Diplomacy

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship is now sailing its third season in Queensland offering cruises to the South Pacific, New Zealand and Australia.

Quantum of the Seas will sail 22 cruises from Queensland that range from two- to 14-nights in length.

11 of the cruises will visit the South Pacific on seven- and eight-night voyages. The ship will visit the turquoise waters of Mystery Island and Port Vila in Vanuatu, as well as the upbeat city of Noumea, New Caledonia.

Shorter four- and five-night Queensland getaways will allow for snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef and for cruisers to enjoy fresh seafood at Airlie Beach and Cairns.

A two-week cruise to New Zealand will visit Bay of Islands, Tauranga, Napier and Wellington.

Quantum of the Seas offers the following amenities:

• Ripcord by iFly skydiving simulator
• FlowRider surf simulator
• Rock climbing wall
• SeaPlex – largest indoor activity complex at sea
• Five-course dining
• Two70
• Royal Theatre
• Vitality Spa

Gavin Smith, vice president and managing director, Australia and New Zealand, Royal Caribbean International, gave the following statement:

“More Queensland families are choosing Quantum of the Seas for their next holiday, seamlessly combining spectacular destinations with the ease of an all-encompassing adventure. On Quantum, families can make their getaway truly their own with options to delight everyone.”

These cruises are currently available to book on Royal Caribbean’s website or through you preferred travel agent.

Norwegian Cruise Line will be moving two ships to Tampa and one to Miami for the upcoming winter deployments.

After cancelling 38 cruises on at least three different cruise ships two weeks ago, Norwegian Cruise Line is revealing where these vessels will homeport for the 2025 and 2026 winter seasons.

Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Star will both be sailing out of Tampa, Florida beginning in November and December of 2025 respectively.   Additionally, these two ships will offer cruises to the Caribbean and The Bahamas from Tampa for the winter season of 2026.

Before sailing on a 14-day Transatlantic cruise to Portugal in April of 2026, Norwegian Dawn will offer mostly 7-day sailings to the Caribbean out of Tampa in addition to a set of 10-day sailings that will visit Aruba and Curacao.

The Norwegian Star will offer a variety of cruises ranging from 4 to 12 nights to the Eastern, Southern, and Western Caribbean, as well as the Bahamas.

Norwegian Jewel also saw its 2025 and 2026 sailings cancelled recently and will now be redeployed to PortMiami in November of 2025 through April of 2026.

Before the cancellations, Norwegian Jewel was originally scheduled to sail out of Tampa, offering 5 to 14-night cruises out of the port.

Norwegian’s website has Norwegian Jewel’s first cruise out of Miami slated for November 21, 2025 on a 10-day Panama Canal cruise.

Norwegian Star and Norwegian Dawn are both Dawn-class ships that were built in 2001 and 2002 respectively.  Each can accommodate about 2,300 guests at double capacity.

Norwegian Jewel, built in 2005, was the first Jewel-class ship with Norwegian and is currently on an 11-day cruise out of Tampa.

Princess Cruises unveiled new cruises this morning that will set sail in 2026-2027 including some on their next new ship, Star Princess.

These new cruises from Princess will depart from the West Coast and visit 26 destinations on eight cruise ships. The voyages will depart from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver, B.C.

Highlights of these new cruises include:

• 69 total cruises
• 12 unique itineraries
• 26 ports
• Eight cruise ships

Star Princess, Discovery Princess, Emerald Princes, Island Princess and Grand Princess will all offer cruises from Los Angeles. This includes one seven day cruise to the Mexican Riviera on Star Princess.

Cruises will range from four- to 32-days in length and visit everywhere from Hawaii to the South Pacific to Mexico.

Ruby Princess will sail from San Francisco on five- to 16-night cruises.

Coral Princess, Discovery Princess, Grand Princess, Island Princess and Star Princess will sail from Vancouver to Los Angeles in September 2026.

The west coast program from Princess Cruises also includes several holiday voyages roundtrip from either Los Angeles or San Francisco, including Hawaii and Mexico over Christmas or New Year’s and shorter West Coast Getaways over Thanksgiving.

Terry Thornton, Princess Cruises Chief Commercial Officer, gave the following statement:

“Our 2026-2027 season builds on our West Coast legacy with diverse itineraries that capture the essence of these extraordinary destinations.

“From the golden beaches of Mexico to the vibrant energy of California and the tropical charm of Hawaii, these sailings are crafted to offer something truly special for every traveler.”

Two weeks ago, news was released about a cruise taking place next year where you can bring your dog with you on the ship.

Cruise Tails, a special dog cruise departing in 2025, is a collaboration with Expedia Cruises of West Orlando and Margaritaville At Sea.

