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Costa Toscana Sailing in the Mediterranean After Drydock

The Costa Toscana is currently cruising in the Western Mediterranean after undergoing a drydock at the Chantier Naval de Marseille shipyard in France earlier this year. As part of the ship’s regular maintenance schedule, the two-week project was completed in mid-February. In addition to routine work, the drydock included technical updates and class inspections. The...

Celebrity River Cruises Unveils Destination Discovery Program

Celebrity River Cruises has unveiled a destination discovery program featuring four experience categories designed to connect travelers to European culture, the company announced. Available across all 2027 and 2028 Celebrity River Cruises itineraries and pre- and post-cruise stays in Prague, Budapest and Amsterdam, the program includes the Storyteller Series, Skillmaster Series, Keys to the City...

Silversea Announces Upgrades for Spirit in Drydock

The Silver Spirit will get a series of upgrades during its upcoming drydock, which is set to take place between mid-March and early May. According to a press release, the 2009-built vessel will see major enhancements, including new dining venues, reimagined public areas and upgraded staterooms. Silversea said that the refurbishment will be similar to...

HX Expeditions Boosts 2026 Travel Advisor Program

HX Expeditions has announced a major expansion of its travel advisor program for 2026. In a press release, the company said that this includes doubling its Americas support team, launching its 10-city North American roadshow and rolling out a new booking platform. “The travel advisor community is absolutely central to our continued growth. In 2026,...

March Update: Here Are the Latest Secondhand Ship Moves

Cruise Industry News highlights some of the key transactions and developments that occurred within the secondhand cruise ship market between February and the first weeks of March 2026. Lumina (ex-Seven Seas Navigator) Company: Avora Residences Capacity: 490 guests Tonnage: 28,550 Year built: 1999 Move: To sail for Avora as part of a charter agreement Date:...

AIDA Cancels 2026-27 Winter Season in Middle East

AIDA Cruises will not offer any cruises in the Middle East during the winter of 2026/27 as the situation in the region remains uncertain and cannot be reliably predicted for the foreseeable future, the company said in a press release. Consequently, the planned repositioning cruises of AIDAprima around Africa have also been cancelled. The company...

Celebrity Cruises Opens 2028 Galapagos Expeditions for Booking

Celebrity Cruises opened bookings for more than 50 Galápagos expeditions aboard the Celebrity Flora in 2028, the company announced in a press release. The 100-passenger vessel will offer seven-, 10-, 11- and 16 night all-inclusive itineraries exploring the archipelago. Extended experiences include opportunities to explore Quito, Ecuador, as well as Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley and...

Costa Cancels 2026-27 Middle East Program, Smeralda to Europe

Costa has announced deployment updates for the 2026-27 season, as the Costa Smeralda will not be sailing in the Middle East and instead be positioned in the Canary Islands and will be operating a brand-new seven-day itinerary between the Canaries and Madeira. With Costa Smeralda operating this program, Costa will significantly increase guest capacity  in...

Nicko Adjusts Current World Cruise Itinerary Due to Middle East Conflicts

Nicko Cruises is reportedly adjusting the itinerary of the current world cruise onboard the Vasco da Gama due to the recent conflicts in the Middle East. According to a report by Schiff un Kreuzfahrten, two segments of the 175-night voyage were affected, including the current one, which sailed from Indonesia in late February and was...

Coral Expeditions Transitions to cruisePAL’s Next-Gen Solutions

Coral Expeditions has added cruisePAL’s central reservation system (CRS) and customer relationship management (CRM) module to its portfolio. This is seen as a milestone since the two have collaborated since 2006, cruisePAL said in a statement. “We are proud that our long-standing collaboration continues to thrive. Over the years, we have been privileged to support...

Star Clippers Launches Promo for Greek Sailings Aboard Star Flyer

Star Clippers has announced an offer for select 2026 Greece voyages aboard the Star Flyer sailing roundtrip from Athens (Piraeus). Reservations made before April 30, 2026, will receive one complimentary pre- or post-cruise hotel night in Athens with breakfast and a complimentary transfer between the hotel and ship (or reverse), the company said in a...

Norwegian Luna Opens Doors to First Guests in Rome

Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Norwegian Luna, welcomed her first guests in Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy. The ship is scheduled to make her U.S. debut in Miami on March 23, 2026, followed by a christening ceremony on March 27. Following Fincantieri’s delivery of the vessel to Norwegian last week, the company shared new images of...

MSC Updating Yacht Club Restaurants Across Fantasia-Class Ships

MSC Cruises announced upgrades to the MSC Yacht Club restaurants, part of the company’s “ship-within-a-ship” concept. The company said in a press release that the refurbishment will be rolled out across its three Fantasia-class ships, set to undergo drydocks in December 2026, April 2027 and February 2028. The restaurant onboard its fourth Fantasia-class ship, the...

AIDAbella Back at Sea Post-Modernization

The AIDAbella is resuming service in Palma de Mallorca on March 11 following its AIDA Evolution refurbishment. The cruise ship had previously spent seven weeks in a shipyard in Marseille, where it underwent a comprehensive overhaul and modernization. According to a statement from the company, the upgrade included new and additional restaurants, bars with enhanced...

Ritz-Carlton Showcases Winter 2027-28 Itineraries

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has presented its winter 2027–2028 itineraries across Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean and the South Pacific aboard the Evrima, Ilma, and Luminara. Sailing from October 2027 to May 2028, the season features more than 60 voyages and introduces 14 new ports of call, according to a press release. “Our Winter 2027–2028 season reflects...

