Diplomacy

Carnival Sunshine will return to service tomorrow after being out of service since the first week of January.

The cruise ship’s time out of service was part of a scheduled dry dock. Older cruise ships go into dry dock every three years for routine maintenance and to keep the vessels running in top form.

In addition to routine maintenance, several parts of the ship received complete refurbishments.  This includes the water park, ropes course, mini golf course, jogging track, and all flooring of all open decks.

New motion lights were added to guest cabins and the casino received several upgrades including a new host deck on the Promenade Deck.

Carnival Sunshine’s first cruise back will be a five-night sailing from Norfolk to The Bahamas on February 11, 2025. The cruise will visit Freeport and Bimini.

The cruise ship will homeport in Norfolk for all of 2025 sailing mostly six- and eight-night cruises to The Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean.

Since Carnival Sunshine has been in service 1996, the ship goes into dry dock every three years.  The ship made history in 1996 being the very first cruise ship to ever be larger than 100,000 gross tons.

In 2013, a two and a half month dry dock saw the ship transform from Carnival Destiny into Carnival Sunshine.

The previous dry dock in late 2021 saw the ship receive the new red, white and blue hull design to go along with general hotel and ship maintenance. 

You can see Carnival Cruise Line’s complete ship dry dock schedule here.

The first cruise ship visited the world’s largest cruise terminal today in Miami when MSC Seascape was the first vessel to use the massive terminal.

MSC Cruises will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony next month for the new Terminal AA/AAA at PortMiami. This new terminal is able to process 36,000 cruise passengers every day.

The ribbon cutting ceremony for PortMiami’s Terminal AA/AAA will take place on March 6, 2025. MSC Cruises said that this new terminal will redefine the cruise experience and also solidifies the cruise line’s commitment to Miami and the U.S.

The terminal has been under construction for the past three years at a cost of around $300 million.

It is the largest cruise terminal in the world and it can accommodate up to three cruise ships at a time.

The project was a partnership between the Cruise Division of MSC Group, PortMiami and Miami-Dade County. The iconic structure was designed by Arquitectonica and built by Fincantieri Infrastructure.

The following four MSC cruise ships are offering sailings from Miami in 2025 and will use the terminal:

• MSC Divina
• MSC Seaside
• MSC Seascape
• MSC World America

The terminal will also be used by MSC’s luxury cruise line, Explora Journeys.

MSC World America will sail her inaugural cruise on April 12, 2025. The 205,700 gross ton ship will the be the largest non-Royal Caribbean cruise ship sailing from the U.S. The terminal was built to accommodate the massive new ship.

The ship will sail seven-night cruises from Miami that will depart every Saturday. The week-long cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean can be combined into 14-night sailings.

All cruises will visit MSC’s private island in The Bahamas, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

A few days before the ship’s debut, MSC Cruises will unveil its new Marine Conservation Center at Ocean Cay.  This facility will serve as a hub for critical coral restoration research and education, a key initiative of the MSC Foundation.

MSC Cruises is the third largest cruise line in the world and they will have 23 ships in service once MSC World America debuts in two months. Seven of those ships will be sailing from the U.S. by the end of 2025.

MSC Cruises is adding seven new perks for guests who book a suite with an Aurea Experience on all 22 of their ships.

MSC Cruises offers their guests the options three different experiences when booking a cabin that isn’t part of the Yacht Club. They are Bella, Fantastica and Aurea. Bella is a basic cruise fare and the other two offer extra perks for an additional fee.

Aurea Experience suite guests are immersed in a unique and elevated experience, which will include a bottle of prosecco, wellness-focused amenities and access to the luxurious MSC Aurea Spa thermal area, my choice dining flexibility, and a bedding and pillow menu to enjoy.

Now the cruise line is adding seven extra perks for those who book a suite with the Aurea Experience. They are:

• Priority disembarkation
• Priority tender boat access
• One free minibar refresh
• In-suite Nepresso coffee machine
• Venchi daily turndown of chocolates
• Complimentary ironing
• Elevated suite amenities that include 100% cotton bathrobes, plus slippers, premium bed linens, and luxury bath products

These perks are in addition to the current Aurea benefits of free thermal suite access, welcome Prosecco and chocolate, access to the Top Exclusive Solarium, 10% discount on spa treatments, and priority boarding.

The seven new perks will go into effect on all MSC cruises that depart from July 1, 2025 and beyond.

Suites with the Aurea Experience will offer the highest luxury on MSC cruise ships outside of the Yacht Club.

The MSC Yacht Club is a “ship-within-a-ship” concept that offers private facilities on the ship with keycard-only access.

This includes a private sundeck, pool, restaurant and lounge.

Margaritaville at Sea has announced several new enhancements that include partnering with the Port of Palm Beach to significantly expedite the arrival and debarkation process.

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise is the only cruise ship to sail from the Port of Palm Beach. The ship and port are getting several new upgrades to make the cruise experience even better.

