Diplomacy

Royal Caribbean, the world’s largest cruise line, has announced that they have placed an order to add to their fleet of Icon class ships. Icon class are the largest cruise ships in the world at over 250,000 gross tons.

This order from Royal Caribbean for more new cruise ships includes a fourth Icon class ship that will enter service in 2027.  The ship will be built by Meyer Turku.

Included in this news is an option for Royal Caribbean to add a fifth and sixth Icon class ships at a later date.

Royal Caribbean now has four new ships on order with an option to bring the total to six new cruise ships.

A second Icon class ship, Star of the Seas, will debut next year. A third and currently unnamed ship will debut a year later in 2026.

The cruise line also has another Oasis class ship scheduled to enter service in 2028.

Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group, gave the following statement:

“Building on the incredible momentum and market response to the launch of Icon of the Seas and the excitement for its sister ship, Star of the Seas, coming in 2025, we’re thrilled to join with Meyer Turku once again to expand our roster of Icon Class ships and continue our future growth plans.

“Since its debut, Icon has changed the game in vacation experiences and exceeded our expectations in both guest satisfaction and financial performance.”

Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku, added:

“This order is an important milestone for the future of shipbuilding in the maritime network in Finland. With Icon of the Seas, our team, consisting of the shipyard and partners, have built an extraordinary ship in respect of naval architecture, energy efficiency and customer experience.

“This is yet another recognition of the professionalism of our personnel and of our leadership in the maritime industry’s innovation and green transition. The options underline the strong outlook of our order book.”

This agreement for more new cruise ships for Royal Caribbean is contingent upon customary conditions, including financing.

This new ship order is in addition to Royal Caribbean developing a new class of vessels, the Discovery class.

Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, said that the cruise line is just getting started and they are developing new experiences for their guests.

Royal Caribbean is currently the world’s largest cruise line with 28 cruise ships in service.

Carnival Cruise Line released their next wave of cruises for 2026-2027 and included in them is their largest class of ships visiting Half Moon Cay.

Carnival is expanding one of the highest rated cruise line private islands in The Bahamas, Half Moon Cay. The expansion includes a pier that will allow Excel class ships, the largest in Carnival’s fleet, to visit the island.

Other enhancements to Half Moon Cay are an expanded beach and new dining and beverage experiences. Carnival said that they will give more details on this expansion in the near future.

Carnival opened new cruises in 2026 and 2027 for bookings. Included in these cruises is Excel class ships visiting Half Moon Cay for the first time.

Here is a look at the new cruises that were just announced by Carnival Cruise Line.

PortMiami

Carnival Celebration will sail week long cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean from Miami. Ports the ship will visit include Half Moon Cay, Celebration Key, Amber Cove, Grand Turk, Cozumel, St. Thomas and San Juan.

Carnival will base more ships in Miami for 2026-2027 but those cruises will be released at a later time.

Port Canaveral

Mardi Gras will continue to homeport at Port Canaveral offering seven-night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. Cruises through the spring of 2027 have been released.

Carnival Venezia will sail seasonally from the port on a variety of seven and 14 night cruises to the Caribbean.

Galveston

Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Dream and Carnival Breeze will all homeport in Galveston.

Carnival Jubilee will sail six and eight night cruises to the Western Caribbean and The Bahamas stating in September 2026. The ship will sail seven night cruises from now through September 2026.

Carnival Dream will offer six, seven, and eight night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. Two week Carnival Journey cruises to the Southern Caribbean are also open for bookings.

Carnival Breeze will sail a variety of four through eight night cruises from Galveston that visit the Western Caribbean.

Baltimore

Carnival Pride will sail mostly seven night cruises to The Bahamas and Caribbean. A few longer Carnival Journey cruises are also available that visit the Southern Caribbean or Canada.

Carnival Cruise Line said that more cruises in 2026-2027 will soon be announced. Cruise Fever will have all of these cruises when they are released by the cruise line.

Yesterday morning, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport announced on social media that a web systems outage was impacting both the cruise port and airport in Seattle.

The post on X stated that the cause of the outage was potentially a cyber attack.

“The Port of Seattle experienced certain system outages indicating a possible cyberattack. The Port isolated critical systems and is in the process of working to restore full service and do not have an estimated time for return,” the statement read.

