began in 2015 with a half dozen members gathering on a lawn to trade props (hence the original name Swap Meet), and has since grown with over 6,000 attendees last year.

AZ Haunters gather together in person and online to share prop making techniques and ideas, chat about Halloween, and help each other out with haunting plans. They also hold "Make & Take" crafting events approx once a month, this is where they meet in person and you learn how to construct various Halloween props..

*********************UPDATE* CANCELLED *UPDATE**************************

With the closure of Metrocenter Mall, the event's location is now in question?

*****************************************************************************

Parking is free!

Tips:

• Wear comfortable shoes, anticipate walking up and down every aisle
• Stay hydrated, Water will be available for purchase.
• Bring Cash, many of the vendors will accept credit cards, some may not
• Restroom facilities will be available in the main mall area.

For More information Contact AZ Halloween Marketplace or Become a Vendor

2020 Season of The Queen Mary's Dark Harbor officially cancelled

2020 Halloween Season of The Queen Mary's Dark Harbor has officially been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 concerns.

Dark Harbor normally runs in September, October and November at the The Queen Mary in Southern California. Dark Harbor is a terrifying haunted attraction based around the history of the haunted ship. The Queen Mary was named one of the top 10 most haunted places on Earth by Time Magazine in 2008.  Among the ghosts reportedly still haunting, are a sailor who died in the engine room, a "lady in white", and children who drowned in the pool. The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor brings the true haunted tales of The Queen Mary to life.

Epic Entertainment Group, the production company behind Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor in Long Beach, CA announced today that both Halloween attractions (Dark Harbor in Long Beach, CA and Dark Horizon in Orlando, FL) have been canceled for the 2020 season due to COVID-19.

In a statement released on Facebook the company shared the following:

"It is with heavy hearts that we can now confirm the 2020 seasons of The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor (Long Beach, CA) and Dark Horizon: Point of No Return (Orlando, FL) have officially been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and in line with federal, state and local guidelines.

As always, maintaining the safety and security of our guests, actors and crew is of the utmost importance.

With the uncertainty that lies ahead in the coming months, these unfortunate decisions could not be avoided.

We look forward to the 2021 haunt season and will share more about the future when we are able.

In the meantime, please stay safe and be well."

The suspension of the ship’s hotel operation was effective May 7th. Prior to that the bars, restaurants and events on the ship had already shut down on March 16. So though sad, not really surprising that Dark Harbor Halloween Event was sunk amid coronavirus pandemic

 

MGM Las Vegas Casino and Resort Opening Announcements

Las Vegas Casino and Resorts were shut down back in March as part of Governor Steve Sisolak’s mandatory closure of non-essential Nevada businesses.

MGM Resorts has since announced return of some of it's Las Vegas hotel-casino operations:

Starting on June 4 with the reopening of the Bellagio, MGM Grand and New York-New York.

Excalibur is set to open on June 11

The Luxor will reopen on June 25th.

Followed by Aria, Mandalay Bay and Four Seasons Las Vegas on July 1.

The upcoming reopenings will come with several new safety protocols to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. These include screenings and temperature checks for employees, who will be required to wear masks. Social distancing also will be implemented, with plexiglass barriers to be installed where distancing restrictions are more difficult.

MGM Resorts will also offer free parking when it's properties reopen.

Looks like Las Vegas Strip may be planning to open for Memorial Day Weekend?

All nonessential businesses in Nevada were temporarily closed on March 17 by Governor Steve Sisolak because of COVID-19. Sisolak’s order was extended through April 30.

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) company spokesman says they have canceled room reservations at its Las Vegas properties through May 21.

According to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, whenever the Las Vegas Strip reopens, MGM officials expect to open their properties incrementally. MGM's filing indicated the company’s 10 casinos on the Las Vegas Strip will be opened in phases. However With reservations for Friday May 22nd and the Memorial Day weekend not being included in the cancellations notice, this may indicate that the first phase will be a soft re-opening for the holiday weekend for those who already have reservations.

Visiting the MGMResorts.com webpage, the first available date for booking is June 1st. This may indicate a second phase in re-opening of the Las Vegas Strip for new reservations.

Because of the economic fallout from the Coronavirus pandemic, MGM's stock took a downturn around February 20th and bottomed around March 18th, dropping approx $25 a share the day after Vegas was shuttered.

While the company isn’t scheduled to release its first quarter financial performance until 4/30/20, company officials predicted dire results for the first quarter of 2020. MGM is estimating its consolidated net revenue total for the quarter to be about $2.3 billion, which would be about a 29% decrease from the same period in 2019.

Officials also mentioned MGM’s solid liquidity, the company reported it has about $6 billion in cash. The domestic properties still cost about $270 million per month to maintain and have begun "aggressive cost reduction initiatives".

About 52,000 of MGM’s 80,000 world wide employees are based in Las Vegas.

MGM Properties: Bellagio, ARIA, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Delano Las Vegas, Park MGM, The Mirage, New York-New York, Luxor, Excalibur.

Not knowing how long travel restrictions will last and how scared the population is to return to crowded venues, it remains unknown how fast the casinos will get back to normal. So these cost cutting measures will help ensure sustainability until it is back to business as usual.

