Cruise News – Fall 2023

Celebrity Cruises Continues Caribbean Expansion of New Itineraries Bringing Four Ships to Three Florida Ports

Celebrity Cruises has unveil all-new Caribbean offerings for the Winter 2024-2025 season on board four stellar ships – Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Constellation, Celebrity Equinox, and Celebrity Summit. Embarking from three Florida ports: Central Florida’s Port Canaveral, West Florida’s Port Tampa Bay, and South Florida’s Port Everglades, travelers will enjoy more than 40 new itineraries, all open for booking. Catering to the diverse needs of today’s consumer, the new program offers a wide range of experiences, from rejuvenating quick getaways to weekly 7-night cruises, and up to 9-night escapes. Transporting guests to tropical hotspots from Belize and Bimini to Grand Cayman and San Juan, a select number of itineraries also offer the opportunity to visit Perfect Day at CocoCay. www.celebritycruises.com

UnCruise Adventures Unveils Exciting New Routes and Deployment Changes for 2024 and 2025

UnCruise Adventures, the trailblazer of the Small Ship Expedition Niche, continues to set the pace with new itineraries.

Newly Added and Expanded Routes: Alaska’s Northern Lights and Winter Sports, Canadian Coastal and Olympic National Park Adventure, Aleutian Islands Adventure with Kodiak, Katmai & Kenai Fjords National Park, Aleutian Islands Adventure with Alaska’s Peninsula & Prince William Sound, Prince William Sound Explorer, Inside Passage with Glacier Bay & Olympic National Park, Alaska’s Wild, Woolly and Wow, Kids in Nature, Glaciers & Wildlife Family Explorer, Glaciers & Tranquility, Alaska’s Adult-Only Adventure, Northern Gulf of California, Whales, Birds & Sealife Adventure. https://uncruise.com

Explora I Sets Sail on Her Maiden Journey

EXPLORA I, the first ship to join the fleet of Explora Journeys, the luxury lifestyle brand of the MSC Group, has commenced her maiden journey on August 1, for a seven-night sailing that will take guests through the majestic landscapes of Lerwick, Shetland Islands and Kirkwall, Orkney before heading to Reykjavik, Iceland.
The luxury ship will spend several weeks in Northern Europe to offer a range of different itineraries and will then cross the Atlantic Sea and spend the winter in North America and the Caribbean Sea before returning to Europe in Summer 2024 for voyages in the Mediterranean Sea.
EXPLORA II is currently being built in Italy and will come into service in August 2024. EXPLORA III will become the first of two LNG (liquefied natural gas) powered vessels to join the Explora Journeys’ fleet with the ship due to be delivered in 2026 and EXPLORA IV in 2027.  https://explorajourneys.com

Viking’s Newest Nile River Ship Named in Aswan

The 82-Guest Viking Aton Joins Company’s Growing Egypt Fleet Amidst Strong Demand

Viking has recently named its newest river ship, the Viking Aton, with a special celebration in Aswan, Egypt. The ship’s ceremonial godfather, Richard Riveire, designer of Viking’s award-winning river, ocean and expedition vessels and founding Principal of internationally acclaimed interior design firm Rottet Studio, offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for the ship—an evolution of the naval tradition dating back to thousands of years. The Viking Aton, an identical sister ship of the Viking Osiris, is a state-of-the-art vessel specifically built to navigate the Nile and will sail Viking’s popular Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.

The Viking Aton & Viking’s Growing Egypt Fleet

Hosting 82 guests in 41 staterooms, the new Viking Aton is inspired by Viking’s award-winning river and ocean ships with the elegant Scandinavian design for which Viking is known. The Viking Aton is the identical sister ship to the Viking Osiris, which was named in 2022 by Viking’s first ceremonial godfather, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon. The sister ships feature several aspects familiar to Viking guests, such as a distinctive square bow and an indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace. The Viking Aton joins Viking’s growing fleet built specifically for the Nile. In addition to the Viking Aton and the Viking Osiris, identical sister ships the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek, are under construction and will be delivered in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Additional ships in the Egypt fleet currently include the Viking Ra and the MS Antares; by 2025, Viking will have six ships sailing the Nile River.  www.viking.com

New Seabourn Pursuit, Seabourn’s Second Ultra-Luxury Purpose-Built Expedition Ship, Embarks on its First Voyage, Sailing to the Kimberly Region and South Pacific Over the Next Year

Seabourn Pursuit, the second ultra-luxury expedition ship for Seabourn, embarked on its first voyage and welcomed its first guests on board on Saturday, August 12, 2023. The ship kicked off its maiden year with an eight-day voyage from Valletta, Malta, to Rome.

