Cruise
Carnival Welcomes Panorama to Its Fleet
With this week’s delivery of Carnival Panorama at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, Carnival Cruise Line officially welcomed its 27th ship and the third vessel in its Vista class. Carnival Panorama is now heading to Long Beach, Calif. for its naming ceremony and inaugural sailing in December. “Carnival Panorama is the 15th ship built by Fincantieri for Carnival Cruise Line and once again, the skill and hard work of hundreds of talented craftspeople are on display here aboard the beautiful Carnival Panorama,” said Carnival president Christine Duffy. “Our guests...
Silversea’s Silver Cloud A Silver Lining For Expedition Cruisers
With its newly retrofitted Silver Cloud, Silversea is taking expedition cruising to a new level – offering travellers both adventure and luxury in places like the Arctic and Antarctica, reports assistant editor, Greg Coates in this week's digital edition of Travel Courier. Travel Courier had an opportunity to tour the expedition ship during a recent port call in Quebec City, part of a fall foliage itinerary. Launched in 1994 as Silversea's lead ship, Silver Cloud was completely refitted in 2017 into a proper ice-rated luxury polar expedition ship. Most of the US$40 million...
NCL Takes Delivery of Norwegian Encore
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has taken delivery of its newest ship, Norwegian Encore, in Bremerhaven, Germany. This highly anticipated milestone begins a nearly month-long tour with preview events scheduled in Europe, New York and Miami, including the ship’s naming ceremony on Nov. 21. “Today we celebrate the delivery of our 17th ship and the close of our history-making Breakaway Plus class – a feat that was made possible through a special collaboration with our partners at Meyer Werft,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. “Our...
Princess Extends Loyalty Benefits to Guests of All Ages
Princess Cruises is extending its Captain’s Circle Loyalty program to guests of all ages. The extension of the loyalty program marks Princess as the first cruise line to provide youth passengers with Elite status complimentary WiFi. In celebration of the milestone, Princess is rejoicing its most-travelled youth guests – nine-year-old Wyatt Wilkinson, the youth guest with the most cruises at 46; and 15-year-old Alexis Lavoie, the youth guest with 538 total days at sea. Los Angeles-native Wilkinson was just a year-old baby when he starting cruising and travelled to the Mexican...
Carnival to Add Fourth Ship in Galveston
Everything is bigger in Texas – including Carnival Cruise Line – which announced it will have four ships homeported in Galveston, year-round, beginning in 2021. Building on its position as the number one cruise line from Texas, Carnival officials said that Carnival Radiance will join the Galveston-based fleet in May 2021. In addition, Carnival Breeze will return to Galveston from Port Canaveral, becoming the newest and largest ship to operate a short cruise program from Galveston. Carnival Dream will shift to six- and eight-day Caribbean voyages while Carnival Vista will continue...
Cruise And Stay In Nassau With Bahamas Paradise
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line is bringing its popular Cruise & Stay program to Nassau. Earlier this month, the company introduced Nassau as a second destination, joining Grand Bahama Island. Now, travellers seeking an authentic, memorable Bahamian escape can extend their cruise with a resort vacation at a number of properties, including the all-inclusive Meliá Nassau Beach Resort at Cable Beach, SLS at Baha Mar and Comfort Suites on Paradise Island. Oneil Khosa, CEO of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, said: “We are excited to introduce our unique Cruise & Stay Program on...
CLIA Opens Enrolment for 2020
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has opened enrolment for its 2020 Travel Agency Membership (TAM) and Individual Agent Membership (IAM) programs. The cruise industry plays a leadership role in tourism and is a mainstream vacation choice in major markets throughout the world. CLIA Membership elevates the credibility and reputation of agencies and their individual agents within the travel industry and is built to help members navigate the cruise industry, attract more clients and increase earnings. Enrolment for 2020 CLIA membership is now open, for membership valid through...
Royal Caribbean Predicts Big Increase in Caribbean Business
Royal Caribbean International is predicting that its Caribbean cruise tourism business will grow by 50% by 2030, with overall economic benefit of cruise reaching US$6 billion. President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Bayley told a recent Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) outlook forum that with the region continuing to grow in popularity among cruisers – eight of the top 10 cruise destinations worldwide are in the Caribbean, he said – now is the time to prepare for further increases in cruise passenger numbers. “The Caribbean was, is, will always be, the number one...