The company has opened applications for the November 18, 2025 cruise. So far, over 5,000 registrations have been received and cabins are expected to fill up quickly.

Cruise Tails stated that due to the popularity of this dog cruise, remaining applications will be carried over into a waitlist system. Applications can be found on their website.

This inaugural cruise will allow 250 dogs to sail with their owners on Margaritaville at Sea.

It will host exclusive amenities tailored for both dogs and their owners, such as:

• On-board pet-friendly accommodations with a Pet Butler
• Dog groomers
• Puppy (and people) massages
• Dog-friendly splash stations
• Theme parties
• Pre-cruise events
• And more

Dogs won’t be allowed everywhere on the ship though. The casino, swimming pools, dining venues, lounges, and the spa will remain dog-free.

Cruise Tails Captain Steve Matzke gave the following statement about this special cruise:

“The enthusiasm and positive response we’ve received so far have been incredible. We’re thrilled to be able to provide such a unique travel experience where dogs are not just allowed, but celebrated as part of the family.

“This is more than just a cruise; it’s a chance to create lasting memories with your friends and family.”

It’s common for guests with food allergies who are taking an upcoming cruise to let the cruise line know so they can be accommodated.

Other times, someone might ask the cruise line for a specific food request due to their personal preferences.

Carnival Carnival Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, posted on his Facebook page this week about a strange dining request he received for an upcoming cruise.

It was so strange, that even the lady who asked him about the request called it strange.

A wife asked Heald if the ship could supply her husband with tortilla shells with all his meals on their upcoming Carnival Jubilee sailing.

The request she sent to Heald can be read below:

“John this is a strange request but y’all can help me if anyone can. December 7th me and my husband _____ are going on the Jubilee ship. He eats all his meals wrapped in a tortilla like a burrito.

“It is the perfect eating system for him. Everything goes in a tortilla. Don’t matter what it is he has to put all his food in them. I know y’all have tortillas on the ship at the Mexican place. My request is that they are on his table at dinner time. He will need probably a dozen each night.

“_______ is a _______and a volunteer firefighter in Marathon. He loves his food and his cruises. Thank you for getting this done. Cabin ____.”

Heald responded with “Of course I will provide these for him. I was thinking how messy this would be but then again………..that sounds like loads of fun as well”.

He went on to say that it was the best question that he received all day.

His Facebook page is used to share information about Carnival Cruise Line, this includes everything from news to special menus to policy changes.

It is also a place where those with upcoming Carnival cruises can ask questions, leave ship reviews, post photos and other things related to Carnival.

Royal Caribbean has announced their Black Friday cruise deals and they are calling it their “Biggest Sale Ever”.

Royal Caribbean is one of 23 cruise lines that are offering special sales for Black Friday this year. You can see the complete list of deals here.

Royal Caribbean is the world’s largest cruise line and their Cyber Week Sale is their biggest ever. It includes the following:

• Cyber savings of up to $800 in instant savings on cruises
• 60% off the second guest in a cabin
• Kids cruise for free
• Save up to $500 on airfare for flights to Europe and Alaska
• Offer applies to new bookings only
• Deals start on Black Friday and end on December 2, 2024
• See Best Deals on Royal Caribbean

The up to $800 in extra savings varies based on the type of cabin booked and the length of the cruise.

Kids sail free does have blackout dates during major holidays and during the summer months.

Offer open to residents of U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and select countries in the Caribbean.

For complete terms and details of this Black Friday sale from Royal Caribbean, visit RoyalCaribbean.com or contact your local travel agent.

With 16 ships in its fleet, Princess Cruises will be calling Port Canaveral home for at least one Grand-class cruise ship.

Caribbean Princess just arrived at the Florida cruise port and will be sailing out of Port Canaveral today on a 4-day sailing to Grand Turk.

This marks the first time for a Princess cruise ship to homeport from the Space Coast region. 

After arriving back at its new home in Port Canaveral on December 1, Caribbean Princess will offer an 8-night sailing to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, San Juan, and Grand Turk.

The ship will offer Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings on 6-, 8-, and 14-night voyages throughout the winter months.

The 3,140-passenger vessel is slated to sail out of Port Canaveral until April of 2025 when the ship will sail on a 16-night cruise to Los, Angeles California. 

Caribbean Princess will then offer Alaska sailings out of Vancouver, Canada through the summer months.   In the fall of 2025, the ship is scheduled to move to Port Everglades.

Built in 2003, the 112,894 gross ton vessel was among the largest in the fleet until Royal-class ships were built by the cruise line.

There are six other ships in Princess Cruises’ Grand class which include Grand Princess, Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess, Crown Princess, Emerald Princess, and Ruby Princess.