Cruise News

Luxury operator Seabourn is selling its three oldest cruise ships. The Pride, Spirit, and Legend, each of which carries 208 passengers, are to be taken over by Windstar Cruises, doubling the size of its fleet. The ships will complete their scheduled voyages before leaving Seabourn; Pride, originally built in 1988, will be transferred in April 2014; Spirit (1989) and Legend (1992) - pictured above - move in April and May 2015. The company will retain the newer and larger vessels, Odyssey, Sojourn and Quest, and are planning to order a fourth vessel of similar design. Announcing the move today, Seabourn [...]

UPDATE: A preliminary investigation has concluded the fire was the result of a leak from a flexible hose connecting engine number six to the fuel tank. US Coast Guard Commander Theresa Hatfield says the full report may take six months to prepare. It took a while, but Carnival Triumph made it safely back to port and its 3,141 passengers finally disembarked. Most rushed off to freshen up with a much-needed hot shower; a few couldn't wait to sit down with lawyers to draw up claims for compensation. While the ship was quickly moved to a dockyard in Mobile, Alabama for [...]

Macmillan Cancer Support will be the beneficiary of fund-raising events throughout the P&O Cruises fleet this year. Officers, crew and passengers will all be given opportunities to help raise money for the charity. Some will take part in fitness challenges involving running and rowing the equivalent number of nautical miles covered by the ships. There will be gala balls including an auction for "money-can't-buy" items such as dinner with celebrity chefs Marco Pierre White and Atul Kochhar, and wine tasting tuition from TV's Olly Smith. Unique keepsakes such as signed navigational charts and polished engine spares will also be on [...]

A third tug has been sent to assist in the rescue operation for Carnival Triumph, the cruise ship which has been without power since an engine room fire on Sunday. The tug is en route from Port Fourchon, Louisiana. It is expected to arrive at the ship later this evening to assist the vessel's return to Mobile, Alabama, which it should reach tomorrow (Thursday). The U.S. Coast Guard remains on the scene. More than 200 Carnival staff will be on hand to meet the 3,143 passengers when they reach land; 1,500 hotel rooms have been reserved in Mobile and New [...]

One month into its annual world cruise, P&O's Aurora has developed a propeller shaft fault which has slowed its progress across the Pacific Ocean and will require engineers to carry out essential repairs. Passengers due to fly out this weekend to join the next leg of the voyage in Auckland, New Zealand, had been warned the ship would be departing a day late and that a half-day call at Napier and a full-day visit to Wellington were to be cancelled so the ship could reach Sydney, Australia on schedule next Friday (February 22). However, P&O now say the fault can [...]

Cruise ship Carnival Triumph is adrift in the Gulf of Mexico without propulsion after an engine room fire. It is not expected to be towed into port before Wednesday. The ship is operating with emergency generator power but with its air conditioning knocked out, more than 3,000 passengers on board have been asked to stay in public areas and on open decks "for their comfort." It is not immediately clear whether the ship's vacuum-operated toilets are functioning. The fire broke out while the ship - which left Galveston, Texas on Thursday - was 150 miles off the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. [...]