Bankruptcy spells end of Rocky Point cruise

Puerto Peñasco’s dream to have a cruise line regularly sailing out of its port has hit rough waters. The company that took the risk to launch that first cruise earlier this year has declared bankruptcy.

Cruise and Maritime Voyages posted on its website that it has filed for administration — or bankruptcy — in the United Kingdom. The company has canceled all of its bookings worldwide.

The U.K.-based company handling the bankruptcy process did not immediately respond to requests for information. Attempts to reach the cruise line also were unsuccessful.

The COVID-19 pandemic has battered the entire cruise industry as companies globally have had to cancel sailings due to the new coronavirus.

The first cruise from Puerto Peñasco

The first sailing of the storied cruise ship Astoria was scheduled for December 2019. Delays in repairs to the ship forced Cruise and Maritime Voyages to postpone that to January 2020.

The oldest cruise ship still sailing regularly at the time, the Astoria brought its own rich history, having been part of the Andrea Doria sinking disaster in 1956. The sailing had its own hiccups but the cruise line, as well as Sonoran leaders, were optimistic it would return. Near the end of the season, the cruise line announced it would not renew its contract for the Astoria.

What it means for Puerto Peñasco cruises

Hector Vasquez del Mercado, presi

dent of the Puerto Peñasco Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the company had not yet scheduled cruises this year because they were looking for a more “modern” cruise ship.

He said he was not aware that Cruise and Maritime Voyages had filed for bankruptcy.

But the news forces local tourism officials back to square one.

Nonetheless, Vasquez del Mercado vowed to search for other alternatives to bring cruises to the city.

“It’s a shame because the company already knew the route. We knew each other,” he said. “For us, this means starting over with another company, to try to convince them that they should do a cruise along the Sea of Cortez.”

That work will be a bit easier, he said, because the city now has had one successful, albeit short, season. But Vasquez del Mercado said it proved that Puerto Peñasco not only has the capacity but is a viable option and emerging market for cruise companies.

However, any new announcements could take some time, especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic

“We know that because of the situation with COVID, cruise lines are focusing on well established and successful routes, but even then we’re seeing many lines closing,” he said.

“So this year, I think we as Puerto Peñasco will have to focus on our traditional market,” which is regional visitors from Arizona and northern Mexico who flock to the city’s beaches, he said.

Keith Allen, a founder of the Puerto Peñasco Business Coalition, said the business community saw an economic impact from the cruise.

Passengers came in the night before and stayed the night after, spending money in the seaside town. He said many of those were first-time visitors from Montana, Florida, the United Kingdom and other places.

Allen said the news that Cruise and Maritime Voyages had become a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic was disappointing to the business community.

“We still think there’ll be opportunities to work with other cruise lines in the future,” Allen said.

The Sonora Tourism Development Office also lamented but said it understood the company’s decision to declare bankruptcy amid the pandemic.

Luis Núñez Noriega, the office’s coordinator, highlighted the negative impacts that lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have had on the state’s tourist destinations, like Puerto

Peñasco, which had to remain closed for months because they were not considered essential.

“We are confident that once we overcome this health emergency around the world, we will be able to resume investments like this one, which were just starting to operate,” he said.

What the bankruptcy means for customers

Though the cruise line had not scheduled any additional sailings from the Mexican port, it did have a portfolio of European itineraries.

If you are a U.S. citizen and booked a trip with Cruise and Maritime Voyages from another port, the company has posted information on its website to help. It recommends:

● If you booked a vacation package, contact your travel agent who may be able to make alternative arrangements.

● Contact the credit card company or bank you used to pay for the trip and let them know that the service was not provided in order to reserve your right to any refund.

● Check to see if your travel insurance policy covers any of the cost of the vacation.

The website also contains information on how to file a claim against the company.