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Cruise guests are always encouraged to explore ports of call via shore excursions, which cruise lines select based on safety records and reliability. Tour operators through cruise line excursions stay in contact with each ship, and can advise the ship if there are delays or other difficulties with an excursion, ensuring that guests do not miss the ship if their tour is late. It has been a crazy year for cruise news, but which stories are the craziest? We have compiled our Top 10 list of cruise news stories for 2023, from pier runners to unexpected onboard floods to port limits and more. 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.
MENU: Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse on Carnival’s Mardi Gras
Currently sailing for Miray Cruises, the Gemini is set to be operated by Life at Sea Cruises starting in November 2023. The Costa Serena will spend four months sailing in Asia following a charter agreement with local tour operators in South Korea and Taiwan. “There are no requirements from us that a passport will be needed next year except on specific cruises to places in Europe and other specific locations,” Heald said. After several hours of frustration, the couple learned their assigned stateroom had been damaged on the previous cruise.
Princess Cruises Cancels Visit to Popular Greek Port: Overcrowding Cited as...
An irate guest sailing aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Star is calling attention to an itinerary change she says is ruining her vacation at sea. Posting videos on TikTok using the name “ruinedvacation,” the woman’s complaints have attracted more than 3 million views. 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. Carnival Cruise Line confirmed it will expand its Excel-class offerings with the order of a fourth vessel, to be constructed at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.
Technical Issue Onboard Norwegian’s Pride of America Leads to Itinerary Change - Cruise Industry News
Technical Issue Onboard Norwegian’s Pride of America Leads to Itinerary Change.
Posted: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 10:51:00 GMT [source]
Exploring Pet Care Options for Your Next Cruise Vacation
Stay updated on cruise ships, ports, policy changes, deals, and anything else impacting cruise lines and your vacation at sea. Closing out Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class, the Utopia of the Seas is set to welcome guests for its inaugural cruise on July 22, 2024. In a first for the company, the LNG-powered newbuild will spend its maiden season offering short cruises to the Bahamas departing from Port Canaveral. Under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, the 2,900-guest vessel is set to spend its maiden season in Northern Europe before repositioning to the Canary Islands for the winter. After being delivered to Royal Caribbean International in late 2023, the new Icon of the Seas is set to enter service on January 27, 2024.
Mediterranean Retains Second Most Popular Cruise Market
Guests booked on the cancelled cruise are receiving a full refund of their cruise fare and all pre-paid services. The line also is offering a 50% future cruise credit for any future Princess Cruises sailing booked by November 30, 2024 and sailed by December 31, 2025. Weigand joined the line as entertainment staff in 2015 and became a cruise director in 2018. She has served aboard several ships, including Carnival Spirit, Carnival Dream, and Carnival Sunrise, among others.
American Cruise Lines Expands Coastal Cruising with New Class of Ships
Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports.Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. All the latest breaking cruise news across the cruise industry, including major cruise lines and cruise ships, covered by expert reporters. A sister to the 2023-built Silver Nova, the Silver Ray is set to enter service for Silversea Cruises in mid-2024. Considered one of the world’s greenest cruise ships, the LNG-powered vessel is set to spend its inaugural season in the Mediterranean.
The ship the guests were on was never confirmed, but a blue Carnival Sail-and-Sign card is clearly visible in the video, indicating that the incident definitely took place aboard a Carnival ship. The color of the card indicates the sailing is the first for that guest – and with the ban, also the last sailing they will ever take with the cruise line. 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.
I Spent 7 Days on My First Adults-Only Virgin Voyages Cruise
The sixth in the class, Utopia of the Seas, is under construction and due to enter service in July 2024. After several years sailing for Silversea Cruises, the Silver Explorer was withdrawn from the company’s fleet in November. Originally built for Nicko Cruises and the German market, the purpose-built expedition vessel is now serving the English-speaking public with a series of expeditions in Antarctica and South America. The cruise industry continues to express its strong enthusiasm and strong outlook for the business. Ports and their surrounding communities are benefiting strongly from the rebound in cruising. For a complete overview of market, see the new Secondhand Market Report by Cruise Industry News.
