Royal Caribbean International’s 25th cruise ship has left the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Germany to begin her sea trials ahead of her deployment to the Middle East. Odyssey of the Seas left the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Papenberg, Germany to begin her conveyance down the Ems River, a famous rite of passage for all new cruise ships built by the historic shipyard. The new Quantum Ultra class Odyssey of … [Read more...]

Carnival Cruise Line has seen strong growth in cruise bookings for the latter half of 2021 and 2022, driven by optimism that vaccines will provide a safe environment for cruises to resume in the US and globally. However, while Carnival anticipates further demand as more effective vaccines for COVID-19 become available, it has not yet stated whether it will make vaccinations a requirement for … [Read more...]

Royal Caribbean Cruises, the parent company of Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises, announced higher than anticipated demand for 2022 cruises during its business update call, while also discussing vaccines for passengers and ship sales. Royal Caribbean said it was still assessing the viability of requiring all passengers to be vaccinated pre-cruise, and commented on the likelihood … [Read more...]

Norwegian Cruise Line needs to get permission from the CDC to resume cruising in the United States by June or July, in order to have its full fleet back in service by the beginning of 2022. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO and President Frank Del Rio said during the company’s earnings call that there was a 90-day window to resume US cruise services, with the company needing permission from the … [Read more...]

P&O Cruises has cut the first pieces of steel for its new LNG-powered Excel-class cruise ship Arvia at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. At more than 180,000-gross tons, and carrying 5,200 passengers, Arvia will be a sister ship to Iona, delivered in 2020, but P&O have hinted she will feature a number of new amenities. Rendering of Arvia at sea. RELATED: P&O Cruises … [Read more...]

MSC Seashore, the new Seaside-class cruise ship from MSC Cruises, will be 65% redesigned compared to her sister ships and will feature new lounges, restaurants and entertainment options. The comments were made this week by Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, six months ahead of the delivery of the innovative new cruise ship, which will spend her maiden cruise season in the … [Read more...]

P&O Cruises newest Excel-class cruise ship will be called Arvia, the cruise line has revealed, with the LNG-powered mega ship due to join the six-ship fleet in December, 2022. Arvia is Latin for “from the seashore”, and her name continues P&O Cruises’ naming convention that uses ancient Greek and Latin adjectives for its ships. Arvia will be delivered in December, 2022. RELATED: Iona … [Read more...]

MSC Cruises has introduced the world to Rob, the world’s first humanoid robot bartender aboard a cruise ship, as part of the debut of its new cruise ship MSC Virtuosa. MSC Virtuosa, which will homeport in Dubai later this year, sailing roundtrip in the Arabian Gulf, features a bar called MSC Starship Club, where a humanoid robot bartender will take passengers’ orders. MSC Virtuosa will be deployed … [Read more...]

Carnival Cruise Line has revealed additional details about the dining experiences to be had in its La Piazza zone aboard the new Mardi Gras, its largest cruise ship to date and the first in the world with an onboard rollercoaster. Mardi Gras’ La Piazza zone will be a tribute to Italy, with dining and interior design elements inspired by Italy’s unique culture and cuisine, according to Carnival … [Read more...]

Abu Dhabi Ports, the operator of the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal in Port Zayed, has launched a major coral relocation and conservation project, in the waters surrounding Khalifa Port. Khalifa Port was developed when Port Zayed was turned into a cruise-only port and is the capital of the UAE’s primary commercial harbour. The coral relocation project is intended to protect the marine environment … [Read more...]

Cordelia Cruises, the new Indian cruise start up, will continue the legacy of Jalesh Cruises, the first ever domestic cruise line in the country, which was forced to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. This is according to Jurgen Bailom, the CEO of Cordelia Cruises, who previously headed up Jalesh Cruises and pioneered the growth of India’s domestic cruise tourism sector before those plans … [Read more...]

Carnival Cruise Line has issued a statement confirming that mask-wearing will be required, along with a number of other anti-coronavirus measures, when it resumes cruising from the United States. Carnival Cruise Line issued a set of anti-COVID-19 rules and regulations for passengers regarding its return to service later in the year, but then removed them from its website, but confirmed the major … [Read more...]

Saudi Arabia has accelerated its efforts to establish the country as a cruise destination with the appointment of key executives at the newly-launched Cruise Saudi, a cruise infrastructure developer and operator. Cruise Saudi was launched at the end of January through the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, with the aim of developing cruise ports and terminals in several Saudi cities, as well as … [Read more...]

MSC Cruises has taken delivery of MSC Virtuosa, expanding its fleet to 18 ships and adding a second cruise ship to its innovative Meraviglia Plus-class line-up. The cruise line took delivery of MSC Virtuosa at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint Nazaire, France, with Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, saying the event underscored his long-term faith in the industry … [Read more...]

In an apparent nod to executive orders issued by new US President Joe Biden, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released an order requiring all cruise ships sailing from US ports to enforce mask-wearing in public spaces. The order came into effect on February 1st, even though there are currently no cruise ships operating from any US ports, due to ongoing measures by … [Read more...]

Carnival Cruise Line has broken ground on its new cruise terminal in PortMiami for Carnival Celebration, the second of its two largest ever cruise ships. The ground-breaking ceremony was held at PortMiami’s Terminal F which will serve as the homeport of the LNG-powered Carnival Celebration when the ship debuts in 2022. Carnival Celebration will be a sister ship to Mardi Gras, which was delivered … [Read more...]

Island Princess will sail a 111-day World Cruise for Princess Cruises in 2023 visiting 50 destinations across 31 countries and six continents, including Dubai in the UAE and Muscat in Oman. The 111-day World Cruise aboard Island Princess will be a roundtrip itinerary from Ft. Lauderdale. In addition to Dubai and Muscat in the Middle East, she will also call at ports in Africa, Asia, Australia, … [Read more...]

Azamara has purchased Pacific Princess from Carnival Corp-owned Princess Cruises, expanding its fleet to four ships just days after being sold to new owners by Royal Caribbean. Pacific Princess, which was the smallest cruise ship in the Princess Cruises fleet, is a sister ship to the three vessels already owned and operated by Azamara, she will give the small, luxury line the ability to offer a … [Read more...]

MSC Grandiosa departed Genoa, Italy on Sunday evening, resuming her previously announced 7-night roundtrip itineraries in the Mediterranean and marking MSC Cruises’ second return to cruising since the pandemic began last year. MSC Cruises’ restart of cruise operations comes amid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Europe and across the world due to several new variants of the coronavirus that are … [Read more...]

Just a few days after Carnival Corporation announced it would be delaying delivery of all but one of its 2021 newbuilds, its Costa Cruises brand floated out its latest Excel-class ships, Costa Toscana. Costa Cruises confirmed during the float out of Costa Toscana that she will be delivered in 2021, after parent company Carnival said it would take delivery of just one ship this year. Costa Toscana … [Read more...]