Jørn Henriksen, director of expedition operations at Viking, has been appointed chair of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators’ executive committee, according to a press release. Henriksen has been involved in Antarctic travel since 2000 and has been an IAATO member since 2005. He was elected to the executive committee in 2024 and previously...

AmaWaterways has introduced a new culinary experience offering guests hands-on cooking sessions with French grandmothers, according to a press release. The Cooking with Mamie program is available exclusively on the AmaDante and AmaLyra as part of the Paris & Normandy itinerary. “With Cooking with Mamie, we are bringing local traditions to life in a very...

Crew members will join the TUI Cruises’ ships that were stranded in the Middle East in South Africa, according to Crew Center. Set to welcome guests back in Europe in early May, the Mein Schiff 4 and the Mein Schiff 5 are currently sailing with reduced staffing. As previously reported by Cruise Industry News, only...

Foyle Port has officially commenced its 2026 cruise season with the arrival of the Le Lapérouse, marking Ponant’s first visit to the port, according to a press release. The expedition vessel anchored in Greencastle on April 16 as part of a 10-day Celtic Secrets & Landscapes cruise sailing from Greenock to Cobh, with stops across...

Poseidon Expeditions has wrapped up its 2025-26 Antarctic season. According to the company, the season’s standout moment came during the New Year cruise, when near-perfect weather conditions allowed the expedition team to land at Bailey Head on Deception Island, one of Antarctica’s most challenging landing sites. The remote location, situated within a flooded volcanic caldera,...

Shenzhen International Cruise Homeport recorded 1.1 million travelers in the first quarter of 2026, a 6 percent year-on-year increase, according to an April 12 report by the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily. The homeport is preparing to welcome the Adora Magic City, China’s first domestically built large cruise ship, this summer. The vessel is scheduled to...

Astro Ocean’s Piano Land is set to wrap up its Hong Kong homeport season by the end of May, according to its published sailing schedule. The vessel’s itineraries from the Asian hub have included voyages to ports in Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. The ship is expected to reposition to Europe where it will will sail...

Bantry Bay Port Company will mark the beginning of its 2026 cruise season on April 26 with the arrival of the Le Lapérouse, the first of 12 cruise vessels scheduled to call this year, according to a press release. Across the season, Bantry Bay will welcome a mix of expedition, luxury and mid-size cruise ships....

The Costa Fortuna recently repositioned to the Mediterranean for its final season in service for Costa Cruises. After 23 years sailing for the Carnival-owned brand, the 103,000-ton vessel is set to be handed over to Margaritaville at Sea in September. As previously reported by Cruise Industry News, the ship will undergo a major refurbishment before...

The Brilliant Lady recently arrived at the Port of San Diego for the first time as part of Virgin Voyages’ maiden season on the West Coast. After debuting in Los Angeles in early April, the 2,770-guest ship is now offering a series of cruises to the Mexican Riviera and California. The first call to San...

The MSC Euribia is currently returning to Europe through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, according to AIS data. After spending nearly two months stranded in the Arabian Gulf, the MSC Cruises vessel was expected to reposition to Northern Europe through Africa. As previously reported by Cruise Industry News, the LNG-powered ship was projected...

The Port of Montreal launched its 2026 cruise season on Friday with the arrival of the Victory I, kicking off a season that runs through October 31 and is expected to bring nearly 50,000 passengers to the city across 39 operations. According to a press release issued by the port, Montreal will host 17 ships...

Prince Rupert Cruise Port has kicked off its 2026 cruise season with the arrival of Holland America Line’s Noordam, marking the start of what is projected to be the port’s busiest year on record. According to a press release issued by the port, Prince Rupert expects to welcome approximately 145,000 cruise guests in 2026, more...

There are over 350 ports getting AIDA calls globally, head of deployment planning Diana Havkost told Cruise Industry News. “This year is our 30th anniversary so we have a sister-ship meeting planned in Hamburg on June 7, with the AIDAsol, AIDAprima and AIDAperla.” Also new for 2026 is the AIDAblu’s summer program in the Eastern...

Nicko Cruises is cancelling a cruise onboard the Vasco da Gama on short notice to make room for an unscheduled shipyard visit. Local sources report that the 1993-built ship is currently facing a technical issue that also led to the shortening of its 2025-26 world cruise. The cancelled cruise was scheduled to depart from Hamburg...

ECOS LNG has signed an agreement with BASS Software to deploy BASSnet Neo software for its Floating Storage Regasification Unit operations, according to a press release. The contract was awarded following an evaluation process to replace ECOS’s legacy maintenance software. “BASSnet Neo is the right choice to align with our broader digitalisation strategy and digital...

“Part of our portfolio is to continue to have new things to keep people coming back,” Mike Pawlus, head of itinerary planning at Azamara Cruises, told Cruise Industry News. “We have more than 300 ports we call at each year, and we are seeing a lot of people that once they sail with us, they...

“The most important news is that we are bilingual now, every ship,” said Lisa Wilken, head of luxury at Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. “Since January, the three expedition vessels and the two Europa ships, are fully bilingual. Especially now on the Europa, we are getting more international clients.” The 135-year-old company, which helped pioneer leisure cruising, had...

Royal Caribbean International is repositioning the Symphony of the Seas to Florida starting in August 2027. The Oasis-class ship was initially set to offer cruises to the Western Caribbean and the Bahamas from the Port of Galveston. Instead, the vessel will offer six- to eight-night cruises to the Caribbean, departing from Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades....

Europe’s airports have welcomed AccelerateEU, the European Commission’s response plan to the energy crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East, according to a statement from ACI Europe. The plan outlines measures aimed at safeguarding the continued availability of jet fuel across the European airport network. “No airport in Europe is currently facing jet...

Silversea has opened general sales for its 2029 World Cruise, a 125-day voyage departing San Diego on January 5, 2029, according to a press release. The voyage onboard the Silver Whisper will visit more than 60 destinations in 19 countries across the Pacific, spanning Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia, Australia, Asia and New Zealand. “With 17 overnights,...