Oceania Announces Transition to Adults-Only
Oceania Cruises announced that, effective January 7, 2026, the cruise line will exclusively welcome guests aged 18 and older for all new reservations for future voyages, elevating the onboard ambiance and responding to the preferences of its guests. The company said that all existing reservations made prior to January 7, 2026, that include travelers under…
Princess Unveils Expanded Northern Europe Season for 2027
Princess Cruises will operate an extended Northern Europe cruise program in 2027, the company announced in a press release. With sales set to open on Jan. 13, 2026, the deployment will feature 48 voyages to 54 destinations across 18 countries. Four ships are scheduled to sail in the region, including the Sky Princess, the Majestic…
Cruise Industry Starts 2026 With 74 Ships on Order
Data from the latest edition of the Cruise Industry News Global Cruise Ship Orderbook shows that 74 vessels are currently on order. To be built at a cost of over $76.5 billion, the new ships will add over 205,250 berths to the industry through 2036. The new vessels have an average size of nearly 120,000…
Ambience Enters Multimillion-Pound Refit at A&P Tyne
Ambassador Cruise Line has confirmed that the Ambience will enter a scheduled dry dock at A&P Tyne in Hebburn, Tyne and Wear, on January 7, 2026, for a three-week program of technical maintenance and refurbishment works. Nick Hughes, chief operating officer at Ambassador Cruise Line, said: “The Ambience’s dry dock in Hebburn represents a significant…
Meet the New Ships of 2026: Over 30,000 New Berths, $10+ Billion
Over 30,000 new berths will enter service in the cruise industry in 2026, with 14 new ocean-going ships slated to start cruising. The ships were built at a cost of over $10 billion; they range from the biggest of them all: the Legend of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International and Disney Adventure, to Antactica21’s…
Silver Muse Resumes Service After Drydock and Capacity Increase
The Silver Muse recently resumed revenue service for Silversea after undergoing a major drydock update in Europe. As previously reported by Cruise Industry News, the project included a significant berth addition, which increased the ship’s capacity by roughly seven percent. With larger suites making room for smaller accommodations on decks 9, 10 and 11, the…
Cruise Industry Trends for 2026 and Beyond
Cruise Industry News takes a look at the trends across the cruise business for 2026 and beyond. Larger Newbuilds Cruise ships will continue to grow in size over the next decade, with new vessels exceeding 200,000 tons debuting for all major brands. The lineup includes new record-breaking ships for Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line…
Invitation to Tender for a Tenancy for Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, with its strategic location and deep-water port, has long served as a pivotal maritime hub in the region and now a tender has become available to operate and manage the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal (KTCT) starting from June 2028. Guided by the Action Plan on Development of Cruise Tourism (Action Plan) published by…
Phoenix Reisen’s Amadea Sets Sail on 146-Night Voyage
The Amadea recently departed from the German port of Bremerhaven for Phoenix Reisen’s 146-night world voyage. As part of the “Great Circumnavigation of the World,” the 1991-built ship will sail to a wide range of destinations in the Northern Hemisphere. The cruise starts with visits to destinations in Europe and the Atlantic before arriving in…
Norfolk Reports Record 340,000 Guests in 2025
The Port of Norfolk welcomed a record number of guests in 2025. According to an update shared by Cruise Norfolk, the Half Moone Cruise Terminal hosted 47 turnaround calls from Carnival Cruise Line, as well as 15 port-of-call visits, with over 340,000 unique visitors arriving at the port. The year also marked the official launch…
Iona Completes Five Years of Service for P&O Cruises
P&O Cruises’ Iona recently completed five years of service after being delivered by the Meyer Werft shipyard on October 9, 2020. Part of Carnival Corporation’s Excel series, the 183,000-ton vessel debuted as the largest ship built for the British brand. The Iona also became the first LNG-powered ship dedicated to the British market and the…
Allure of the Seas: 15 Years of Service for Royal Caribbean
The Allure of the Seas recently completed 15 years of service for Royal Caribbean International after being delivered on October 28, 2010. As a sister to the 2009-built Oasis of the Seas, the 220,000-ton ship was built at the STX Europe Shipyard in Turku, Finland. Surpassing its sister ship by a slight margin, the vessel…
Costa Announces 2026-27 Season in South America
Costa Cruises has opened sales for its 2026-2027 season in South America, which will feature the Costa Diadema and the Costa Serena. According to a press release, the ships will serve national markets in the region between November 2026 and April 2027. The deployment includes three- to nine-night itineraries departing from Santos, Itajaí and Rio…
Norwegian Announces Return of Free at Sea Plus
Norwegian Cruise Line is bringing back its Free at Sea Plus package, according to a recent press release. The company stated that the return takes its Free at Sea program “to the next level, giving travelers even more ways to enjoy a seamless, stress-free cruise.” With prices starting at $49.99 per person per day, the…
MSC Magnifica Ready for Winter, World Cruise After Drydock
MSC Cruises has completed a major refurbishment of the MSC Magnifica at the Palumbo shipyard in Malta and the ship has now started her winter sailings in the Mediterranean Sea ahead of the vessel’s 132-day world cruise that starts in January. The two-month drydock included the addition of two new specialty dining venues: Butcher’s Cut…