CRUISES CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE
By Wallace Immen/ With the Middle East conflict spreading at an epidemic rate, cruise lines are scrambling to avoid disruption and planning far ahead to steer clear of an epic storm. Some were caught in the crosshairs. Three cruise ships in the United Arab Emirates cancelled upcoming sailings.
CONFESSIONS OF A ENCHANTED CRUISE TIME TRAVELLER
By Wallace Immen/ What if every other day was 25 hours long? What if you could make an entire day vanish – or jump from one year to the next and back again? And what if you could fly home from halfway around the world and arrive before you left?
WAIT FOR IT: Cruise ships getting ordered 10 years in advance
By Wallace Immen/ Talk about ordering ahead. Two upscale cruise lines have just inked contracts for new ships not due to arrive for more than a decade. It’s the kind of optimism that comes from seeing record-breaking sales across the entire cruise industry.
WHY A 15-YEAR ALASKAN DREAM ENDED SO SUDDENLY
By Wallace Immen/ A small, niche cruise line sailing in Southeast Alaska has called it quits.
DESIGNING NEW WORLDS: Like home, only better
By Wallace Immen/ In a bathroom, three guys are standing in a shower – each trying to grab a towel. In a public room, a team of designers is brainstorming ways to turn a staircase into a chandelier. And yet another team is sketching ways to pay homage to Michaelangelo on the ceiling of a lounge.
WHO’S STEERING THE SHIP?: Younger and luxury travellers are reshaping cruise industry
Demand for cruises remains strong for 2026, with clear signs that younger travellers and luxury consumers are reshaping the industry, according to research from Internova Travel Group, with new data from the leading travel service company revealing rising interest in luxury yachts, short cruises and expedition voyages.
CELEBRITY PLANS TO FLOOD EUROPE WITH RIVER CRUISES
By Wallace Immen/ Make that 20! Celebrity River Cruises has announced a commitment for 10 more new ships that will expand its European river cruise fleet to 20 vessels by 2031. All this while construction of the first of the fleet – Celebrity Compass – has just started. And it’s already a sellout.
NEW LUXURY ATLAS YACHT TO SPORT HIGH-TECH SAILS
By Wallace Immen/ Atlas Ocean Voyages has revealed it’s building a state-of-the-art luxury expedition sailing yacht with sails and an eco-friendly hybrid propulsion system that can run almost silently.
AS THE WORLD CHURNS, CRUISES SAIL AROUND TROUBLE
By Wallace Immen/ Cruises get planned years in advance, but ship itineraries can be changed overnight. So, there’s some comfort behind the turmoil of the past few weeks that’s seeing cruise lines hastily alter course.
CRUISE LINES MAKE A SPLASH WITH WAVE SEASON INCENTIVES
Wave Season – traditionally considered to be January through March – is underway and cruise lines, in addition to some of the suppliers that sell them, are out to make a splash with incentives for clients, and in some cases travel advisors as well in the name of boosting bookings. Here is a sampling of some of the offers currently available.