Diplomacy

Over 1.4 million cruise passengers visit Jamaica every year.  After the destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa on October 28, multiple cruise lines have pledged their support to help rebuild and assist the popular Caribbean destination.

When Hurricane Melissa made landfall in the Caribbean this week, it was a Category 5 storm, making it the strongest hurricane ever to strike Jamaica. The catastrophic winds and floods caused massive destruction.

In the worst-hit areas, up to 90% of homes were damaged, and over 70% of the island lost electricity at one point.

Leading up to the storm making landfall in Jamaica, all the major cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Carnival Cruise Line, had to change itineraries to steer clear of the storm.

Now, the cruise industry is quickly stepping up to help Jamaica recover.

Carnival Corporation Pledges $1 Million

One of the fastest and biggest responses came from Carnival Corporation, the parent company of lines like Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line.

Carnival Corporation, along with the Arison Family Foundation and the Miami Heat, announced a large $1 million donation.

This money is going to Direct Relief, a humanitarian group that sends medical supplies and health aid to areas in need.

Holland America Line, a Carnival company, is also asking its guests to help by dedicating its onboard 5K walks, called “On Deck for a Cause,” to the Jamaica fund. This allows passengers to directly support the recovery.

Carnival’s CEO, Josh Weinstein stated, “Our connection to Jamaica runs deep, and we need to support its communities now more than ever.”

Royal Caribbean Pledges $1 Million and Crew Member Support

Royal Caribbean Group, which includes brands like Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, has also pledged more than $1 million to support relief and recovery efforts in Jamaica.  The funds are being channeled through Global Empowerment Mission, which is an organization with a Caribbean recovery team based in Kingston, Jamaica.

Royal Caribbean is also helping to deliver necessary supplies and aid during the recovery process.  Things like bottled water, canned goods, and non-perishable foods will be coming to the island, and many Royal Caribbean ships will be bringing the aid directly.

In addition to all this, Royal Caribbean is also helping its crew members that are from the island, helping to reconnect crew members with family and loved ones.  The cruise company has stated that over 1,200 of their crew members are from Jamaica.

Other Cruise Lines

It’s safe to say that other cruise lines will most likely be announcing some kind of support and aid for the region as well in the days ahead.  This article will be updated as those details become available and are made public.

Carnival Cruise Line released new itineraries for 2027-2028 that will see them sailing from more homeports in Australia and New Zealand than ever before.

These new cruises include Carnival sailing their first-ever seasons from Adelaide and Auckland. The cruise line will have four ships in the region offering 200 sailings that visit 39 ports across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Carnival will also based a ship in Melbourne for the first time in eight years when Carnival Adventure sails from the port.

Here is a look these new cruises announced by Carnival Cruise Line that will take place on Carnival Adventure, Carnival Splendor, Carnival Encounter and Carnival Luminosa.

Auckland (May – July 2027)

Carnival Adventure will offer nine cruises from Auckland that range from four- to ten-nights in length. Longer cruises will visit Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

Melbourne (January – February 2028)

Carnival Adventure will sail eight two- to four-night cruises from Melbourne. The include two- and three-night getaway sailings and a four-night cruise to Kangaroo Island.

Adelaide (February – March 2028)

Carnival Adventure will offer a total of five sailings from Adelaide including five-night cruises that visit Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln.

Sydney (year-round)

Carnival will sail year-round from Sydney on cruises that range from two- to 14-days in length. Carnival Splendor will homeport year-round in Sydney.

Ports and destinations visited on these cruises include the following:

• Great Barrier Reef
• Fiji
• Vanuatu
• New Caledonia
• Moreton Island
• Philip Island
• Eden and Tasmania

Brisbane (year-round)

Carnival’s cruises from Brisbane will range from three- to 14-nights in length that visit everywhere from the Great Barrier Reef to the South Pacific.

For the first time, Carnival will introduce a brand new nine-night Tasmania itinerary cruise from Brisbane, calling at Hobart, Port Arthur and Eden, as well as for the first time scenic cruising in Great Oyster Bay.

Both Carnival Encounter and Carnival Luminosa will offer cruises from Brisbane.

