Luxury Cruising Editorial

A cruise line has announced that they are selling their oldest cruise ship and wrapping a massive transformation of their other vessels.

Costa Cruises, one of eight cruise lines from Carnival Corporation, is selling Costa Fortuna, the oldest ship in their fleet. The vessel will remain in the Costa fleet for another 16 months and then get transferred over to a new owner in September 2026.

In addition to the selling of Costa Fortuna, the cruise line announced that they are wrapping up $225 million project that added significant improvements to their ships.

The last ship scheduled to receive improvements is Costa Serena. The ship will go into an extensive dry dock in November 2025 and will emerge as a completely different vessel.

It will feature a vibrant new food court with innovative restaurants and bars, such as the Archipelago starred-chef restaurant, Pizzeria Pummid’Oro and Sushino@Costa.

The suites will be completely renovated and the ship’s pools will be designed.

Between October and December 2026, Costa Serena will embark on extraordinary itineraries, including a World Cruise from Tokyo, Japan, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, before positioning to South America for regular rotations in winter 2027.

Starting in spring 2027, Costa Serena will offer Mediterranean-focused cruises.

Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Cruises, gave the following statement:

“Our goal is to provide unmatched experiences for our guests while embracing innovation, sustainability, and exceptional value for money. We continuously focus on product innovation, such as the Sea and Land itineraries, an exclusive by Costa, that combines new Sea Destinations and Land Destinations.

We are also investing in our fleet to enhance onboard experience and introducing new itineraries, including Costa Serena new deployment for 2026-2027. The strategy path that we started a few years ago is strengthening our offer in our key markets with a portfolio of unique vacations.”

Ever looked at a map and thought, “I want to go there, and there, and there“?  Well, Oceania Cruises is offering a very unique sailing that pretty much covers the map. Everything from the icy Antarctic to Balinese temples will be seen on this voyage, and it all starts in PortMiami.

Departing from Miami on January 6, 2026, the “Around the World in 180 Days” cruise isn’t just a vacation; it’s a global expedition. And on the elegant Oceania Vista, carrying a comfortable 1,200 guests on the 2023 Allura-class ship, passengers will experience it all with Oceania’s signature focus on great food and immersive destinations.

This particular itinerary stands out as very unique.

From the Icy South to Tropical Paradise

It really is a voyage of extremes.  The itinerary will take passengers from the stark landscapes of the Antarctic region (with a call in Punta Arenas, Chile, explicitly linked to Antarctica in the schedule) to the lush beauty of Bali, Indonesia, known for its vibrant culture and temples.

That’s some geographical variety that few single trips ever cover. But this sailing is about far more than just these two very different destinations.

Route of the 180-day Sailing on Oceania Vista

Overnight Stays

One of the most rewarding aspects of this World Cruise is the amount of time spent in port. This isn’t a “drive-by” tour of the globe. The itinerary features a number of overnight stays, allowing passengers to actually experience a destination.

Based on the itinerary, Oceania Vista will spend extra time in the following places with overnight stays:

• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 2 nights
• Buenos Aires, Argentina: 1 night
• Papeete, Tahiti Island, French Polynesia: 1 night
• Benoa, Bali, Indonesia: 1 night
• Singapore: 1 night
• Mumbai, India: 1 night
• Dubai, UAE: 1 night
• Safaga (for Luxor), Egypt: 1 night
• Bordeaux, France: 1 night

These extended stays provide opportunities for more relaxed sightseeing, experiencing local nightlife, and taking longer excursions inland, like exploring the temples near Safaga or the vineyards near Bordeaux.

Major Phases of 180-Day Cruise

Here is the 180-day world cruise itinerary in a nutshell, breaking it down into major phases:

South America and Caribbean: (Early January – Late February) Following departure from Miami, the cruise visits the Caribbean before sailing along the coasts of South America, with calls including French Guiana, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, the Falklands, and Chile.

Pacific Crossing and Islands: (Mid-March – Early April) After visiting California, the voyage crosses the Pacific, including stops in Hawaii and exploring islands and archipelagos across the South Pacific, from the Marquesas to Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and French Polynesia.

Australia and Asia: (Early April – Early May) The itinerary includes coastal Australia, followed by visits to Indonesia (Komodo Island is included), Singapore, Phuket, and cities in Sri Lanka and India.

Middle East: (Mid – Late May) Ports of call include Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, featuring an overnight stay near Luxor and a transit of the Suez Canal.

Mediterranean and Europe: (Late May – Early June) Following the Suez Canal portion, the cruise visits ports in Greece, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Portugal, and France in the Mediterranean and Western Europe.

Northern Europe and Atlantic: (June) The journey proceeds north to the British Isles, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland before crossing the Atlantic.

North America: (Late June – Early July) Calls are scheduled in Canada and the US East Coast before the voyage concludes back in Miami.

This 180-day voyage on Oceania Vista from Miami starts at $58,099 per person as part of the promotional fare, but most of the cabins have filled up and require a wait list for those still interested.

The following is included in the cruise fare:

• Free laundry services
• Free visa package
• Free WiFi
• Free pre-paid gratuities
• Free luggage delivery

Oceania Cruises is well known for its epic world cruises, and they often sell out very quickly.  Last year we reported of another 180-day world cruise with the company that sold out in 30 minutes.

Here is the full itinerary of this incredible cruise in 2026:

Cruise passengers traveling to Mexico will have to pay a new fee this summer, but it’s much lower than it could have been, thanks to pressure from cruise industry leaders.

