Posts in category: Diplomacy

The final voyage on Norwegian Sky faced all kinds of challenges from the very beginning. And just a few weeks ago, Cruise Fever reported on the sailing be shortened to avoid the Persian Gulf altogether.

Now, that final farewell voyage is saying goodbye before it even starts.

Initially, the 27-year-old ship was scheduled to wrap up her time with NCL after carrying an estimated 2.5 million passengers.

The original plan called for a 21-day itinerary departing from Athens (Piraeus), Greece, transiting the Suez Canal, and concluding in Dubai. Even then, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and surrounding the Strait of Hormuz made some passengers uneasy.

Now, according to emails sent to impacted guests, Norwegian Cruise Line has decided to cancel the last sailing on the fan-favorite Norwegian Sky entirely.

The message from the cruise line stated:

“Following our recent itinerary updates, we committed to keeping you informed as the situation in the Middle East continued to evolve. After careful review, and with the safety and security of our guests and crew as our guiding priority, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this sailing.”

The September 9, 2026, departure was meant to serve as the ship’s official goodbye cruise under the Norwegian Cruise Line brand. After that, the ship will be going to another company.

What Guests Are Being Offered

Impacted guests will automatically receive a full refund of the remaining cruise fare paid, returned to their original form of payment. Any Future Cruise Credits previously applied to the booking will be sent to their Latitudes Rewards accounts.

On top of the 15% Future Cruise Credit offered after the earlier itinerary revision, Norwegian is providing an additional Future Cruise Credit equal to 50% of the remaining voyage fare (after the prior adjustment).

That credit can be used on any published Norwegian Cruise Line sailing departing through December 31, 2027.

Flights booked through Norwegian will be canceled and refunded automatically. Guests who arranged their own air travel are advised to contact their airline and insurance first.

If change or cancellation fees are not covered, Norwegian will reimburse eligible expenses up to $300 per person once documentation is submitted.

Below is the initial planned route for the ship that has now been scrapped.

The End of an Era for a Fan Favorite

Norwegian Sky (built in 1999) has been a longtime favorite for many cruisers. For some of us at Cruise Fever she was the first ship we ever sailed on.

She spent time as Pride of Aloha in Hawaii from 2004 to 2008 before returning to the main NCL fleet. She helped introduce freestyle cruising concepts and delivered value-packed sailings for decades.

When Cruise Fever first reported on this farewell sailing, our Facebook post on the topic brought hundreds of comments from fans of the ship.

As it stands right now, Norwegian Sky’s last voyage will sail from Barcelona, Spain on August 31 and conclude in Piraeus, Greece on September 9, 2026.

What Happens Next

Norwegian Sky, along with sister ship Norwegian Sun, is transferring under a long-term charter to India’s Cordelia Cruises.

The ship was expected to leave the NCL fleet after this final voyage and begin service for Cordelia (likely as Cordelia Sky) later in 2026. The ship is expected to sail from ports such as Mumbai and Goa.

For many who booked the farewell cruise or simply hoped to sail the ship one last time under the Norwegian flag, the cancellation is a disappointment after months of waiting and plan adjustments.

Norwegian acknowledged the patience and flexibility guests showed through the process.

But for now, the classic ship is heading toward a new chapter in her sailing life. It’s just a quicker farewell than we planned for.

Princess Cruises sent out an email to travel agents today informing them of three new policy changes that will go into effect for all new bookings made on or after September 2, 2026.

These three new policy changes affect final payment dates for all cruises, standard deposit increases, and a change to their 100% cancellation fee.

Final Payment Due Dates

For all new bookings made on or after September 2, 2026, the final payment date will move to 120 days before the cruise. This is for all voyages, including World Cruise and Circle Pacific segments.

This is a change from the 90-day final payment date that the cruise line currently has for sailings up to 13-nights in length.

There will be no grace period or extensions for receipt of final payment on a booking. If the final payment is not made by the final payment date, the booking will automatically be canceled.

Princess Cruises will send a final payment reminder 14 days prior to the final payment date, followed by a second reminder sent seven days prior to the final payment date.

Cruise Deposits

Princess Cruises is increasing the amount cruisers have to put down when they book a cruise. For week-long cruises, standard deposits will increase from $250 to $300 per guest for inside, ocean view, balcony, and mini-suite categories. 

Guests who book a suite will see an increase from $500 to $600 per guest.

Cruise deposits will be as follows, per person:

• Cruises five days or less: $125 ($250 for suites), a 25% increase
• Cruises six to nine days: $300 ($600 for suites), a 20% increase
• Cruises 10-44 days: $500 ($1,000 for suites), a 25% increase

Deposits for cruises 45 days and longer, including World Cruises, will remain at 30% of the cruise fare.

