Ho, ho, ho, who wouldn’t go? An 18-night icebreaking voyage all the way to the North in July is among Abercrombie & Kent’s innovative new small-ship expeditions for 2024. There will be a cocktail party at 90 degrees north and a toast to Santa Claus. (Of course, it’s a myth he and his elves actually live at the Pole, but bears and Arctic birds could very well be surprise guests).
It’s really unusual to get a birth announcement a year in advance. But MSC Cruises thinks the arrival of its new flagship MSC World America is an event cruisers need to make a priority in their planners for 2025.
Signs along the narrow, winding road up Brimstone Hill caution Drive Slowly. You hardly need to be reminded, because the steep up this hill that should be called a mountain is strenuous even for the local goats.
Oceania Cruises is charting a 180-day round the world course for its newest ship Vista in 2026. One of the longest world cruises ever, the circumnavigation will visit 101 ports across 43 countries on a 1,200-guest ship that sets a new standard for comfort and convenience.
Cruise lines are scrambling to re-route around the Red Sea due to ongoing attacks on commercial ships. It’s costing them a bundle and leaving thousands of guests in the lurch, but in some cases, entire cruises are being cancelled. Meanwhile, one world cruise has taken the unprecedented step of asking passengers to vote on an alternative route.
Has the Four Seasons Yachts project hit the rocks? The mystery persists in the wake of the abrupt resignations of cruise superstar Larry Pimentel, who was President and CEO, along with co-founder Philip Levine from the company developing ultra-luxury ships in a partnership with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.
In a signal that cruising has finally recovered, Carnival Corp. has inked its first order for a new ship since before the pandemic. The fourth Excel-Class ship for Carnival Cruise Line will be built at the Meyer Werft shipyard and be delivered in 2027. And the company confirmed rumors reported in Seatrade Cruise News they are in discussion for as many as four ships to be built by Fincantieri in Italy.
Cruise lines are riding the crest of an enormous wave. Could it wash away your options for a cruise getaway? Carnival Corp. reports that almost two-thirds of the capacity of its fleets for 2024 is already booked, with occupancy on its ships over 100 percent.
Holland America Line had the biggest sales day in the brand’s 150-year history in January, up 18 per cent from its previous peak sales day recorded in July, 2023.
Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings ships sailed at 106 per cent of occupancy in late 2023 and advance bookings are 59 per cent higher that they were in the strong fall of 2019.
A new cruise destination is coming into focus as Carnival Cruise Line revealed details of Celebration Key, an exclusive destination on Grand Bahama designed to offer guests “a key for unlocking their slice of paradise.” Development of the cruise attraction on the south side of Grand Bahama Island, has been underway since 2017 and is finally set to open in the summer of 2025, Carnival says.
A quick pivot to replace cruises in the Middle East has opened a new opportunity for winter cruising in the Mediterranean. Windstar Cruises has received so much demand it’s decided to keep Star Legend in Europe for a second winter with more varied itineraries. It’s part of a trend that is seeing MSC Cruises operating ships year-round from Italy and Spain and a plan for AmaWaterways to start cruising as early as February on European rivers.
On St. Bart’s in season, the theme is if you’ve got it flaunt it! The French Caribbean harbour is packed with imposing yachts that are the toys of people constantly looking for ways to one-up the competition. And yet all eyes are on us when the Sea Cloud Spirit gracefully sails in.
Scrambling up the masts of one of the world’s largest sailing ships on rope ladders, crew members gingerly balance on tightrope-like lines to untie knots and let her huge sails unfurl in the wind. On deck below, a ballet begins as other sailors have to use all their weight to manually pull sail lines taut and meticulously loop miles of rope onto belaying pins. A spectacular morning has begun on Sea Cloud Spirit.
Are we in the south of France – or the Caribbean? It can be deceiving on St. Martin. Navigating the steep hills and winding roads to reach secluded Grand Case Beach Club resembles driving on the Grand Corniche. The resort’s imposing entrance gate features a flagpole flying the French tri-colour, as it should on this overseas outpost of France. But there’s a second flagpole flying the stars and stripes and while the official language is French, everyone speaks perfect English.
Cruise lines are reporting record bookings and that has them expanding their fleets with ever-larger ships. There’s a bumper crop arriving in 2024, each of which seems to offer more features than ever before. Two newcomers will be among the world’s largest, including an Iconic record-breaker with room for more than 7,000 guests.