The Port of Seattle, including SEA Airport, is experiencing an internet and web systems outage, which is impacting some systems at the airport. Passengers are encouraged to check with their airlines for the latest information for their flights. pic.twitter.com/GY6fbAHBg8

— Seattle-Tacoma Intl. Airport (@flySEA) August 24, 2024

At the time of the statement progress was being made to restore online systems, but there was no estimated time for return. 

SEA Airport encouraged passengers to check-in online before arriving at the airport and to keep checking with their airline for up-to-date information about their flight.

Three cruise ships are scheduled to depart from Seattle today.  These ships include Majestic Princess, Norwegian Encore, and Holland America’s Westerdam.

At the time of the writing of this article the Port of Seattle website is still offline for many users trying to access the site.

The impacts of the alleged cyber attack seem to be carrying into the weekend but no recent updates have been made by the Seattle-Tacoma Intl. Airport account on X.

For travelers scheduled to fly out of Seattle on Sunday the account last posted this statement:

“If you are traveling Sunday, please check with your airline for travel information, use airline apps to get your boarding pass and bag tags online, and allow extra time to get to SEA and to your gate.“

If cruise lines face major problems during this outage they will attempt to contact guests about any delays or changes.

While most cruise ports are located exactly where they say they are, there are some that are over 120 miles away from where they are advertised.

When you’re researching cruises, you will often see ports listed as one city, but then have another listed in parenthesis. A common example would be: La Havre (Paris).

The ones in parenthesis are usually a major city like Paris or Rome while the first is the actual port. How close are these major cities to the ports that you arrive at?

There are some that are just the next city over. For instance, when visiting Piraeus, you are right next to Athens.

On a recent cruise out of the port, I stood on the pool deck and looked out and could see the Acropolis in the distance. It’s understandable why cruise lines would label it as Piraeus (Athens) since it’s right there.

However, some cities listed can be as far as a few hours away. Here is a look at some of these ports so you can properly plan ahead if you’re visiting one of them on an upcoming cruise.

These are all ports that I have visited (at least twice each) and have experienced first hand.

La Havre (Paris)

This is by far the most deceiving. La Havre is almost always marketed as Paris by all cruise lines but how close or far is Paris away from the port? Spoiler alert, you’re not hopping in a cab and taking a ride into the city.

I have made the drive twice between the two on different visits. The port in La Havre is roughly 125 miles (200 km) away from the Eiffel Tower. Depending on traffic, it can be anywhere from 2.5 to 3 hours each way.

Yes, shore excursions to Paris are offered but prepare yourself to spend close to six hours in a bus just going there and back.

If this is your only chance in life to visit Paris then I would do it. Otherwise, I’d visit somewhere local.

Now river cruise ships will dock right in the heart of Paris on the Seine. Viking has secured premium docking locations for their ships that are just a 15-20 minute walk away from the Eiffel Tower.

For ocean ships, Google Maps has it as a 45 hour walk from the port to the Eiffel Tower. So if you want to do a cruise to Paris, take a river cruise.

IJmuiden (Amsterdam)

There are two different ports that your ship may dock at when visiting Amsterdam. There’s the most common one right in the heart of the city and another on the North Sea (IJmuiden).

About a year ago, I visited with port officials at IJmuiden and they told me since cruise lines market it as Amsterdam, many guests think that’s where the ship will dock at.

They said that guests often ask if they can walk to the Rijksmuseum or the Anne Frank House, not realizing that they are actually 40 minutes to an hour bus ride away (depending on traffic).

There is a proposal to ban all cruise ships from entering the city center by 2035. If this goes through, all ships will likely stop at IJmuiden.

Civitavecchia (Rome)

One of the largest cruise ports in Europe, Civitavecchia is the cruise gateway to Rome.

From the cruise port to the Colosseum, it can be anywhere from an hour and 10 minutes to an hour and a half away. It all depends on traffic and they are 55 miles apart.

The nonstop train takes 47 minutes from the port to the heart of Rome (Termini) and is a great option. I have taken it both ways and I prefer it compared to taking a cab or using a private car service. It is also a ton cheaper.

Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur)

Two of my cruises out of Singapore had Kuala Lumpur (KL) listed as a port stop, but it was actually in Port Klang, about an hour away.

On our excursion to KL, a few passengers asked if they could do their own thing half way through the day. Our tour guide told them that since the port was so far away from KL, a cab would not only charge them for the ride to Port Klang, but also for the ride back. They option to remain with our tour.

