How does a cruise ship rotate 9,000 passengers and 20 trucks of provisions over the course of 8 hours?If you’ve ever taken a cruise before, you might find yourself wondering how the ship gets ready for a sailing.Most cruises happen back-to-back, meaning passengers disembark on the same day new passengers arrive.Between sailings, cruise ships have a single “turnaround day,” when the guests from the … [Read more...]
Poseidon Expeditions Announces 2025-26 Arctic and Antarctic Seasons – Marks 11th Year in Polar Regions Aboard Sea Spirit
Poseidon Expeditions, which focuses on remote polar cruise exploration in the high latitudes, has opened reservations for May 2025 through September 2026 cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic, all aboard Sea Spirit. The 2025-26 series of cruises will be the 11th consecutive year for Poseidon’s popular programs aboard this nimble expedition vessel. All-new, “super” early booking rates are available … [Read more...]
Viva Cruises to showcase its first built ship, Viva ONE, at CLIA RiverView Conference next week
European river cruise specialist, VIVA Cruises, is participating in CLIA RiverView Conference 2024 next week, taking place in Amsterdam 11-13 March. Through its very first built, VIVA ONE, VIVA Cruises will be showcasing its latest river cruising innovations and trends to a wide number of travel agents and industry professionals. VIVA ONE will be moored in Amsterdam and available for agents to … [Read more...]
Carnival Cruise Ship Returns to Service With New Venue
Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Sunrise is fresh out of her dry dock at a Spanish shipyard and sailing her first cruise with a new public space onboard, the Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge, a venue that honors members of the military. The ship has returned to her homeport in Miami, now with a special place where active-duty troops and veterans will be warmly welcomed. Military Decor Salutes … [Read more...]
Report: Royal Caribbean Crew Member Arrested After Allegedly Setting Up Camera in Guest Cabin
In a disturbing story, several news stations report that a Royal Caribbean crew member has been arrested for allegedly setting up a hidden camera in a cabin to secretly record passengers. The incident took place aboard Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, shown here docked in Cozumel. The crew member, who worked as a stateroom attendant, was arrested on March 3 by port authorities … [Read more...]
Holland America Line Reveals Spring Sale Offers
Julie Bouchner Julie Bouchner is the Digital Editorial Manager for Porthole Cruise and Travel. She has a Master’s Degree in Journalism from Syracuse University. When she is not writing, she enjoys traveling, spending time with family, baking, and playing with her Siberian Husky named Ellie. Source: Porthole.com … [Read more...]
Disney Cruise Line Increases Support of Junior Junkanoo Eleuthera with $75,000 Donation
Disney Cruise Line joined the community of Eleuthera in Governor’s Harbor on Saturday to celebrate and support this year’s Junior Junkanoo competition. Disney Cruise Line recently increased its funding of Junior Junkanoo Eleuthera by 50%, totaling $75,000, to fund costumes, materials, cash prizes for each participating school and travel costs for the winning Eleuthera team to compete at the … [Read more...]
Royal Caribbean Requiring App-Based Check-In for One Homeport
Royal Caribbean International has notified travel agents that 2024 departures from Vancouver, Canada will require passengers to check-in via the cruise line’s app. This will impact guests setting sail for the immensely popular Alaska sailing season as well as select other cruises, but if travelers are unable to use the app, they will still be able to check in at the cruise terminal. Royal … [Read more...]
MSC Cruises makes casinos aboard Euribia and Virtuosa non-smoking
MSC Cruises is banning smoking from the casinos of at least two ships of its fleet, according to Cruise Industry News. According to social media reports from passengers, the MSC Signature Casino onboard MSC Euribia and the Red Gem Casino onboard MSC Virtuosa were turned into smoke-free areas on February 18th, 2024. In various online … [Read more...]
Carnival Cruise Ship Returns to Service After a Month in Dry Dock
A Carnival cruise ship has returned to service after spending the last month in dry dock receiving maintenance and cosmetic enhancements. Carnival Sunrise had been in dry dock since February 1, 2024 and is now sailing cruises to the Caribbean from Miami. When the ship was out of service, it received general hotel maintenance in public areas and cosmetic enhancements. This includes replacing … [Read more...]
