Cruise News

Nearly 19 million Americans are expected to go on cruise vacations this year, but passenger growth is likely to cool off after seeing a boom post pandemic, travel group AAA forecast on Monday.Passenger volume this year is projected to grow 4.5% from 2024, when 18.2 million Americans went on ocean cruises, according to the industry group. The increase is slower than the 7.7% rise last year and a solid 42% growth in 2023.Cruise operators were among the worst hit in the travel industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, but their recovery was sharp.

Royal Caribbean said on Tuesday that 2025 was shaping up "to be another great year", with a near 23% jump expected in adjusted earnings, as it benefits from record prices and new river cruise itineraries.Its shares jumped 12% in early trading after the company also forecast full-year adjusted earnings of $14.35 to $14.65 per share, largely above analysts' estimates of $14.41, according to data compiled by LSEG.Royal Caribbean said its "WAVE" season -- a period at the start of a year when cruise companies offer deals and promotions to drive bookings -- was off to a record start…

HX Expeditions (formerly Hurtigruten Expeditions) is launching the first-ever cruises from New York to Greenland: a roundtrip from Newark Liberty International Airport.Starting on June 21, 2025, Greenland’s National Day and the summer solstice, the itineraries feature dedicated flight allocations on United Airlines’ direct route to Nuuk.Crafted with Greenlandic communities, they provide authentic access to Greenland’s west coast aboard the hybrid-powered MS Fridtjof Nansen, says HX.Travelers enjoy a night in Greenland’s vibrant capital…

Almaco Group has appointed Peter Melander as President of its newly renamed Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) Division, previously known as the Accommodation Systems Division.With the cruise modernization market booming, Almaco is placing increased emphasis on major conversions and modernizations of complete hotel areas on passenger ships. This has driven the renaming and new strategic focus of Almaco’s EPC Division.Melander joins Almaco from his previous role at Alandia Engineering, where he served as Chairman and CEO.

The Florida-Caribbean Association (FCCA), a cruise and destination trade group, has announced that the 2023-2024 cruise year brought record economic contributions to the region.According to the study released by Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA), cruise tourism generated $4.27 billion in direct cruise tourism expenditures, about 27% higher than the record set by the previous study in 2018, in the 33 participating destinations.Key findings include:• Cruise tourism generated $4.27 billion in expenditures…

Fincantieri and Viking signed contracts for the construction of two new cruise ships, which will build on the characteristics of previous ships already built in their Italian factories for this shipowner. The ships will be delivered in 2030. The value of the deal, subject to financing and other standard terms and conditions, has been defined as "large", or between 500 million and 1 billion euros.Fincantieri and Viking have also reached an agreement for a further 4 ships under option with deliveries expected between 2031 and 2032.

After a seven-year hiatus, Port Milwaukee has announced the return of Victory Cruise Lines in 2025. The cruise line will call on Milwaukee once again with the vessel Victory I which has a passenger capacity of approximately 200 people. Over 13,500 global cruise passengers visited the City of Milwaukee this year, marking another successful season for the city’s growing cruising industry.The season saw 27 vessel calls from seven vessels that host itineraries in Milwaukee.Port Milwaukee kicked off its cruise season on May 1, 2024, with the arrival of the Viking Octantis.

Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot became the first cruise ship to reach the North Pole of Inaccessibility on September 12.The North Pole of Inaccessibility is the point on the Arctic Ocean that is furthest from land. First described in 1909 by the Russian polar explorer Alexander Koltchak, the exact geographic coordinates were established in 2013 by Jim McNeill with the help of NASA and satellites: 85°48’ North, 176°09’ East. It is located at 1,465km (910 miles) from Utqiasuk in Alaska…

Greece plans to impose a 20-euro levy on cruise ship visitors to the islands of Santorini and Mykonos during the peak summer season, in a bid to avert over-tourism, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday.Greece relies heavily on tourism, the main driver of the country's economy which is still recovering from a decade-long crisis that wiped out a fourth of its output.But some of its most popular destinations, including Santorini, an idyllic island of quaint villages and pristine beaches with 20…

Graphene-based coatings manufacturer GIT Coatings (Graphite Innovations & Technologies Inc.) and Australian cruise line Coral Expeditions have entered into an agreement to use a combination of robotic hull grooming and graphene-based hard foul release coatings on the passenger vessel, Coral Adventurer, marking a first for the global cruise industry.In April, the Coral Expeditions’ 120-passenger ship, Coral Adventurer, was initially coated with GIT’s graphene-based hard foul release coating.

