MSC Cruises today welcomed its fifth US-based ship, the Fantasia-class MSC Divina, to her new homeport in Miami.

Beginning this weekend, MSC Divina will sail a variety of itineraries to the Caribbean, Central America—and Mexico—including 3-day trips to Nassau and MSC’s private island at Ocean Cay; 7-night trips that include Isla de Roatan (Honduras), Belize City (Belize), Costa Maya and Cozumel (Mexico), George Town (Cayman Islands), Ocho Rios (Jamaica), Nassau and Ocean Cay; and 11-night voyages that include Montego Bay (Jamaica), Cartagena (Colombia), Puerto Limon (Costa Rica), Isla de Roatan (Honduras), Oranjestad (Aruba), Cozumel and Ocean Cay.

A limited-time flash sale this weekend will give potential sailors a chance to try the ship, or any MSC ship sailing from Miami or Orlando, at reduced prices starting at $109. Trips must be booked by December 18.

Introduced in 2012, MSC can hold up to 4,345 passengers and 1,388 crew members. There’s a 4-D theater and four pool areas, including a 22,507-square-foot Aqua Park, as well as eight restaurants, 12 bars and lounges, an MSC Yacht Club with floor-to-ceiling windows, and a Thermal Suite.

Also sailing the Caribbean will be MSC Seascape, Seashore, Seaside, Meraviglia and Magnifica.

South America also will have six ships this winter: MSC Grandiosa, Seaview, Preziosa, Musica, Lirica and Armonia, sailing a series of itineraries to Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

MSC also will have a winter presence in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, North Europe, Asia, and South Africa.

Britton has been learning quite a bit about trip insurance. You’ll find her articles at this link. I recently reached out to Suzanne Morrow, Senior Vice President for InsureMyTrip.com to ask a couple of questions.

1. What are the top three coverages that a U.S. traveler to Europe would want in trip insurance?

Travel insurance isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every trip is different, and every traveler has different needs and concerns. With that said – if an American is traveling out of the country, we recommend they consider emergency medical and evacuation coverage. Most domestic health insurance, including Medicare, will not cover medical bills overseas. Read the rest of this entry »

It was a Latin-style celebration in Miami last week, as travel partners, travel press and the greater Norwegian Cruise Line family—including Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. president and CEO Harry Sommer, NCL CEO David Herrera and new SVP of North America Sales John Chernesky, who joined the team in April—gathered for the official christening of Norwegian Viva.

You could be forgiven for not knowing about Riverside Luxury Cruises. After all, the company is a newcomer, first mentioned on our site one year ago.

That was in November 2022, when Riverside acquired the double-width river cruiser Mozart. The ship had been operating for Crystal River Cruises, which went bankrupt. Riverside snapped up Mozart and has since added two more of the ex-Crystal ships. Read the rest of this entry »

Though we primarily focus on European river cruises, we would be remiss not to mention Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals on the Mississippi. Here are two from American Queen Voyages and American Cruise Lines. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a record-breaking year in the travel industry—but as 2023 nears an end, travel advisors who sell the Middle East are wondering about the possible fallout of the Israel/Hamas War. Some already are feeling the pinch as suppliers shift itineraries, customers try unsuccessfully to cancel—and travel advisors and their commissions are caught in the middle. Again.

“I have been fighting with Regent since they announced my clients would not be going to Israel and Egypt—which was the whole reason for their trip—and put Greece in its place,” says Samantha Hamilton at Ultimate Vacations. “My clients have already been to Greece and have no desire to go back Read the rest of this entry »

Award-winning luxury river cruise line AmaWaterways announced an exclusive 2-for-1 Land Package offer for guests reserving a full six- or eight-night land package in conjunction with select 2024 and 2025 seven-night river cruises in Vietnam and Cambodia. Guests reserving select Charms of the Mekong or Riches of the Mekong itineraries are able to take advantage of this offer* until December 31, 2023. The 2-for-1 Land Package Read the rest of this entry »

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises announces the addition of two new Super Ships, the S.S. Victoria and S.S. Elisabeth, which will begin sailing in Europe in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Uniworld will take over the ships from Seaside Collection under a three-year, bareboat charter agreement for each ship and create the signature Uniworld experience on existing itineraries with an all-Uniworld staff, as well as the brand’s trademark touches and amenities. Before joining Riverside Luxury Cruises, the ships were a part of Crystal Cruises’ river fleet as the Crystal Bach and Crystal Mahler. Read the rest of this entry »

Barcelona has banned all passenger ships from its central port effective October 22, sending them instead to terminals farther from the popular La Rambla district.

The new regulation, designed to control cruise ship emissions, will send smaller ships from AIDA Cruises, Azamara, Oceania, Regent and Virgin to the Moll Adossat Pier, where large ships dock. Passengers then will have to take a 30-minute shuttle ride.

Barcelona also has cut the number of cruise ships that can visit its ports at one time, from 10 to 7.

The move follows protests against tourism by Barcelona residents over the past six years.

