Cruise News Update: October 29, 2022

Table Of Content

• Carnival Cruise Line to Build Fourth Excel-Class Ship
• Cruise Couple Reveal Wi-Fi Cost of 17 Back-to-Back Sailings on World...
• Construction Milestones for Two MSC Cruises Ships
• Royal Caribbean Orders Another Oasis-Class Ship
• Honolulu Cruise Port: Terminals and Guide
• Princess Cruises Rolls Out Fleetwide Dining Changes
• Cruise News Update: New Giant Ships, Passengers, Cancellations

With her exterior hull finished, the 215,863-gross ton vessel will now enter the final phase of construction, including the interior design. Two ships for Oceania Cruises will each carry 1,450 guests and will debut in 2027 and 2029. Both of the vessels will be 86,000-gross tons, which is larger than the line’s first Allura-class ship, at 67,000-gross tons. That ship, Vista, debuted in 2023, and a second in the class, Allura, is due to launch in 2025. The Carnival-owned cruise line’s pre-cruise testing measures have been in place since the cruise industry started operations again and have been an eyesore for many guests.

Carnival Cruise Line to Build Fourth Excel-Class Ship

Construction Begins on New Royal Beach Club in the Bahamas - Cruise Hive

Construction Begins on New Royal Beach Club in the Bahamas.

Posted: Mon, 22 Apr 2024 22:11:30 GMT [source]

It is possible that Carnival Cruise Line may add new levels with different requirements of points earned, or the benefits available to each level may be adjusted. The new vessel will be a sister ship to Mardi Gras, which entered service in 2020; Carnival Celebration, introduced in 2022, and Carnival Jubilee, fresh out of the shipyard in 2023. Carnival Cruise Line confirmed it will expand its Excel-class offerings with the order of a fourth vessel, to be constructed at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.

Cruise Couple Reveal Wi-Fi Cost of 17 Back-to-Back Sailings on World...

More likely, however, is the prospect that the ship will continue to generate spectacular interest and bookings will continue to surge. But the cruise line had altered the route, removing Paradise Bay and replacing it with scenic cruising near Elephant Island, which is farther from the Antarctic mainland but still technically part of Antarctica. The class debuted in 2009 with Oasis of the Seas, followed by Allure of the Seas in 2010; Harmony of the Seas, 2016; Symphony of the Seas, 2018; and Wonder of the Seas, 2022. The sixth in the class, Utopia of the Seas, is under construction and due to enter service in July 2024. The Jayhawk crew hoisted the two onboard and transported them to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where local emergency personnel were waiting to take them to a nearby hospital. Heald noted that guests who suffer from sleep apnea and rely on CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines are allowed to use magnets to position the CPAP cords across the ceiling, so guests don’t trip over them.

Construction Milestones for Two MSC Cruises Ships

Construction on Second Chinese-Built Cruise Ship Well Underway - Cruise Hive

Construction on Second Chinese-Built Cruise Ship Well Underway.

Posted: Sun, 21 Apr 2024 22:25:20 GMT [source]

The April 7 departures for Carnival Pride and Carnival Spirit are likewise affected. For all the latest Carnival Cruise Line news then you’ve come to the right place. Find and browse through news posts related to the popular cruise line and Carnival cruise ships. Norwegian Star is sailing a 14-day South America cruise roundtrip from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Port calls include destinations in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Shetland Islands, and Falkland Islands The itinerary also originally included scenic cruising in Paradise Bay, a well-known cove off Antarctica’s mainland. Carnival Cruise Line is continuing to expand its roster of fleet cruise directors, and this time the promotion goes to Erin Weigand, who will soon become the line’s first female to hold the post.

The cruise ship encountered the small rowboat, which was signaling distress, and stopped nearby to assist. The four adult occupants of the rowboat came alongside the ship and were tossed a rope to bring them in closer to the vessel. Carnival Cruise Line’s flagship, Mardi Gras, has once again assisted with a seagoing rescue, this time bringing aboard four individuals from a small rowboat. The incident happened in the afternoon of Thursday, June 30, as the ship was enjoying a Fun Day at Sea while proceeding back toward Port Canaveral.

Under the new policy, the traditional option enables guests to have the same table, wait staff, and meal time each night, while another offers reservable dinner times, and a third provides a dine-anytime approach. There has been no comment from the cruise line but some of the 100,000-plus people who have seen the video have suggested the guest be banned from cruising and possibly be charged with a crime, such as theft — if the video is real. Also, read about the new dining venues planned for the new-build Norwegian Aqua, a social media image that prompted cabin safety concerns, and the dramatic evacuation of a Disney Cruise Line guest.

