Top Cruise Travel Stories From November

The cruise industry made significant waves throughout November as demand continued to soar and more travelers hit the open seas. Here are the top stories from the last month.

 

Travel advisors have voted for their favorite cruise lines, river cruise lines and ships in the industry for the 2023 Travvy Awards! From the best expedition cruise lines to the best small ships sailing the seven seas, the Travvys feature a wide swathe of categories for advisors to vote for their favorites. Like the Olympics, the Travvys have a gold, silver and bronze award for each category.

 

Royal Caribbean Group’s “exceptional” 2023 booking pattern shows no signs of slowing despite headwinds ranging from higher prices to global conflicts to consumer concerns regarding the economy, said Jason Liberty, the company’s president and CEO.

 

Carnival Corporation’s nine brands are riding the wave of consumer wanderlust to what company officials like Josh Weinstein, CEO, speaking Wednesday at Northstar Travel Group’s CruiseWorld conference in Fort Lauderdale, describe as historic highs in passenger bookings revenue and company earnings.

 

Celebrity Cruises’ fifth Edge Series ship, debuting in 2025, celebrated its steel-cutting ceremony November 7 and got its name: the Celebrity Xcel. The sister ship to the upcoming Celebrity Ascent, Celebrity Xcel is being built in Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.

 

Disney Cruise Line (DCL) announced the opening of a new dedicated cruise terminal and the second year-round homeport in Florida at Broward County’s Port Everglades.

 

Disney Cruise Line has announced additional details of its Bahamian-inspired venues on the island of Eleuthera. Scheduled to debut in the summer of 2024, the one-of-a-kind retreat on a breathtaking island will showcase a celebration of Bahamian storytelling, artistry and culture along with plenty of relaxation surrounded by nature.

 

Princess Cruises announced the largest casino ever built by the cruise line would debut on the upcoming 4,300-guest Sun Princess, which sets sail in February 2024. Dubbed The Princess Casino, the facility will offer 50 percent more space and 30 percent more machines than Princess’ Royal Class ships.

 

Royal Caribbean International announced that current automatic service gratuity rates would increase by more than 10 percent. Automatic service gratuity will jump to $18 per person, per day for passengers in non-suites staterooms and Junior Suites, and increase to $20.50 per person, per day for guests in Suites.

 

Luxury hotel barge cruise company European Waterways has just introduced some new special itineraries visiting Christmas Markets Cruises in Alsace-Lorraine, France. These holiday-themed hotel barge cruises are purportedly already proving popular among travelers who are keen to the Old-world customs and traditional festivities of “Christmas Past”, all while basking in Alsace-Lorraine signature blend of French and German charm.

 

MSC Cruises has revealed a new and expanded Young and Teen Program across its entire fleet, accompanied by a new MSC Cruises’ original teen music video dedicated to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

 

Riviera River Cruises has announced the addition of eight newly-themed European river cruise itineraries for 2025. Guests on these eight-day itineraries can indulge in their love of art, music, history, food, wine and nature with experiences tailored to each interest while enjoying a relaxing cruise on Europe’s beautiful waterways, including the Rhine, Danube, Rhône and Douro rivers.

 

Windstar Cruises is expanding its global reach with first-time cruises in South America beginning in December of 2025 on board all-suite yacht Star Pride. The diversification to the region creates new opportunities for the small ship cruise line’s well-traveled guests to experience bucket-list destinations, like Machu Picchu in Peru and Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.

 

River cruise operator AmaWaterways has unveiled an extensive selection of enhanced menu offerings in response to guests’ increasing demands for vegan and plant-based offerings. Guided by AmaWaterways’ Co-Founder and Executive Vice President Kristin Karst, a passionate believer that “plant-based meals are the future,” the curated offerings bring guests a visually stunning and palate-pleasing culinary experience.

 

A “category of one” is how Larry Pimentel, CEO, describes Four Seasons Yachts, which will launch its first vessel in 2025, with one more to come in 2026 and an option for a third. The product, he said, is neither a cruise ship nor a yacht but a new kind of hybrid that is in a class by itself because of its quality, the sheer space per passenger and the fact that it is backed by one of the world’s most recognized luxury brands.

 

Luxury and expedition cruise line, Seabourn, is offering a new World Cruise for 2026, a 129-day voyage onboard the Seabourn Sojourn that visits fourteen different countries, called the “Ring of Fire: Hidden Gems,” available for booking now.