Port Canaveral (Orlando)

This is one where Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line market it as cruises from Orlando (Port Canaveral) and Carnival labels it as Port Canaveral (Orlando).

Port Canaveral is 50 minutes to an hour away from Orlando and 45 miles away from the Orlando Airport (MCO).

Not every port does this however. I have never seen Southampton marketed as London, although that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

With all of that being said, I didn’t write this to discourage you from visiting these ports. Amsterdam and Rome are two of my favorite cities to visit in the world.

I just don’t want you to arrive in IJmuiden and ask which direction you can walk in to reach the Rijksmuseum. Or even worse, you arrive in La Havre and expect to take a short taxi ride into Paris. Plan ahead and have a great visit to all of these locations. 

For the first time in their history, Princess Cruises will offer sailings to all regions of the Caribbean in 2026.

For the summer of 2026, Princess Cruises will offer sailings to the Caribbean from two homeports in Florida, Port Canaveral and Port Everglades.

These 90 new cruises that just opened for bookings will range from six to 14-nights long and visit the Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean.

Here is a look at these new Caribbean voyages in 2026 from Princess.

Eastern Caribbean

Caribbean Princess will offer six and seven night cruises from Port Canaveral to the Eastern Caribbean.

• 6-day cruise: Nassau, Amber Cove and Grand Turk
• 7-day cruises: Nassau, Princess Cays, Amber Cove and Grand Turk
• 7-day cruises: San Juan, Amber Cove and Grand Turk

Regal Princess will sail week long cruises from Port Everglades to the Eastern Caribbean.

• 7-day cruises: Princess Cays, Amber Cove and Grand Turk
• 7-day cruises: Princess Cays, San Juan and St. Thomas

Western Caribbean

Caribbean Princess will offer seven sailings to the Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral, all have the same port stops.

• 7-day cruises: Cozumel, Costa Maya and Mahogany Bay

Regal Princess will also sail week long cruises to the Western Caribbean but from Port Everglades.

• 7-day cruises: Cozumel, Belize City and Mahogany Bay

Southern Caribbean

Both cruise ships will offer longer cruises to the Southern Caribbean in 2026.

Caribbean Princess will sail a 13-night repositioning cruise that will take the ship from Ft. Lauderdale to Port Canaveral on April 28, 2026. Port stops include Princess Cays, Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, San Juan, Amber Cove, Grand Turk and Nassau.

Regal Princess will sail a 14-night repositioning cruise that will move the ship from Ft. Lauderdale to New York City on September 5, 2026. Port stops include Curaçao, Aruba, Grenada, Barbados, Dominica, St. Maarten and San Juan.

John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises, said the following about the cruise line’s 2026 summer cruises to the Caribbean:

“Princess continues to expand access to our world-class premium experience now operating from eight North America homeports. With ships now departing from both Central Florida and South Florida, it’s easier and more convenient than ever to set sail aboard the iconic Love Boat.”

My parents love reading my cruise articles. Each time one is published, I send the link to my dad and he loves to reminisce over our cruises throughout the years.  I’m not sure how thrilled he will be about this one though. 

My dad is 65 and qualifies for the free small drinks at Chick-Fil-A and everything that comes along with an AARP membership.

He could even get the coveted 5% off at Publix every Wednesday, but “I’m not going to shop there when it’s that busy and old people are there!” 

Having said that, this article is not about him and my mother. It’s about all the “other” senior adult parents out there. 

Medications

Unfortunately, the first item on this list includes an example. (insert eyeroll here) When I was 13, my family decided to take a road trip from Alabama to New Hampshire. It was two weeks in a pop-up camper with 4 adults and myself.

Roughly 15 minutes down the road, my grandfather discovered that he did not pack enough of his necessary medications for a two-week trip. At that moment, he decided, “Oh, I’ll just break them in half and I’ll be okay. I can stretch them out”. 

I absolutely DO NOT recommend that anyone do that. It’s not responsible, nor is it safe. Be sure that your family members have all of their required medications and plenty of it before leaving on a cruise.

We can be frugal with some things cruise-wise, but not with potentially life-saving medications. 

Read more: 15 things people always forget to pack for a cruise

If Necessary, Plan for Accessibility and Special Diets 

Many senior adults are just as mobile as their younger counterparts, while others are not. If you or your family member is in the latter category, be sure to plan ahead. 