No matter what, vacations like Casinos, Cruises and Theme Parks will likely be forever changed.

Get Free Casino Comps
RobinHood.com Get a Free Stock

CDC - Cruise Line No Sail Order Extended

Cruise ships haven't been sailing since March 14th, 2020, and that means a lot of refunds being issued by Carnival (NYSE:CCL), Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL), and Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH).

On Thursday April 9th, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced an extension of a No Sail Order for all cruise ships for 100 days. This means Ships won't sail til at least mid-July.

The highly leveraged cruise lines are attempting to retaining the funds already paid to them for Spring and Summer bookings and encouraging guests to accept 125% credits toward a future cruise and/or large amounts of on-board credit to rebook a future date.

Even those booking new cruises are getting great deals. For example, I checked today on a Cruise to Mexico and the cruise, taxes, fees and gratuities add up to less than the onboard credit Carnival offered, meaning I would make $6.78 on taking the cruise.

All 3 cruise lines have taken steps to slow spending, but cash flow is still needed.

As the cruise lines are not registered in the US, they may not be eligible for US Government loans and assistance from the Stimulus. Carnival is incorporated in Panama, Norwegian is incorporated in Bermuda, and Royal Caribbean is incorporated in Liberia.

Royal Caribbean has recently accessed approx $3.5 billion from existing credit lines.

Carnival has shown that at the right price, the cruise industry can find the money it needs amid turmoil caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) panic. Carnival initiated an effort to raise over $6 billion to shore up liquidity. Approx $4 billion was raised by selling its debt by way of secured bonds (secured by a first-priority claim on the company’s assets). The three-year bonds have a yield of just under 12%. Information released during the bond offering: Carnival has received 39,000 bookings since it stopped sailing, and 45% of customers whose cruises had to be canceled/rescheduled chose credit for future trips as opposed to cash refunds.

On 4/6/20, a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission shows that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) now owns an 8.2% stake in Carnival. Saudi Arabia’ PIF held no stock in the cruise line at the start of 2020.

The same day, Carnival director Randall Weisenburger paid $10 million for a large block of shares at $8 a share. He now owns 1.38 million Carnival shares,  he had last bought Carnival stock on July 3, 2019, when he paid $930,000 for 20,000 shares, a per-share average price of $46.50.

Swiss bank USB report issued March 31, found that 9% more cruises have been booked for 2021 than were being booked the same time last year. This does include people using credits for canceled cruises, but the increase still shows many have the desire to book a cruise and the industry will bounce back when restrictions are lifted. How soon will you plan your next cruise?

Carnival Cruise Line

Customer service: 1 (800) 764-7419
Reservations: 1 (800) 327-9501
Headquarters: Miami, FL

Norwegian Cruise Line

Customer service: 1 (866) 234-7350
Reservations: 1 (866) 234-0292
Headquarters: Miami, FL

Royal Caribbean International

Customer service: 1 (800) 256-6649
Reservations: 1 (866) 562-7625
Headquarters: Miami, FL


Get free stock when you sign up at RobinHood.com
Get Free Comped Cruises from URComped.com

Disneyland & Universal Studios Hollywood Close Amidst Coronavirus Panic

Disney and Universal Studios close California parks in March to help halt spread of Coronavirus. Update: Knott's Berry Farm announced on Facebook, they are following suit.

Walt Disney Company spokesperson released a statement this afternoon saying, “While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 at Disneyland Resort, after carefully reviewing the guidelines of the Governor of California’s executive order and in the best interest of our guests and employees, we are proceeding with the closure of Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, beginning the morning of March 14 through the end of the month”.

Another California Theme Park, Universal reported a closure with a similar statement, “The health and safety of our team members and guests is always our top priority,” said a spokesperson for Universal Studios Hollywood. “Out of an abundance of caution and in response to the guidance provided by the California Department of Public Health, Universal Studios Hollywood will temporarily close beginning Saturday, March 14,” they added. “The theme park anticipates reopening on March 28 as we continue to monitor the situation.”

This is only the 3rd time Disneyland has fully suspended operations since opening on July 17, 1955.

• Day of mourning following President John F. Kennedy's assassination
• Response to 9/11 

There was also a partial shut down in 1994 for safety inspections after the Northridge earthquake.

Universal Studios' Citywalk will remain open as will Disney Downtown, both feature eateries and shopping.

Disneyland will also keep its hotels open until Monday, March 16 "to give guests the ability to make necessary travel arrangements.". Park officials are expected to work with guests looking to change or cancel visits.

Disneyland temporarily reaches capacity a few times a year during the peak tourist seasons (estimated 80,000 capacity with approx 65,000 visitors on an "average" day), usually in mid-summer and around Christmas break. That means there will be over a $7 Million dollar loss per day in just ticket sales.

Estimates of a two-day closure of the Disney World in Florida following Hurricane Irma in 2017 were an approx $100 million hit to Disney's operating profits.

Disney stock fell to $91.81 USD, down −$13.78 (13.05%) from previous close of $105.59.