At the keel-laying ceremony, teams constructing the vessel watched as newly minted coins were placed on the ship’s first 948-ton steel block. The longstanding maritime tradition calls for coins, representing Royal Caribbean and Chantiers de l’Atlantique, to bring luck during the ship’s construction. Guests that are 18 years and over must still be fully vaccinated, including any booster shots. So, vaccines, proof of vaccination, and testing for unvaccinated guests, are no longer required on cruises of 15 nights or less. However, Carnival encourages all guests 5 years and older to take a pre-cruise test within three days of their cruise. It is the October 25th bookings that have surpassed the cruise line’s records, however, and is sure to be the first of many records the new Icon-class vessel will break.

In a major expansion of its branded fleets, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced it plans to build four new ships for Norwegian Cruise Line, and two new ships each for Oceania Cruises and ultra-luxe line Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Local media reports indicate that a taxi driver picked up Solomon about a mile from the ship’s dock on the day he went missing and took him to a beach area on the island’s north shore. A new phase of construction has officially begun on Royal Caribbean International’s upcoming Utopia of the Seas, as her keel has been laid at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, in western France. This begins the actual, physical assembly of the vessel and is a much-anticipated ceremony.

Cruise News Update: New Giant Ships, Passengers, Cancellations

The Oasis class introduced the line’s popular neighborhood concept, including Boardwalk, with its AquaTheater, arcade, and carousel, and Central Park, a leafy, open space with thousands of live plants and a choice of restaurants and bars. A Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter and an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft were dispatched to the scene to handle the evacuation of the guest and the ship’s doctor. The dramatic evacuation of an expectant mother sailing aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Fantasy was expertly completed by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) on April 15, 2024. The ship’s Indulge Food Hall will feature a new station called Planterie, offering plant-based food bowls with healthy options such as spiced vegetables, tabbouleh, and honey-roasted carrots.

The ships will offer a mix of seasonal Caribbean/Bahamas sailings, plus Canada/New England itineraries. The affected cruises are all Carnival Journeys sailings, which are longer itineraries that typically attract higher numbers of loyalty program guests. The loss of some benefits happens more often on these cruises due to operational challenges when so many guests are eligible for the upgraded services. Built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, the 144,00-gross-ton ship accommodates 2,500 guests at double occupancy. Your weekly cruise news update covering the major stories across the cruise industry, including from Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line. Impacted guests on those sailings are being given a full refund and a 50% future cruise credit.

However, it appears that an email was sent to guests and a notice was posted at the luggage check-in area on embarkation day. Like the existing Excel-class ships, the new vessel will be powered by liquified natural gas, which cuts its carbon footprint by reducing emissions. The ships in this class are larger than others in the fleet, and able to offer more restaurants, bars, and activities. The cruise line has not revealed what kind of technical work must still be completed before the ship can operate her first voyage. The next sailing date on the cruise line website is February 28, 2024, when the ship will operate a 10-day “Grand Mediterranean” voyage from Rome to Barcelona.

The line announced it will delve into a brand new cuisine not offered on any of its ships, with the introduction of a Thai specialty restaurant called Sukhothai. Situated on Deck 17, the eatery will serve dishes such as Thai Cashew Chicken, Salt and Pepper Prawns, and Thai Grilled Steak Salad. It seems to suggest that the guest drank the spring water inside the bottle and then, in an attempt to fool the cruise line into thinking she did not drink it — and won’t have to pay for it — refills the bottle. A Carnival Cruise Line cabin steward paid a high price for entering a stateroom that had its do not disturb sign out. The steward knocked on the door and entered the cabin despite the guest having posted the “Snoozin’” door hanger outside the room. The Municipal Police of Cozumel and other agencies are involved in the search efforts and are using video surveillance resources and social media in their efforts to find Solomon.

Royal Caribbean has not disclosed details about the new Oasis-class ship order, but the vessel is expected to be roughly the same size as the existing ships in the class, which can accommodate about 5,600 guests in double occupancy. The announcement of the ship order came as a surprise to cruise watchers, who believed Utopia of the Seas would likely be the line’s final Oasis-class ship. The line already has introduced its newest class, Icon, with the launch in January of the highly anticipated Icon of the Seas, now the world’s largest ship. It’s time for another cruise news update from Cruise Hive, your best bet to keep up with all of the major cruise developments you need to know about. Like other cruise lines, Disney Cruise Line’s policy prohibits a guest from sailing if she is more than 23 weeks pregnant due to the ship’s lack of specialized prenatal and newborn care.

We already know that Icon of the Seas is set to break the record as the world’s largest cruise ship. But the cruise line can add one more record to the ship before it even sets sail, as phenomenal response and interest led to the biggest ever single-day booking record in Royal Caribbean’s 53-year history. The disgruntled passenger, whose name is unknown, complained to guest services staff and said the cruise line did not notify guests about the change.