Cancellation Fee

Princess Cruises is also updating its cancellation schedule to align with the new 120-day final payment date.

A key change is that the 100% cancellation fee will now apply at 60 days or less prior to sailing, compared to the previous 30-day threshold on certain shorter cruises.

The new cancellation fee will be as follows for cruises under 45 days in length:

• 120+ days out: None
• 113-119 days out: 25%
• 91-112 days out: 50%
• 61-90 days out: 75%
• 60 or fewer days out: 100%

These three changes will go live for all new bookings made on or after September 2, 2026 for cruises that depart January 1, 2027, and beyond.

HX Expeditions, the world’s first and longest-running expedition line, became the first commercial cruise line to have a ship visit Old Harbor, Alaska.

The visit was made by the world’s first hybrid battery-powered cruise ship, RS Roald Amundsen. The ship was in the middle of its Alaska & British Columbia | Inside Passage, Bears and Aleutian Islands cruise.

Old Harbor is located on the southeastern coast of Kodiak Island. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the Kodiak Archipelago and home to a rich Alutiiq cultural heritage.

The visit was created in partnership with Old Harbor Native Corporation (OHNC) and allowed guests to experience the community through local stories, traditions, and perspectives.

The Alutiiq Tribe of Old Harbor passed a formal resolution endorsing the visit. Preparations for the ship’s visit included local artists and Elders reconstructing a traditional village home, known as a ciqlluaq.

The project was created to support the visit and future visitors to Old Harbor while helping preserve and share Alutiiq/Sugpiaq heritage for generations to come.

Kristina Woolston, CEO of OHNC, gave the following statement:

“Welcoming HX Expeditions to Old Harbor marks an important milestone for our community. This partnership reflects our commitment to sharing Alutiiq/Sugpiaq culture, history, and values in a way that is guided by the community and benefits the people.”

Lillian O’Brien, Board Chair of OHNC, added:

“At OHNC, we are committed to creating opportunities that strengthen our community while honoring the values that have sustained our Indigenous people for generations. We are proud to showcase Old Harbor in a way that reflects our culture, supports our people, and creates lasting opportunities for future generations.”

HX Expeditions will also visit Old Harbor in 2027 and they are the only cruise line offering dedicated Aleutian Islands cruises.

The cruise line continues to expand access to some of Alaska’s most remote destinations through partnerships designed to benefit both travelers and local communities.

Holland America Line has opened bookings on their 2028 cruises to Europe. The cruise line will base five ships in the region and offer its most port calls in nearly a decade.

The cruises will range from seven- to 48-days in length and visit Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and beyond.

Holland America Line has been sailing to Europe for more than 150 years, and this new season combines iconic destinations with opportunities to connect with cultures, landscapes and traditions.

The sailings to Europe in 2028 include record numbers of visits to Norway, Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands. Guests will have the opportunity to visit more than 200 UNESCO World Heritage sites, including in-depth exploration of Norway’s UNESCO-listed fjords.

The sailings will take place on the following cruise ships:

• Rotterdam
• Nieuw Statendam
• Nieuw Amsterdam
• Volendam
• Zuiderdam

During the first three months of the year, Nieuw Statendam will offer one- to two-week cruises to the Canary Islands, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, visiting ports such as Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Lisbon and Casablanca.

During the spring, the ship will be joined by Rotterdam, Nieuw Statendam and Zuiderdam on cruises that visit the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.

All five ships will sail in Europe during the summer months with cruises up to 48 days in length.

In the fall, all ships but Zuiderdam will remain in Europe with sailings visiting  Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam will remain in Europe for November and early December on sailings that range from seven- to 14-days in length.

Paul Grigsby, vice president of deployment and revenue planning for Holland America Line, gave the following statement:

“Europe is a destination that changes with every season, and each one offers guests a completely different way to experience it. We built each season around moments travelers can only experience at certain times of year, from the Netherlands in full bloom during spring to winter escapes in the Mediterranean and Canary Islands and long summer days along Europe’s coastlines.”

Holland America Line’s 2028 Europe season will feature their highest number of visits to Norway since 2014, along with a record number of visits in Ireland and the Netherlands.

Guests seeking longer cruises can choose from several transatlantic sailings and Legendary Voyages connecting Europe and North America. These itineraries combine extended time at sea with port visits throughout the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Atlantic islands.

When 37,000 people arrived at Fenway Park for a Zac Brown concert, little did they know that they would all walk away with a free cruise.

Zac Brown Band achieved a remarkable milestone Sunday night when they held their record-breaking 15th straight sold-out performance at the crown jewel of baseball ballparks, Fenway Park.

