SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Due to the continued progression of COVID-19 and related decisions of various government, health authorities, and airlines regarding travel restrictions, Princess Cruises is extending its pause in cruise operations impacting the following voyages:

• All cruises sailing in and out of Australia on Majestic Princess, Regal Princess, Sapphire Princess, Sea Princess, and Sun Princess through October 31, 2020
• All sailings in Asia, Caribbean, California Coast, Hawaii, Mexico, Panama Canal, South America & Antarctica, Japan, and Tahiti/South Pacific through December 15, 2020

"We share in our guests' disappointment in cancelling these cruises," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. "We look forward to the days when we can return to travel and the happiness it brings to all who cruise."
Guests currently booked on these cancelled voyages who have paid Princess in full will have the option to receive a refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare paid plus an additional non-refundable bonus FCC equal to 25% of the cruise fare.
For guests who have not paid in full, Princess will Double the Deposit, providing a refundable FCC for the money currently on deposit plus a matching bonus FCC that can be used on any voyage through May 1, 2022. The matching bonus FCC is non-refundable, will not exceed the base cruise fare amount of the currently booked cruise, and will have a minimum value of $100 per person.
To receive the above FCCs, no action is required by the guest or their travel advisor. Alternatively, guests can request a full refund for all monies paid on their booking through this online form. Requests must be received by August 31, 2020 or guests will be registered for the Future Cruise Credit option.
Princess will protect travel advisor commissions on bookings for cancelled cruises that were paid in full in recognition of the critical role they play in the cruise line’s business and success.
The most current information and instructions for booked guests affected by these cancellations, and more information on FCCs and refunds, can be found online at Information on Impacted & Cancelled Cruises.

A $23-million investment, Mystic River Falls is said to be an engineering marvel in the global attractions industry with its one-of-a-kind rotating, 4-platform, 8-story lift.  Set in an authentic pier-like design of river towns of yesteryear, Mystic River Falls is the focus of the all-new area called Rivertown that includes the new expansive Rivertown Smokehouse, with an array of meats smoked on-site, and a new cinnamon bread bakery, featuring bakers in full view to guests as they create legendary specialties.   ​

A Theme of Legacy & Lore…
        Silver Dollar City is home to the massive Marvel Cave, which, indeed, has a Mystic River in its depths.  Intensively studied throughout the ages, Marvel Cave’s passageways, water features and crannies are detailed in words and drawings as far back as 1893 through the documented work of the botanist, artist and scientist S. Fred Prince.  His book and work of art, “The Story of Marvel Caverns 1893-1942,” is safely stored within Silver Dollar City’s archives to this day.   
       As specified in several places in the book, Prince, enthralled by his inability to find the headwaters of the Mystic River, kept searching to no avail. To this day, following study by modern- day scientists, the end of the river remains a mystery.                                
 
Now to the Storyline…
       With the Mystic River headwaters unknown, the adventurers of today seek to find a fabled waterfall that could mark the end of the raging river.  They follow the path of Pearl, a young adventuress, along the challenging, winding waterways in pursuit of the legendary headwaters. At long last, Pearl and her riders discover Mystic River Falls -- and the town erupts in celebration!     ​

A Diamond Jubilee!
        As the storyline goes, the citizens of Rivertown are celebrating a 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee of the internationally acclaimed 1880s-style theme park in Branson, Missouri (founded May 1, 1960).  The fun includes award-winning BBQ with the all-new Rivertown Smokehouse presenting smoked-on-site brisket, turkey, pork, sausage and chicken, along with signature scratch-made sides and desserts. This is the largest restaurant ever constructed in the park’s history, picturesquely situated along the banks of the new ride.
        Across the way is an all-new bakery, Clara Belle’s Cinnamon Bread, specializing in Silver Dollar City’s famous cinnamon bread – only now each loaf bakes in an individual pan designed to capture all the gooey icing, butter and cinnamon.  The bakery offers peach, apple and original versions along with a variety of other items.  ​

Even though we can't be there today, we wanted to take a few minutes to say Happy Birthday to the Happiest Place on Earth. 