For the first time, luxury river cruise line AmaWaterways will begin its European river cruising season in February, with two ships on the Danube and Rhine rivers. It’s a direct response to the increased demand for new off-season travel options, but it’s only part of a significant evolution of river cruising preferences, the company that’s had record results for 2023 says.
Breaking a bottle of Champagne against the hull, getting blessings from a godmother (or godfather) and making a gala sail-away. It seems there’s a new ship getting christened every few days lately. Here’s a look at some splashy namings in the news.
On any evening, you can find succulent fois gras, classic Dover sole, fresh Maine lobster and Black Angus prime beef on a menu on the new Explora 1. You can head to an oyster bar, enjoy a sushi platter, or find a specialty topped with caviar, and it’s all included.
One of many explanations for the island of Antigua’s name is that when Christopher Columbus first saw it he commented that it was “anti-agua”– the island that has no water. That’s ironic because most of the options for shore excursions from Explora Journeys’ new Explora 1 revolve around water. This Caribbean island boasts it has 365 beaches – one for every day of the year.
This is a ship that runs on Champagne. Just kidding. But the corks keep popping from the moment you step on board Explora Journeys’ new ship Explora 1. After a smooth check-in at the Port of Miami, where attendants took care of getting our bags on the ship, we’re greeted at the gangway by smiling staff offering trays covered with flutes of complimentary Moet & Chandon Champagne and mimosas.
Everything moves more slowly in Arctic. The seasons are condensed in Canada’s far north as nature takes advantage of a few fleeting months of light and hibernates in the long dark months. There’s a timelessness to the land that has never been altered by roads or development.
“Barcelona closes port to cruise ships” – Many of the headlines on social media have been breathless. But let’s take a deeper breath. While, yes, the city pier called Muelle Barcelona Norte and another small commercial dock will no longer be available for cruise ships to book, Barcelona’s large and best-known port complex is actually going to be upgraded to accommodate extra ships.
Paying homage to the age of tall ships, with more than 44,000 square feet of sails that are unfurled by hand, the new 136-guest Sea Cloud Spirit combines a romantic windjammer atmosphere with the most modern comforts. The newly built three-masted ship follows the role model of her two classic wind-jammer sisters, the Sea Cloud and the Sea Cloud II while offering a generous number of cabins with balconies.
There’s a polar bear on our starboard side! The first of what would be many encounters with the Arctic’s iconic ice bears woke everyone up early on Seabourn Venture’s Northwest Passage voyage. Guests rushed to the observation decks and trained binoculars on a polar bear on the prowl, regularly raising his head to sniff the air for a potential meal.
From cancelling cruises from Ashdod and Haifa to hasty departures as bombs were falling, cruise lines have had to quickly retreat from Israel due to the sudden eruption of a devastating war. Here’s a look at what we know so far.
Are you ready for an adventure that will make history? We’re about to sail across the top of the world, to explore the fabled Northwest Passage and set foot on places few people have ever been. For decades, Canada’s high Arctic remained terra incognita, a fascinatingly dangerous obsession that drove explorers to commit to three years of hardship on wooden ships with icy decks in an environment that could break ships as well as the resolve of even the most resolute sailors.
Holland America Line is launching a global fresh fish program by engaging a network of 60 ports to source and serve 80 types of fresh fish in all its restaurants,– promising to go from port to plate in less than 48 hours.
It wasn’t that long ago that exploring remote areas of the globe could put you out of touch with the outside world for weeks. Until recently, cruises near either of the poles and even to lesser-populated islands were well out of contact for satellite services. Or, if available, they cost the price of a meal per minute. But all that is changing fast.
It’s life, but not as we know it. Sea angels, sea butterflies and jolly jelly fish glimmer in vivid colors all around us, even though we can see right through them. The ultimate experience on a momentous expedition across Canada’s famed Northwest Passage aboard Seabourn Venture is the unique opportunity to dive into unexplored icy water in a custom built mini-submarine.
You can visit the world’s biggest penis collection, dance until dawn and take a quick jaunt to an active volcano and a steaming Blue Lagoon. What’s not to love about Iceland’s capital city with its clean, walkable streets of quaint shops painted in vivid colors that could have been imagined by a theme park set designer?
I’ve toured the fascinating ruins of ancient Ephesus many times on visits that have spanned more than two decades, and each time I’ve been amazed by how many discoveries are still being made regularly. In fact, less than half of the city that eventually became buried after being abandoned nearly 2,000 years ago has actually been uncovered and cataloged. But the work is continuing.