Archives for August 2021

Viking Ocean Cruises has revealed a 2023/24 World Cruise itinerary for two of its ships with port calls in the Middle East. The World Cruise itinerary is unique because it will be sailed by two Viking cruise ships in parallel, meaning Salalah in Oman and Aqaba in Jordan are set to receive a double port call from the luxury cruise line. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-15503" … [Read more...]

One of the more popular ports of call for cruise lines like Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, and Holland America Line has banned cruise ships until March 1 of 2022. Santa Barbara, perched between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean in California, is a popular tender port on the Pacific Coast cruises that many cruise lines have on their itinerary.  The Santa Barbara Waterfront … [Read more...]

After more than a year, cruise ships are set to return to Brazil on October 31. With a total of seven ships expected in the local market the 2021-2022 season will feature two cruise lines: Costa and MSC. But with the biggest ships yet to sail in Brazil, it could be a blockbuster season, if it goes ahead. The operation, however, still depends on approval from the Brazilian government. While … [Read more...]

River cruise operator AmaWaterways celebrated the christening of its newest ship, AmaSiena, with a ceremony in Lahnstein, Germany on Sunday. The ceremony was attended by AmaWaterways’ Co-Founders, President Rudi Schreiner and Executive Vice President Kristin Karst as well as Godmother Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president and COO of Owned Brands for World Travel Holdings. The … [Read more...]

The saying "time is money" applies to business, as well as your Royal Caribbean cruise vacation. Every minute you save now, is an extra minute of vacation time you get to enjoy unencumbered.One of my top pet peeves is wasting time that could have been saved with a little work upfront, especially if it's time spent at home so that things move smoothly onboard.Whether it saves you two minutes … [Read more...]

Disney Cruise Line has announced the latest feature of the AquaMouse, a new water ride that will be on their next new cruise ship Disney Wish. AquaMouse will have two shows as guests ride around the top deck of Disney Wish. The first show “Scuba Scramble” was inspired by “The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse” animated shorts. The show will immerse guests in a hilarious underwater adventure with … [Read more...]

Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more.Our goal has been to provide our readers with expansive coverage of all aspects of the Royal Caribbean experience. Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to … [Read more...]

Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more.Our goal has been to provide our readers with expansive coverage of all aspects of the Royal Caribbean experience.Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to … [Read more...]

Blue Note at Sea 2023 Lineup Announcement “In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard”. That definition well describes the unique and powerful mix of music performed on Blue Note at Sea, a seven-day cruise produced by Jazz Cruises in partnership with Blue Note Records and The Blue Note Jazz Clubs. After … [Read more...]

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) recognized the superstars of the travel industry last week at the ASTA Global Convention (AGC) in Chicago, August 23-25. During the convention, attended by almost 1,000 travel advisors, suppliers and industry professionals, the Society recognized frontline travel advisors and agency owners who go above and beyond in caring for their customers as well … [Read more...]

Luxury river cruise line AmaWaterways today (August 26, 2021) proudly announced its two latest industry accolades, presented at the close of the 2021 American Association of Travel Advisors (ASTA) Global Convention – an in-person event held this week in Chicago. For the fourth consecutive year, AmaWaterways was voted the top award, Partner of the Year, recognizing one organization among all … [Read more...]

One of the most popular ports in the Caribbean has a new CEO! Longtime cruise and travel industry professional Alexander Gumbs, who previously worked with the Harbor Group of Companies, has been selected to replace former Port of St. Maarten Group CEO Mark Mingo as the top executive at the company. Gumbs is expected to assume the role beginning in September. “I do recognize the current … [Read more...]

Earlier this month, the Disney Dream returned to passenger service with menus primarily available in the Navigator App readily accessible via QR codes found around the ship and in the various restaurants. Additionally, paper menus have been available upon request which in turn are nice little keepsakes. Below you will find the current menus from the Disney Dream’s restart for Animator’s Palate, … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises are celebrating travel advisors and their commitment to the cruise lines with a new promotion to help kick off Travel Partner Appreciation Month. The Instant Booking Bonus will instantly give travel partners up to $200 on all new fully deposited bookings throughout the month of September*. In addition, any booking created through an online … [Read more...]

Carnival Corporation failed to make efforts to protect cruise customers from coronavirus last year despite warnings from its own ship’s doctor about a “concerning” outbreak of flu-like symptoms on board, according to US court filings. Dr Nadia Nair, senior doctor aboard Carnival’s Grand Princess on a voyage from San Francisco to Mexico in February last year, told the company’s management there was … [Read more...]

Oceania Cruises welcomed guests across the gangway for the first time in 524 days. Marina is the first of Oceania Cruises’ ships to resume sailing and is also the very first cruise ship to sail from the port of Copenhagen since 2019. “Today (Aug. 29, 2021) is one of those days we will all remember for a lifetime as we reunite with our shipboard families and our guests to start exploring the world … [Read more...]

Throughout the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have updated a travel advisory list of the world’s countries letting Americans know which are the safest to travel to.Today, the CDC has updated two popular Caribbean islands to the “Level 4: Avoid Travel” level due to rising COVID-19 infections. Both Puerto Rico and St. Lucia are now at Level 4 along with five … [Read more...]

China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has launched its first ever "cruise to nowhere."The Genting Dream will sail out to sea past the Lei Yue Mun and Tathong channels before entering international waters and returning along the same route. Each voyage will take 3 to 4 days, but unlike other typical cruise trips, this ship won't stop at any ports of call. That's just one of … [Read more...]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has increased the COVID threat level to level 4, signifying a high risk of COVID-19, for two additional cruise destinations on August 30. Puerto Rico and St. Lucia have both been added to the list. The list of cruise destinations that have been given a Level 4: Very High Level of COVID-19 designation is steadily growing. Besides Puerto Rico and St. … [Read more...]

Ship Overview At 86.7K gross tons, Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam offers plenty of onboard amenities, entertainment, and dining options for a vessel that holds only 2100 passengers. This 12 year old Signature Class vessel was the first to resume cruising for the brand with 7-day cruises to Alaska. So, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sail on a Holland America Line Alaska cruise this … [Read more...]