Ship Transfer, BetMGM, Carnival Partner to Offer Cruise Ship Gaming

22 June, 2022

The world is becoming a friendlier place for cruise passengers as more nations are eliminating COVID-19 entry requirements. The Bahamas, popular for port calls at Nassau, Grand Bahama Island, Bimini and cruise lines' private islands, eliminated health visa requirements for all travelers last week.

The British Virgin Islands also eased COVID-19 protocols; travelers no longer must register for entry clearance online and they won’t be required to show proof of travel insurance. The U.S. Virgin Islands reminded international travelers without U.S. passports that St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas are fully accessible, given the CDC’s recent decision to remove pre-flight COVID-19 testing.

In service restarts, Carnival Magic returned to New York City for the first time in two years. That move marked the return of the entire Carnival Cruise Line fleet to service. Holland America Line’s Westerdam also returned to service, signaling that the line is now back sailing with all its ships.

New Ship and Ship Transfer

On the new ship front, AmaWaterways announced plans for a new vessel, a sister to AmaDahlia to sail on Egypt's Nile River.

Separately, also reported by Luxury Travel Advisor, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection announced that its first yacht, Evrima, has successfully completed sea trials. The ultra-luxury yacht will begin sailing in the Mediterranean in August.

In a major fleet move, Carnival Corporation will transfer Costa Cruises' 2,826-passenger Costa Luminosa to Carnival Cruise Line in September. A sister to other Spirit-class vessels already sailing for Carnival, that ship will begin service in Brisbane, Australia in winter 2022-2023. Then it will reposition to Seattle and sail summer 2023 Alaska itineraries before returning to Brisbane. This move cancels previous plans to transfer Costa Magica to the Carnival fleet; that ship will now remain in service for Costa.

SeaDream Yacht Club unveiled its 2024 Mediterranean season lineup of voyages. Aurora Expeditions announced its new 2023-2024 season of adventure sailings. In addition, Scenic Group detailed its 2024 voyages on Scenic Eclipse II.

Today, Windstar Cruises announced that starting this October and continuing through early 2024, it will have two ships—Wind Spirit and Star Breeze—sailing in Tahiti, where it's celebrating 35 years of service. Then, Star Breeze will replace Wind Spirit for year-round cruising, starting in February 2024.

And finally, as cruise lines get back to normal operations, they’re investing time and money in enhancing their products. A "Spa Sanctuaries" feature story in sister publication, Luxury Travel Advisor, looked at what's new with spa products and facilities on luxury cruise ships.

BetMGM to launch cruise ship gambling with Carnival

BetMGM, a sports betting and iGaming operator, has teamed up with Carnival Corporation to deliver retail and mobile sports betting and iGaming experiences to cruise ship guests. As part of the agreement, gaming will be available on over 50 ships ported in the U.S. spanning Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises. BetMGM’s platform will be rolled out in phases over the coming months.

“We’ve found an ideal partner in Carnival Corporation and look forward to providing our sports betting and iGaming products to its millions of passengers,” said Adam Greenblatt, CEO of BetMGM. “This is another great opportunity for us to further expand BetMGM’s footprint.”

Carnival Corporation will offer BetMGM-branded digital and cash-based sports betting, besides digital real-money gaming products on-board its U.S.-branded ships in international waters. Additionally, the companies will collaborate on co-marketing and promotional activations.

Marty Goldman, SVP global casino operations for Carnival Corporation, said: “We’re very proud to be able to deliver the excitement and engagement of sports betting and iGaming to our guests through our partnership with BetMGM. Our two leading global hospitality organizations will provide a wide array of immersive digital content as a complement to our exceptional shipboard casinos.”

As BetMGM continues to expand into new markets, responsible gaming education remains a key focus. Customers can directly access responsible gaming tools Through the GameSense integration within BetMGM’s mobile and desktop platforms. The BetMGM app is available for download on both iOS and Android.

For more information, visit www.betmgm.com.

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