Cruise Saudi is planning to develop cruise infrastructure at two ports in the south of the country in the coming years, according to statements made during Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2022. During the region’s premier travel exhibition in Dubai, Cruise Saudi confirmed that it plans to add a cruise port in Duba and Jizan in the south – targeting 1.3 million passengers by 2030. The Saudi Arabian … [Read more...]

Dubai went all-out at this year’s Seatrade Cruise Global to encourage cruise lines to return to the Arabian Gulf following the COVID-19 pandemic, with 15 co-exhibitors and stakeholders participating alongside the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). The 15 entities are comprised of tourism boards, port operators, airlines, and destination management companies from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain … [Read more...]

Carnival Cruise Line and the Grand Bahama Port Authority have broken ground on the cruise line’s new destination on Grand Bahama Island. The new Carnival Grand Bahama cruise port destination is being developed on the south side of the island, and is expected to open in late 2024. It will serve as a gateway to Grand Bahama while also offering guests what the cruise line calls a Bahamian experience … [Read more...]

MSC Cruises has rolled out an early booking promotion for its 2022/23 cruise season out of Durban, with free drinks packages on offer for guests who book this week. For any guests who book before Friday, May 20th, they’ll get a drinks package free, as long as the booking is for a Bella Balcony cabin or above. In addition, only 1 drinks package per cabin will be applied at the time of booking, and … [Read more...]

Viking Cruises has taken delivery of its eighth new cruise ship, Viking Mars, during a ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Ancona where she was built. The ship is identical to the other vessels in the Viking fleet, with a passenger capacity of 930 across 465 staterooms. At 47,800-gross tons, she’s a mid-size cruise ship, but offers a range of amenities for passengers, from her 5 restaurants … [Read more...]

Demand for cruise ship cabins in Doha during the FIFA 2022 World Cup remains high, despite climbing prices due to a lack of availability. There will be only two cruise ships docked in Doha’s West Bay during the tournament, representing capacity of 3,800 cabins, capable of accommodating around 10,000 guests. MSC Cruises is the only cruise line providing floating hotel accommodation during the … [Read more...]

Arabian Adventures, the shore excursion and destination management arm of Dubai-based Dnata Travel Group has announced the expansion of its shore excursion offerings in the UAE. The move comes following the opening of the new Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal adjacent the Palm Jumeirah, Dubai’s second cruise port after Dubai Cruise Terminal in Port Rashid. Arabian Adventures already provides a range … [Read more...]

Silversea Cruises and Rovos Rail have paired up to offer cruise and rail combinations on Silversea’s upcoming South African itineraries for the 2022/23 cruise season. Silversea will be deploying the luxury cruise ship Silver Spirit in South Africa, sailing 15-night roundtrip cruises from Cape Town between December and February. Silver Spirit will sail three of these roundtrip cruises during the … [Read more...]

MSC Cruises has spoken out regarding the speculation over the death of a South African crewmember working aboard its Durban-based cruise ship MSC Orchestra. The cruise line recently released a statement saying that it too is seeking answers regarding the death of Hombisa Nana Mafuduka, a 31-year-old single mother, and is working with authorities to try and find out what happened to her. Mafuduka, … [Read more...]

Saudi Arabia is looking to form alliances with other Red Sea cruise destinations to enhance the region’s appeal for cruise lines, Cruise Saudi’s Chief Strategy Officer Ghassan Khan told delegates at Seatrade Cruise Global. Khan said Saudi Arabia seeks to be “complementary to what cruising has to offer” and work with other cruise destinations on the Red Sea to become a world-class cruise … [Read more...]

Azamara has said the expansion of its fleet with addition of a fourth ship, Azamara Onward, in May will give the cruise line greater flexibility to resume destination-intensive cruises, such as those in South Africa. Although initially resuming cruises post-COVID in the European market, with all four cruise ships based in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, the cruise line is looking ahead to … [Read more...]

The QE2 floating hotel in Dubai, which previously served as the flagship of the legendary Cunard Line, will be rebranded and upgraded under the M Gallery portfolio of Accor Hotels. Accor said it will conduct “further upgrades and renovations” to the historic ship, removing some of her dining options, adding new cabins, and expanding leisure spaces, such as the pool deck. The full extent of the … [Read more...]

AIDA Cruises is planning to send its cruise ship AIDAaura to South Africa for the upcoming 2022/23 winter cruise season. AIDAaura will sail 14-night roundtrip cruises from Cape Town, between November and March, with itineraries that focus on South Africa and Namibia. The cruises are intended to appeal to AIDA’s primary source market, Germany, with calls in the former German colonies of Luderitz … [Read more...]

Qatar’s cruise tourism sector is almost fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, with cruise ship calls for the 2022/23 season having bounced back thanks to the FIFA World Cup. Craig Upshall, tourism marketing and promotion sector, Qatar Tourism, is predicting 200,000 passengers for the coming season, due in large part to the growing size of cruise ships homeporting in Dubai. Qatar is pursuing … [Read more...]

The UAE’s Abu Dhabi Ports Group and Egypt’s Red Sea Ports Authority have signed a term sheet and a head of terms agreement for the development of cruise infrastructure. The agreement will see AD Ports Group invest in cruise infrastructure in several coastal cities in Egypt in the coming years. The agreement covers two activities, with the first focusing on maritime and trade, while the second … [Read more...]

The official opening ceremony for the new Kwa-Zulu Natal Cruise Terminal in Durban has been suspended until May 15th. MSC Cruises said it had decided to postpone the inauguration event for the new cruise terminal following the devastating floods that hit Durban and surrounding areas last month. This is the second postponement of the cruise terminal’s opening, after MSC Cruises in December shifted … [Read more...]

MSC Cruises‘ new luxury cruise line subsidiary, Explora Journeys, has laid the keel for its second cruise ship, Explora II, at the Fincantieri shipyard in Castellammare di Stabia, Italy. Explora II will be the second of an initial order of four identical sister ships for the new cruise line, and will be delivered in 2024, a year after the first, Explora I, in 2023. Explora I is also under … [Read more...]

Costa Atlantica and Costa Mediterranea, which spent almost the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic in warm lay-up in Dubai, have left the region and returned to Europe. The two ships, which are owned by Carnival Corporation’s joint venture with the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), were meant to cruise year-round from China prior to the pandemic. The sister ships were purchased by CSSC … [Read more...]

The name of an MSC cruise ship sailing from Cape Town in 2024 as part of its World Cruise has caused a stir on Twitter in South Africa due to its name. MSC Poesia will cruise from Cape Town in 2024, as part of a longer 121-day World Cruise, but her name bears unfortunate similarity to an Afrikaans obscenity. South Africans on Twitter have been having fun with the name as a result, reports The … [Read more...]

The Turkish cruise company Ay Cruise is planning to launch new cruise itineraries from Istanbul in Turkey to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, so that passengers can undertake the Umrah pilgrimage by ship. The new Istanbul-Jeddah cruise itineraries will be launched in 2023, providing greater access to Istanbul for cruise passengers in the Muslim World, while also giving Turkish passengers the opportunity … [Read more...]