“The closure of the Barcelona northern docks for cruise operations is a new step to comply with the agreement signed in 2018 with the Barcelona municipal government to eliminate the negative impact that this activity could produce for citizens,” said Lluís Salvado, president of the Port of Barcelona.

While many cities have been looking to cut the number of ships arriving on their shores, business owners in Palma, Majorca, this month called on the government to scrap the cruise ship limits set there. They cited an 18% fall in passengers since legislation limited cruise ships to three a day.

“Don’t demonize cruise ship passengers, it is family tourism with a high spending power,” eight local business organizations, including bar and restaurant owners, shopkeepers and tour guides, said in a statement.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises will add two new ships to its fleet, and begin sailing one in 2024 and one in 2025.

The S.S. Victoria and S.S. Elisabeth—formerly Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Bach and Crystal Mahler—are being leased from Seaside Collection under a three-year, bareboat charter agreement. They will sail with an all-Uniworld staff and offer Uniworld’s amenities, to create “the signature Uniworld experience on existing itineraries,” the company said.

The two identical ships hold 110 guests in 55 suites and staterooms, each with full-length windows opposite king-sized beds, and adjoining suites that offer two-bedroom accommodations. They also have a massage room, gym, bistro for snacks, rooftop bar and grill, and fine dining restaurants featuring farm-to-table cuisine gathered daily by the chef in each destination.

S.S. Victoria will sail the Rhine for the 2024 season, beginning in March in Amsterdam with an 8-day “Holland & Belgium at Tulip Time” cruise through Belgium and The Netherlands. Then it will sail the 8-day “Castles Along the Rhine” itinerary from Basel to Amsterdam, the 10-day “Magnificent Moselle and Rhine” itinerary and the 8-day “Belgium Holiday Markets” round-trip from Brussels.

“The S.S. Victoria and S.S. Elisabeth are unique vessels that we know our guests will love, featuring a modern design, some of the largest suites on the rivers, and an ambiance that exudes contemporary luxury. Onboard, guests can expect our Tiny Noticeable Touches throughout every aspect, from the impeccable service provided by the Uniworld crew they know and love to the multitude of all-inclusive amenities available to them,” said Uniworld president and CEO Ellen Bettridge.

The S.S. Elisabeth is scheduled to sail the 2025 season, though no details have yet been released.

American Cruise Lines continues to provide US river cruising with a look at their 2024 cruise season. With a total of 125 US ports of call and nine new itineraries, ACL has big announcements out.

Leading the announcement is two new 100-passenger ships, Coastal Cats, American Liberty and American Legend. These are the 3^rd and 4^th ships of the American series which will include 12 total. The first two coastal cats already in operation are American Eagle and  American Glory. Slated to sail New England, Chesapeake Bay, Hudson River and Florida, the American Liberty is set to cruise in June 2024 while American Legend is set for October 2024.

Adding to the 19 ships they will have in operation by October of next year are new itineraries. Including longer cruises like the 60-day itinerary exploring 20 states (August 16^th to October 14^th) and the 35-day Civil War Battlefields cruise exploring 20 Civil War battlefields (May 3^rd to June 6^th).

They’ve also announced new 2024 cruises at National Parks. Including Denali Fjords and Glacier Bay National Parks in Alaska, and Smoky Mountains National Park. Also available is the multi-national park cruise of Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton along the Colombia and Snake Rivers.

With new departures, new ships, more itineraries than featured here, and a maximum range of 90-180 guests per cruise, American Cruise Lines looks to be growing into the booming interest in cruises.

What’s a cruise line executive to do when sales are soaring, ships are full, and there’s just not much capacity left on existing itineraries? Well, if you’re Rudi Schreiner, AmaWaterways’ co-founder and godfather of river cruising, you just draw on your 50 years of experience and create new destinations and make your seasons longer.

Indeed, river cruising is hotter than ever—even in colder weather, the AmaWaterways co-owner believes. To keep up with the demand, AmaWaterways is extending a number of itineraries into new dates and new seasons—beginning on the Danube and Rhine rivers in February, 2024.

Australis has been taking travelers to some of the most remote and sought-after views in the world since 1990, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. At the southern tip of South America, these regions are famous for glaciers, fjords, subpolar forests, and fantastic marine and terrestrial wildlife. Some of these sights can only be experienced on an expedition and education cruise, which is where Australis shines.

It’s fair to say that I have a love-hate relationship with the cities along the Danube. My Jewish family was granted equal rights here by Emperor Franz Josef I—and then forced to flee by the Nazis. When I hear German, I hear the sweet voice of my grandfathers speaking in the Yiddish dialect. But I give thanks that by 1920 they both had emigrated to New York.

Some of the challenges in choosing river cruises in Europe are the rivers themselves. Unless you’ve frequently traveled to Europe, you may not be familiar with geography of the rivers. Even for those who are familiar with the lay of the land, the list of rivers can be daunting. A quick glance at Wikipedia shows hundreds of rivers coursing through the European continent, including quite a few that I’ve never heard of, the Oise, for example, which I only learned about this year. I’ll be on that river with 21 others in May of 2024, as we barge along the Oise Read the rest of this entry »

Virgin Voyages has indefinitely delayed the launch of its fourth ship, Brilliant Lady, citing staffing, supply chain and construction issues.

