Archives for July 2021

After multiple delays and setbacks, Odyssey of the Seas is setting sail on her first Caribbean cruise. The ship completed her test sailing only last week; today, the first guests are embarking on the ship in Port Everglades, Florida, for what will be eight days of fun in the sun. The cruise ship’s first voyage will sail towards the southern Caribbean, where she will have two stops in the Dutch … [Read more...]

MSC Cruises has signed a long-term preferential berthing agreement with Cruise Saudi, giving its ships superior access to Jeddah Port, mirroring a deal signed in Dubai in 2019. The five-year preferential berthing agreement gives MSC Cruises early access to the port and suggests that it foresees rapid growth of the Saudi Arabian cruise market. <img … [Read more...]

Costa Serena has become the latest cruise ship to dock in Dubai as she awaits her cruise restart in Asia, joining fleet mates Costa Venezia and Costa Atlantica in Port Rashid. Costa Serena docked Thursday in Dubai, joining two other Costa cruise ships that are waiting out the last of the cruise shutdown in the Middle East’s primary cruise port. <img … [Read more...]

At long last, Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship has begun cruises with passengers onboard.Odyssey of the Seas is set to depart Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday to begin her first revenue sailing. The 16-deck-high, 1,138-foot-long ship is one of the largest ships in the world, and can accommodate 4,180 passengers.The cruise industry shutdown greatly impacted … [Read more...]

It has been four years and ten months since Carnival Cruise Line first announced building a new class of ships. Today at 6:00 PM, Mardi Gras is departing from Terminal 3 at her homeport of Port Canaveral on her first voyage. It has been a memorable couple of days for Carnival Cruise Line, and of course, for the thousands of guests who have the honor of being onboard right now. Yesterday hundreds … [Read more...]

MARDI GRAS, CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE’S NEWEST AND MOST INNOVATIVE SHIP, DEPARTS ON MAIDEN VOYAGE FROM PORT CANAVERAL THIS AFTERNOON First Cruise with Guests From Port Canaveral Since Industry-Wide Pause in Operations PORT CANAVERAL, FLA., July 31, 2021 – To celebrate Carnival Cruise Line’s maiden voyage of its newest and most innovative ship, Mardi Gras, Carnival President Christine Duffy … [Read more...]

SILVERSEA CRUISES OFFICIALLY NAMES NEWEST SHIP, SILVER MOON, IN ATHENS The christening of Silversea’s ninth ultra-luxury ship marks a milestone in the cruise line’s return to global service (Athens – July 29, 2021) Silversea Cruises has christened Silver Moon as the newest ship in its ultra-luxury fleet, building momentum in the cruise line’s global return to service. Held on … [Read more...]

It’s an important week for the cruise industry as two new cruise ships are to begin sailings for the first time. We’ve also got the latest major news stories from the week and guess what, it’s all good! Cruise News Update It’s just been another hectic week of cruise news as cruise lines continue to move forward on resuming operations. From this week, we’ve got the latest on Carnival Cruise Line’s … [Read more...]

Holland America Line Takes Delivery of Highly Anticipated New Ship Rotterdam from Fincantieri SEATTLE, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Holland America Line took delivery of Rotterdam today, July 30, 2021, officially making it the 11th ship in the fleet. A handover ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy the evening of July … [Read more...]

Viking celebrated today (July 30, 2021) the official restart of its popular river itineraries in France, marking the latest milestone as the company resumes operations in Europe. Guests are now embarking journeys on the Seine and Rhône rivers for the Paris & the Heart of Normandy, Lyon & Provence and France’s Finest itineraries. Viking’s voyage in Bordeaux, Chateaux, Rivers and Wine, will … [Read more...]

VIKING WELCOMES GUESTS BACK ON BOARD FOR RIVER VOYAGES IN FRANCE New Viking Longships Debut on the Seine in Paris, Walking Distance from the Eiffel Tower Los Angeles (July 30, 2021) – Viking® (www.viking.com) celebrated today the official restart of its popular river itineraries in France, marking the latest milestone as the company resumes operations in Europe. Guests are now embarking … [Read more...]

Cruise Lines International Association, the leading voice of the global cruise industry, on July 28 kicked off its annual North America Cruise360 Conference at the Diplomat Resort in Hollywood Florida. The event took place 501 days following the cruise industry’s voluntary suspension of global operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and marked the first official, in-person cruise … [Read more...]

It was a historic day of fun as Carnival Cruise Line welcomed visitors on Mardi Gras for the first time today (July 30, 2021), with local officials, travel advisors and media enjoying an afternoon on the line’s newest and most innovative ship. Mardi Gras is scheduled to set sail on her maiden voyage on Saturday, July 31, which will also be the first cruise from Port Canaveral with guests since … [Read more...]

(CNN) — Six guests have tested positive for Covid-19 on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas cruise ship, the cruise line confirmed Friday.Four of the guests are vaccinated and two are unvaccinated minors, Royal Caribbean International said in a statement. The seven-night cruise departed from Nassau, Bahamas, on July 25.One of the four vaccinated guests has mild symptoms, the company said, and … [Read more...]

Carnival Cruise Line invited members of the media and travel advisors to spend the day on their newest and largest cruise ship, Mardi Gras. The Sip & Sea event gave visitors a first look at this incredible new cruise ship from Carnival and also gave them the opportunity to ride the first roller coaster at sea.Mardi Gras is Carnival Cruise Line’s largest cruise ship at 180,000 gross tons.  … [Read more...]

For the first time in over 15 months, two cruise ships will depart on the same day for cruises to the Caribbean from Port Everglades. One of the cruise ships, Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, will sail her long awaited maiden voyage today. Joining Odyssey is Celebrity Edge, she sailing her sixth cruise since becoming the first cruise ship to resume cruises from U.S. ports in June. In … [Read more...]

Holland America Line took delivery of their newest cruise ship, Rotterdam, their third Pinnacle class ship and the 11th ship in the cruise line’s fleet. This is also the seventh ship in Holland America Line’s history to bear the name Rotterdam.Rotterdam’s delivery ceremony was attended by the cruise ship’s master, Captain Werner Timmers, and Cyril Tatar, Holland America Group’s vice president of … [Read more...]

Credit: Royal Clipper/Shutterstock Sponsored by Riviera Travel Nothing evokes the romance of being at sea like sailing by tall ship - and Riviera Travel's Royal Clipper offers just this experience among its ocean cruise itineraries. Travelling on the intimate-sized Royal Clipper provides the perfect opportunity to explore the Mediterranean and Dalmatian coastlines.A Mediterranean … [Read more...]

Holland America Line has accepted delivery of its 11th ship, Rotterdam, from the Italian shipyard Fincantieri. The newest ship in the Holland America Line fleet was previously meant to be named Ryndam, but following the sale of the 1997-built Rotterdam, she was renamed so that the flagship of the fleet would continue to carry the historic name. <img … [Read more...]

At the $800-million The Pointe development on The Palm Jumeirah Island in Dubai you’ll find restaurants, shops and The Palm Fountain, the largest of its kind in the world. RELATED: Dubai shore excursions: The Green Planet RELATED: Dubai shore excursions: Deep Dive Dubai Located on Palm Jumeirah, the island adjacent the new Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal, The Pointe is an upscale … [Read more...]