CRUISES - TRAVEL NEWS

The largest privately-owned cruise line in the world unveiled its summer 2022 program today, offering 124 different ports of call, 47 countries, 83 itineraries, and a massive 477 cruises. The Swiss line will sail the Mediterranean with ten different vessels, while five ships will be based in Northern Europe. Another two ships will be calling Miami and Port Canaveral their homeport. Both the … [Read more...]

For over nine months, Royal Caribbean was able to side step selling any of its cruise ships, but that has come to an end.On Wednesday, Royal Caribbean announced it has agreed to sell two of its cruise ships, Majesty of the Seas and Empress of the Seas, and while perhaps not terribly surprising, it was nonetheless a sad moment for many cruise fans.Most cruisers expected this to happen at some time, … [Read more...]

Personal Navigators, and other handouts from the  4-Night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral. The Disney Dream set sail from Port Canaveral, Florida on July 27, 2014. There are additional Personal Navigators from other sailings of this same itinerary for comparison. During this cruise, the ship was under the control of Captain Thord Haugen. The … [Read more...]

Whether you are a newbie or a veteran cruiser, there are certain things you should NEVER do on a cruise. Many of these actions are prohibited and can get you kicked off the ship, while others are mostly for your own peace of mind. Find out if you have been making any of these cruise faux pas.20 Things You Should NEVER Do on a CruiseFly into Port the Day of Your CruiseOne of our recommendations for … [Read more...]

2020 has been an interesting year for cruising, with ships docked for uncertain amounts of time due to sailing restrictions, dry docks and refurbishments of some ships being delayed and new ships’ releases being postponed. However, as we look forward to a brighter year in 2021, and the return to cruise travel, here are a few of the ships that we can expect to appear. Among them, you’ll find mega … [Read more...]

When former Holland America Line President Orlando Ashford stepped down earlier this year, Carnival Corporation decided to promote from within, naming Carnival Cruise Line COO Gus Antorcha the new president. What made Antorcha the right man for the job was his nine years of experience at Carnival Corporation in leadership roles managing key components such as guest services, commerce and on board … [Read more...]

This year was set to be a record year for Gothenburg in terms of calls and passengers with more than 80 calls originally planned. But everything was put on a hold after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic at the beginning of the year. In September the season slowly crept back to life at America Cruise Terminal in Gothenburg with the arrival of cruise ships from Germany. “When Germany lifted … [Read more...]

Bolster Investment Partners has acquired a minority stake of 25% in Oceanwide Expeditions, a market-leading specialist in expedition cruises to Antarctica and the Arctic. Bolster will support Oceanwide Expeditions in realizing its growth ambitions. Oceanwide Expeditions was founded in 1993 by father and son, Wijnand and Michel van Gessel. Since then, Oceanwide has developed into a travel … [Read more...]

“Le Jacques-Cartier”, the last sister-ship in the PONANT EXPLORERS series of six expedition class cruise ships, has been awarded the Bureau Veritas class notation NR614 for Underwater Radiated Noise (URN). The award of the notation reflects PONANT’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its ships and operations. NR614 establishes requirements for the measurement of underwater … [Read more...]

Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Norwegian cruise company said Monday its systems have been hit by what it called “a comprehensive” ransomware virus data attack but stressed that it was not expected to have major financial consequences.Ole-Marius Moe-Helgesen, an IT executive with Hurtigruten, said the cruise line’s “global IT infrastructure appears to be affected.”The company whose … [Read more...]

Hamburg Cruise News – Teil 2 Since November 1 Germany has been back in lockdown which means that technical calls and layup are still permitted but cruises have been temporarily suspended. During the past few weeks, Cruise Gate Hamburg, together with local stakeholders such as Hamburg Tourism Association, has focused on the opening of a new You Tube Channel called ‘Hamburg Cruise News’. Simone … [Read more...]

Viking, the world’s #1 ranked cruise line, has announced their newest dream cruise that will sail around the world in 2022-2023.The cruise line’s latest 138 day world cruise on their newest cruise ship, Viking Neptune, will visit 28 countries, 58 ports, and overnight stays in 11 cities. The cruise will depart on December 22, 2022.Viking World Cruise guests will embark in Florida and journey to … [Read more...]

MSC Cruises has signed a new ‘Single-Use Plastic Charter’ established by the UK Chamber of Shipping which aims to scrap the use of single-use plastic items by the end of 2021. The cruise line in 2019 eliminated 97 million items of plastic after identifying nearly 40,000 single-use plastic items in its hotel operations, shops, restaurants and kitchens. Nearly 20 million plastic straws were replaced … [Read more...]

Swan Hellenic today signed a strategic partnership agreement with Travel Planners (E.I.) Pvt. Ltd., based in India, to provide a direct presence in the Indian subcontinent. Travel Planners (E.I.) Pvt. Ltd. offers the highest standards of service and efficiency, with over 30 years’ experience across the travel and tourism sector in India. Serving a niche of discerning travellers who are sports … [Read more...]

Virgin Voyages today announced the launch of its new E-Learning platform for travel professionals, which the company calls First Mates. As an extension of its “Brilliant to do Business With” approach, the online platform, dubbed “Seacademy” will serve as a one-stop-shop and resource tool for First Mates. This news follows Virgin Voyages’ recent announcement unveiling its 16 percent commission, … [Read more...]

As is the case with most cruise lines worldwide, several British cruise lines have had to postpone voyages. The affected cruise lines include Saga Cruises, TUI’s Marella Cruises, Cunard, and P&O cruises, while Fred Olsen Cruise also announced further postponements today, December 16. Fred Olsen Cruise Line Takes Drastic Action Fred Olsen Cruise Line, a UK-based Norwegian cruise line, operates … [Read more...]

Looking for a last-minute Christmas gift? How about a cruise? And the cost to you could be free. Holland America has announced a big new sale. Called “Buy One, Gift One,” this deal gifts passengers a free cruise cabin with the purchase of another cabin at the regular price. “To help spread holiday cheer, Holland America Line is offering a free second stateroom with cruise bookings – a huge cruise … [Read more...]

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has today announced revised ‘back in service’ dates for its four-strong ocean fleet, as the company prepares for cruising in 2021. The new timetable shows that new ship Borealis will now be the first of the fleet to sail, and will embark on her maiden cruise with Fred. Olsen – the six-night ‘Scottish Lochs and Isles’ cruise – on 23rd April 2021 as originally … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean International today announced Empress and Majesty of the Seas will depart its fleet later this month. “Empress and Majesty of the Seas made indelible marks on the cruise industry with their revolutionary design and size. Touted as the cruise industry’s most groundbreaking ships when they were introduced, they continued to make history throughout their more than three decades of … [Read more...]

In a widely expected move, Royal Caribbean International has confirmed the sale of its two oldest cruise ships, Empress of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas. The two ships will leave the Royal Caribbean fleet at the end of the month, according to the cruise line, but appear due to remain in cruise service with the new owner. Majesty of the Seas was the final Sovereign-class cruise ship still in … [Read more...]