CFC Guarantees Stable Pricing for 2026-27 Season Amid Rising Fuel Costs

Compagnie Française de Croisières (CFC) has issued a statement saying that there would be no price increases until next March. The company said that the prices for its entire 2026-2027 program would remain competitive despite the geopolitical context in the Middle East and its impact on fuel costs. “While airfares are gradually increasing, we want...

P&O Cruises Offers Bonus Onboard Spend Money for Fly-Cruises

P&O Cruises is offering additional onboard spend money for over 400 Select Price fly-cruise holidays departing between April 2, 2026, and March 18, 2028. Up to £850 onboard spending money is available for fly-cruises to Canary Islands, Mediterranean and Caribbean booked by April 13, 2026, the company said in a statement. Carnival UK & P&O...

Oceania Cruises Launches New Global Brand Campaign

Oceania Cruises launched a new global brand campaign called The Joy of Traveling Well, the company said in a press release. The campaign reflects the company’s focus on intentional, enriching travel at sea and aligns with Oceania’s transition to an adults-only experience. “The launch of The Joy of Traveling Well campaign offers a clear expression...

Arabian Gulf Update: Cruise Lines Cancel Remaining Sailings in the Region

Amid ongoing security concerns and regional operational challenges, multiple cruise lines have now cancelled the remainder of their 2025-26 winter deployments in the Arabian Gulf. MSC With sailings in the region through early April, MSC Cruises cancelled the remainder of its 2025-26 season in the Middle East. In its cancellation statement, the company said that...

Dream Begins Seasonal Homeport Operations in Shanghai

The Dream officially launched its 2026 homeport season in Shanghai earlier this week, departing on a cruise to South Korea. The Dream, operated by Tianjin Oriental, is now based at Shanghais Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal for the season. Its deployment for the spring and summer season adds a midsize vessel option to the port’s homeport...

Margaritaville at Sea Unveils Largest Suites in Fleet for New Ship

Margaritaville at Sea today announced the debut of two Bridge Wing Suites onboard the new Beachcomber. According to a press release, the suites will introduce the most distinctive accommodations created by the cruise line and will be located on Deck 9, directly atop the ship’s bridge. The two suites were inspired by “Captain and the...

Port Tampa Bay Set for Busiest Cruise Ship Month on Record in March

Port Tampa Bay’s 51 visits scheduled for March is set to break its all-time monthly record for cruise ship calls, according to a press release. This is interpreted to reflect the increasing interest from travelers seeking departures from Florida’s Gulf Coast. “March is one of the busiest travel months of the year, and we’re thrilled...

Polar Latitudes Adds Discoverer to Fleet for 2026-27 Season

Polar Latitudes Expeditions announced that it is adding the Discoverer, which was formerly known as the Exploris One, to its fleet. According to a press release, the expedition ship will join the company’s Antarctica program starting with the 2026-27 season. The vessel will replace the Seaventure, which will transition to full-time operations under the 66º...

MXP Uses AI to Drive Onboard Revenue from Cabin TVs

MarineXchange (MXP) has introduced an AI-powered functionality for its iTV which could help cruise lines increase revenue by enabling guest to book events from their cabins, the company said in a statement. Instead of limiting the use of cabin TV to entertainment and information, guests can book excursions, restaurants, spa, fitness, beauty salon or onboard...

Carnival Speeds Up Dinner Service with New Express Option

Carnival Cruise Line has introduced a new dining option for its guests called “Express Dining.” Available nightly, the option offers a multi-course dinner experience in under an hour for groups of six guests or fewer, featuring a slightly abbreviated selection of the main dining room offering, the company said in a statement. “Our guests continue...

Adora’s Promotion Livestream Event Attracts 10+ Million Viewers

Adora Cruises’ 100-person livestream event promoting cruise culture held on March 9 in Shanghai attracted an online viewership of over 10 million. Additionally, the value of purchases made online during the event was over 10 million yuan, the company said in a press release. “The ‘100-Person Livestream’ is another proactive attempt to popularize cruise culture...

Carnival Venezia Returns to Port Canaveral After Journeys Cruise

The Carnival Venezia recently returned to Port Canaveral after offering a 14-night Carnival Journeys cruise. As one of the longest itineraries being offered by the ship this year, the two-week voyage departed from Central Florida on Feb. 22, 2026. Before returning to Port Canaveral, the itinerary included visits to a series of destinations in the...

Holland America Brings Two Grand Voyages Together in Sydney

Guests from Holland America Line’s two 2026 Grand Voyages united in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, March 7. Together with captains and senior officers from the Zaandam and Volendam, guests gathered for an event called Chocolate Afternoon Tea aboard the Zaandam. The meeting coincided with the ships’ overlapping call, creating what Holland says is a rare...

Atlas: Limited Space Left on 2026 Mediterranean Epicurean Expeditions

Atlas Ocean’s Mediterranean Epicurean Expeditions sailing July through September 2026 have limited availability remaining, the company said in a statement. These experiences offer a deep dive into the history, nature, art or cuisine of a destination through an exclusive excursion ashore or an event onboard. “Our 2026 Mediterranean Epicurean Expeditions are designed to go beyond...

Carnival Joins Caribbean Air Connectivity Talks in Bermuda

Carnival Corporation has held a series of high-level meetings and industry engagements in Bermuda, the company said in a statement. One of these was the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) Air Connectivity Summit. Marie McKenzie, senior vice president of government and destination affairs at Carnival Corporation, participated in the panel “Routes Across the Region” at the...

Royal Caribbean: Coca-Cola Freestyle Machines to Be Excluded from Packages

Royal Caribbean International is making changes to its beverage packages, which will no longer include access to Coca-Cola Freestyle machines and a souvenir cup by default. According to the company’s website, guests who purchase the Deluxe or Royal Refreshment packages will be able to use the product as an add-on starting on March 15, 2026....
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