Peter Little, Carnival Corporation & plc Country Manager, said the following:

“Carnival is sailing from five homeports in Australia and New Zealand in 2027/28 and we remain the only global cruise line committed to sailing in this region year-round.”

“Carnival Cruise Line has answered the call from our interstate and New Zealand guests who’ve been asking for more opportunities to book a convenient and great value cruise holiday, and we’re delighted to be offering voyages from Adelaide, Melbourne and Auckland as well as our traditional ports of Sydney and Brisbane.”

A MSC cruise ship entered dry dock for the start of a major renovation of the vessel that includes adding a MSC Yacht Club.

MSC Magnifica entered dry dock at the Palumbo Malta Shipyard in Malta and will return to service in December.

While the ship is in dry dock, it will receive a major renovation and includes new dining venues and the MSC Yacht Club.

The MSC Yacht Club will have a total of 63 suites and offer a ship-within-a-ship concept. The full MSC Yacht experience is expected to be available starting next summer when the ship sails to Northern Europe.

In addition to the MSC Yacht Club, the ship will also receive two new specialty dining venues (Butcher’s Cut and Kaito Sushi), an enhanced MSC Aurea Spa and Technogym Fitness Center complete with Gentleman’s Barber, various workout studios, and outdoor Aurea area.

MSC Magnifica’s sister ship, MSC Poesia, will also receive a major renovation and the addition of the MSC Yacht Club in early 2026.

Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises, said the following:

“These upgrades highlight our commitment to offering guests the best possible experience and facilities across our fleet. By introducing our MSC Yacht Club to these ships—along with new restaurants, gyms, and wellness spaces—we are giving guests more exclusivity and choice than ever before.

“The MSC Yacht Club is one of our most highly regarded products, known for its exceptional service, elegant spaces, and exclusive amenities, and we are proud to bring this experience to MSC Magnifica and MSC Poesia in time for our first Alaska season and the 2027 MSC World Cruise.”

MSC Magnifica will offer cruises from Warnemünde, Germany on May 16, 2026 to Northern Europe, visiting Denmark, the Baltics, Scandinavia and Finland, before offering 3-to 8-night Mediterranean departures later in the year to ports including Barcelona, Civitavecchia for Rome, and Marseille.

The ship will also offer the 2027 MSC World Cruise, where the MSC Yacht Club will make its debut on the 121-night journey, visiting 45 ports in 25 countries.

MSC Poesia will offer week-long night cruises from Seattle to Alaska, May through September 2026, before offering guests round trip sailings from Miami to the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Colombia, Costa Rica, Aruba, Curaçao, and Belize, during Winter 2026 – 2027.

Carnival Corporation has partnered with the Miami Heat and the Micky & Madeleine Arison Family Foundation for a $1 million donation to Direct Relief for Hurricane Melissa recovery efforts.

Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organization that gives assistance to people who have been affected by emergencies.

Since 2013, the three organizations have combined for a total of $17.2 million in support for Direct Relief.

Support has assisted the crisis in Ukraine, Hurricanes Helene, Milton, Ian, Dorian, Michael, Florence, Irma and Harvey, tornadoes in Kentucky and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

At Jamaica’s request, Direct Relief has prepared 100 field medic packs for deployment. Each pack contains first-aid and triage supplies for front-line responders.

Direct Relief has also shared its full medical inventory list with Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and stands ready to dispatch additional medicines and supplies as needs are identified.

Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc, gave the following statement:

“We’re sending thoughts of comfort and strength to our friends in Jamaica, whose warmth and hospitality have created unforgettable experiences for so many of our guests and crew.

“Our connection to Jamaica runs deep, and we need to support its communities now more than ever. Donating to Direct Relief will help fund vital assistance to individuals and families whose lives have been upended by this devastating storm.”

Amy Weaver, CEO of Direct Relief, added:

“Direct Relief is deeply grateful for the generosity of the Miami HEAT, the Micky & Madeleine Arison Family Foundation, and Carnival Corporation.

“This support builds on the Arison family’s longstanding commitment to Direct Relief’s mission and accelerates urgently needed medical assistance for communities in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa makes landfall. It will put medicines, supplies and clinical support into the hands of local health workers right away—delivering immediate relief today and strengthening the capacity of health systems to recover and withstand future storms.”

