CRUISES - TRAVEL NEWS

Royal Caribbean announced the extension of its Anthem of the Seas UK cruise holidays on Wednesday. The ship has been sailing since early July from Southampton carrying UK residents. From September, eligible international travellers will also be able to set sail from Southampton, subject to the latest UK travel guidelines and their country of residence. Anthem of the Seas is undertaking five- to … [Read more...]

MSC Cruises‘ focus on testing rather than vaccinations will help it resume cruises in South Africa, while Norwegian Cruise Line’s current vaccine mandate is due to expire just before the new SA cruise season begins. Several cruise lines have itineraries scheduled from Cape Town for the coming 2021/22 season, but low vaccinate uptake in the country, and divergence of vaccine policies between … [Read more...]

A resurgence in tensions between Iran and US and UK allies in the Strait of Hormuz is unlikely to impact the Middle East cruise sector based on past experience. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-15883" data-attachment-id="15883" … [Read more...]

As part of Carnival Cruise Line’s highly anticipated return to guest operations, the line’s newest and most innovative ship Mardi Gras arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, today (August 3, 2021), marking the ship’s first port of call on its maiden voyage. Mardi Gras is also the first cruise ship to stop in San Juan in 16 months. Mardi Gras’ leadership team joined Governor Pedro Pierluisi, Mayor … [Read more...]

By day three of most cruises, I’ve settled into a sort of pattern. I think that’s true for a lot of people. The first day we wander around a new ship feeling like we’ll never get our bearings. On day two, we catch ourselves about to go the wrong way. “Nope, the Alchemy Bar is that way. I remember now,” we’ll tell ourselves. By day three, we’re walking around pretty confidently, at least between … [Read more...]

It’s no secret to any Carnival fan that the cruise line’s ships are filled with fun bars and lounges featuring different themes and menu items. The brand’s newest ship, Mardi Gras, is no exception to this fact! Not only will loyal cruisers find some of the bars they already know and love like the Alchemy Bar and Havana Bar, but they’ll also be able to enjoy new ones including the Fortune … [Read more...]

With COVID-19 cases on the rise and just 35 percent of its population fully vaccinated, the United States Virgin Islands has made the decision to ban cruise ships from its ports unless all passengers ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated. “Guests unable to show proof of vaccination will not be allowed to sail,” Royal Caribbean stated in a notice to guests after it was informed of the change. “Guests … [Read more...]

MARDI GRAS MAKES FIRST-EVER CALL TO SAN JUAN,  PUERTO RICO, ON MAIDEN VOYAGE SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO, August 3, 2021 – As part of Carnival Cruise Line’s highly anticipated return to guest operations, the line’s newest and most innovative ship Mardi Gras arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, today, marking the ship’s first port of call on its maiden voyage. Mardi … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean has announced that its entire fleet is scheduled to be sailing again by spring 2022. The next group of returning ships will set sail in September with Oasis of the Seas’ first cruise — a seven-night to the Bahamas — from Cape Liberty, New Jersey. In November, Navigator of the Seas will arrive in Los Angeles to begin three to five-night cruises to Catalina Island … [Read more...]

ROYAL CARIBBEAN RELEASES SCHEDULE FOR REMAINING SHIPS RETURNING TO SAILING Global Cruise Line to Bring Back Full Fleet by Spring 2022 MIAMI, Aug. 3, 2021 – Royal Caribbean International today announced that its complete lineup of ships will be sailing by spring 2022. Spanning cruises from the Big Apple to the Down Under, the next group of returning ships and itineraries will begin … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean International has released its schedule for when the remaining ships will restart operations. 12 vessels are still to resume sailings, including out of the U.S., Australia, and Europe. So far, seven ships in the fleet have already resumed, including the new Odyssey of the Seas from Florida. Royal Caribbean Releases Final Ship Restart Dates The cruise line has released when each … [Read more...]

Carnival Cruise Line on Saturday celebrated the entry into service of its new cruise ship Mardi Gras, with a pre-voyage celebration with the media and guests. Mardi Gras was showed off to the travel industry in Port Canaveral, before her first passengers were welcomed onboard for a 7-night cruise to the Caribbean. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-15955" … [Read more...]

MSC Cruises has resumed sailings from the United States for the first time since the pandemic, with MSC Meraviglia departing Miami, bound for the Caribbean. MSC Meraviglia will cruise roundtrip from Miami to Nassau and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas on 3- and 4-night itineraries until October. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-15024" … [Read more...]

Norwegian Cruise Line is rolling out Starbucks across its fleet as it prepares to resume cruises from the United States on August 7th. Starbucks has been available for years on select Norwegian Cruise Line ships, but it now plans to be the first in the industry to have the coffee shop available across its fleet by the end of 2022. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5149" … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean has laid out its plans for the rest of the fleet on when and where ships will resume sailing again.While Royal Caribbean has restarted successfully a number of ships this summer, many sailings were in question without a firm restart date.The cruise line shared restart plans for its cruise ships which were still in limbo as Royal Caribbean slowly restarts sailings.The new restart … [Read more...]

So you have your first Royal Caribbean cruise booked (or are about to book one) and want to know what it's going to be like?Cruise ships have been a popular vacation choice for decades because of how much variety and choices you have in making the trip your own. Relaxation, exploration, education, socialization... it's all up to you what you want to do.With so many choices in what a cruise … [Read more...]

Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship Mardi Gras has officially made her first port of call during her maiden voyage. Mardi Gras departed Port Canaveral on Saturday, July 31, on a seven-night cruise to the Caribbean. After two sea days, today the ship arrived to Pier 4 — the berth that Carnival Cruise Line usually uses — in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, marking her first visit to the U.S. … [Read more...]

Credit: TUI/Shutterstock Marella Cruises has revealed it is set to be the first British cruise line to operate fly-cruises as international cruising resumes. Marella Cruises will start fly-cruise holidays in September as the TUI cruise line returns to international waters. Cruises outside the UK for Britons were officially allowed to resume from Monday, August 2. On September 3, Marella … [Read more...]

Credit: Princess Cruises/Shutterstock Princess Cruises cruise ship Regal Princess returned to Southampton this morning marking the line's official return to service in the UK. Regal Princess celebrated the conclusion of its first Summer Seacation on Tuesday. The Princess Cruises cruise ship set sail for the first time in 16 months on Saturday on a three-night scenic UK voyage. Regal … [Read more...]

Carnival Cruise Line’s newest cruise ship Mardi Gras just spent two days at sea, giving guests the chance to explore every corner of the vessel fully. However, just after dinner last night, the vessel encountered something that drew the attention of the watch officer, Captain, Hotel Manager, and Carnival’s ambassador John Heald. Mardi Gras Encounters Half-Sunken Ship and Activates Rescue … [Read more...]