Reflecting strong growth for MSC Cruises and PortMiami, the 4,500-passenger MSC Seascape docked for the first time at the line's new Miami terminal on Saturday. Capable of serving up to 36,000 passengers daily and three ships at the same time, the new terminal is the world's largest. Overall, PortMiami is experiencing robust demand and on Saturday, it welcomed a record 10 cruise ships capable of serving 68,000 passengers.
In addition to MSC Seascape, those ships docked at PortMiami included Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Magic and Carnival Sunrise; Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas and Independence of the Seas; Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Gem; Oceania Cruises’ Sirena; Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady; and Holland America Line’s Zaandam.
Across the Atlantic, two Mediterranean region earthquakes—the latest of 5.2 magnitude last Thursday—have resulted in a state of emergency for Santorini, Greece. As a result, Viking’s 930-passenger Viking Star, currently operating a 10-night voyage round-trip from Athens, will visit Chania, Crete, tomorrow instead of making a planned Santorini call; a subsequent Viking cruise will do the same. No other ships are slated to call in Santorini this month.
AmaWaterways and Smithsonian Journeys are partnering to offer select, co-branded European river cruises, starting in April 2026. Ranging from eight to 15 days, the 33 new river cruise journeys are now available for booking. All departures include an assortment of pre- and post-cruise land packages.
Trending This Week
GuruWalk’s latest research reveals that American travelers are prioritizing new, and different types of touring experiences—far beyond traditional city sightseeing tours. One of seven emerging trends is that 15 percent of GuruWalk’s travelers are now seeking in-depth historical and political tours with tales of wars, revolutions and iconic historical figures. Dovetailing with that trend, Holland America Line has inked a new, multiyear partnership with "The History Channel." The partners will create new historically-focused itineraries and curated shore trips.
For example, one new, seven-night “Mediterranean Marvels of Pompeii” itinerary will spend two full days in Naples. So, guests can dive deeply into Pompeii's history on in-depth tours on two successive days or perhaps instead choose to explore Pompeii on one, ancient Herculaneum on the next. Throughout the cruise industry, themed cruises of all types remain a big draw as travelers flock to vacations that dovetail with their own personal interests. Rock music fans might check out On the Blue Cruises, which announced two music-themed cruises aboard Norwegian Cruise Line this year.
Other trends? AdventureSmith Explorations also reports that women comprise 55 percent of the travelers who book with them, and women also lead the solo travel trend. Small-ship expedition cruising, in turn, is making the most of these trends with new women-only bookings and more solo travel options. What's the hottest solo traveler destination for AdventureSmith? It's America's Last Frontier—Alaska.
Upgrades and More News
Starting in late March, Margaritaville at Sea will offer new experiences and upgrades on the 1,680-passenger Paradise, which sails from the Port of Palm Beach. Look for refreshed F&B experiences, new entertainment options, ports of call, and enhanced terminal processes. In addition, MSC Cruises is now offering additional privileges for guests booking a suite within the Aurea Experience across the fleet. Already strongly focused on cuisine, Oceania Cruises unveiled the next evolution of its Grand Dining Room menus, debuting aboard the line's newest 1,200-guest ship, Allura, which launches in July 2025. Guests can expect more than 270 new recipes across all three daily meal services.
Disney Cruise Line introduced its 2026 lineup of summer cruises. In Europe, one highlight is that Disney Dream will call at Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, a new destination for the line. In Alaska, Disney plans to introduce a second ship so both Disney Magic and Disney Wonder will operate seven-night voyages from Vancouver, B.C. Launching this November, the new Disney Destiny will operate four- and five-night cruises to the Bahamas and Western Caribbean from Port Everglades in South Florida. Disney Adventure, launching this coming December, will offer three- and four-night itineraries from the Marina Bay Cruise Center in Singapore in spring and summer 2026. And three Disney ships will sail from Port Canaveral, FL.
In April 2024, MSC Meraviglia struck Pier 3 West at San Juan Cruise Port, resulting in significant damage that caused the pier’s closure with repairs still not totally completed. That’s resulted in cancelled calls and replacement ports added by lines over the past 10 months. According to Seatrade Cruise News, San Juan Cruise Port has now sued both insurers and MSC Cruises for damages in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, and MSC had no immediate comment.
On the personnel front, Atlas Ocean Voyages appointed Isabel Galvan to a newly created role as vice president of global business development and sales strategy. She’ll lead all sales efforts and strengthen key partnerships, driving business growth.
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