The global cruise industry expects to carry 10% more passengers by 2028 than the 31.7 million who took cruise holidays in 2023, when the sector surpassed pre-pandemic levels, but sees some routes exposed to protests over overtourism.Long criticized for its impact on the environment and coastal communities, the industry has ordered 57 more cruise ships in addition to some 300 now in operation to meet the projected demand, said the European director of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Marie-Caroline Laurent.At the same time, companies are working to adapt the ships so they can swit

Residents near the port of Lisbon and elsewhere hope plug-in infrastructure can take some of the pain out of sharing their cities with cruise ships that belch out fumes while pleasure-seeking passengers see the sights.European Union rules designed to reduce carbon emissions have focused attention on the issue by setting a 2030 deadline for maritime ports to have installed the infrastructure ships need to use electricity rather than highly-polluting marine fuel when they are moored.Residents say switching to electricity could be a boon."It is as if a giant car had its engines on in front of us…

Two people were killed and five others were missing after a small motor boat collided with a cruise ship on the Danube River north of Budapest late on Saturday, Hungarian police said on Sunday.Disaster response units, including 95 personnel, 25 vessels and drones were still searching for the five missing people along the entire Hungarian section of the Danube downstream from the site, police said in a statement.A spokesperson for the Budapest police, Soma Csecsi, said eight adults…

Shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings fell more than 12% after the operator's downbeat first-quarter revenue overshadowed a raise in annual profit forecast on Wednesday.Expectations for cruise operators have generally become high after strong booking trends and demand drove up their results and shares last year.Shares of Norwegian and its rival Carnival have seen their growth temper from those highs, in part due to concerns around cost pressures and their brands' exposure to the Middle East conflict.Meanwhile…

The uniquely painted Norwegian Aqua was launched at the Fincantieri  Marghera (Venice) shipyard, the first vessel in the Prima Plus class for Norwegian Cruise Line's (NCL).With external work now complete, the yard and its partners will forcus on completing the ship for its scheduled April 2025 delivery.“We are thrilled to celebrate another milestone together with our partners at Fincantieri, who are an integral part of the Prima class ships' journey and support us in evolving the extraordinary experience we design and deliver to our guests…

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) reports its cruise passenger numbers are back to pre-pandemic levels. The port said Monday that it finished calendar year 2023 with nearly 1.2 million cruise passenger movements and renewed commitments to the New Orleans cruise market from both oceangoing and river cruise lines.“The cruise business has rebounded in New Orleans and cruise line partners are confident in our Port NOLA cruise market,” said Port NOLA president and CEO Brandy D. Christian.

Royal Caribbean Group projected 2024 profit above Wall Street expectations after robust demand for cruise vacations and steeper ticket prices helped it beat fourth-quarter earnings estimates on Thursday.With travelers opting for cruises instead of more expensive land-based vacation options, operators are experiencing record levels of bookings compared to pre-pandemic levels, giving them enough room to mark up ticket prices."2023 was an exceptional year, propelled by unmatched demand for our brands from new and loyal guests…

Cruise operator Carnival on Friday joined the growing list of companies flagging a potential hit to their operations following attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis."We believe that the instability in the Red Sea region currently impacting shipping could have an impact on our results of operations," Carnival said in a regulatory filing.The company's U.S.-listed shares fell nearly 2% in morning trade.The attacks, which the Houthis say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza…

The steel cutting ceremony for the seventh and final vessel in the Infinity series of expedition cruise ships took place at the Haimen shipyard of China Merchants Heavy Industries (CMHI).The PC6 expedition cruise ship, yet to be named, will embark on a long-term charter upon its delivery, the ship is technically identical to the rest of the Infinity vessels.The Infinity-class newbuilds, featuring up to 95 passenger cabins, each equipped with bathrooms and most with balconies, promise an immersive and comfortable experience for travellers.

Amsterdam took a first step toward banning large cruise liners under broader plans to reduce mass tourism and pollution, officials said on Friday.Once implemented, the measures adopted by the city council would bring the Dutch capital into line with other high-profile European cities, including Barcelona, Dubrovnik and Venice, that have already cut cruise liner numbers or are considering doing so.The council approved the proposed ban on Thursday. "The motivation ... was to reduce the number of tourists…

HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) has announced Alex Delamere-White’s official appointment as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), following six months as acting interim CCO.Based out of the new HX HQ in London, Delamere-White will bring the global functions under one leadership model to further fuel HX’s long-term growth plans, including newly evolved roles for Nathaniel Sherborne and Jim Sayer. Sayer is appointed to SVP Global Marketing bringing together the global marketing functions under his leadership.

Finnish shipping company Wasaline announced it has started operating with certified biogas one day a week from October 13, in preparation for the EU emissions trading system that will come into force next year.The company, which operates the route connecting Vaasa, Finland and Umeå, Sweden, said it will use certified biogas aboard its ro-pax vessel Aurora Botnia for all Friday departures through December 22 as part of its “Green Fridays” pilot project.Biogas is more expensive than liquefied natural gas (LNG)…

Shell LNG has completed the first bunkering of MSC Euribia in Rotterdam, under the agreement with MSC Cruises S.A for Shell Western LNG B.V. (Shell) to provide marine fuels for the line’s second LNG powered newbuild. MSC Euribia is currently operating in northern Europe.This new agreement is in addition to the ongoing cooperation between MSC Cruises and Shell toward achieving broader shared decarbonization objectives, a collaboration which has been in place since 2021.Shell said both companies see LNG as an important lever in supporting their ambition for net-zero emissions by 2050.