The cruise line and port partnered together to add advanced facial recognition for guests cruising with a U.S. passport. This dramatically speeds up the debarkation process and makes passing through customs a breeze.

The port has also added new parking options that include self-parking and valet. The port now offers shorter waiting periods and earlier boarding times.

In addition to the port enhancements, Margaritaville at Sea Paradise is receiving updated and new dining and beverage experiences. They are:

• Hemisphere Dancer Craft Spirits – Cruise line’s popular bar is being added to Paradise
• Far Side Sushi – New, all specialty dining restaurant
• Frank and Lola’s – Will be inclusive for all guests at the Port of Indecision Buffet
• License to Chill and 12 Volt Bar – Upgraded, poolside bar
• JWB Prime Steakhouse – Receiving an upgrade menu and seasonal specialties

The cruise ship is also receiving new live entertainment that includes new artists in every corner of the ship.

All of these new changes will begin in late March 2025.

Margaritaville at Sea has added a new excursion, Sail and Splash: Margaritaville Beach Resort Nassau. This exclusive partnership gives guests sailing on the ship priority access to the Nassau resort, including the Fins Up! Water Park, creating a seamless, start-to-finish Margaritaville island escape.

Christopher Ivy, CEO of Margaritaville at Sea, gave the following statement:

“In addition to our popular trips to Grand Bahama Island and Key West, we’re sailing to Nassau from the Port of Palm Beach, giving our guests another option to enjoy all the great enhancements we’re introducing aboard Paradise.

“Sailing on Paradise captures the same fun and escapism, now with even more outstanding food, drinks, and entertainment, making it a perfect introduction for first-time cruisers and our loyal returning guests.”

MSC Cruises will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony next month for the largest cruise terminal ever built. This new terminal will be able to process 36,000 cruise passengers every day.

The ribbon cutting ceremony for PortMiami’s Terminal AA/AAA will take place on March 6, 2025. MSC Cruises said that the new terminal will redefine the cruise experience and also solidifies the cruise line’s commitment to Miami and the U.S.

The terminal has been under construction for the past three years at a cost of around $300 million.

It will be the largest cruise terminal in the world and the opening coincides with the debut of cruise line’s newest ship, MSC World America.

The following four MSC cruise ships are offering sailings from Miami in 2025:

• MSC Divina
• MSC Seaside
• MSC Seascape
• MSC World America

MSC World America will sail her inaugural cruise on April 12, 2025. The 205,700 gross ton ship will the be the largest non-Royal Caribbean cruise ship sailing from the U.S.

The ship will sail seven-night cruises from Miami that will depart every Saturday. The week-long cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean can be combined into 14-night sailings.

All cruises will visit MSC’s private island in The Bahamas, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

A few days before the ship’s debut, MSC Cruises will unveil its new Marine Conservation Center at Ocean Cay.  This facility will serve as a hub for critical coral restoration research and education, a key initiative of the MSC Foundation.

MSC Cruises is the third largest cruise line in the world and they will have 23 ships in service once MSC World America debuts in two months. Seven of those ships will be sailing from the U.S. by the end of 2025.

Disney Cruise Line has announced that they will sail more itineraries in 2026 than ever before as their fleet grows to eight cruise ships.

Disney’s summer cruises in 2026 will open for bookings for the cruise line’s Castaway Club members on February 10, 2025. A week later on February 17, they will open for bookings to the general public.

Disney will sail cruises to the Caribbean, Alaska, Europe and Asia in 2026. Here is a look at these new cruises that were just announced by Disney Cruise Line.

From Florida

Disney will homeport three ships in Port Canaveral and one in Port Everglades. 

From Port Everglades, Disney Destiny will offer seven-night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. Disney Destiny will make her debut later this year.

From Port Canaveral, Disney Fantasy will sail four- and five-night cruises. Disney Wish will offer shorter three- and four-night sailings to The Bahamas with Disney Treasure offering week-long cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

Disney Fantasy will sail one longer 10-day cruise to the Southern Caribbean.

To Alaska

Disney is adding a second cruise ship in Alaska when their two oldest and smallest ships, Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, sail to the 49th State.

Both ships will sail from Vancouver on seven-night itineraries. Port stops include Ketchikan, Dawes Glacier, Icy Strait Point, Skagway and Juneau.

Europe

Disney Cruise Line will visit Cagliari, Italy for the first time when Disney Dream visits the city. The ship will offer cruises from Barcelona, Civitavecchia and Southampton on sailings that range from three- to seven-nights in length.

Disney Dream will sail to the following countries in Europe in 2026:

• Italy
• Greece
• Croatia
• Malta
• France
• Spain
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Belgium
• United Kingdom

Asia

Disney Cruise Line’s new largest cruise ship, Disney Adventure, will offer three- and four-night cruises from Singapore. The ship will have three brand-new Marvel themed attractions as well as experiences from Pixar and Disney.