Cruise ships offer handicap accessible rooms, but they are limited in number. In fact, any cruise ship that sails in U.S. waters is required to adhere to ADA standards.

Accessible cabins usually contain a shower bench and wider spaces for wheelchairs to move.  Book these rooms early if you need one. 

If you need assistance with boarding, be sure to let a cruise line representative know as soon as you arrive at the port. 

Many cruisers (senior adults or otherwise) have special dietary restrictions. Cruise lines can usually provide special diets like low-fat, vegetarian, low-carb, low-sugar, and low-cholesterol. Speak with the dining staff as early into the cruise as possible. 

If you have additional concerns, contact your chosen cruise line ahead of time. Each cruise line has a dedicated accessibility department. 

Give Yourself Extra Time 

When cruising with your senior adult parents, be sure to give yourself extra time. If you fly beforehand, allot extra time for TSA screenings.

If your loved one has a defibrillator, pacemaker, or other implanted device, be sure they have their TSA notification card ready well in advance.

Once you get to the TSA area, things are likely to be rushed and sometimes confusing. Reduce the stress and give yourself plenty of time to navigate potential additional challenges.

If you are not flying beforehand, remember to keep the TSA notification card handy for the screening stations at the cruise terminal. 

Many senior adults simply do not ambulate as quickly as they once did. Some of them prefer a slower pace to enjoy every moment. Either way, just give yourself some extra time. You’ll be glad you did. 

Pack Wisely 

A majority of cruisers pack traditional luggage and a carry-on bag. If you are traveling with senior adult parents be sure that their necessities are in their carry-on. 

If they require medications throughout the day, make sure that their medication is accessible to them at all times.

Do not allow them to pack this in their luggage that will be delivered to the room later. Also, be sure they have ample room for Werther’s Originals and knitting supplies. 

Remind your senior adult parents to pack no-slip shoes that they are accustomed to wearing. Cruises are no place to break in a new pair of velcro sneakers. It’s a great idea to pack socks with grippers on the bottom for the cabin. 

Plan Appropriate Activities

Though possibly tempting, do not book an excursion on the Twister Jet Boat for you and your 85-year old parents.

They might not like it. Your parents might remove you from the will and their cardiologist might have a few choice words for you. 

Ask your parents what interests them. Maybe they want a nice and relaxing day at the beach. My dad prefers an afternoon at Pancho’s Backyard in Cozumel over anything else. 

I can’t suggest board games and card games enough. On our last cruise, we played several rounds of Phase 10 throughout the trip. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon and it works as a “cover” while you people watch. 

Be Flexible 

I cannot stress this last point enough. You may have every single day planned out in your mind. Just know that plans can easily change and that’s okay. 

Your parents may wake up after a day in Cozumel and decide that they “overdid it” the day before and just want to relax all day. That’s okay! It’s vacation! 

They may choose to eat in the dining room each evening, while you prefer the Lido. That’s okay! Be flexible. 

I took my first cruise when I was 12 years old and I am 42 now. This journey to my parents becoming the senior adults I write about is surreal. I wouldn’t change a thing.

They have given me the opportunity to experience the things I have and I’m honored to still cruise with them today. 

Read more from Kristi: 8 things I skipped on my cruise to save money

A cruise line has made several changes to upcoming cruise itineraries due to political unrest in the Red Sea.

Celestyal Cruises has canceled their upcoming two-week repositioning cruise, “Ancient Athens to Dazzling Doha” on Celestyal Journey that was scheduled to depart on October 26, 2024. The cruise line said that political unrest in the Red Sea was the reason for needed itinerary changes.

The cruise ship will now sail a 34-night non-commercial cruise to Doha, bypassing the Red Sea, so the cruise line can uphold their commitment to a year-round program.

Since the ship will be arriving in Doha a few weeks later than scheduled, the first three “Desert Days” cruises from Doha on November 9, 16 and 23 have been canceled.

The ship will also sail a 34-night non-commercial cruise back to Athens in the spring of 2025. Because of this, Celestyal has canceled the March 22, 29 and April 5, 2025 sailings. These cruises were the first three “Heavenly Adriatic” of the season.

The repositioning cruise on March 8, 2025 has also been canceled.