World’s Largest Cruise Ship Debuts at Western Caribbean Cruise Port
Royal Caribbean’s newest ship has been making waves throughout the Caribbean with cruise ports eager to welcome Icon of the Seas. As of March 4, 2024, Roatan became the latest destination to receive an inaugural call from the world’s largest cruise ship. Icon of the Seas debuts in Roatan Being one of the newest ships on the high seas comes with a lot of firsts. The latest milestone for … [Read more...]
Scenic Cruises’ Scenic Eclipse Shares New Itineraries To Polar Regions
Julie Bouchner Julie Bouchner is the Digital Editorial Manager for Porthole Cruise and Travel. She has a Master’s Degree in Journalism from Syracuse University. When she is not writing, she enjoys traveling, spending time with family, baking, and playing with her Siberian Husky named Ellie. Source: Porthole.com … [Read more...]
Royal Caribbean requires cruise ship passengers only app check-in with its app from Vancouver
Cruises from one port in 2024 will require you to use the Royal Caribbean app to check-in.Royal Caribbean announced it will require app check-in only for cruises departing from Vancouver, British Columbia.Traditionally, guests had the option to do check-in via the website, app, or even wait until they arrived at the cruise terminal.With this new change, anyone booked on an Alaska cruise from … [Read more...]
Royal Caribbean Will Require App Check-In At One Homeport in 2024
Royal Caribbean has announced a change that applies to checking-in for cruises when sailing from one homeport in 2024. This change will affect select sailings on four cruise ships. Effective immediately, select Royal Caribbean cruises that depart from Vancouver this year will require that guests check-in through the cruise line’s mobile app. Checking-in through RoyalCaribbean.com for these … [Read more...]
Great Lake cruise ships making 600 port visits in 2024
More than 20,000 passengers are expected to cruise the Great Lakes this season. Cruise the Great Lakes said there will be almost 600 port visits this year, after a record-breaking 2023 season that saw 800 visits and close to 25,000 passengers. “As we look ahead to 2024, we remain committed to sustaining the vitality of our region’s cruising sector,” Anna Tanski, tourism director of Cruise the … [Read more...]
Starboard unveiled as Platinum Partner for 2024 DFNI Cruise Conference
The conference will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, at the Marriott Hotel Sisli, from 10 – 13 June. DFNI is delighted to announce Starboard Cruise Services will return as a Platinum Sponsor for the 2024 edition of the DFNI Cruise Conference. A global leader in the cruise business, Starboard is dedicated to bringing unique experiences to life across the more than 100 cruise ships which the company … [Read more...]
Cruise Lines Not Ready for Europe’s Upcoming Border Controls
Cruise lines have work to do to prepare for the European Union’s new border control measures coming this year and next. Millions of tourists may soon be stuck in long lines trying to get into Europe. The reason: Cruise lines don’t have the infrastructure and resources to implement the new European Union’s cross-border rules, said executives at a panel on Europe’s upcoming border control rules at … [Read more...]
New Royal Caribbean Ship to Set Sail Sooner Than Planned
Just days after Royal Caribbean International announced that the second Icon-class ship would be delayed and her first two sailings cancelled, the cruise line has just confirmed that the next upcoming up – Utopia of the Seas – will be ready to enter service sooner than expected. A new 3-night inaugural sailing is being offered, and guests booked on what will now be the ship’s second sailing … [Read more...]
Cruise Line Shuffles Fleet and Cancels Africa Cruises
Hurtigruten Group has announced the temporary reassignment of MS Maud back to the company’s Coastal Express service. The move coincides with the cancellation of cruises and a major upgrade to the Hurtigruten fleet. Hurtigruten, with a history spanning over 130 years, operates ferries and coastal cruise ships under the Hurtigruten Brand. It also operates expedition cruise ships through its … [Read more...]
Royal Caribbean moves up first sailing of its next new cruise ship
Royal Caribbean is ahead of schedule with its next new cruise ship and wants to get it in service faster.Guests booked on the inaugural sailing of Utopia of the Seas were informed on Tuesday that there will be a new first sailing.Inaugural sailings are a big deal to be on, as it's both a badge of honor to be able to be say you were onboard. Plus, they are a big celebration too.The inaugural … [Read more...]