Under construction at the Chesapeake shipyard in Maryland, the 109-guest ship will spend its inaugural season offering American Cruise Line’s Florida Gulf Coast & Keys Cruise. Under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, the luxury vessel is set to spend its inaugural season offering winter cruises in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. According to data from the Cruise Industry News’ Global Cruise Ship Orderbook Report, the lineup includes a diverse selection of vessels, including mega ships, premium and luxury vessels, and more.
Royal Caribbean has not disclosed details about the new Oasis-class ship order, but the vessel is expected to be roughly the same size as the existing ships in the class, which can accommodate about 5,600 guests in double occupancy. The Oasis class introduced the line’s popular neighborhood concept, including Boardwalk, with its AquaTheater, arcade, and carousel, and Central Park, a leafy, open space with thousands of live plants and a choice of restaurants and bars. Another Oasis-class ship is on the horizon at Royal Caribbean, after the cruise line confirmed it placed an order for what will be the seventh vessel in the class. The February 15, 2024 agreement with the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France calls for delivery of the ship in 2028. The Caledonian Sky recently entered service for its new operator, Captain Cook Cruises Fiji. After being acquired by the company earlier this year, the 114-guest vessel is now offering varied itineraries to Fiji and the South Pacific.

During its maiden season, the U.S.-built cruise ship is set to offer a series of itineraries in New England and the Hudson River. As the first newbuild commissioned for the British brand in over ten years, the 3,000-guest vessel is scheduled to spend its maiden season offering itineraries to the Canary Islands, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and more. While local residents and businesses do not want to completely ban ships, frequent visits of larger vessels can be overwhelming to the main port in the region, Kirkwall, which has a population of just over 10,000 residents. On some days during the busy 2023 season, Kirkwall saw as many as 7,000 cruise ship guests or more visiting in a single day. The new Disney Tresure is set to enter service for Disney Cruise Line on December 21, 2024.
After three years out of service, the Costa Magica left the Costa Cruises’ fleet in early February. Bought by Seajets, the vessel was renamed Mykonos Magic and sailed to Greece – where it’s currently in laid up. Travel advisories are common to many regions, but an increased warning level for Jamaica in May advising travelers to reconsider visiting the island nation raised eyebrows for cruise guests. Crimes such as armed robbery, sexual assault, and homicides were cited as reasons for the raised alert level, along with ineffective police response.
Carnival Cruise Line, in the last two years, has promoted three cruise directors to fleet cruise director posts. They are Mike Pack, Chris “Donkey” Salazar, and Chris “The Flying Scotsman” Williams. Fleet cruise directors are not assigned to a specific ship; rather, they are based shoreside and travel to various ships to train, mentor, and evaluate cruise directors, develop programming, and handle other tasks.
But the cruise line had altered the route, removing Paradise Bay and replacing it with scenic cruising near Elephant Island, which is farther from the Antarctic mainland but still technically part of Antarctica. Additionally, guests who have already traveled to Europe for the maiden voyage will receive reimbursement of their roundtrip airfare plus money toward hotels, meals, and other costs incurred while making travel plans to return home. After spending several weeks laid-up in Germany and seeing its sale to Life at Sea Cruises fall through, the vessel was acquired by the Greek operator in November. Juneau, Alaska is continuing with its efforts to limit the number of cruise passengers as the capital city of Alaska pre... Princess Cruises reported today that it has agreed with Italy’s Fincantieri to delay by two months the scheduled 2...
Brilliance of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas will sail Southern Caribbean itineraries, calling at exotic ports such as Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, and Trinidad and Tobago. Sailings range from five to 12 nights, depending on departure date and port. 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. The ships will offer a mix of seasonal Caribbean/Bahamas sailings, plus Canada/New England itineraries. The announcement of the ship order came as a surprise to cruise watchers, who believed Utopia of the Seas would likely be the line’s final Oasis-class ship.
We’re here to make sure you’re fully updated on the latest cruise industry news. Our experienced team is also dedicated to providing reliably and trustworthy tips on major cruise ships and ports. A second U.S.-built cruise ship is entering service in 2024, the American Legend.