The cruise ship’s maiden voyage in the Arabian Gulf has also been slightly modified and is now a “Desert Days & Qatar Grand Prix” cruise that will depart on November 30, 2024.

This cruise will be in Doha port for the first three days to cover the Qatar Grand Prix, travelling onto an overnight in Dubai Marina and also visiting Khasab, Sir Bani Yas Island and Abu Dhabi.

The cruise line will now offer nine “Desert Days” voyages where guests can embark in Doha, Qatar, Abu Dhabi or Dubai, UAE.

Lee Haslett, Chief Commercial Officer at Celestyal, said the following regarding the cruise line’s decision to modify several sailings”

“We recently announced our full cruise program through March 2027 to build simplicity and assurance into our offering. In light of the current geopolitical climate in our original path of passage to this year’s winter season, we have decided to operate longer non-commercial repositioning sailings to and from Qatar. Celestyal Journey will continue to proudly homeport from Doha, Qatar from November 2024, for the next three winter seasons.

“We apologize for the inconvenience that today’s cancellation of a small number of our itineraries may have caused. Our impacted guests have all been offered alternative cruise options and/or reimbursement. We remain steadfast in our commitment to our global year-round operation in the Greek islands, Mediterranean and Arabian Gulf, and would like to thank our valued guests and trade partners for their understanding and support. We look forward to welcoming our customers onboard Celestyal Journey for her inaugural Arabian Gulf season in late November this year.”

All guests who were booked on one of these canceled or modified cruises have been notified and provided with alternative cruises and reimbursement.

Commission to travel agents will still be paid out and they have been given updated information and guest rebooking options.

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced and opened for bookings 225 new cruises that will depart in 2026. Some of the sailings are port intensive cruises with no sea days.

These 225 cruises will visit 150 unique ports with eight Norwegian ships offering cruises to Europe. There will be 22 overnight port visits in Europe giving guests plenty of time to spend in the top ports in the region.

Here is a look at these new cruises that were announced this morning from NCL.

Norwegian Escape will sail seven night cruises to the Western Caribbean from New Orleans between April 12, 2026 through May 10, 2026. The ship will then head to Miami for the summer visiting the same ports. In the fall, the ship will reposition to New York for Canada/New England cruises.

Norwegian Spirit will offer 11- and 13-day cruises to the South Pacific that visit New Caledonia; Fiji; Samoa Islands; French Polynesia and the Hawaiian islands. Embarkation ports include Sydney; Papeete, French Polynesia; Honolulu; and Lautoka, Fiji.

During the summer, Norwegian Spirit will sail cruises to Alaska and Hawaii on four unique “Fire and Ice” voyages from the middle of July until September 1, 2026.

Norwegian Viva, Norwegian’s newest cruise ship, will sail nine and 10-day cruises in the Mediterranean and to Greece. Port stops include Turkey, Malta, Italy, Greece, Montenegro and Croatia with an overnight in Istanbul.

Norwegian Epic will sail from Barcelona and Rome between May 2026 and October 2026. The cruises will offer longer days in port that range from 10 to 17 hours.

Norwegian Dawn will offer cruises from Lisbon and Barcelona between April 2026 and October 2026. The ship will have late night ports visits in Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza, Spain.

Norwegian Gem will sail from Barcelona, Venice and Rome. The cruises from Italy will have no sea days and will visit a port every single day of the cruise. Destinations included on these sailings are Greece, Montenegro and Croatia.

Norwegian Pearl will island hop in Greece from May 2026 through October 2026.

Norwegian Sun will offer cruises to the Baltic from Copenhagen, Denmark and Helsinki. There will be few sea days with port stops on almost every night of these sailings.

Norwegian Sky will begin her second season in Europe on April 19, 2026 from Le Havre and Copenhagen. The ship will also visit the British Isles where the cruise line will make their maiden port stop in Portree, Scotland.

Norwegian Star will sail 10- and 11- night cruises to Iceland with the 11 day cruises featuring an overnight in Reykjavik.

David J. Herrera, President of Norwegian Cruise Line, said the following:

“At NCL, we take pride in offering our guests various options to plan where they want to vacation. Whether they choose our seven-day sailings, longer immersive voyages, or cruises that begin and end in a new destination, we make it so our guests can vacation with ease with us from start to finish. From transportation, air programming and so much more, we strive to offer the best service all around.”