One Millionth Passenger Sails From Major US Homeport

As a rapidly growing cruise homeport, the Port of Galveston has welcomed more than one million cruise passengers in 2022. The lucky 1,000,000th guest set sail on December 22, 2022, aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Adventure of the Seas for a 4-night holiday itinerary.

1,000,000 Guests Through Port of Galveston

Dallas resident Kathy Wade and her family were honored as the city’s one millionth cruise guests by the Port of Galveston, with a collection of gifts and a short ceremony to mark the occasion.

“This is our sixth cruise this year,” Wade said. “We love to cruise and we love Royal! We’ve been on the Adventure of the Seas several times.” Balloons and fanfare greeted the family, with fun gifts for everyone to enjoy. Various port officials were on hand with their congratulations.

Port of Galveston
Photo Courtesy: Port of Galveston

“We’re very happy for the Wade family. We’re also happy to mark

Read more

Carnival Cruise Line Specialty Dining Venue Voted Best of 2022

Carnival Cruise Line’s Cucina del Capitano has been voted the Best Specialty Dining Venue in the 2022 Cruise Ship Awards. The dining venue received more votes than venues from rival cruise lines, including from Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.

Cucina del Capitano is Best Cruise Line Specialty Dining Venue of 2022

The popular specialty dining venue has come out on top in Cruise Hive’s annual Cruise Ship Awards. Cucina del Capitano, an Italian-spired restaurant featured on many Carnival cruise ships, came first. The venue received more votes than over 20 other specialty dining venues, including those from rival lines.

With Cucina del Capitano coming in with the most votes for first place, it was much closer behind. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Cagney’s Steakhouse just marginally received more votes than third place Jamie’s Italian, featured on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

Best Cruise Line Specialty Dining Venue

Voting in this year’s awards began in September, with Cruise

Read more

Massive Winter Storm Delays Two Norwegian Cruise Ships

Both Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Getaway have been delayed on their current sailings due to the massive winter storm disrupting travel in the northeastern United States.

Sailing from New York City, both ships were held in port until the weather conditions improved, but have now set sail with itinerary changes as necessary.

Two Ships Delayed

New York City can be a magical place during the holiday season, but Winter Storm Elliott has brought temperatures into the single digits and massive wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour (88 kilometers per hour), which has caused all sorts of travel snarls with canceled flights and potential whiteout conditions.

Even cruise ships were impacted by the storm, and both Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Getaway remained docked rather than beginning their current sailings in unsafe conditions, which also included high waves that made pilot guidance out of New York Harbor impossible.

Norwegian Gem

Read more

Is Carnival’s Global Brand Presence Now Causing Issues?

Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company, has seen its stock price decline in recent months due to various factors, including the global impact of the pandemic and the ongoing situation in Eastern Europe. 

The company operates several well-known brands in various global markets, including North America, the U.K., Germany, Australia, and Italy, and has long relied on its strong brand presence in these markets to drive business and generate profits. 

However, the uneven reopening of cruise travel in the wake of COVID-19, in Asia and Australia in particular, and the direct impact of the conflict in Ukraine on European countries have had a significant effect on the company’s results.

Carnival’s Strongest Suit Now Working Against Them

Carnival Corporation’s brand strategy has long been one where it operates several brands that are location specific. Think Costa Cruises and Italy, AIDA and Germany, P&O in the UK and Australia, and so

Read more

Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Helps Two Small Boats in One Day

Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas offered assistance to two refugee boats in the Straits of Florida in one day as the ship was returning to Port Canaveral from Cozumel, Mexico. Both encounters were on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, during the ship’s day at sea.

Jewel of the Seas Offers Assistance

Jewel of the Seas was on the last full day of a 5-night Bimini and Cozumel itinerary when the ship encountered not one, but two boats of refugees in the Straits of Florida, between Cuba and Florida.

The first small refugee boat was spotted approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Havana. That boat appeared to be in distress, and the cruise ship launched one of its boats to investigate.

The refugee craft’s engine was having difficulty, but was able to be successfully restarted. The cruise ship also provided food, water, and other supplies to the refugees, and the

Read more

Do Cruise Ships Have Morgues?

