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Explora Journeys, the luxury cruise line owned by MSC, has announced that newest ship Explora II will serve as a floating hotel for the Monaco Grand Prix in 2025.

The ship will remain docked in Monaco’s Port Hercule through the whole race week, just 150 metres from the racetrack.

Not only will guests onboard be able to enjoy amazing views of the race, but they’ll also get to enjoy a series of events themed around the race itself.

The ship will be located at the end of the harbour, in an exclusive location past the F1 Paddock.

Guests on the ship will be able to register for the Paddock Club, which allows access to VIP hospitality suite along with offering gourmet dining options, premium bars, and access to the pit lane walk along with appearances by drivers and other team personnel.

Bookings for the experience include grandstand tickets, and are available for guests to book now. Guests can then register their interest in the F1 Paddock Club via the official Explora Journeys website.

Explora II launches in September 2024 as the second ship in the Explora Journeys fleet. She has 461 suites onboard along with 5 pools and 6 restaurants, with a guest-to-host ratio of just 1.25:1.

Guests can expect incredible dining experiences, beautiful public areas in which to unwind, sumptuous accommodations and a wealth of enrichment features, including an award-winning spa.

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A passenger – believed to be a “young Brit” – has reportedly fallen overboard from Royal Caribbean’s ship Explorer of the Seas.

The passenger fell off the ship around 4 am on Friday, 9th August with the ship’s crew immediately putting out an emergency broadcast.

The cruise ship immediately turned and began a search, with the lifeboats also launched. Responding to the emergency, other local authorities also joined the search for the passenger.

There’s no confirmation yet on the person’s gender or age, or even an official confirmation that they are British or a passenger, rather than crew.

However, several news agencies are reporting that it’s a Brit, and that they are young, although the reports do suggest a young adult rather than a child.

A passenger on the ship tweeted about the incident as it unfolded:

The ship continued the search until later on Friday but eventually moved on. No announcement was made to suggest that the passenger had been found, implying that the search was being left to the Croatian authorities instead.

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Princess Cruises has announced big changes to its WiFi internet offering, with a new higher-speed tier available.

MedallionNet Classic will remain the standard WiFi option, but now guests who book a Princess Plus or Princess Premier fare will get access to MedallionNet Max, a faster service that prioritises bandwidth.

Plus and Premier guests will therefore get the most reliable and fastest connection while at sea, and while the cruise line has promised that the MedallionNet Classic service will remain unchanged for other guests, there are legitimate questions over whether the increased bandwidth for the Max tier will slow down Classic users.

“By including MedallionNet Max in our incredible bundles, we are guaranteeing the best possible onboard experience with the best value anywhere in the world as our guests explore over 330 destinations vis our world-class globally deployed fleet.”

John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises

Guests can only access the Max tier by paying a Plus or Premier fare. Guests who pay the standard cruise fare will be able to pay for WiFi at the same rate of $24.99 per day for a single device, or $44.99 per day for a multi-device plan.

But that will only be the MedallionNet Classic tier.

Princess Plus guests will get MedallionNet Max for one device, while Princess Premier guests will get it for up to four devices per guest.

The cruise line launched the new internet with a special gaming contest set in a custom Minecraft world. 32 renowned players took part, with eight of those invited onto Enchanted Princess to play the game from the ship in order to demo the internet speed.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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Sad news for many Carnival cruise fans as Chris Williams, AKA The Flying Scotsman, has announced that he is leaving the cruise line as of 10th August 2024.

Williams broke the news to his fans via his official social media channels, in a video that explained his reasoning.

He has been working as a Fleet Cruise Director for the cruise line for nine months, helping to train up the next generation of cruise directors.

Prior to this, he had spent many years as a Cruise Director himself, becoming a hugely popular figure onboard ships with his energy, his wit and his warmth.

In the video, Williams explained that the decision was due to a wish to spend more time with his family, having had a taste of the life he was missing due to the increased downtime that his most recent role was affording him.

This draws to a close a 13-year career for Williams with Carnival, having started out as a singer on the ships.

He has made clear that he is making the decision with a heavy heart and has expressed his extensive gratitude to the cruise line for the many experiences it has given him, including helping him to meet his wife.

He will certainly be missed by many loyal Carnival fans – good luck for the future, Chris!

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas cruise ship diverted from her planned route to rescue 77 refugees in distress this week.

Overnight from Monday 5th to Tuesday 6th August, the ship responded to a request from Greek authorities to aid a sailboat that was loaded with passengers southwest of Pylos.

The ship was able to send a lifeboat and pilot craft to the sailboat to rescue the stranded refugees, whose nationality has not been released.

A passenger captured the rescue from the ship:

The refugees were forced to abandon many personal belongings and were brought to the cruise ship where they were fed and given medical attention, if needed. They were kept in crew-only areas of the ship.

The cruise ship then had to make an unexpected diversion to Kalamata to drop the refugees off with the Greek authorities, which meant the planned trip to Santorini for that day was cancelled.

Apparently it has been rescheduled for later this week, but at the cost of a call to Mykonos which will now no longer be going ahead.

The cruise line would be expected to refund any cancelled excursions for the Mykonos port, but any passengers who booked through a third party will need to seek their own refunds.

Anyone who booked travel insurance with missed port cover would also be able to get a refund on the missed port.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas is to finally undergo the Amplification process and receive the refurbishment that her sister Oasis-class ships have already enjoyed.

