With tons of cruise news, we’re here to make sure you don’t miss a thing. In this week’s cruise updates, we’ve got news from Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, and Princess Cruises.
Cruise News Update
Cruise Hive offers it all great events as of last week, plus Royal Caribbean will unveil its new onboard dining options Symbol of the SeaNorwegian Cruise Line cancels the entire season of cruises Text of the Norwegian EpicRoyal Caribbean is changing its deposit policy to reserve a suite, Carnival Cruise Line is adding loyalty benefits to the first cruise. Carnival Veniceand Princess Cruises offering compensation to guests whose trips were affected by bad weather.
Restaurant Revealed Symbol of the Sea
When Royal Caribbean is Symbol of the Sea will be launched in January 2024, it will be the largest cruise ship, and according to its size – 250,800 tons, the ship will offer 20 restaurants plus 20. The tour gave a preview of what this place will offer to guests.
Let’s start with the most basic options. This train Empire Supper Club will have a famous New York vibe and I live near Central Park. Guests can enjoy an 8-course menu, paired with appropriate drinks, and featuring high-quality dishes such as caviar and wagyu.
Guests looking for an intimate setting can reserve the 12-person Celebration Table VIP at the AquaDome, a multi-level venue that offers ocean views.
For private dining, the AquaDome will also feature Royal Caribbean’s first food hall, the AquaDome Market, which offers five locations for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Other highly-anticipated new restaurants include Surfside Eatery, a buffet offering something for everyone, Pier 7, California-style cuisine such as surf-and-turf tacos, and Surfside Bites, featuring burgers, chicken, and ice cream. , and so on.
Norwegian literature Winter Term 2023-24 Cancelled
Norwegian Cruise Line pulled the plug on a full season of 4,100 passenger cruises. Text of the Norwegian Epic, apologizing to visitors but not explaining why, mentioning the re-shipment of ships. The cruises involved all trips from December 2023 to mid-April 2024on Mediterranean cruises that would depart from Rome and Trieste, Italy, Haifa, Israel, and Lisbon, Portugal.
On a ship the size of Text of the Norwegian Epic, and with most tours canceled, the line is looking at a possible 45,000 refund. Visitors can expect the process to take about a month. Besides refunds, other perks aimed at attracting disaffected passengers include future travel credit and future discounts.
It was the second time in a week that Norwegian Cruise Line canceled a number of cruises, when it started. The spirit of Norway all season 2024 Alaska. In that case, however, the line revealed that it has decided to allow all ships.
After his restricted season, Text of the Norwegian Epic plans to resume Mediterranean cruises starting April 19, 2024, with 10-night Greek Isles sailings from Rome.
Royal Caribbean Changes Deposit Policy for Suites
Effective June 1, 2023, there will be no more low-cost, non-refundable deposits accepted for reservations on Royal Caribbean ships, most ships. In fact, non-refundable the deposit will be equal to 10% of the cost of the trip. Cheaper fares usually range from $200 to $900, depending on the length of the trip.
In announcing the change, Royal Caribbean said that the exception to the new rule is if 10% of the amount is less than what was there before. In such cases, the old standard will apply.
Some parts of the stateroom are not affected by the new policy. However, the line also said that guests who initially book a non-inclusive suite, but who later upgrade to a suite, will be required to pay the difference between the fees and 10%.
But all of this begs the question: Why? It could be that the fee will translate into more money available, or it could be a way for the cruise line to reduce the number of canceled bookings, since guests will have paid more.
Loyalty Perks Nix on the Launch Cruise
Carnival Cruise Line’s most anticipated cruise Carnival Venice will have Diamond and Platinum loyal guests as the line is it stopped some loyalty benefitsdue to operational difficulties.
Carnival Veniceformerly a Costa Cruises ship, will soon leave dry dock following a major transformation to become Carnival Cruise Line’s new Italian cruise ship Carnival.
The ship’s first voyage is a 15-night transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to New York, calling at Malaga, Spain; Gibraltar; Lisbon, Portugal; Ponta Delgada in the Azores; and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ship will depart Barcelona on Monday, May 29, and arrive in New York on Tuesday, June 13.
Among the benefits that will not be available is the ability to move forward or down at any time during the cruise – a great benefit for seafarers, and the immediate availability of stateroom while on board. These benefits are limited to the opening period.
I’m home in New York, Carnival Venice will offer 4-night Bermuda cruises and eight Eastern Caribbean cruises with a selection of Canadian and New England cruises, Southern Caribbean cruises, and Eastern Caribbean cruises.
Princess Cruises Makes Changes to Rare Ports
The weather can make or break a cruise vacation, and on Princess Cruises’ Princess Sky this week, Mother Nature messed up. The 3,660-passenger ship ran into severe weather on its journey from Southampton and had to call at ports in Iceland and Norway.
Several ports were missed, including Akureyri, Isafjordur, Grundarfjordur, and Reykjavik, Iceland, major changes were made to the voyage, and an unrelated medical emergency occurred, leading to further complications.
The ship’s captain Marco Fortezze issued a letter of apology to the guests on the cruise, and explained compensationfuture travel credit equal to 20% of the cost of each paid trip.
This credit can be used to book future cruises and can be applied to non-cruise items, including flexible itineraries, introductory and post-cruise packages, or travel plans.
The pilot felt that his decisions about the trip were made with safety in mind, and that his changes were powerless. Princess Sky is scheduled to return to Southampton on May 27. From there, the next cruise will take her to Kristiansand, Norway; Copenhagen and Skagen, Denmark; and Oslo, Norway.
NOAA Forecasts Hurricane Season Approaching
Hurricane season begins on June 1, so it’s time for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to release its predictions for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season. It has done this this week, saying that the region can expect regular activities this season.
Near-normal, per NOAA, translates to 12 to 17 storms with sustained winds of 39 miles per hour. Between the 5th and the 9th of the storm there will be hurricane force winds, meaning maximum winds of 74 mph. Of these hurricanes, between 1 and 4 may become Category 3, 4, or 5 hurricanes.
Experts predict that warmer temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean could increase the formation of larger, stronger, longer-lasting storms this year, especially as heat waves develop over western Africa.
However, the forecast is that El Niño will start to produce storms and disrupt the currents as it approaches the Caribbean Sea.
Cruises monitor all weather conditions that may affect their ships, itineraries, and ports, and will adjust routes if necessary.
Cruisers are advised to be aware of forecast and storm conditions before, during, and after their cruise, as the weather can affect all aspects of the cruise.
Many Cruise Themes
There was a lot of other cruise news last week that we learned about on Cruise Hive, including Holland America Line open double booking for Grand World 2025 Cruises, luxury line Silversea Cruises unveils a 140 Days 2026 World CruiseMSC Cruises’ is in operation the first net-zero emissions journeyDisney Cruise Line to describe fire demonstrations visitors will see during the summer the 25th anniversary, and launch Viking river cruises throughout the year in Europe.