Zac Brown holds Fenway Park’s record for the most consecutive sold-out shows and the most tickets sold in its history. To celebrate the occasion, Zac Brown gifted everyone in attendance a free cruise on Margaritaville at Sea.

The free cruises are valued at more than $40 million and it’s the largest audience gifting in live entertainment history.

The cruises may be redeemed on select sailings on Margaritaville at Sea over the next year.

Brown made the on-stage announcement just before the band’s performance of “Same Boat,” saying “Tonight we’re going to do something that even Jimmy would say is crazy. I’m buying every single person here a cruise for two people on the boat. This is the biggest giveaway in history ladies and gentlemen, right here tonight at Fenway Park!”

Christopher Ivy, Chief Executive Officer of Margaritaville at Sea, gave the following statement about the free cruises:

“We were honored to work alongside Zac to help bring this incredible surprise to life for his fans. This was an extraordinary way to thank the fans who have supported him throughout his career, and we’re proud to have helped make that incredible vision a once-in-a-lifetime reality.”

Zac Brown and Margaritaville at Sea have a partnership that gives away four cruises on Margaritaville at Sea at every concert.

Those fans will receive a cruise aboard the cruise line’s brand-new Beachcomber ship, debuting in January 2027 and home to “Same Boat,” a first-of-its-kind artist-curated live music venue at sea co-designed by Zac Brown.

The venue is named after a collaboration between Zac Brown and Jimmy Buffett late 2021. The venue will serve as the ship’s central live entertainment hub, blending Southern hospitality, premium acoustics, craft cocktails and high-energy performances.

Fenway Park is home to the hottest team in baseball, the Boston Red Sox, and the stadium also hosts 10-12 concerts each year.

In a story that seems more like a high school prank gone wrong, there could be some serious legal problems for at least six cruise passengers who “hacked” a cruise ship’s PA system late Saturday night.

The captain of a cruise ship will typically make announcements to everyone on board about an upcoming itinerary change, the weather, or even with a lighthearted joke.

But these announcements will not take place very late at night unless it’s an actual emergency or very important information. In this case, the messages were fake and they weren’t even from anyone who worked on the ship.

The 3,500-passenger MSC Divina was on its way to Naples, Italy on July 29 when somehow a group of cruise travelers found a way into the ship’s announcement system.

Midnight Announcements Cause Confusion

Overnight, six passengers staying across two staterooms managed to access the vessel’s internal communication network.

According to news reports, once inside, they began broadcasting fake emergency messages that played across two entire passenger decks.

One of the unauthorized announcements claimed that “the captain has lost control of the ship,” which is obviously not the kind of announcement you want to hear in middle of the night.

The group also said that a shipwreck was imminent and attempted to simulate the chaos that would follow.

Of course, all of this came as a surprise to the crew who were confused as to where the announcement (given in Italian) was coming from.

With thousands of guests sleeping or unwinding in their rooms, the sudden late-night warning created a bit of alarm, but it was probably more confusing than anything else.

A video of the captain’s messages was posted on Facebook:

Quick Technical Response

The ship’s technical team acted quickly to figure out where the “hack” was coming from, and they were able to isolate the breach.

They traced the unauthorized signal through the network and cut the connection to prevent any further problems with the ship’s PA.

Following the incident, Captain Gabriele Russo spoke over the actual PA system to calm any worried passengers.

He assured everyone that the ship was entirely safe, explained that the messages were an unauthorized prank, apologized for the disturbance, and thanked everyone onboard for their cooperation.

Authorities Meet the Ship in Naples

But rather than being sent to the principal’s office, these six cruisers had a different fate waiting for them on shore.

When MSC Divina arrived at its scheduled port call in Naples, Italy, law enforcement officers from the Italian Coast Guard and Border Police boarded the ship to investigate a formal complaint filed by the ship’s master.

All six individuals involved were identified and referred to Italian judicial authorities. They now face legal charges for unauthorized access to a computer system and causing a public alarm.

Because MSC Divina sails under the Panamanian flag, details of the investigation have also been shared with Panamanian maritime authorities.

Meanwhile, technical teams on the ship are working to see how the half dozen passengers were able to pull this off, hoping to avoid any further issues in the future.

Holland America Line has opened bookings for the first cruises to Europe aboard Zuiderdam following the ship’s radical makeover that will take place during a dry dock in early 2028.

Earlier this year, Holland America Line announced Project Evolution, a $500 million project that will greatly enhance six ships in their fleet. It will bring popular Pinnacle Class features to older Holland America ships.

The second ship to receive this massive transformation will be Zuiderdam. The ship will begin sailing to the Mediterranean with the enhancements on April 2, 2028.

The season begins in the Mediterranean with open-jaw voyages connecting Rome, Barcelona and Lisbon.