While it may seem morbid to think about, you may wonder if cruise ships have morgues. What happens if someone dies while aboard a ship? Where could a body possibly be kept? Even though it probably (or hopefully!) won’t cross your mind when you’re gearing up for your next vacation, it is a question of curiosity for some.

The answer to this question is, yes, cruise ships do have morgues. Since cruise ships are like portable, miniature cities, having a morgue along with various other services makes perfect sense. While no one likes to think about someone dying while cruising the open seas, death is a natural process that can occur at any time. Therefore, cruise ships are prepared for this possibility.

The Reality

While we may picture the young, adoring family taking their first magical cruise, the truth is that many cruisers are mature in age. Additionally, with

Read more

Port of Call Change for Norwegian Cruise Ship

Guests aboard Norwegian Encore had an unexpected itinerary change immediately after setting sail on the current cruise, but fortunately, another port of call was able to be substituted instead. Instead of visiting Great Stirrup Cay, the cruise ship visited Nassau on Monday, December 19, 2022.

Great Stirrup Cay Not Possible Due to Weather

Norwegian Encore set sail from Miami on Sunday, December 18, and guests were notified right away that the next day’s call on Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island destination in The Bahamas, would not be possible. Instead, the ship was rescheduled to spend the day in Nassau, the capital of The Bahamas.

The port swap was likely due to weather, as high winds were forecast for the vicinity of Great Stirrup Cay on Monday, December 19. The island is a tender port – requiring the use of small boats to ferry guests from their

Read more

Over 300,000 Cruise Passengers Sailed From Boston in 2022

Flynn Cruiseport Boston bounced back from the lean years of 2020 and 2021 and welcomed more than 300,000 cruise ship passengers onboard 128 cruise ships in the last 12 months.

No less than five ships used Massport as a homeport, which contributed to the port surpassing the passenger and ship numbers in October compared to the same period in 2019. 

With 135 million dollars in economic impact, the strong return of the cruise industry is great news for locals. The cruise industry supports a large number of jobs in the area, including positions in the terminal, on the ships, and in local businesses that support the industry.

Boston’s Massport Returns to pre-Pandemic Numbers

Flynn Cruiseport Boston returned to pre-pandemic visitor numbers this year, after two years where only a few cruise ships sailed from the port. The 128 cruise ship calls this year, which includes 56 homeport calls and 72

Read more

Costa Flagship Arrives in Dubai for a Season of Middle East Cruises

Costa Toscana, the latest flagship of Costa Cruises, made its inaugural call at Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal today, December 16. To celebrate the occasion, an event was held on board the ship attended by local and Italian authorities. 

Throughout the winter of 2022/23, Costa Toscana will offer week-long itineraries in the Persian Gulf, departing from Dubai and visiting destinations such as Oman, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar. Costa Cruises is one of several cruise lines that has sent its flagship to the Middle East, becoming an ever more popular cruise destination. 

Costa Toscana Arrives in Dubai

Costa Cruises celebrated the inaugural call of its flagship, Costa Toscana, at the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal today, December 16. This terminal, which the Costa Group opened in December 2021, is the most modern in Dubai and will be the home port for the Excel-class Costa Toscana throughout the winter of 2022/23.

The

Read more

Royal Caribbean Shifts Timing of a Popular Loyalty Benefit

Royal Caribbean International has reached out to guests about another change to its free loyalty drink vouchers for Crown and Anchor Society members, this time in a way guests will undoubtedly appreciate. Now, the time frame to use vouchers is being shifted, which will give guests more peace of mind when enjoying late night drinks.

Time Change for Drink Vouchers

Royal Caribbean guests who have reached the Diamond, Diamond Plus, or Pinnacle level of the cruise line’s Crown and Anchor loyalty program have long enjoyed daily drink vouchers as a special perk for their loyalty.

A problem, however, is that the time to reset the voucher use window has always been midnight. This means that vouchers redeemed after midnight would count toward the following day’s total, though many guests consider a late night of karaoke, comedy, or hanging out past midnight to be technically part of the previous day.

Now,

Read more