Cruise

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.

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.

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. 

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/ 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.

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.

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.

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.

By Wallace Immen/ It seems everyone got the same idea at the same time: there’s an untapped demand for a small ship that can explore the far corners of the globe in the luxury you expect at the world’s finest hotels or resorts.

By Wallace Immen/ No matter how popular their ships are, cruise lines expanding their fleets aren’t content with just more of the same. The big new cruisers launching in 2026 are invariably a little larger than their sisters and packed with inventive added features, options and fun twists to get attention.

By Wallace Immen/ You can’t help but be awed by the beauty of the lush Costa Rican coast. And somehow things get more awe-inspiring as you go into the uplands and jungles. We’re about to experience a panorama of the country’s tropical nature and the plethora of wildlife that calls it home on a tour from Seabourn Encore doing a Central American cruise from Panama.

By Wallace Immen/ Century Cruises is expanding into Europe with a new Danube River ship, Century Star. The Chinese line which has specialized in ships touring the Yangtze River is launching a 78- luxury -cabin ship, being designed and built in the Dutch yard Concordia Damen with delivery scheduled in the fall of 2026 to begin cruising on the Danube.