We've put together some of our favorite pictures from the park (or the ones we could put together in 20 minutes since we didn't get around to doing so yesterday, we'll never tell). 

We've also included links to our Disneyland videos at the bottom. Click on any of the pictures to see a larger version. Hope you enjoy this look at one of our favorite places. - Gregg 

Written by Renée Girard

There she is! ​

Hello from Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

Social distancing shouldn’t be an issue here today.

An open trash can and some safety reminders welcome you to Pandora.

No touchy!

Flight of Passage has been walk on all morning.

Social distancing lines are on the ground for the entire queue.

Lots of plexiglass barriers added throughout the queue for Flight of Passage.

You walk through the first preshow right into the second one where your party stands on larger dots rather than the usual numbers.

No wait for Navi River Journey. More social distancing lines and plexiglass.

One of the relaxation stations in Asia at Animal Kingdom.

No wait on Expedition Everest. Similar queue spacing and plexiglass here too.

Characters are appearing from a distance on boats.

Social distancing rules go out the window when afternoon storms roll in.

Current menu at Yak and Yeti. Sad to see the fried green beans didn’t make the cut!

Let’s go get that dino! Everyone has been very respectful of distancing and masks for the most part today.

Dinoland is a ghost town.

Lots of dividers in the queue and on the trucks at Kilimanjaro Safari.

Some more of the socially distant entertainment passing by along the water.

Gotta take advantage of absolutely no one in line at Flight of Passage one more time.

Pretty sure I’ll never see it like this ever again.

Solo ride on Flight of Passage.

This was magical.

Thanks for following along on our preview day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! I have to say that I felt completely safe, and I was definitely apprehensive going in. It was a little weird with CMs in masks and face shields, and yes, it’s hot, but the crowds were non existent.

​Carnival Cruise Line will be notifying guests and travel agents on Tuesday of revisions to the delivery of its newest ship, Mardi Gras, as well as the transformed Carnival Radiance – both resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic – and new itineraries for Carnival Breeze and Carnival Magic that are all part of an updated deployment plan from November 2020 to May 2021.
The key points of the changes:

• Mardi Gras, the first LNG-powered ship to operate in the Western Hemisphere and featuring the first roller coaster at sea, will now enter into service from Port Canaveral, Fla. on Feb. 6, 2021. Itineraries out of Port Canaveral for departures from Nov. 14, 2020 to Jan. 30, 2021 have been cancelled.
• Carnival Radiance’s $200 million dry dock at the Cadiz, Spain shipyard was suspended this spring when the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a nationwide lockdown. Carnival is now evaluating shipyard options to complete the transformation, but the ship is likely not going to be completed until the spring.
• As a result of the delayed arrival of Carnival Radiance, Carnival Breeze will be redeployed from Fort Lauderdale to Port Canaveral and will assume the itineraries for Carnival Radiance from Nov. 8, 2020 to Apr. 24, 2021. Consequently, guests on 18 Carnival Breeze sailings from Fort Lauderdale scheduled to operate from Nov. 7, 2020 to Mar. 7, 2021 are being notified that their cruises have been cancelled.
• Carnival Magic’s transatlantic and European itineraries from Mar. 13, 2021 to May 3, 2021 have been cancelled. Seven sailings previously scheduled for Carnival Breeze from Fort. Lauderdale from Mar. 13 to Apr. 24, 2021 will move to Miami and those guests will sail on the same itinerary, but on Carnival Magic operating from PortMiami.

“We continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global commerce, public health and our cruise operations.  In addition to our current pause in service, there have been many other unintended consequences, including shipyard, dry dock and ship delivery delays, and related changes to our deployment plans for our fleet,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.  “While we had hoped to make up construction time on Mardi Gras over the summer, it’s clear we will need extra time to complete this magnificent ship.  We share our guests’ disappointment and appreciate their patience as we work through this unprecedented time in our business and the lives of so many people.  We remain committed to working with government, public health and industry officials to support the response to the pandemic and to return to operations when the time is right.”
Guest and travel agent notifications will be emailed over the course of the day on Tuesday, July 7.  Carnival expressed its appreciation for their guests’ and travel agent partners’ patience as it completes the notification process.