Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ flagship Bolette is to make her Channel 5 debut later this month, as presenter Susan Calman sets sail on a Cruise of a Lifetime to the breath-taking Norwegian Fjords. Susan set sail on her eight-night adventure from Liverpool, before venturing to the Norwegian ports of Olden, Ålesund, Åndalsnes and Geirganger, complete with scenic sailings of Nordfjord, Geirangerfjord and … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean and Carnival keep ordering megaships. In recent years, it has been an arms race to build bigger ships with more advanced features. Both cruise lines have focused on building destination ships. These are ships where the ports visited don’t matter nearly as much as having time to explore the water parks, theme park-style rides, and dozens of dining choices on board. Larger ships … [Read more...]

Jonathan Bennett, actor, Godfather of Carnival Firenze and Hallmark Channel star, pays tribute to Kathie Lee Gifford and the first ever national television advertising campaign for any cruise line in 1984. Gifford famously sang “Ain’t We Got Fun” while promoting the original “Fun Ships,” and served as Godmother to the original Carnival Celebration. Bennett had fun recreating the campaign in a … [Read more...]

Last week, Antigua Cruise Port reached a significant annual milestone, welcoming four vessels and a remarkable 13,312 passengers as it approaches a record-breaking year. As of today (December 28th) , the port has recorded 570 cruise ship calls and 825,526 passengers for the year compared to 446 cruise ship calls and 670,234 passengers in 2023, reflecting an extraordinary year-to-date increase. … [Read more...]

The demolition of the Customs and Excise Department Building on Jeremie Street, completed between December 21 and 22, marked the official launch of the highly anticipated Saint Lucia Cruise Port redevelopment project in Castries. This significant milestone signals the start of a transformative initiative aimed at modernizing and enhancing Saint Lucia’s cruise tourism infrastructure, positioning … [Read more...]

Mexico delayed applying a tax on cruise ship passengers at its ports for six months while exempting wheat and a fertilizer from tariffs for all of 2025. The government will relieve cruise ship passengers of an arrival fee through the first half of the year, according to a presidential decree published in the evening edition of the Dec. 31 Official Gazette. Separately, Mexico said products … [Read more...]

On Dec. 30, the Carnival Sunshine set sail for one last round-trip cruise out of Charleston, scheduled to return on Saturday, Jan. 4. The final voyage comes after Carnival and South Carolina Ports Authority ended their 14-year partnership, with the port authority choosing not to renew its contract with Carnival. “Carnival has been a great customer, and SC Ports is appreciative of the long-term … [Read more...]

The secluded waters of Divers Bay are off the beaten path for cruise ships sailing the Pacific. But when tourists come ashore to its remote village, in Vanuatu’s far north, its people put on a show. They share its traditional arts of weaving, fire making and sand drawing with cruise passengers. Local chief David Silas said villagers performed traditional, or “kastom”, dances and let tourists join … [Read more...]

Princess Cruises, known around the world as “The Love Boat,” is celebrating six decades of delivering dream vacations and happiness to millions of cruisers with a special 14-day 60th Anniversary Mexican Riviera Voyage, departing from the Port of Los Angeles on December 6, 2025. On sale now, this milestone cruise onboard Royal Princess will include some of the same ports on the first-ever voyage … [Read more...]

MSC Cruises is gearing up to be the title sponsor of three Formula 1® World Championship Grands Prix in 2025, further building on the cruise line’s partnership with the prestigious motorsport. The three races will be the FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 2025 in June, the FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2025in October, and the FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO … [Read more...]

Fresh off consecutive No. 1 cruise line designations from Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure, Virgin Voyages is laying the foundation for another epic year. The world’s best cruise line from global entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson is setting its sights on 2025 with an irresistible WAVE offer, collection of specialty voyages, incredible new ports of call, and the long-awaited debut of the … [Read more...]

Norwegian Cruise Line® (NCL) today announced the two-time Emmy®-Award-winning actor, Eric Stonestreet, as the Company’s new brand ambassador and star of its newest advertising campaign, “Experience More.” The new campaign features 30 and 15-second spots highlighting the Company’s recently unveiled ‘Experience More’ brand positioning by following Stonestreet aboard one of NCL’s world-class … [Read more...]

According to preliminary statistics from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), there were 770,940 visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in November 2024, growth of 5.3 percent compared to the same month last year. Total visitor spending measured in nominal dollars was $1.55 billion, up 2.0 percent from November 2023. November marked the fourth-consecutive month with … [Read more...]

In alignment with the Qatar National Vision 2030 and its emphasis on expanding the nation’s tourism sector, the Grand Cruise Terminal at Doha Port stands as a new maritime gateway and a key attraction for cruise enthusiasts and passengers globally. Recognized by Forbes as one of the world’s most beautiful cruise terminals, this architectural marvel boasts traditional Arab design and restores the … [Read more...]

Search contents since March ’10 (Tags associated with a post are searched as well) Search contents since March ’10 (Tags associated with a post are searched as well) Source: Latecruisenews.com … [Read more...]

Puerto Plata, known as “The Bride of the Atlantic,” is set to kick off 2025 with a tourism boom, welcoming 81 cruise ships to its main ports, Amber Cove and Taíno Bay. In January alone, Amber Cove will host 27 vessels, while Taíno Bay will receive 54, offering thousands of visitors the chance to explore the province’s natural beauty and cultural charm. Carlos Atahualpa Paulino, regional director … [Read more...]

Upscale travelers often head to sea for a luxury cruise vacation that’s an “easy peasy” way to explore multiple global destinations, natural wonders and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. After boarding their luxury or ultra-luxury ship, they’ll simply float from place to place without intra-trip air travel hassles and multiple hotel changes. Along the itinerary route, they can also indulge onboard … [Read more...]

Eastern Cruise launched service in South Korea in December, having successfully completing its maiden voyage onboard the Eastern Venus. According to a press release, the inaugural sailing departed from Busan on Dec. 24 and included visits to Sasebo and Kagoshima in Japan. Sailing over the Christmas holiday, the cruise included themed activities such as carol performances, special shows and movie … [Read more...]

Port Canaveral – the world’s second busiest homeport – has been named “Best Cruise Homeport” for the fifth time in the annual Cruise Hive Awards which are based on surveys of readers of the popular online publication. According to Cruise Hive, Port Canaveral more than doubled the number of votes of the second-place homeport, reaffirming the port as the top choice for cruisers. “This award is a … [Read more...]

China’s first domestically built large cruise ship, Adora Magic City, has completed 84 journeys with 600,000 inbound and outbound visits logged in the first year of its commercial operation, according to Shanghai Customs. The ship embarked on its maiden voyage on January 1 and gained popularity among tourists, accounting for 40 percent of China’s international cruise market in 2024. Full story … [Read more...]