Disney Cruise Line Tightens Temporary Refund Policy

Many cruise lines have been exceptionally lenient with cancellation and refund policies since sailing restarted while strict pandemic protocols were still in effect. Disney Cruise Line is now tightening their policies, however, with a shorter refund window and requiring tests for guests to take advantage of the policy.

Shorter Window for Last-Minute Cancellations

All major cruise lines have had temporary policies in place for guests who may test positive for COVID-19 shortly before their sailing date, when they may be ill or infectious to others during their cruise.

Disney Cruise Line’s policy has been that guests who test positive within 14 days of embarkation would be able to use the “Temporary Flexible Refund Policy” to “receive a refund in their original form of payment without Disney-imposed cancellation fees.”

Guests also have the option to “apply their cruise fare toward a future sail date” if applicable. Now, that policy has quietly

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Latest Construction Update on Carnival’s New Cruise Ship

Although her official release date is nearly a year away, Carnival Jubilee‘s construction is progressing as planned. The Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, provided an update on the Excel-class cruise ship today, already showing her name and livery on parts of the hull in a picture released on Monday.

Carnival Jubilee will have many of the same features as her sisters, Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration, such as the Waterworks Aqua park, Shaq’s Big Chicken, and of course, one of only three rollercoasters at sea, Bolt. 

Carnival Jubilee Construction Update

Carnival Cruise Line’s third Excel-class cruise ship, Carnival Jubilee, is currently under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. While her sisters, Carnival Celebration and Mardi Gras, were both constructed at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, Carnival Jubilee is the first to be built in Germany for the Miami-based cruise line in

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Princess Cruise Passengers Face Unwanted Price Hikes

Princess Cruises is introducing several price hikes, including a higher rate for the daily gratuities guests are expected to pay onboard. The price for the crew appreciation and service charge will increase by $1.50 per guest per day for all cabin and suite categories.

With the current inflation levels affecting most people worldwide, increasing gratuities is a way for Princess Cruises to lessen the impact on its crew.

Princess Cruises has also announced a significant price increase in onboard Wi-Fi. Although the service has been touted as one of the best at sea, it seems unlikely guests will be happy with the new pricing. 

Princess Cruises Gratuity Hike

Introducing price hikes will never go down well with everyone; however, with inflation skyrocketing worldwide, cruise lines are forced to bring some relief to the thousands of crew members onboard. That’s why the cruise line announced to travel advisors that the company

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Everything You Need to Know

As a cruise ship passenger, you will see that the Mazatlan cruise port is the northernmost city to visit on the Mexican Riviera. Travelers and adventurers have been landing here since pre-Columbian times.

The modern terminal is staffed with helpful volunteers and, as we shall see, navigating this port of call and the surrounding city is easy. You will be surrounded by an authentic quality. It is a real city that happily welcomes visitors, rather than a place simply built around tourism.

The area surrounding the Mazatlan cruise port is charming and the activities range from the sublime to the adventurous. Miles of beaches, deep culture and scrumptious seafood are the signature qualities of this destination.

Known as a sportfishing mecca around the world, the popular cruise destination is also home to the country’s largest fleet of shrimping boats. So, at the shrimp capital of the world, be sure to

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Nassau’s New $300 Million Cruise Port to Open May 2023

Nassau is the world’s second most popular cruise destination, just behind Cozumel. However, its port area did not live up to the expectations of the millions of visitors that visit the port each year. To provide those guests with the welcoming environment the Bahamas is known for, the port started a massive redevelopment project in 2019. 

Nassau Cruise Port has been completely transformed during the last couple of years at the cost of some $300 million. The project is now in the final phases of completion, with the port announcing the official opening will be at the end of May 2023. 

Nassau Cruise Port Officially Opens May 2023

With 3.7 million cruise ship visitors each year, having a welcoming port area is a pretty important part of your image. That’s why Nassau has invested massively in rejuvenating and upgrading its port to a world-class waterfront area.

First revealed in February

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Norwegian Cruise Ship to Sail Hip-Hop Cruise in 2023

In celebration of the Hip-Hop music genre’s 50th anniversary, Norwegian Pearl will sail the first ever “Rock The Bells Cruise: A Hip-Hop Experience” four-night cruise from November 13-17, 2023.

