Ultra-luxury line Regent Seven Seas Cruises announced a major expansion of its Immersive Overnights offerings, adding two dozen shore excursions, 12 land explorations, and a new voyage in the Mediterranean to its roster of experiences. The all-inclusive line, operated by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, introduced the Immersive Overnights collection in January 2024 with six voyages. Featured … [Read more...]
MSC Cruises Ship Brings Deceased Whale Into New York
MSC Cruises’ MSC Meraviglia sadly arrived in New York with a deceased whale trapped on its bow bulb on Saturday, May 4, following a 6-night cruise to Bermuda. It is unknown whether the ship impacted and killed the whale, or simply contacted the already deceased animal and unfortunately toted it along. The whale has been identified as a mature female sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis), the … [Read more...]
Vancouver Expecting a Record-Breaking Summer Season
Between now and the end of October, the Port of Vancouver is expecting to welcome an extremely high number of cruise passengers. In the next week alone, nearly 70,000 cruise guests will arrive at the Canada Place cruise terminal. The port is anticipating approximately 1.27 million passengers to pass through its doors across 329 cruise ship calls between March 11 and October 29, 2024. … [Read more...]
Carnival Ship to Continue to Sail From Norfolk – One Cruise at a Time
Guests booked aboard the May 12 departure of Carnival Pride have only just received confirmation that their ship will be both departing from and returning to Norfolk, Virginia rather than Baltimore, Maryland as originally scheduled. While this is not unexpected news, passengers are surprised that the cruise line is waiting until less than four days prior to embarkation to confirm those … [Read more...]
Boston Begins What Will Be a Record-Breaking Cruise Season
The Massachusetts Port Authority, along with local officials and community leaders, has celebrated the official beginning of the 2024 cruise season from Flynn Cruiseport Boston. This year promises to be a record-breaking year for the popular northeastern homeport, with eight ships homeporting and a wide variety of sailings offered to appeal to many different cruise guests. Flynn Cruiseport … [Read more...]
Carnival’s New Cruise Port Is Revitalizing Grand Bahama’s Economy
Carnival Corporation’s latest venture, Celebration Key, is rapidly progressing as a private destination designed for cruise passengers. But notably, the project, expected to bring 2.2 million guests to the Bahamas annually when it opens in 2025, is making headway for its impact on its locale on Grand Bahamas island. It has been revealed that over 85% of the workforce engaged in building … [Read more...]
Cruise Line Makes It Easier for Passengers Who Lose Their Luggage
Losing a piece of luggage while flying to a vacation destination is always a challenge, but when the vacation is a cruise, it’s even more frustrating since the departure of a cruise ship is usually an insurmountable obstacle to retrieving the bag. But that is no longer the case with some Costa Cruises’ voyages. The Italian cruise line, a brand of Carnival Corporation, on May 8, 2024 unveiled a … [Read more...]
Cruise Ship Rescues Three Sailors Adrift at Sea After Mayday Call
It’s the stuff of nightmares and something that every sailor hopes to never happen to them; being adrift at sea because your boat becomes damaged. It’s a situation that three sailors, two men, and a woman, experienced when their mast broke and they experienced a loss of power onboard their catamaran sailing yacht. En route from Queensland, Australia, to Noumea, New Caledonia, the three … [Read more...]
Carnival Vista Experiences a Technical Issue While Docked in Puerto Rico
Passengers aboard Carnival Vista experienced an unforeseen interruption during their voyage as the ship faced mechanical issues while docked in Puerto Rico. The incident was highlighted by a passenger, who shared an update via social media. “We are currently on the Vista in Puerto Rico, and the ship broke down,” he posted, indicating that the vessel was temporarily immobilized due to … [Read more...]
Princess Cruises’ San Juan Deployment Results in Replacements Elsewhere
Princess Cruises revealed on May 7 that the Grand Princess will no longer operate in Australian waters starting October 2025. Instead, the vessel will be homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico, marking a significant shift in deployment strategy. Grand Princess’ exit from Australia will result in the cancellation of its 2025-2026 scheduled voyages there, with the redeployment … [Read more...]