Brilliant Lady was supposed to set sail in December; but Virgin now has canceled its two festive inaugural sailings, a five-day roundtrip Christmas cruise from Miami and a seven-day New Year’s Eve from Miami, and its regular sailings from San Juan in January, March and April and the April 20 repositioning cruise from the Caribbean to Europe. No firm start date is being announced at this time.

Sailors, as Virgin calls its guests, can switch to similar itineraries on Scarlet Lady or Valiant Lady. Virgin likely also will offer refunds to those who wish to cancel altogether, though it has not yet announced what the policy will be.

The delay follows in the steps of Scarlet Lady and Resilient Lady, both of which also were delayed.

Royal Caribbean VP Vicki Freed offered up enticing details of the entertainment to come on Icon of the Seas in her most recent Coffee Talk webinar, at which her guest was Nick Weir, Royal Caribbean International’s SVP of Entertainment. On tap are redesigned high-action versions of the Aqua Theater show and a live, unique and modern production of The Wizard of Oz on the main stage.

“For 15 years, I’ve been so proud every single day to represent Royal Caribbean, but this takes it to a whole new level,” Weir said. “The theme of ‘Water Water Everywhere’ is exactly what you are going to feel,” from the overlook pods facing the water to the extreme sports above it.

Royal Caribbean “hopes to have many Icon-class ships in the future, but for this first one we thought why not make the venue the star?” he said. The totally redesigned Aquadome will host much of the action, including the main water show, which will feature “extreme sports with all sorts of new elements,” including a skateboarder.

For a creative team like his, the blank slate of the Icon offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Weir noted, and “we’ve been meeting since 2017 to talk about this. Normally you are handed a theater and then you find a way to put your show in the theater. But that’s not the case with the Aqua Theater on Icon. We created the show in 2017 and built the theater around the idea. That’s taking live theater into the movie business.”

The show, he promises, will be “the biggest ‘wow’ anyone has ever seen, not just at sea but in any theater anywhere in the world.”

Freed noted that Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line to offer entertainment across four stages: the theater, the air, the ice, and the aqua.

The new stage show, meanwhile, will be The Wizard of Oz, where Royal Caribbean will “take the best elements from the stage shows and iconic moments from the movie. It will be a version no one has ever imagined. And when that plane flies out over your head? Like in [Royal Caribbean’s current show] Inflight, imagine how you will feel when Dorothy in her bed flies out over the audience with the wicked witch on her tail.”

The onboard water park, meanwhile, has taken its cue from the success of the Thrill Water Park at Perfect Day at Coco Cay, with “jaw-dropping” over-the-water slides, some that accommodate family rafts.

And if you need a little boost, there will be “over-the-top milkshakes—incredible concoctions you can spike with alcohol.”

There’s something very appealing about the archetypal family business. Croatia’s Katarina Line is a real family business, with a bio that is an inspiring success story.

The mom, Katica Hauptfeld, is the founder and chief. The son Daniel is director of marketing. The daughter Anamaria is director of the cruise division. Daniel’s wife helps with marketing and Anamaria’s husband helps with other projects. And, as with any family business, they all pitch in together to do whatever is required to propel the business. Read the rest of this entry »

For almost 15 years we’ve been sailing with AmaWaterways, exploring everything from the familiar routes of the Danube and Rhine to the less-trodden paths like the Mekong.

I wanted to share some of my favorite moments from our journeys in hopes that it will remind you of some of the voyages you’ve taken, or get you excited for your future travel plans. The people we’ve met and the experiences we’ve had on AmaWaterways have left us with a lifetime of memories. So here’s to reliving our favorite Ama moments and to the future experiences that await us. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s what I learned on my family vacation this year: when you’re traveling with six senior citizens, one electric scooter, two nervous moms, four kids and two hard-working dads, a cruise to Bermuda from a drive-to port is a wonderful stress-free option. One hour-long Uber ride delivers you to the door with as much luggage as you require; the less mobile can rent an electric scooter; and if things go really wrong, it’s comforting to be in the British Empire. (More on that later. The point: stuff happens. Always take the travel insurance.) Read the rest of this entry »

“Cue the Junkanoo band,” says Carnival Cruise Line. When its new private port opens on Grand Bahama in November, it will be named Celebration Key, the company announced today.

With the opening, Carnival joins a popular trend toward having its own unrestricted access to land after a day at sea. Celebration Key will offer a mile-long white-sand beach, and Bahamian-themed retail, food and beverage options. “Invoking the natural beauty of Grand Bahama, every day at Celebration Key will be a celebration of our guests’ own making with a variety of experiences and something for everyone,” said president Christine Duffy.

With a capacity of 2 million guests a year, Celebration Key will be able to accommodate two Excel-class ships at once. It will be used by at least 10 ships from multiple homeports beginning July 2025.

More details will be released in late September, Carnival said.