After sailing in the Mediterranean, the ship will spend the summer sailing from Amsterdam on cruises to Northern Europe and Iceland.

These cruises will sail to some of Northern Europe’s most iconic destinations while connecting to the cruise line’s Dutch heritage.

A few itinerary highlights of these newly announced cruises include:

• 7-Day Western Mediterranean: Italy, France & Gibraltar – April 2, 2028
• 7-Day Iberian Idyll: Spain & Morocco – April 9, 2028
• 13-Day Atlantic Europe: Portugal, Spain, France & Ireland – April 16, 2028
• 10-Day Norwegian Fjords & Landscapes – June 10, 2028
• 11-Day Wild British Isles: Ireland & Cliffs of Moher – June 20, 2028
• 7-Day Shetland Islands & Icelandic Fjords – May 20 and July 1, 2028
• 7-Day Viking Trails & Celtic Origins/Shetland Islands – May 27 and July 8, 2028
• 21-Day Cultural Crossing with Icelandic Fjords & Greenland – August 12, 2028

The August 12, 2028 sailing will travel from Amsterdam to Boston and visit iconic ports that include Norðfjörður, Djúpivogur, Grundarfjörður, Ísafjörður, Akureyri, Seyðisfjörður, Reykjavík, Qaqortoq and Nanortalik before continuing to Atlantic Canada and New England.

What new features will be added to Zuiderdam when it goes into dry dock in 2028?

First, the ship will receive new accommodations that include purpose-built Solo Verandahs for solo travelers, forward-facing Bridgeview Suites, Vista Suites and a reimagined Pinnacle Suite.

Public areas of the ship that will change include the addition of Grand Dutch Café that will bring some of the most popular features from Holland America Line’s Pinnacle Class ships to Zuiderdam. The cruise line stated that more exciting additions to the ship will be announced in the coming months.

Beth Bodensteiner, president of Holland America Line, gave the following statement:

“There is something especially fitting about introducing a newly transformed Zuiderdam in Europe, a region we know exceptionally well and one that has been part of our story from the very beginning.

“This season showcases the remarkable diversity of the continent, from the energy and history of the Mediterranean to the fjords and waterways of Northern Europe. After homeporting in the Netherlands, our historic home, Zuiderdam continues on to Iceland and Greenland, tracing routes sailed by generations of explorers and mariners. It’s a collection of voyages that celebrates our heritage and the next chapter of this ship.”

Regent Seven Seas Cruises, one of the world’s finest ultra-luxury cruise lines, has announced plans to remodel three ships that includes taking away 29 suites on each of them.

Seven Seas Explorer, Seven Seas Splendor, and Seven Seas Grandeur will all go into dry dock in 2027 and 2028 with 373 suites and emerge with just 344 suites.

The cruise line said that they are eliminating some suites and reducing guest capacity to provide even more unrivaled space on each ship.

Regent will also expand Veranda Suites into the largest entry-level suites in the industry by adding over 100 square feet to each one.

Every redesigned Veranda Suite will feature luxurious amenities including walk-in closets, double vanities, and spacious balconies, and will now measure between 415 and 464 sq ft, having previously been 307 sq ft.

The cruise line will also introduce Horizon Penthouse Suites into the Explorer Class. The Horizon Penthouse Suites first debuted on Seven Seas Prestige, Regent’s newest ship.

These suites range from 616 to 722 square feet, and have oversized balconies, a full bath suite, and spacious living area.

Completing these opulent accommodation upgrades, three additional Distinctive Suites measuring from 821 to 918 square feet will be added to each ship and feature the following:

• Spacious bedroom with a king-size Elite Slumber Bed
• Spacious sitting and dining area
• One-and-a-half marble-and-stone-appointed bathrooms
• Large private balcony

The suites – respectively named Explorer Suite, Splendor Suite and Grandeur Suite on each ship – come with a host of high-end amenities such as fresh orchid arrangements, cashmere blankets, a sumptuous in-suite caviar service, a selection of pillow styles and the services of a personal butler.

Wesley D’Silva, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, gave the following statement:

“Since 1992, Regent Seven Seas Cruises has undertaken a relentless pursuit of perfection. We changed the game with the launch of our Explorer Class ships in 2016, 2020 and 2023, and we are excited to now take these beloved ships to new heights.

“These enhancements reflect our commitment to continually raising the standard in ultra-luxury travel. By reducing suite inventory, expanding accommodations and introducing new suite categories, we are creating an even more spacious experience at sea while strengthening the exceptional service that defines Regent.”

The first ship to receive these updates will be Seven Seas Splendor when the vessel enters dry dock in November 2027. Seven Seas Explorer will go into dry dock in April 2028, followed by Seven Seas Grandeur in October 2028.