inFocus: Cruise for Email


  • LOW WATER TURNS RIVERS CRUISES INTO ADVENTURES
    - By WALLACE IMMEN/ Soaring temperatures and drought in Europe are forcing cruise lines to adapt, with what some guests are calling “magical mystery cruises.” While the worst of the heat wave appears to be subsiding, an extended drought and wildfires are forcing changes in itineraries and excursions.

  • CRUISING’S LUCRATIVE NEW NICHE: How hotel cruise brands are creating, not converting, new customers
    - A new category of luxury travel is forming at sea, and it is not coming from the cruise industry. According to new 2026 booking data from Global Travel Collection (GTC), part of the Internova Travel Group, iconic hotel and hospitality brands now account for 5% of all future cruise bookings, with the average branded voyage priced at US$40,000. That is four times the cost of a traditional ocean cruise.

  • EMERALD GETS READY FOR INVASION OF NORMANDY
    - By WALLACE IMMEN/ Emerald Cruises & Tours celebrated the ceremonial launch of Emerald Lumi, a ship designed specifically to cruise the Seine River and sail right into the heart of Paris. The new ship measures just 110 metres in length, designed to navigate where few other river ships can reach. 

  • HOW WOMEN PRESIDENTS ARE STEERING CRUISE INDUSTRY
    - Who runs the cruise world? Increasingly, it’s women in leadership positions throughout the industry.

  • DESTINY AWAITS: Carnival introduce new ship
    - Carnival Cruise Line marked a major milestone with the traditional steel-cutting ceremony for its newest ship, Carnival Destiny – arriving in summer 2029 as the first of three vessels in its next-generation of ships, officially named Ace Class.

  • SUNWING ADDS MSC OPERA TO CRUISE LINEUP
    - Sunwing Vacations is expanding its winter cruise offering with the addition of MSC Opera, providing Quebec guests with additional options to escape the winter. Beginning Dec. 14, the tour company will offer weekly Monday departures from Montreal to La Romana, D.R., connecting guests to seven-night Caribbean sailings with key inclusions bundled into one booking.

  • WHY YOU’LL WANT TO PLAY ON SEVEN SEAS PRESTIGE
    - By WALLACE IMMEN/ The shuffleboard is “supercharged” and the Pickleball and Padel courts are competition grade. There’s an 18-hole golf putting course, an enclave for sunrise and sunset yoga, a full-size pool and all-day relaxation zones.

  • HOW SOCIAL MEDIA IS CHANGING THE NATURE OF CRUISING
    - As cruise travel continues to grow, a new trend is quietly reshaping how passengers experience their vacations: travellers are increasingly connecting with fellow cruisers before they ever step onboard.

  • HOW MUCH FUN CAN A CARNIVAL BEACH HANDLE
    - By WALLACE IMMEN/ The numbers are staggering. Carnival’s private Caribbean port Celebration Key can now dock four mega-ships a day and see over 13,000 guests a day hitting the beaches and attractions.

  • WHERE’S THE HOOGHLY? YOU’RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT
    - By WALLACE IMMEN/ Think you’ve seen it all? Leave it to Scenic Group to keep expanding the definition of exotic cruising. Their latest boutique ship, Scenic Aura, will be exploring a river that flows through India’s West Bengal along with land extensions for tiger viewing and visiting the Taj Mahal.

  • A CONTROVERSIAL CRUISE SHIP FACES TROUBLE AGAIN
    - By WALLACE IMMEN/ A cruise ship with a checkered history, Gemini is reported to have been arrested in Greece due to unpaid debts the owner owes to a Turkish financial institution.

  • DISCOVERING CELEBRITY’S HIDDEN FOODIE PARADISES
    - By WALLACE IMMEN/ I’ve got a dinner date in Eden and an evening of grand dining in a four-star rated restaurant. And they’re both on a cruise ship. Le Voyage on Celebrity Ascent rates four stars among restaurants around the world in the latest Forbes Travel Guide’s global dining list.

  • WINTERTIME’S THE NEW TIME FOR CRUISING IN EUROPE
    - By WALLACE IMMEN/ With global conflicts seemingly never-ending, more cruise lines are shifting winter itineraries away from the Middle East and Africa to offer guests the security of Europe. And they’re seeing strong bookings because despite the cooler temperatures, the off-season promises a relief from tourist crowds.

  • 5 REASONS TO BRING THE OYLYMPIC GAMES BACK TO THEIR SOURCE
    - By WALLACE IMMEN/ The brochures for Celebrity Cruises’ shore excursion in Katakolon, Greece say it’s an opportunity to re-live what it was like to participate in the ancient Olympiade.

  • 7 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW NOW ABOUT CELEBRITY ASCENT.
    - Has Celebrity Cruises evolved to the point where the ship can be the destination? We’re about to find out on a cruise aboard the Celebrity Ascent, which offers a range of daily activities for every age and interest. But is it right for you? Here’s a look at the ups (and some downs) on the recent addition to Celebrity’s Edge Class of ships:

  • SHORT MEMORIES: Illness outbreaks unlikely to curb cruise enthusiasm
    - While a pair of high-profile outbreaks on cruises might have a temporary chilling effect, those in the industry predict the ships' siren song will lure travellers back in short order. 

  • THE TROUBLE WITH TRACY: Popular Alaska cruise stop off limits this summer
    - For years, a popular part of many cruises in southeast Alaska has been sailing up Tracy Arm, a long, narrow fjord marked by steep mountains, glittering waterfalls and calving glaciers.

  • TRANSCEND AIMS TO BE THE GO-TO FOR GROUP CRUISES
    - By WALLACE IMMEN/ A sleek, dark blue ship with interiors by luxury yacht firm Tillberg Design of Sweden is about to start sailing on Europe’s rivers. Gorgeous, but you can’t just book a single cabin, you have to commit to the whole ship. The Transcend Connect is only the first of 12 ships planned by Transcend Cruises, that sees an untapped demand for group charters on Europe’s rivers.

  • TITANIC LIFE JACKET AUCTIONED FOR OVER $1M
    - A life jacket worn by a passenger on RMS Titanic as she escaped the sinking steamship on a lifeboat sold recently at auction in the U.K. for 670,00 pounds ($1.3 million). The flotation device was worn by Laura Mabel Francatelli, a first-class passenger on the doomed ocean liner, and is signed by her and other survivors from the same lifeboat.

  • IT’S SHAPING UP AS A GREAT LAKES FUTURE
    - By WALLACE IMMEN/ Cruisers choosing to stay close to home, repeat guests and smoother sailing have cruise lines planning a long future in the Great Lakes.
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