Seabourn Pursuit is the second of two new expedition vessels from Seabourn, the leader in ultra luxury and expedition travel, launched in the past two years. The ship is purpose-built and designed to provide guests who are looking for out of the ordinary experiences combined with life-expanding moments in exquisite, ultra-luxury comfort. The ship will also offer the many Seabourn amenities and services guests know and cherish, such as the line’s renown fine dining options, entertainment, luxurious suites and personalized, intuitive service by the onboard team.

Seabourn Pursuit offers the same luxurious “yacht like” small ship experience that travelers have come to expect from Seabourn, enhanced by world-class equipment that allows the line to offer its widest range of expedition activities led by an expert 24-person expedition team of scientists, scholars, naturalists, and more. Designed and built for remote, diverse environments to PC6 Polar Class standards, the ship includes a plethora of modern hardware and technology that extends the ship’s global deployment and capabilities.

Seabourn Pursuit, like the rest of the ships in the Seabourn fleet, offers an abundance of space and elegance, eight dining facilities serving gourmet cuisine, and luxurious all-suite accommodations, including a pair of two-level Wintergarden suites.  www.seabourn.com

Hurtigruten Norway Unveils its First Zero-Emission Cruise Ship: World’s Most Energy-Efficient Cruise Vessel

Weeks before its 130thanniversary, Hurtigruten Norway unveiled plans for its first zero-emission ship. Initially announced in March 2022, under project name ‘Sea Zero,’ the first-of-its-kind initiative has revealed early concept plans for the world’s most energy-efficient cruise ship. Hurtigruten Norway presented the findings alongside its consortium of 12 maritime partners and research institute SINTEF, all joined in the pursuit of achieving emission-free marine travel. Tasked with developing energy-efficient and carbon-neutral technology solutions, the consortium shared key findings following its first year of research.

In line with their focus on sustainable operations tailored to the Norwegian coast, Hurtigruten Norway plans for smaller, custom-built ships that leave a positive footprint with zero emissions to both sea and land. With the first ship ready in 2030, the company plans to transform its entire fleet into zero-emission vessels. Since only 0.1% of ships worldwide currently use zero-emission technology, Hurtigruten Norway’s project aims to drastically improve the greater cruise industry’s sustainability record and future of travel.

Hurtigruten Norway’s future ships will be electric and equipped with batteries that charge in port. Combining 60-megawatt hour battery solutions with wind technology, the vessel is expected to feature numerous firsts and improved solutions that do not exist on cruise ships today, including retractable sails with solar panels, artificial intelligence maneuvering, contra-rotating propellers, and multiple retractable thrusters. Additional technologies include air lubrication, advanced hull coating, and proactive hull cleaning.

The three retractable, autonomous wing rigs will comprise 1500m² (16,146 ft²) of solar panels and a total wind surface of 750m² (8,073ft²), reaching a maximum height of 50m (164 ft) when fully extended. www.hurtigruten.com

Embrace the Adventurous Side in South America & Antarctica with the 2024-2025 Princess Cruises Season

Majestic Princess Debuts and Sapphire Princess Returns Showcasing Otherworldly Landscapes, Vast Antarctic Tundra, and Chilean Fjords

As a growing number of travelers mull the allure of Antarctica, Princess Cruises today unveiled four exciting voyages planned for the Seventh Continent for the 2024-2025 season.

In 2024-25 Sapphire Princess will again sail guests to some of the world’s most dramatically diverse landscapes with the opportunity to get swept away by the breathtaking beauty of Antarctica, the charm of the Falkland Islands’ penguins and incredible vistas of Elephant Island, Antarctic Sound and Gerlache Strait. As the top-rated large ship cruise line in the region, only Princess offers guests an up-close look at the wonders of the white continent while enjoying large ship comfort and small ship personalization at a fraction of the price of explorer ships.

With two ships, 26 destinations and 14 countries, the 2024-2025 season includes 15 total departures on 11 unique itineraries. New this season is a 17-day Antarctica voyage sailing roundtrip from Buenos Aires, featuring an overnight in this vibrant homeport. In addition, for guests looking for the ultimate exploration, a 51-day South America Grand Adventure awaits sailing on Majestic Princess between Los Angeles and Ft. Lauderdale, highlighted with overnight stays in Lima, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. www.princess.com