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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
By WALLACE IMMEN/ Victory Cruise Line is seeing a spike in new bookings for its Great Lakes cruises and owner John Waggoner knows why: “I hear it every day: There’s a stalemate in Middle East and the airlines are raising fares and cutting flights…”
Five decades after entering a cruise business that operated on manual, paper-driven processes and communications, Micky Arison, the longtime chairman of Carnival Corporation & plc, says the fundamental formula for success remains strikingly simple: deliver a great experience that makes guests happy without breaking their budgets.
Building on record performance, Holland America Line plans a $500-million investment to reimagine six ships. Holland America Evolution is the most ambitious guest experience update in the company’s 153-year history, to deliver a comprehensive bow-to-stern revitalization and add popular features of its Pinnacle Class ships across most of the fleet, the company says.
Travel advisors with river cruise clients know the challenge: What comes next after guests have sailed the world’s great rivers, like the Rhine, Danube, Douro and Mekong? Windstar Cruises aims to answer that question with a new category of travel: river-to-ocean cruising that connects both experiences in a single journey. No changing ships. No interruptions. Just a seamless way to move beyond the river and into a much broader world of exploration.
Luxury cruising is undergoing a quiet but significant transformation. As small-ship fleets expand and hotel brands long associated with land-based luxury enter the market, affluent travellers are no longer asking which cruise line is “the best.” Instead, they’re asking which one fits them.
By WALLACE IMMEN/ With a war going on, fuel prices spiking and even some ships stuck in port, it’s a challenging moment, but cruise leaders remain optimistic about long-term growth.
Trafalgar officially debuted its new river cruise offering on the weekend with inaugural sailings aboard the Trafalgar Verity on the Rhine and Trafalgar Reverie on the Danube, marking a significant milestone in the brand’s evolution as it extends its guided travel expertise beyond land.
From cities at sea to overwhelming destinations with mass tourism, cruising sometimes gets a bad name. But a new report from the World Travel & Tourism Council highlights the positive impact of the sector, including supporting 1.8 million jobs worldwide and generating US$199 billion in global economic output.
By WALLACE IMMEN/ Oceania Cruises plans a transformation of its classic ship Oceania Marina. In a dry dock in October 2026, every stateroom will be redesigned, along with enhancements across all public spaces, ensuring that the ship reflects Oceania Cruises’ signature blend of residential luxury understated elegance.
By WALLACE IMMEN/ Explora Journeys has joined a roster of cruise lines changing course from the Middle East and sailing throughout the winter in the Mediterranean. MSC Cruises, and Windstar Cruises are also rerouting to sail in Europe and North Africa through the winter months as the closing of the Gulf of Hormuz continues with no end in sight.
The long-awaited Four Seasons I has begun her inaugural season, a Mediterranean voyage, coinciding with the 65th anniversary of Four Seasons Hotels and the opening of its first hotel on the first day of spring in 1961.
Noted OTA Cruiseline.com has announced the winners of its 2026 Member Choice Awards – honorifics that come from the most authentic experts – “real people” – who sailed and reviewed cruises between January and December 2025.
By WALLACE IMMEN/ AmaWaterways showcased the new colours and branding of its river fleet with the gala christening of its newest ship, AmaSofia. The ceremony on the Rhine was attended by 1,200 members of the travel advisor community during the ASTA River Cruise Expo in Amsterdam.
The next ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet will be named the ‘Disney Believe’ – named to honour “the dreamers and doers who dare to pursue their own happily ever after.”
As the 2026 wave season nears its end, TRAVELSAVERS Canada reports notable double-digit increases in cruise sales across virtually all major categories compared with the same period last year. The strongest gains during the first two months of the year came from expedition and river cruising, which posted year‐over‐year increases of 40% and 15% respectively. Luxury cruise sales increased 14% and ocean cruises grew nine%.
By Wallace Immen/ Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Scenic Group has announced another fleet expansion, with three new luxury river ships to join its award-winning portfolio. This includes one new Emerald Star-Ship and two ultra-luxury Scenic Space-Ships, extending their presence across Europe and Asia in 2027 and 2028.
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.
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?
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.
By Wallace Immen/ A small, niche cruise line sailing in Southeast Alaska has called it quits.
By Wallace Immen/ Think of cruise ships as planets. They’re self-sufficient floating worlds that imaginative designers create into unique environments. Read the second part of this exclusive story in The Cruisington Times.
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.