Latest Cruise News

As part of the 2020 national election, residents of Key West, Florida participated in a referendum to vote on the future of cruise ships arriving to the Port of Key West. The vote resulted in 63.33% favoring limits on the number of disembarking cruise guests to 1,500 per day, while 60.69% voted in favor of prohibiting cruise ships carrying 1,300 guests or more. Additionally, 81.20% voted in favor of giving priority to cruise lines with the best environmental records. In 2019, Key West saw over 400 cruises ships disembarking just…

Last week, the CDC’s ongoing no sail order that had been continually extended since March 2020, was allowed to expire. While cruise lines and cruisers alike were anxiously waiting for that moment for months, the CDC quickly released a detailed 40 page document outlining the steps required by cruise lines to start sailing again. The CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing order follows a phased approach to resuming cruises from the United States. From reading the document, it becomes very clear that a full scale restart of the cruising business is…

Carnival Cruise Line’s second XL-class ship, Carnival Celebration is now open for reservations. She is set to debut in November 2022 as part of the company’s 50th birthday with an inaugural 14-day Carnival Journeys cruise Nov. 6, 2022, followed by the launch of year-round service from PortMiami Nov. 21, 2022. Also Watch: Mardi Gras – Carnival Mega Cruise Ship Preview (2020) The addition of Carnival Celebration to Miami will maintain PortMiami’s position as the top embarkation port for Carnival Cruise Line. Carnival Celebration will include many of the features that…

Carnival Cruise Line has shared more details about what we can expect to see and experience within the Grand Central atrium onboard Mardi Gras. Breaking the mold, Grand Central is a transformational three-deck-high space that is one of six themed zones on Mardi Gras, set to debut in February. A unique twist on the traditional atrium, Grand Central spans Decks 6, 7 and 8 with massive 3,000-square-foot glass panels built into the starboard side of the ship providing guests with impressive views of the ocean and ports of call as…

Virgin Voyages has announced their second vessel, Valiant Lady, will be sailing in the Caribbean from Miami starting in November 2021. Valiant Lady, currently under construction at Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, and sister to Scarlet Lady, will sail a 15 night transatlantic voyage from Barcelona to Miami on October 24, 2021. Upon her arrival, she will commence a series of 6-8 night Caribbean voyages through the winter months. On May 1, 2022, Valiant Lady will sail a 14 night Transatlantic voyage back from Miami to Barcelona. The 15 Night Transatlantic…

Carnival Cruise Line  has announced that Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination have been sold. The sale of Carnival Fascination, launched in 1994, and Carnival Imagination, introduced in 1995, is in line with Carnival Corporation’s plan to accelerate the removal of less efficient ships from its fleet. This follows the sale of Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration which took place in July.  Upon return to operations, Carnival will still operate four upgraded Fantasy-class ships – Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Sensation, Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise – which feature additional balcony staterooms as…

Royal Caribbean’s fifth Oasis-class ship, Wonder of the Seas, has been transferred to the fitting out dock at Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. This was also the first time the ship’s hull has touched water since construction began with the first block being placed in October 2019. Originally scheduled to arrive in 2021, Wonder of the Seas will take the title as world’s largest cruise ship, currently held by sister ship Symphony of the Seas. Being built to suit the Chinese cruise market, Wonder of the Seas will…

Carnival Cruise Line officially announced that the name of their second Excel-Class ship will be Carnival Celebration. With the help of celebrity partners past and present, Carnival Cruise Line today announced that its next Excel-class ship arriving in 2022 to coincide with its 50th birthday celebration will be named “Carnival Celebration.” A full roster of Carnival partners, including Kathie Lee Gifford, Guy Fieri and Shaquille O’Neal, unwrapped boxes that revealed the letters of the Celebration name, which is both a throwback to one of the popular early ships in the…

Anyone that has taken a cruise before, knows the least favorite part is the mandatory muster drill. For years, guests have been required to attend these drills en masse, with literally thousands of guests all moving in the same direction at the same time. Thankfully, with the introduction of  the Oasis class ships from Royal Caribbean over a decade ago, guests stopped having to carry their life vests from their cabins to the drills. On newer ships, we’ve also seen a move to having guests attend the drills in indoor…