Oceania Cruises, one of the world’s leading destination focused cruise lines, has announced an epic cruise for 2027 that will visit 125 ports in 53 countries over the course of 244 days.

This eight-month cruise will take place on Oceania Vista, a 1,200 passenger cruise ship.

The 2027 Around the World Cruise will depart from the Cruise Capital of the World, PortMiami, on January 6, 2027 and end in New York 244 days later. It will visit 125 ports, and since so many of them are off the beaten path, 35 will require tenders.

After departing from Miami, the ship will visit the Caribbean before a transit of the Panama Canal. After a few stops on the West Coast, the cruise will stop in Hawaii, Bora Bora, Tonga, Fiji and Australia.

The ship will then spend time in Asia visiting Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, China, South Korea and Japan.

The cruise will continue west stopping in India, Dubai, Doha, Egypt and a transit of the Suez Canal.

One in the Mediterranean, the cruise will continue on to Turkey, Greece, Italy, Croatia, France, Spain and Monaco.

Before the ship crosses the Atlantic, it will stop in the U.K., Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Germany.

On the way back to North America, the cruise will spend nearly a week in Iceland before stopping in Canada and finally New York on September 7, 2027.

Prices for the cruise start at $215,598 (per cabin, based on double occupancy) and go up to $779,098 for the 2,400 sq. ft. Owner’s Suite. You can view prices on all of Oceania’s sailings here.

Since the cruise is so long, it will also be broken up into 17 shorter segments than range from nine to 20 days in length.  

A few of the segments offered are:

• Treasures of Two Oceans: 15 days from Miami to Los Angeles
• Idyllic Pacific Wonders: 18 days from Los Angeles to Papeete
• Koalas to Komodos: 15 days from Sydney to Bali
• Koi Ponds to Kimonos: 13 days from Hong Kong to Tokyo
• Archipelagos of the East: 15 days from Tokyo to Singapore
• Arabian & Aegean Gems: 20 days from Doha to Athens
• Caesars & Conquistadors: 9 days from Rome to Lisbon
• Charms of Northern Europe: 11 days from Paris to Copenhagen
• Untamed North Atlantic: 17 days from Reykjavik to New York

Jason Montague, Chief Luxury Officer of Oceania Cruises, said the following about this unique cruise:

“While our Around the World cruise is an incredible way to explore the world in style, we understand that not all guests have the time to enjoy a 244-day sailing.

“To make the wonders of the world more accessible while catering to our guests’ varying lifestyles, Oceania Cruises is thrilled to offer this epic Around the World journey, also available as a series of segmented itineraries, each offering the same unparalleled luxury, personalized service and immersive destination experiences at sea.”

Royal Caribbean is less than two months away from opening their first Royal Beach Club on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas.

Now, the cruise line has plans to open a Royal Beach Club in the summer of 2026 in Santorini, Greece. The beach club will be used by guests sailing on both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruise ships.

The beach club will be part of an Ultimate Santorini Day that will include a day of exploring the island, from the white-washed buildings and blue-domed churches in Oia, to a stroll through the shops, cafes and art galleries in Fira.

Royal Caribbean cruisers will have the opportunity to check off these bucket list items while also enjoying the Mediterranean vibes of the beach club.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-LwNTgWx3k

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

“Expanding our Royal Beach Club Collection to include Santorini – one of the world’s most popular and beautiful locations – is a bold step forward in growing our vacation portfolio from two to eight by 2028, giving guests more ways to have unforgettable experiences with us.

“We’re thrilled to connect guests with Santorini’s gems – from its iconic villages to the Aegean Sea’s famous beach club culture – creating a balanced, authentic island experience.”

Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean, added:

“Santorini is an incredible destination that our guests love to explore, and with this new beach club, we are able to bring the best of what the island has to offer with the signature service Royal Caribbean is known for.”

Royal Caribbean is also working on alleviating congestion when their guests arrive in Santorini for the beach club. Cruisers will start the excursion in three different locations to minimize crowding and to help maximize time spent at areas around the island.

This is the third Royal Beach Club announced by Royal Caribbean. In addition to the one in Nassau, the cruise line is also building one in Cozumel, Mexico that will also open next year.

The Royal Beach Clubs are part of Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate Destinations that they are building all around the world.