Seabourn Modifies Africa Cruise to Avoid Red Sea Region
Seabourn, a seven-ship, ultra-luxury brand of Carnival Corporation, has altered the itinerary of its 90-day Grand Africa Voyage to avoid the volatile Red Sea region. The sailing, aboard the 450-guest Seabourn Sojourn, is the latest in a long line of vessels that have shifted their routes away from Middle East destinations out of safety concerns. Seabourn Sojourn’s November 30, 2024 Africa … [Read more...]
Norwegian Cruise Line Crew Member Arrested In Alaska
After less than a week of working and living onboard Norwegian Encore, a crew member has ended his career at sea. According to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice and a criminal affidavit from the FBI, Ntando Sogoni of South Africa was arrested after allegedly attacking multiple people aboard the Breakaway-class ship. The incident, which occurred on the morning of … [Read more...]
Royal Caribbean Ship Delayed, Impacts Homeport Turnaround
Ovation of the Seas, which was due to arrive in Vancouver, Canada, on the morning of May 9, 2024, has been delayed. The 4,905-guest ship had to go off course in order to evacuate a sick guest in need of urgent medical attention during a sea day on May 7, 2024. “This morning, we deviated from our expected course toward San Francisco, California, and safely evacuated our guest. As a result, … [Read more...]
Next Oasis-Class Ship Begins Sea Trials Ahead of Debut
Royal Caribbean International’s upcoming Utopia of the Seas is taking one very large, important step toward completion as the ship has now begun her sea trials. The testing of the ship’s systems in the open ocean is expected to last five days, and will put the new vessel through her paces ahead of her July debut. Utopia of the Seas‘ sea trials have started just 10 weeks before her planned … [Read more...]
P&O Cruises Clarifies New Drink Policy Restrictions
Following the recent changes to the onboard alcoholic beverage policy, P&O Cruises has released a new list of frequently asked questions with their code of conduct to address guests’ most common concerns. This should help alleviate confusion about the policy change, including when these changes officially take effect and what recourse travelers have if they no longer wish to set … [Read more...]
US Air Force Makes Long-Range Airlift From Carnival Cruise Ship
Showing what the US Air Force is capable of, the 920th Rescue Wing (RQW) of the Air Force successfully executed a high-stakes medical evacuation from a cruise ship over 350 nautical miles off the eastern coast of the United States. On May 4, 2024, the 920th Rescue Wing, Air Force Reserve Command’s only combat search and rescue wing, received an urgent request for assistance. A medical … [Read more...]
New Destination Opens for Cruise Ships in Alaska
Alaska is a top sailing destination for many cruisers, and now there is a new port of call to enjoy with the opening of the Port of Klawock on the central western shore of Prince of Wales Island. The 16-acre site and deepwater port is capable of hosting large ships and is modeled after the successful destination of Icy Strait Point. The Port of Klawock officially welcomed its first ship, … [Read more...]
Princess Cruises Plans to Homeport From Puerto Rico in 2025
Princess Cruises is headed back to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the winter 2025-26 season, when it will deploy Grand Princess for a series of Southern Caribbean voyages. With an intense focus on port calls, the ship’s 7-day itineraries will feature just one day at sea and visits to five exotic destinations. The homeporting of Grand Princess, a Grand-class ship with a capacity for 3,100 guests, … [Read more...]
‘Halloween On the High Seas’ Will Return To Disney Cruise Line
This fall, the Disney Cruise Line fleet will be getting a spooky makeover to celebrate the spirit of the season. As part of Disney’s “Halfway to Halloween” celebration, which kicked off on Monday, May 6, 2024, Disney Cruise Line announced that its “Halloween On the High Seas” themed cruises will officially be returning for 2024. Throughout September and October, the cruise line … [Read more...]
Disney Unveils Sneak Peek Of New Haunted Mansion Lounge
When Disney Treasure sets sail on her maiden voyage to the Eastern Caribbean on December 21, 2024, she will do so with a much anticipated Haunted Mansion experience onboard. The Haunted Mansion Parlor, which is not currently available on any other Disney cruise ship, will welcome guests with specialty spirits and spooky decor that was inspired by the beloved attraction in Disney theme … [Read more...]