Viking Cruises marked its return to France’s rivers on July 30 with the launch of four new, purpose-built Longships on the Seine: Viking Kari, Viking Radgrid, Viking Skaga, and Viking Fjorgyn. Each ship has 84 cabins and capacity for 168 passengers. The…
Hurtigruten Expeditions will expand its warm water offerings with the addition of its first Africa cruises, starting in 2022. The Norway-based cruise line will offer West Africa cruises from Dakar, Senegal, on the MS Spitsbergen, visiting the Bissagos Islands and Cape Verde….
Seabourn pushed back the launch date of its first purpose-built expedition ship, the Seabourn Venture. Citing “pandemic disruptions and related supply chain challenges” at the T. Mariotti shipyard in Genoa, Italy, Seabourn said the ship will now depart on its maiden voyage…
ABOARD THE MARDI GRAS — Let’s be clear: This isn’t the Carnival Mardi Gras, the ship that launched Carnival Cruise Line in 1972, but simply the Mardi Gras, a bigger and better kind of Fun Ship arriving on the eve of the…
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a preliminary injunction allowing Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises to require that guests submit proof that they’ve been vaccinated before being allowed to sail, including departures from Florida. The ruling from…
President Joe Biden implored the governors of Florida and Texas to allow private business to mandate that their customers be vaccinated, citing the high case counts of Covid-19 in both states. Florida in April passed legislation forbidding businesses from prohibiting entry based…
Explora Journeys, the luxury brand being launched by MSC Group, will become the first cruise line to be invited into Virtuoso’s Preview program, which gives guidance to suppliers during a product’s launch phase, and gives Virtuoso preferred booking access. Explora will launch…
The Covid-19 delta variant has had a modest impact on an otherwise very strong pace of bookings, Royal Caribbean Group executives said Wednesday. The company said that booking activity for 2021 sailings is consistent with expected capacity and occupancy ramp-up, at prices…
Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings each expect to be cash-flow positive within six months, and said that high onboard spending is a reason why. Royal Caribbean Group CFO Jason Liberty said there has been “record onboard revenue for the…
Holland America Line confirmed Friday that a float plane carrying five passengers from the Nieuw Amsterdam crashed on Aug. 5 while the ship was docked in Ketchikan, Alaska. All five passengers and the pilot died in the crash, HAL said, and their…