Cruise News on Cruise Lines, Ships & Ports

Table Of Content

• Cruise Lines and Port Clash Over Using Millions in Passenger Fees
• Cruise News
• MENU: Off the Grill Burgers on Carnival Luminosa
• MSC Cruises Adds New Pre- and Post-Cruise Program
• Carnival Cruise Line Cracks Down on Unauthorized Activity
• Best Things to Do on Carnival Mardi Gras [2024 Guide]
• Cunard Ships Compared by Size — Smallest to Largest

After several years sailing for Silversea Cruises, the Silver Explorer was withdrawn from the company’s fleet in November. Acquired by the company, the former Costa Atlantica is set to be renamed Margaritaville at Sea Islander for cruises out of Tampa. For a full accounting of cruise ship transactions, see the Secondhand Market Report by Cruise Industry News.

Cruise Lines and Port Clash Over Using Millions in Passenger Fees

The Commodore Room, one of Norwegian Aqua's main complimentary dining rooms, has been reimagined to feature a rustic aesthetic inspired by the venue's seafaring name. MIAMI - The cruise industry is recovering after the pandemic, rolling out a couple of dozen new ships this year. In a later social media post, the guest says she was told by crew members that the route change was a directive from the cruise line’s Miami office. The disgruntled passenger, whose name is unknown, complained to guest services staff and said the cruise line did not notify guests about the change. However, it appears that an email was sent to guests and a notice was posted at the luggage check-in area on embarkation day.

Cruise News

Anticipated transits of the Suez Canal later in 2024 and into 2025 are not affected at this time. The affected ships, which include Costa Cruises' Costa Toscana and Costa Deliziosa; Princess Cruises' Island Princess; and AIDA Cruises' AIDAbella, AIDAblu, and AIDAprima, along with P&O Cruises' Arcadia. In a letter to passengers, Cunard said the changes were being made for the safety of passengers and crew aboard the company's flagship. Once in the Mediterranean, the ship will stop in Barcelona, Malta's Valletta, and Santorini before arriving in Athens (Piraeus). Luxury line Silversea canceled a 17-night voyage from Mumbai to Athens aboard Silver Whisper, citing the geopolitical situation in the Red Sea region.

MENU: Off the Grill Burgers on Carnival Luminosa

Cruise Critic's cruise industry news focuses on cruise lines, such as updated policies and partnerships, as well as cruise ships, ranging from the latest on updated itineraries to the newest and best ships on the oceans (and rivers) today. Once in JaxPort, Norwegian Gem will offer three 12-day and two 11-day roundtrip sailings to the Eastern Caribbean each year. The voyages will call in ports like Great Stirrup Cay, NCLs private island in the Bahamas; Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic; St. Thomas; St. John's; St. Kitts; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Antigua, among others. The ship will also embark on a four- to five-day cruises to The Bahamas, with stops in Great Stirrup Cay, Freeport and Nassau. Highlights of the newly opened cruises include three ships sailing from Bayonne — Odyssey of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, and Liberty of the Seas.

MSC Cruises Adds New Pre- and Post-Cruise Program

The ships will offer a mix of seasonal Caribbean/Bahamas sailings, plus Canada/New England itineraries. MSC is offering passengers the option to move to a new sailing or cancel for a full refund. The line becomes the third cruise operator to fully pull its ships out of the region due to the ongoing conflict. In its statement, Virgin Voyages said that passengers on the former legs of the original repositioning voyage will have guaranteed spots on the new sailings at no additional cost and a price protection commitment in place. Cruisers also have the option to receive a future cruise credit based on their paid balance or a full refund. The Oasis-class Allure of the Seas will return to Galveston to offer 7-night Western Caribbean sailings, while two ships will deploy to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for winter cruising.

MSC Cruises, which maintains a strong presence in the Arabian Gulf with cruises aboard MSC Opera, also told Cruise Critic in an email that those voyages – which operate far removed geographically from the current conflict – would continue as planned. Celestyal Cruises, which maintains a presence in the region, said late Monday evening it would suspend calls to Israel on its sailings until the end of November. Windstar Cruises, which was to deploy its Star Legend on its first series of Middle East voyages next month from Dubai, sent a note to passengers on October 16 advising them that their cruises had been canceled. Cruise lines had initially canceled ports of call in Israel like Ashdod and Haifa following the attack on Israel by Hamas in early October. Now, with the conflict showing no signs of resolving, some cruise lines have begun making sweeping changes to current and upcoming deployments in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf. Each brand is offering affected cruisers a variety of compensation options, depending on the circumstances and whether their voyages are already underway.

Carnival Cracks Down on Unsanctioned Poolside Gambling During Cruise

Carnival may follow Royal Caribbean in making huge ship move - TheStreet

Carnival may follow Royal Caribbean in making huge ship move.