The cruise line has announced that the ship will enter dry dock in March 2025, ready to begin her summer season in April 2025 in Europe with a host of new upgrades.

By the time the renovation is complete, the ship will have over 35 places to eat, drink and splash onboard.

The pool deck will be refreshed to include resort-style decor with a Caribbean theme, which will include new seating, updated hot tubs, and the addition of the popular Lime & Coconut bar.

The Ultimate Abyss twin dry slides will also be added to the ship, giving guests the chance to race down the decks on a mat. A shaved ice bar will also be added near the entrance to the slides.

Not enough slides? Don’t worry – new water slides are being added too, and while it hasn’t been confirmed, expect to see the Perfect Storm trio to be the choice, similar to the other Oasis-class ships. A new Splashaway Bay splash zone will also be added.

Another new bar will be the Pesky Parrot, the cruise line’s twist on a tiki bar offering fresh and frozen cocktails.

New restaurants will be added, including Playmakers Sports Bar, Mason Jar, and El Loco Fresh. And there’ll be a new escape room attraction, too, themed after a moon landing.

The kids and teen spaces will be revamped, with new features and a general update to the existing spaces.

The final confirmed upgrade for now is the addition of the Ultimate Panoramic Suite, a Star Class suite with a huge amount of space and impressive floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

The ship will spend the summer of 2025 sailing from Barcelona and Rome on 7-night cruises, with a new 4-night cruise on 11th April serving as a new ‘inaugural’ cruise for the updated ship.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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P&O Cruises has partnered with Premier League football club Southampton FC to become the new official shirt sleeve sponsor, in a multi-year deal.

This is the first time P&O Cruises has sponsored a sports team, and the partnership will feature benefits for both fans of the cruise line and the club.

These benefits will include special cruise offers, match tickets, coaching onboard ships, and meet-and-greet events.

The logo will first appear on the Southampton FC kit for the club’s home friendly against Lazio on 7th August, and then it will feature on the kit as the team travel to Newcastle United for the opening fixture of their Premier League campaign.

The logo will be featured on the men’s, women’s and academy kits and any fans who’ve already bought a replica kit can take it to the stadium store to have the branding applied to the shirt free of charge.

“P&O Cruises is Britain’s favourite cruise line, with a long history sailing from the port of Southampton. Southampton Football Club is one of the oldest and most forward-thinking clubs in English football, with a passionate and dedicated following of supporters in the city and beyond. It is a natural partnership for both of us.

“With the team promoted to the Premier League there has never been a better time to showcase our brand to the nation but whatever the results we will be supporting the teams wholeheartedly throughout the seasons.”

Paul Ludlow, Carnival UK & P&O Cruises President

The cruise line obviously has very strong ties to the city already, with all ex-UK cruises departing from Southampton.

While it’s the first sports sponsorship for P&O Cruises, it’s not the first time a cruise line has got involved with football.

MSC Cruises has a partnership with Chelsea FC, while Royal Caribbean is the sponsor of Wolverhampton Wanders’ training kit, and features on advertising boards at the Molineux stadium. Royal Caribbean is also the shirt sponsor and major partner of Inter Miami FC in the USA.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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Two men have been handed 15-month suspended sentences and 270 hours of community service after stealing jewellery from an MSC cruise ship.

Gary Cooper (30) and Benjamin Greenwood (33) stole £76,000 (around $100,000) of rings and necklaces from an Effy Jewelry store onboard MSC Virtuosa in March 2023.

The two men boarded the ship in Southampton and quickly hit the bars. They then found the jewellery store unattended, and decided to steal the items.

Once the theft was discovered, CCTV was used to track down the men, who were aggressive and had to be restrained.

Reportedly, despite a body search, the men had been able to hide the items down their pants, and several items were never returned – around $50,000 worth. Cooper admitted he sold most of the jewellery he stole, while Greenwood returned around $18,000 worth.

The men were removed from the ship but then released awaiting charge. They were only onboard for four hours.

Judge Rowland decided not to impose a jail sentence due to the men having no prior convictions and showing remorse, admitting that their actions were “stupid and foolish”.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me

Carnival Cruise Line has announced big changes to cruises on Carnival Elation this week due to the arrival of Tropical Storm Debby.

The four-night cruise that departed on 1st August has now been shortened to three nights, ending on Sunday 4th August.

And the following cruise that was originally due to depart on Monday 5th August has been brought forward a day, extending it.

This is to make sure that the ship is clear of the port before Monday when the storm is expected to reach land, and gale-force winds will make it impossible to carry out normal port operations.

Carnival has emailed all guests to inform them of the changes. The ship is due to depart from Jacksonville and many guests onboard will likely be driving to the port, so hopes are that many of those due on the next cruise will be able to adjust their plans and still make it to the ship.

The guests being asked to leave the ship a day early will be given a pro-rated refund for the day of the cruise that they miss. No other compensation has been announced yet, but typically some form of future cruise credit will be offered in these situations as well.

The guests now boarding the ship a day early won’t be asked to pay any extra, essentially getting a free cruise day.

Carnival hasn’t announced any other reimbursements for guests’ other travel plans yet, including anyone who has to change flights.

But this is why travel insurance is so important, as it would cover these costs. Guests who are cruising the Caribbean during these summer months absolutely need insurance, as storms such as this can occur at any time.

More disruption is expected because of Debby, and anyone departing a cruise over the next couple of days from a Caribbean port is advised to look out for any communication from their cruise line.

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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

Read more about me