In 2024, over 9 million cruise passengers visited Mexico.  In 2025, that number is expected to jump to more than 10 million. 

But a $42 passenger fee from Mexico was threatening to lower the number of visits as the cruise industry warned of the threat to the country’s tourism sector.

This fee was intended to start early in 2025 and would be passed on to cruise passengers who had previously been exempt because they were considered “in transit”.

The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), voiced strong opposition and led the charge against the high fees. They warned that the $42 fee added to existing costs and could lead to ships bypassing Mexican ports altogether.

Fortunately, the cruise industry didn’t just accept this. Through active discussions with Mexican officials, they worked to find a better solution

And the good news for anyone planning a Mexican cruise is that these efforts paid off dramatically.

Mexico has agreed to a significantly lower starting rate for the new fee. Beginning July 1, 2025, the Non-Resident Duty for cruise passengers will be just $5 USD per person, an 88% decrease from the original $42 fee.

This fee will typically be added to your cruise fare by the cruise line, and it’s important to note it is charged just once per itinerary, regardless of how many stops you make in Mexico on that sailing.

But this fee is not going to remain at $5, at least as things are setup right now.

The $5 rate is the starting point, and the fee is scheduled to increase gradually in the coming years as part of the agreement reached.

Here is the planned schedule for the phased increases:

• $10 per passenger from August 1, 2026, to June 2027
• $15 per passenger from July 1, 2027, to July 2028
• $21 per passenger starting August 1, 2028

While the fee will rise over time, the key takeaway is that even the final scheduled rate of $21 is still half of the original $42 proposal.  And perhaps during this time there will be more negotiations to keep the fees lower than the current scheduled rates.

The same cruise port can have both adoring fans and disgruntled passengers.  After all, many aspects of cruising are subjective, and the topic of cruise ports is no exception.   So, what cruise ports in the Caribbean are getting the least amount of love online? 

A social media post with over 200 comments opened up a can of worms to reveal some destinations that were not well received by a group of cruisers.  The question in the title asked, “What is the most overrated cruise ship port in the Caribbean?”

When people on a Reddit post started talking about the most overrated or disappointing ports in the Caribbean, a few places kept coming up. While everyone’s trip is different, many felt these ports fell short, often due to pushy salespeople, feeling fake, or just not having much excitement right near the ship.

Based on their comments and the ports most often mentioned, here are 5 Caribbean cruise ports that some cruisers believe are overrated:

1. Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau was the port mentioned most often as a disappointment in the comments. Many cruisers found it hard to relax near the port, with several complaining that “locals harass and haggle way too much.”

Others were unhappy with excursions, including pricey resort day passes or animal encounters that didn’t meet expectations, feeling like “$500 down the tubes” for their family. For a lot of people, the feeling was clear: “Any stop in Nassau is a quiet day on the ship for us.”

Read more: 5 times you should stay on the cruise ship when in port

Nassau recently underwent a $300 million renovation project and has greatly improved since then.  Some cruisers may not have been there recently, but even for the ones that were there recently, apparently the port still has some work to do.

2. Cozumel, Mexico

Cruisers had mixed feelings about Cozumel. While many agreed that the underwater world is fantastic – with one saying, “Get underwater in Cozumel, the reef and sea life are incredible” – the land experience didn’t impress everyone. Some found the area near the port “pretty boring” compared to what they expected and felt that “The port is great to avoid,” meaning you often need to travel away from the ship to find the best experiences.

Personally, Cozumel is one of my favorite ports in the Caribbean and I love to snorkel there and often visit Chankanaab Park when I’m there.  There’s a ton to do in Cozumel, but perhaps it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

3. Jamaica (Ocho Rios / Falmouth)

Jamaican ports like Ocho Rios and Falmouth made some cruisers feel uncomfortable. They mentioned feeling unsafe or overwhelmed by constant pressure from vendors.

One commenter simply stated they avoid “Any in Jamaica,” while another shared the intensity of their negative gut feeling by saying, “That place scared…me, we got off, the ship and got right back on.”

4. Freeport, Bahamas

Freeport was often called a “throw away port” in the comment section of the post. Cruisers widely felt there wasn’t much interesting or easy to get to near the ship. The port area itself was seen as unappealing, leading one user to jokingly compare the view upon arrival to having “rolled into town to get an oil change!”

Admittedly, the port does have a strong industrial feel, and it takes a good bit of driving to find the hot spots to enjoy when in port.

5. Costa Maya, Mexico / Belize City, Belize

Though located in different countries, Costa Maya and Belize City were often mentioned together in the Reddit thread. This is because many cruisers felt they shared a similar issue: the immediate port or city area is often disappointing or feels a bit fake, like it lacks authenticity.

As one cruiser warned about visiting them, it “It’ll ruin your day!” The common feeling was that the port area itself, or the city center in Belize City (which some found “awful”), wasn’t the main draw. Instead, cruisers felt “the thing to do is get out to the cays [or take other excursions],” meaning the best experiences – like visiting ancient ruins or natural sites – require traveling a distance away from the port area.

Bottom Line

This list is really all based on opinion, and you might have a completely different point of view of these ports.

What one cruiser finds disappointing, another might absolutely love. It really just goes to show that your experience at any cruise port can be very different depending on what you’re looking for and what you choose to do.

Don’t let this list completely decide your plans but maybe use it as a heads-up to do a little extra research on these ports if they’re on your itinerary.