Wallace Immen/ Sea Dream Yacht Club is ordering a new ultra-luxury ship that can take 200 guests around the world. It’s been a long time coming for the 25-year-old boutique ultra-luxury cruise line ,whose two ships carry just 112 guests and have a crew of 100. While the yachts were born in the 1980s and are over 40 years old, they’ve been meticulously maintained and have a loyal following.
Given their expertise, cruise ship captains helming the approximately 320 ships in the fleet of member cruise lines of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), have their own perspectives – and favourite ports of call.
Disney Cruise Line (DCL) will return to New York City and offer more cruises from San Juan, Puerto Rico, in Fall 2027 and Spring 2028, according to company, which has unveiled its winter cruising schedule for next year.
By WALLACE IMMEN/ These massive walls have defended against centuries of conquests. Beautiful squares are filled with flowers, food and music. The medieval towns along the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic have been the fantasy settings for the Game of Thrones. And over centuries of history, the games have been all too real.
Virtuoso concluded its recent 38th annual Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas with an elegant awards gala that honoured its top cruise partners for 2026.
By WALLACE IMMEN/ Oceania Cruises is stretching the definition of cruises to remarkable lengths. A new menu of options includes cruises that range from 31-day explorations to 180-day circumnavigations.
MSC Cruises is enhancing its air-inclusive offerings for Canadian travel advisors with expanded Fly & Cruise and Flex Air and programs that create new opportunities to increase earnings while delivering greater convenience, flexibility and customization for clients.
By WALLACE IMMEN/ Carnival Corporation is defending the sustainability of cruising, saying not only has it met targets for cutting emissions early, it is raising its eco-friendly goals and will achieve them sooner.
Cunard has revealed plans for an extensive transformation of Queen Victoria, with the elegant ship set to emerge from dry dock this fall with refreshed signature spaces including Cunard Grills suites and the introduction of The Pavilion Wellness Café.
Long before mega-ships and crowded ports came to dominate much of the cruise industry, Mexico’s Baja California Sur built a quieter reputation as one of North America’s most noteworthy small-ship cruising destinations, where private yachts, scientific expeditions, and adventure travellers have long used the Gulf of California as a gateway to some of the continent’s most remote and biologically rich marine environments.
By WALLACE IMMEN/ A four-month voyage planned on Atlas Ocean Cruises’ newest ship promises to explore the cultures and tastes of places even the most seasoned travellers haven’t visited.
By WALLACE IMMEN/ The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities has launched a new Digital Visa-on-Arrival System to simplify entry procedures for international travellers. The pilot phase of the new system has begun at Cairo International Airport, and will be rolled out nationwide.
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.
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.
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.
Who runs the cruise world? Increasingly, it’s women in leadership positions throughout the industry.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.