Cruise News

Today on Cruise News: MSC Opera has cancelled cruises from Civitavecchia at a day's notice, citing technical reasons, with full refunds and travel reimbursement promised for cancelled guests while some other passengers were told to join the ship in Livorno instead. Viking has taken delivery of Viking Haki, a 190-guest river ship built by Neptun Werft in Rostock for the Rhine, Main and Danube, with 17 more river ships due to join its fleet by 2028. Ambassador Cruise Line has signed with EnerMoves to fit a shore power system aboard Renaissance, with Ambience and Ambition to follow, so all three of its ships can draw electricity from shore while berthed. Read today's stories and sign up for email alerts at CruiseNews.io.

Today on Cruise News: Disney Cruise Line has introduced haptic vests at silent discos on every ship, giving guests who are deaf or hard of hearing a way to feel the music, and has added braille and tactile guidebooks for its fleet and its two island destinations in The Bahamas. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is due to sign a 30-year concession with Global Ports Holding, following a July memorandum outlining up to EC$250 million in phased investment to modernize Kingstown Cruise Terminal and expand berthing capacity for larger vessels. Viking has opened bookings for its 19-day Grand Nile Journey from 2028, combining four hotel nights in Cairo with a 14-night Nile sailing to Aswan aboard the 52-guest Viking Ra. Read today's stories and sign up for email alerts at CruiseNews.io.

Today on Cruise News: Villa Vie Residences has placed Villa Vie Odyssey in temporary layup in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, after failing to secure fuel, and residents were required to disembark while crew remain aboard to maintain essential systems; the company says it will pursue restructuring and recapitalization over the next 60 days. Royal Caribbean Group has agreed to invest roughly $3 billion for half of Sandals and Beaches Resorts, with closing expected in early 2027, after raising its full-year 2026 adjusted earnings outlook to $17.85 to $17.95 per share. Carnival Cruise Line has opened bookings for 112 voyages in its 2028/29 Australian program, with Carnival Splendor sailing year-round from Sydney and Carnival Encounter from Brisbane, including a solar eclipse cruise from Brisbane in July 2028. Read today's stories and sign up for email alerts at CruiseNews.io.

Today on Cruise News: Royal Caribbean Group has agreed to invest roughly $3 billion for half of Sandals and Beaches Resorts, a deal covering 18 Caribbean resorts and more than 1,000 acres of undeveloped land that is expected to close in early 2027, though management expects its 2027 earnings contribution to be immaterial. Carnival Cruise Line has opened bookings for 112 voyages in its 2028/29 Australian program, with Carnival Splendor sailing year-round from Sydney and Carnival Encounter from Brisbane, including a solar eclipse cruise in July 2028. TUI River Cruises is launching its first racing-themed sailing, a seven-night Danube itinerary aboard the adults-only TUI Maya that pairs the cruise with grandstand tickets for all three days of the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2027. Read today's stories and sign up for email alerts at CruiseNews.io.

Today on Cruise News: Royal Caribbean has replaced Utopia of the Seas' Bahamas stops with a visit to Cozumel, Mexico, on its four-night cruise departing October 26, as forecasts warned of near-gale to gale-force winds in the Bahamas; prepaid shore excursions for Nassau and Perfect Day CocoCay will be canceled automatically, with refunds credited to passengers' SeaPass accounts. MSC Cruises says MSC World Asia will offer the line's widest choice of complimentary and grab-and-go dining when it enters service on December 4, including a five-stall Aqua Food Market on the Aqua Deck, and the ship will carry the fleet's second Eataly restaurant at sea. In New York, the city's Economic Development Corporation is refining a master plan for Manhattan Cruise Terminal that would add passenger-handling space, shore power at three berths and a consolidated ground-transportation area, with NYCEDC's Allison Dees saying the terminal is already struggling for space on the upland side. Read today's stories and sign up for email alerts at CruiseNews.io.

