Archives for September 2021

You’ve heard of frequent flyer miles, but did you know that cruise lines also have loyalty programs?Royal Caribbean’s customer loyalty program is called the Crown and Anchor Society. You earn points based on how many nights your cruise is, as well as your cabin type or if you are going solo.There are six tiers in the program:Gold: 3 pointsPlatinum: 30 pointsEmerald: 55 pointsDiamond: 80 … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean has revealed the number of passengers that have caught COVID-19 aboard its cruise ships since it resumed operations earlier this year. In a video released by the cruise line, Richard Fain, CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises, said 41 passengers had caught COVID-19, out of more than 500,000 that had undertaken cruises thus far. RELATED: MSC Virtuosa first to suffer true COVID-19 … [Read more...]

Carnival Radiance has been officially renamed, marking the end of her transformation from Carnival Victory. Carnival Victory went into the shipyard in Spain several months ago and has undergone a major $200 million refit and refurbishment that saw every aspect of the vessel updated or transformed. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6540" data-attachment-id="6540" … [Read more...]

A number of Royal Caribbean guests have received an email survey asking their thoughts on possible ideas for the next phase of the CocoCay expansion.Royal Caribbean announced a few weeks ago it would expand Perfect Day at CocoCay with a new area, called Hideaway Beach.The announcement had no additional details, but perhaps this new survey could shed some light onto what to expect.Earlier this … [Read more...]

Credit: Shutterstock Cruise packing can be a bit of a nightmare so we've done the hard work for you. This is what you should back for your next cruise holiday. What to pack for a cruise? This question sends many cruisers into a panic. And no wonder: what with multiple destinations, variable weather and formal nights onboard, you might be changing outfits three or four times a day. So … [Read more...]

Summer officially ended this week but instead of feeling down about the upcoming cold weather, why not get into the Halloween spirit! You could carve a few pumpkins and start stockpiling candy, or you could book yourself a Halloween-themed cruise from the Port of Palm Beach and spend your October with your toes in the sand of a Bahamian beach. It’s an easy choice if you ask us! On this … [Read more...]

I love sharing Royal Caribbean photos that our readers send in because they are so much fun to look at.  Every Friday, I share Royal Caribbean cruise photos sent in by readers so we can all enjoy an end of the week mental escape to a cruise.If you have some really good cruise photos to share, send your best Royal Caribbean photos so I can post them in a future Friday Photos … [Read more...]

Today, Disney Cruise Line updated its Know Before You Go information page with an updated to the pre-sailing testing requirements. Specifically, the pre-trip COVID-19 test should be a NAAT test, rapid PCR test or lab-based PCR test. Rapid antigen and antibody tests are not accepted. <img data-attachment-id="51297" … [Read more...]

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has released more details about its upcoming new luxury cruise ship Seven Seas Grandeur, revealing its 4,443sqft Regent Suite, which costs $11,000 per night. The Regent Suite aboard Seven Seas Grandeur is similar to the top suites aboard Seven Seas Splendor, the cruise line’s most recent cruise ship, but features a few enhancements, such as the reimagined master bathroom … [Read more...]

Carnival Cruise Line has officially changed the name of Carnival Victory to Carnival Radiance as the vessel is in the final stages of a $200 million makeover. Carnival Radiance is now the cruise line’s third Sunshine class cruise ship and the vessel is scheduled to leave Spain on October 18. Carnival Radiance will homeport in Long Beach, California but will first makes stops in Miami and a transit … [Read more...]

Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company operating over 80 cruise ships on nine cruise lines, is on pace to have 42 cruise ships back in service by the end of October. The 42 ships will be across eight of Carnival’s cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (UK), Cunard, and AIDA Cruises. “Based on … [Read more...]

The largest cruise conglomerate in the world announced today they hope to have 50% of their fleet back in operation by the end of October and 65% of the fleet back by the New Year. Carnival Corporation was hit hard by the pandemic, but the news that their eight distinct cruise brands will have 42 ships (50% of the fleet) back by October is an important milestone for the industry’s … [Read more...]

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has unveiled details on their latest Regent Suite, a $11,000 per night suite that will be on their next new luxury cruise ship, Seven Seas Grandeur.The Regent Suite on Seven Seas Grandeur will be 4,443 square feet in size, cost $11,000 per night, and the suite opened for bookings today. Nine different types of marble are being used to create his and her vanity units, the … [Read more...]

Personal Navigators, and other handouts from the  4-Night Disney Magic at Sea UK Staycation Sailing from Southampton. The Disney Magic set sail from Southampton on August 23, 2021. During this cruise, the ship was under the control of Captain Fabian Dib. The Cruise Director during the sailing was Darren McBurney. <img data-attachment-id="49324" … [Read more...]

What a great (albeit abbreviated) summer it has been for the great state of Alaska. For all the beauty, pristine wilderness and tales of gold that the state represents, the glitter faded when Canada’s pandemic-related travel restrictions took a toll on cruises last year. But thanks to forward-thinking politicians who rolled back regulations to allow interstate cruising, Seattle stepped forward as … [Read more...]

When American Cruise Lines became the first to resume operation in the U.S.A this past March 13th, it marked an important milestone for not just the cruise line, but the industry itself. Now, a few months later, more ships are starting up all over the country and many bear the American Cruise Lines name. Porthole Cruise and Travel Magazine founder and Editor-in-Chief Bill Panoff spoke with … [Read more...]

We have new details about the entertainment and features on the upcoming ship from Norwegian Cruise Line! When the ship first sets sail in the Summer of 2022, Tony Award®-nominated musical “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” will be its interactive headlining act in terms of entertainment. The ship will also feature the world’s first venue that transforms from a three-story theater into a … [Read more...]

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE’S NORWEGIAN PRIMA DEBUTS INTERACTIVE SHOW-STOPPING ENTERTAINMENT AND ONBOARD EXPERIENCES “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” Takes Center Stage as Ship’s Broadway-Style Headliner  Company Introduces Multiple First-At-Sea Innovations including Three-Story Transformational Theater-Nightclub, Real-life Gameshows, Three-Level Racetrack and Fastest Freefall Drop Dry … [Read more...]

Norwegian Cruise Line’s next new cruise ship, Norwegian Prima, will wow cruisers with the first three story race track at sea, the fastest freefall drop dry slides, and Price is Right LIVE on NCL along with other popular gameshows.Norwegian Prima is scheduled to debut next summer and Norwegian Cruise Line has announced show-stopping entertainment all around the cruise ship. On the top deck of the … [Read more...]

It is the message that many worldwide have been waiting for. The White House announced The United States would reopen in November to air travelers from 33 countries, including most of Europe, the U.K., Brazil, India, and China, who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The cruise industry, in the name of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), has already reacted positively, saying the … [Read more...]