As a global platform dedicated to elevating Hip-Hop culture from its roots to the modern day, LL COOL J’s Rock the Bells will feature some of the genre’s greatest through several at-sea performances, including a special “Welcome to Miami” performance by Miami’s Trick Daddy and Trina.

Norwegian Pearl to Sail Hip-Hop Cruise

Rock the Bells, the preeminent voice for classic and timeless Hip-Hop founded in 2018, will host its first-ever “Rock The Bells Cruise: A Hip-Hop Experience” onboard a Norwegian Cruise Line’s 93,530 gross ton Norwegian Pearl.

Sailing from November 13-17, 2023, the Hip-Hop brand will bring its annual Rock the Bells Festival to sea, elevating the guest experience by honoring and celebrating Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary as a salute to

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Challenging Day at Major Homeport for Cruise Ship Passengers

Port Canaveral, the second busiest cruise port in the world, had an unprecedented busy day on Monday, November 28, 2022. Difficulties arose not only from the four cruise ships already scheduled at the port, but also due to Wonder of the Seas arriving a day later than anticipated after a medical evacuation.

Five Ships in Port

Four cruise ships from four different cruise lines were originally scheduled to be at Port Canaveral today: Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Getaway, Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wish, Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas, and Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Liberty.

These are some of the largest cruise ships, with double occupancy passenger capacities of 3,963, 5,555, 3,634, and 2,974, respectively. Added together and accounting for both embarking and debarking guests, this means a total of more than 32,000 people moving in and out of the port in just a few

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Cruise Ship Misses Port of Call Due to Outbreak

The Cunard cruise ship Queen Elizabeth has missed a scheduled visit to Bali due to a COVID-19 outbreak onboard.

In accordance with local restrictions and after discussion with local authorities, the vessel has bypassed the port of call and is continuing on to Fremantle in Western Australia for debarkation.

Onboard Outbreak Causes Port Diversion

While the Vista-class ship departed Sydney on schedule on November 7 for her 17-night, one-way cruise, rising cases in Australia and the presence of cases onboard have now diverted the ship and canceled the call in Bali that had been scheduled for Monday, November 28, 2022.

“Unfortunately, due to the ongoing rise in community transmission across Australia and this being reflected on various cruise lines, we’re unable to visit Indonesia at this time,” a Cunard spokesperson said.

“That has followed ongoing conversations with the respective authorities in Bali, and we understand and respect the current circumstances

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World Largest Cruise Ship Makes Maiden Call to St. Kitts

St Kitts and Nevis are preparing for one of the busiest cruise seasons to date, including various ships making their inaugural calls to Port Zante in Basseterre. 

One of the most exciting calls happened this week when the world’s largest cruise ship made its inaugural call on November 24. Local officials boarded the vessel to perform the traditional plaque exchange between the ship and island authorities.

St. Kitts has developed itself to become one of the most popular Caribbean cruise destinations, offering visitors everything they want from a Caribbean Island. 

Wonder of the Seas in St. Kitts for the First Time

Wonder of the Seas captain Henrick Loy was welcomed with open arms in Basseterre, St Kitts, this week as he piloted the world’s biggest cruise ship into Port Zante on November 24. The call is the first time the biggest cruise ship in the world arrived in St Kitts,

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Carnival Cruise Ship Back Sailing After Completing Dry Dock

Carnival Miracle retired to service this week after completing a regular scheduled dry dock. The Carnival cruise ship is one of the very few cruise ships that has undergone dry docking in the United States, whereas most Carnival cruise ships have maintenance performed in Italy or the Bahamas. 

Besides regularly scheduled maintenance to technical areas, the Spirit-class cruise ship also received her new colors, the stunning blue, white, and red hull that has become synonymous with Carnival Cruise Line in recent years. Carnival Miracle has picked up her scheduled itineraries on the west coast, sailing from Long Beach. 

Carnival Cruise Line Makes Several Changes Onboard Miracle

Carnival Miracle has completed her regular scheduled dry dock, which incorporates several changes to the vessel. The Spirit-class cruise ship arrived in Astoria, Portland, earlier this month, one of the few Carnival Cruise Line ships that used a US-based shipyard for its maintenance. 

In

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