Cruise News

Harmony of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, has begun three days of sea trials. The 1,188-ft ship left the STX yard in St Nazaire shortly after 2.00 pm today for three days of tests in the Bay of Biscay. There are 500 technicians and crew on board, including three pilots who have been trained on simulators. The ship, a slightly bigger sister to Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, will be put through manoeuvres designed to check its handling, speed, propulsion, and turning capacity. As the chart (courtesy of Marine Traffic) [...]

Happy birthday, Britannia! P&O Cruises’ newest and largest ship is one year old this week. The ship was named by The Queen in Southampton on March 10 last year and the party will take place in the Caribbean, where Britannia has been enjoying her first winter season. The ship returns to Southampton on March 25 and after a two-day short-break cruise to Zeebrugge, leaves for a two-week cruise to the Mediterranean. During the voyage Ant and Dec will be on board to broadcast Saturday Night Takeaway live from Barcelona on April 2. Two days later (April 4) Britannia will be on [...]

American holidaymakers are choosing to avoid cruises in the Mediterranean because they have been put off by the refugee crisis, the industry finally admitted this week. Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold Donald, speaking at the announcement of the company’s latest financial results, said earnings until the end of the year will be lower than forecast, and that the migrant issue was making it difficult to achieve expected levels of fares for 2016. So at least Carnival are now facing up to the reality that other cruise line bosses ducked away from at the Seatrade Europe conference in Hamburg, as I reported [...]

The weatherman tells us this bank holiday weekend sees the end of meteorological summer. The cruise lines tell us it's time to start thinking about booking a world voyage - not just next year, but beyond that. Start saving now … P&O Cruises reach their 180th anniversary year in 2017, when both Aurora and Arcadia will make circumnavigations. The 104-night eastward voyage on Aurora leaves Southampton on January 9 and will travel almost 30,000 nautical miles, visiting 35 destinations in 21 countries. As well as sailing under San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge (above) and entering Sydney Harbour, the ship will [...]

Even the keenest Crystal ball-gazer would have had problems anticipating last night’s sensational announcements from Crystal Cruises. Rumours of expansion have been circulating for months, starting soon after Edie Rodriguez took over as company president and reaching fever pitch when the company was bought from its Japanese owners by Hong Kong financiers Genting. Some cruise industry pundits were sceptical, saying they had heard it all before and they would not believe it until they saw it. They will now be eating their words – Crystal is to build not one, but three new ocean ships. Not only that, it is [...]

Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2 is to be fitted with extra accommodation for passengers and their pets. During a dry-dock refit next year, the vessel will be given 30 new balcony cabins for passengers travelling in Britannia Club class, and 15 single staterooms for passengers travelling individually, either as part of a larger family group or sailing solo. QM 2 is the only cruise liner with kennels and these are frequently fully booked for passengers’ dogs and cats on Transatlantic crossings. Ten new kennel places will be created – taking the total to 22 – and a lamp-post and a [...]

As President Obama strives to earn a place in history by lifting the restrictions on trade between the US and Cuba, news comes this week of two cruise lines that will soon be visiting the island. MSC Cruises were first off the starting blocks, announcing that 2,120-passenger MSC Opera will be operating 16 seven-night cruises from Havana this winter. The newly-refurbished ship, which has just gained an extra 197 cabins, will be in Cuba from December to April and its itineraries include visits to Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cozumel in Mexico, as well as overnight stays in Havana. MSC [...]