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:
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.
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…”
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.
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/ 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.
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.
By Wallace Immen/ First it was Ritz-Carlton. Now hotel groups Four Seasons and Orient Express are joining the race to have the most luxurious and personal yachts at sea.
By Wallace Immen/ Crystal Cruises’ first new ship in a quarter of a century, Crystal Grace, promises to live up to her name said Cristina Levis, CEO of A&K Travel Group, who announced the name choice.
By Wallace Immen/ Oceania Cruises has pulled back the curtain on Oceania Sonata, the first in a new class of ship it calls a ‘New Era of Luxury at Sea.’ Set to debut in 2027, the vessel will be the first of four 1,390-guest luxury ships in a new Sonata Class.
By Wallace Immen/ Crescent Seas, a start-up company planning to sell condos on cruise ships is backing out of a high-profile charter of two well-known ships pushing plans for homes at sea far into the future.