Today on Cruise News: Weather forced the cancellation of Oceania Cruises' Vista call at the Port of Corner Brook, removing the final scheduled ship visit of a cruise season the port called its longest on record. In Santa Cruz de Tenerife, up to 10,151 cruise passengers are expected on Sunday as Costa Smeralda, MSC World Europa and P&O Cruises' Ventura are due to dock, part of an October schedule listing 23 cruise ships. And in the British Virgin Islands, Opposition Leader Marlon Penn is proposing a dedicated water production plant and storage facility at the Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park that could sell water to visiting vessels and provide additional supply to the Road Town area. Read today's stories and sign up for email alerts at CruiseNews.io.

Today on Cruise News: A Department of Homeland Security operation has removed more than 120 crew members from cruise ships at Boston's Flynn Cruiseport with one criminal prosecution, a Norwegian Jewel crew member charged with transportation of child sexual abuse material, while a federal prosecutor said a large share of the Boston detainees had no such material on their devices and were removed based on earlier tips. JetBlue Vacations and Virgin Voyages' adults-only Do Not Disturb package, pairing charter flights from New York with a four-night Brilliant Lady sailing in March 2027, sold out within days of bookings opening. And Holland America Line plans dedicated live-music bandstands at the Lido Pool on Oosterdam and Zuiderdam as part of its Evolution program, with the first debuting after Oosterdam's work in fall 2027. Read today's stories and sign up for email alerts at CruiseNews.io.

Today on Cruise News: Virgin Voyages has cancelled all three Mexican Riviera calls on Brilliant Lady's October 17 departure from Los Angeles because of Hurricane Trudy, sending the ship to San Francisco, San Diego and Ensenada instead, the fourth consecutive Los Angeles sailing disrupted by tropical weather. AAA projects a record 22.4 million U.S. residents will take ocean cruises in 2027, up 3.6% from 2026, with the Caribbean accounting for 71% of passenger volume and Miami leading the port rankings. And Disney Magic and Disney Wonder are sailing from San Diego this fall after Disney's first two-ship Alaska season, with Disney Magic departing November 6 on a 14-night Panama Canal crossing to Galveston. Read today's stories and sign up for email alerts at CruiseNews.io.

Today on Cruise News: Riviera Travel River Cruises' new Vacation Guarantee promises to process a full refund within seven days when significant itinerary changes are required before departure and guests choose to cancel; they can instead accept the revised trip with a goodwill gesture or postpone the same vacation to the following year at the original year's price. Cunard has announced 93 voyages sailing between October 2028 and May 2029, including Queen Mary 2's 500th transatlantic crossing, which passengers can join in Liverpool, the first Liverpool embarkation on the transatlantic program since 2015, and Queen Elizabeth's 115-night World Voyage from Southampton on January 23, 2029. And Corazul Cruceros, the startup launching the 1,806-passenger Buenavista, built in 1995 as P&O Cruises' Oriana, on three- to seven-night cruises from Santos and Rio de Janeiro, says year-round South American operations are now under consideration. Read today's stories and sign up for email alerts at CruiseNews.io.

Today on Cruise News: Emerald Princess received a failing draft score of 78 out of 100 after an October 16 CDC Vessel Sanitation Program inspection in Long Beach, California, where 86 is needed to pass. Inspectors cited food-temperature controls, storage and cross-contamination risks, dirty utensils and a chlorine-monitoring failure, and the CDC has asked for a corrective-action statement. PortMiami is introducing new traffic measures for a 2026-27 season with 81 days of seven to 10 ships in port, including a Carnival Cruise Line pilot offering free Miami International Airport transfers for Carnival Celebration passengers on selected dates. And Uniworld Boutique River Cruises plans to add S.S. Audrey, S.S. Marlene and S.S. São Rafael in 2027, its largest fleet expansion to date, along with two yacht voyages aboard Aqua Expeditions' Aqua Blu. Read today's stories and sign up for email alerts at CruiseNews.io.