WINDSTAR GOING EVEN BIGGER ON CANADA
- Windstar Cruises is adding a new itinerary in 2026 to its popular Canada & New England season of sailings, which are fall travel favourites thanks to the line’s ability to visit many smaller, scenic ports where big ships don’t go. The line’s 312-guest motor yacht Star Pride sails in the region during the prime fall colour months of September and October.
FLEET REDEPLOYMENT: NCL cancels dozens more sailings
- Norwegian Cruise Line has cancelled almost six months of sailings between November 2025 and April 2026 on three of its ships - Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Star and Norwegian Jewel. The cruise line said the cancellations were due to ‘fleet redeployment’ according to a communication sent to booked guests and their travel advisors.
A PIECE OF THE WORLD IS MISSING ON CRUISE CHARTS
- It’s clear that cruise lines expect the Suez Canal, Red Sea and the Holy Land to be too conflicted to risk sailing around for a long time to come. How long? Even newly announced 2027 World Cruises are steering far away from the entire Middle East.
PLAN AHEAD TO SNAG THESE UNIQUE EXOTIC CRUISES
- Been there done that? No matter how many weeks you’ve cruised in the Caribbean or the Med, it’s time to shake things up and broaden your horizons beyond the usual suspects. Cruise lines are plotting innovative out-of-the-ordinary cruise options to one-up the growing competition. They’re experiences you haven’t been able to have before and are destined to be remembered for years after they end.
I’M SAILING AWAY: Americans offered unique opportunity to ‘skip’ new Trump term
- A residential cruise tour operator is offering disgruntled American voters facing four more years of Donald Trump a chance to continuously sail around the world and “skip forward” to the end of his administration in 2028. Starting at just under US$40,000, Villa Vie Residences has programs ranging from one to four years that allow guests to join at any time in any port as it circles the globe.
DISNEY TREASURE ARRIVES IN FLORIDA, SET FOR MAIDEN VOYAGE
- Disney Treasure, Disney Cruise Line’s new ship, docked in its home port of Port Canaveral, Florida, for the very first time this week. Following its initial visit to Florida, the ship will sail to New York City for a special christening celebration on the evening of Nov. 19.
MSC CRUISES ENHANCES LOYALTY PROGRAM
- MSC Cruises has announced enhancements to its MSC Voyagers Club loyalty program, highlighted by a refreshed tier scheme and easier-to-access discounted and extended validity. Also from MSC, EXPLORA JOURNEYS has unveiled exclusive access for guests to Monaco’s Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2025.
THREE’S A CHARM: A look at Crystal’s new ship
- Crystal has finalized its order with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for construction of a third ocean ship. The announcement comes two years after A&K Travel Group acquired Crystal in 2022, marking a new chapter for the cruise line.
HOW SWAN HELLENIC IS REINVENTING EXPEDITION CRUISES
- Ever been to Kalso, Kinsale or Kilwa Kivinje? How about Hermanus or the Abrolhos Archipelago? Neither has any cruise line before Swan Hellenic added them to their coming itineraries. The storied brand has been reborn with new owners and a fleet of new eco-friendly expedition ships.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN BUYS MEXICAN PORT
- Royal Caribbean Group has confirmed it is buying the Port of Costa Maya in Quintana Roo, Mexico. The deal is reported to be worth nearly US $300 million and includes adjacent land at Mahahual. The cruise company plans major upgrades at the port and surrounding infrastructure.
INSURANCE TIPS: Key benefits for Canadian cruisers
- Due to the unique multi-leg nature of travelling by cruise ship, combined with potential medical issues abroad, the importance of cruise travel insurance cannot be overstated, says travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip.ca.
HOLLAND AMERICA TO EXPAND CANADA-NEW ENGLAND CRUISES
- Holland America Line is expanding its Canada and New England season in 2026 with more cruises, increased ports of call and added overnights. Sailing from Boston, a new 28-day Legendary Voyage –"Canada, New England and Iceland" – highlights the three regions.
CAMELS AND A PROFUSION OF COLOURS ON THE ROAD TO MARRAKESH
- They’ve got big eyes, furry ears and goofy, toothy grins – and they had us surrounded on the road in Morocco. It had hardly been the Marrakesh Express since we left Oceania Cruises’ Marina on the two-lane blacktop road from Agadir to the remarkable walled city of Taroudant. But our bus ground to a total halt as the lumbering camels completely blocked the route.
NEW SEATTLE HOME-PORT SAILINGS: MSC Cruises to launch first-ever Alaska sailings
- MSC Cruises will launch Alaska itineraries for the first time, with seven-night sailings available from May to September 2026 aboard MSC Poesia out of the cruise line’s new Seattle home-port – its fifth in the US. The summer season will also feature two itineraries transiting Panama Canal between Seattle and Miami.
WHAT’S DRIVING CRUISING’S TIDAL WAVE OF BOOKINGS?
- Cruise, along with luxury, is a buzzword in travel in 2024 and the sector is primed for a record-breaking year. The trend is borne out by a surge in cruise bookings at Trip.com, which says it has registered a whopping 344% year-on-year growth from January to October. The online retailer has also identified several micro trends within the larger tidal wave of global bookings.
SEABOURN SUB DIVE SOLVES 110-YEAR MYSTERY
- A submersible from Seabourn Cruises’ expedition ship Seabourn Pursuit made a historic discovery during a dive off the coast of Alejandro Selkirk Island in Chile. On Oct. 14, the sub carrying guests aboard the ultra-luxury line’s newest purpose-built expedition ship found the wreck of the Titania, a German supply ship lost for 110 years lying 95 metres below the surface.
MSC CRUISES EXPANDS ‘RECORD-BREAKING’ ENTERTAINMENT
- Thrill-seekers looking to get their name in the record books will now have even more opportunity to do so as MSC Cruises plans to roll out its Guinness World Records entertainment program across its entire fleet. The popular program, which gives guests the chance to break official Guinness World Records titles through a variety of activities, is now available on 12 ships and will be rolled out across the entire MSC Cruises fleet within the next year.
NICE BEACH, BUT THERE’S SO MUCH MORE TO NICE
- Le jazz was hot. The band rocked sets that ranged from Abba to Zappa. Bubbly and sangria were the drinks of choice. The party on the roof overlooking Promenade des Anglaise had the electric chic of a music video and the location was the most sybaritic on the French Riviera.
LEARN & EARN WITH CARNIVAL
- Carnival Cruise Line has announced an announced an enriched Learn & Earn training platform as part of its Loyalty Rocks! program for travel advisors. Travel advisors will now have new curriculum options, as well as access to more than 50 video-based courses designed to sharpen expertise on a variety of Carnival topics, including ship overviews, industry trends, and tools like social media training.
AZAMARA CONTINUES COMMITMENT TO TRAVEL ADVISORS
- Small-ship cruise line Azamara has launched a revamped global reservation system aimed at enhancing the booking experience for travel advisors. Dubbed RezA, the new system is part of Azamara's broader commitment to improving relationships with its travel partners through its “Listening, Learning, and Linking” initiative.
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