Posted: Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:00:00 GMT [source]

The new vessel will be a sister ship to Mardi Gras, which entered service in 2020; Carnival Celebration, introduced in 2022, and Carnival Jubilee, fresh out of the shipyard in 2023. The cruise line has not revealed what kind of technical work must still be completed before the ship can operate her first voyage. The next sailing date on the cruise line website is February 28, 2024, when the ship will operate a 10-day “Grand Mediterranean” voyage from Rome to Barcelona. Sun Princess was to launch on February 8, 2024, sailing from Barcelona to Rome, but that voyage was cancelled on January 24, 2024.

Best Things to Do on Carnival Mardi Gras [2024 Guide]

Brown declared February 24 as “Carnival Jubilee Day.”and also presented Duffy with a large, Texas-sized key to the city. “Lokono Cove will be a treasure trove – a place for our guests to immerse themselves in the spirit of The Bahamas and find locally-inspired keepsakes, symbols of paradise they can share with loved ones, or cherish for themselves for years to come,” Duffy said. Music will guide guests on their journey, matched with vibrant murals painted by local artists. One of five distinct portals, or areas, on Celebration Key, Lokono Cove will host the cruise destination's retail and shopping areas in an authentic Bahamian artisan market hosting everything from handcrafts to jewellery. Juneau, Alaska is continuing with its efforts to limit the number of cruise passengers as the capital city of Alaska pre... Fuel efficiency and emissions reduction have taken center stage in the dynamic realm of maritime technology.

With commitment from Royal Caribbean, Alaska Railroad advances $137M plan to revamp Seward dock - Anchorage Daily News

With commitment from Royal Caribbean, Alaska Railroad advances $137M plan to revamp Seward dock.

Posted: Sun, 21 Apr 2024 15:12:29 GMT [source]

Indulge Food Hall will be located on Norwegian Aqua's Deck 8 and will be home to 10 food stations that draw inspiration from international food marketplaces. The cruise line revealed new food and beverage venue details ahead of the Prima Plus-class ship's arrival in 2025. This is enormous and I think it's one of the biggest at sea." CBS News Correspondent Wendy Gillette got a reduced rate to sail aboard Beyond and Seashore, which boasts a water slide, infinity pool, and specialty restaurants. Disney Cruise Lines added its fifth and largest ship, Disney Wish, to the fleet this summer and the biggest ship in the world, Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas began sailing in March. The new ship launched in the spring, enticing travelers with a two-story sundeck, expanded rooftop garden and French chef Daniel Boulud's first restaurant at sea.

Norwegian Cruise Line has a long history of bringing Broadway and the West End to its ships, and Beetlejuice is the latest on a list that includes Kinky Boots and Grease, among others. In front of NCL executives, travel advisers, media and crew, singer/songwriter Luis Fonsi christened the ship November 28 at Norwegian's expansive cruise terminal in PortMiami. The "Despacito" singer served as the ship's godfather, saying the traditional blessing and pressing a large button that sent a giant bottle of Champagne careening into the ship's hull. He did, however, indicate NCL could take some of the learnings it's gained from how Indulge has performed and look to bring new offerings to older ships. Other venues that will feature design updates include Penrose Bar and Waves Pool Bar, while The Local Bar & Grill, Hasuki and Cagney's steakhouse will all be expanded to accommodate more passengers.

(March 27, 2024) -- A little over a month after announcing the construction of its fourth Excel-class ship, Carnival Cruise Line is yet again expanding its fleet with a fifth Excel-class vessel due to arrive in 2028. The Carnival executive shared that, during a recent sailing aboard Carnival Firenze's siter ship Carnival Venezia, Bennett confided in her that his dream role would be to serve as godfather for a Carnival ship. Over the course of our three-day journey between Miami and Bimini, Bahamas, we revisited the first ship in Carnival's highly-successful Conquest-class that also includes Carnival Glory, Carnival Valor, Carnival Liberty, and Carnival Freedom. Next week the cruise industry meets for its biggest conference of the year and will discuss the trends shaping cruising.

Metropolitan, the cruise line's Sail & Sustain cocktail bar, has been moved from mid-ship to the aft of Deck 7 on Norwegian Aqua. The venue will feature a distinct new design inspired by New York City's art deco and mid-century architecture, as well as a grand piano and a small entertainment space for live music. Also new for NCL is Planterie, an eatery that will debut on the ship's Indulge Food Hall. Planterie's menu will offer plant-based dishes and other healthy options, such as the Southwest Bowl with smoked tempeh and the Mediterranean Goddess Bowl, featuring spiced vegetables, tabbouleh and honey-roasted carrots.

The 2003-built cruise ship is now set to undergo a refit before entering service for Celestyal in the Eastern Mediterranean as the Celestyal Discovery. Following a significant refit, the 2000-built vessel will offer a series of four- and five-night cruises to the Western Caribbean and Key West starting in June. Itinerary changes as a result of the conflict are also being felt in other geographic areas, too. Passengers aboard Norwegian Epic were notified that their November itinerary would drop ports in Israel – but also the Greek ports of Rhodes and Patmos. With the conflict continuing to escalate – and the increased possibility it could spread beyond the borders of Israel and the Gaza Strip – cruisers are starting to wonder what may become of their cruises to the region in the coming months.