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Disney Magic made history on 7 June 2024 by becoming the first ship to visit Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, Disney Cruise Line’s newest private destination in the Bahamas.

This milestone event marks a significant expansion of Disney’s offerings, promising an unparalleled blend of luxury, adventure, and cultural immersion for travellers.

Lookout Cay, located on the island of Eleuthera, joins Castaway Cay as Disney’s second private destination in the Bahamas.

The development of Lookout Cay began in 2019, with a vision to create a destination that reflects the rich cultural heritage of the Bahamas while providing a magical experience for families.

The design of Lookout Cay was developed in collaboration with local artists and advisors, ensuring that the destination not only offers world-class amenities but also stays true to the essence of Bahamian culture.

One of the highlights of the Disney Magic’s visit was a vibrant performance by a group of local Junkanoos, featuring the winning teams of the Junior Junkanoo competition.

Junkanoo, a traditional Bahamian festival, is known for its colourful costumes, rhythmic music, and energetic dance.

This performance was a testament to Disney’s dedication to celebrating and preserving local culture, providing guests with an authentic and unforgettable experience.

The Disney Magic’s visit to Lookout Cay is just the beginning. Throughout 2024, Lookout Cay is set to receive regular calls from other Disney Cruise Line ships.

For those interested in visiting Lookout Cay, Disney Cruise Line offers a variety of itineraries that include this new destination. Cruises to Lookout Cay depart from Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, and San Juan (Puerto Rico).

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The luxury residence ship Odyssey, due to set sail for Villa Vie Residences, has suffered a second delay within a week.

Initially scheduled to set sail on 21 May 2024, the ship’s debut has now been delayed three times.

The first delay pushed the launch to 30th May, and the second delay has moved it to early June. Now, the ship is not scheduled to depart until 15th June.

The latest delay is due to the rudder stocks needing to be replaced before the ship sets sail, which are an important part for the movement of the rudder.

The delays have impacted passengers who had booked trips. Many have had to rearrange their travel plans. Villa Vie Residences has been proactive in communicating with passengers, helping those who are waiting to depart to find alternative accommodation options.

Passengers have had mixed reactions to the delays. Some have expressed frustration, while others have shown understanding and patience – after all, the ship needs to be ready. But with several delays in a row now, it’s not a surprise that some are unhappy with the wait.

The renovation process for the Odyssey has been extensive. Upgrading the ship’s interiors and ensuring all safety protocols are in place have been priorities. This meticulous work is essential for delivering the luxurious experience passengers expect.

Hopefully everything will be ready for the new departure date, and this epic three-year cruise can finally begin.

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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 written to guests to inform them that, from 30th May 2024, cancellation charges will now apply for The Reef, the kids’ clubs onboard.

During popular cruise times, especially in cruise holidays, The Reef clubs get full quickly, and so parents are asked to reserve places for a session in advance – you need to be ready at 10 am the day before to book.

It’s free to reserve a session, but they often reach capacity quickly, which means some parents are unable to let their kids enjoy the clubs.

And a long-term problem has been parents who book spaces at the clubs but then cancel at the last minute, or who no-show completely, meaning that there are empty spaces that could otherwise have been taken by other children.

Now, cancellation charges will apply to help prevent these issues. Anyone who cancels less than 24 hours before a session’s start time will have £5 added to their onboard account, and any no-shows will be charged at £10.

This only applies to The Reef for children aged 12 and under. The H2O teens club doesn’t require advance booking.

While the move might disappoint some parents who like to be more flexible with plans, it will ultimately be fairer and will hopefully mean there are more spaces for children on busier days, as people are less willing to book without being sure they’re going to use the space.

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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

An Australian woman has complained about her treatment by Virgin Voyages, after winning a free cruise but being unable to claim it.

The woman, who has hidden her identity and is going by the pseudonym ‘Morgan’, was onboard a Virgin Airlines flight on 16th November 2023, when Sir Richard Branson FaceTimed the plane to let them know that everyone onboard had won a free cruise.

The stunt was to promote the arrival of Resilient Lady in Australia for her inaugural season in the region, operating sailings out of Melbourne around Australia and New Zealand.

However, Virgin had to cancel cruises in Australia due to the tensions in the Red Sea.

Morgan was still offered the chance to claim a free cruise, with alternatives offered in the Caribbean or Mediterranean.

But when she researched the price of flights, she found that it would cost $8,000, more than the value of the cruise at $7,000.

Morgan claims that she spoke to the Virgin customer support team, but they stopped responding to her.

When I clarified this with Virgin’s PR team they stopped responding. We were genuinely shocked, we thought Virgin would provide us with an alternative prize like a flight credit … or they would allow us to rebook on a later season.

Morgan, speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

At the time of writing, the cruise line is continuing to offer a free cruise but has not offered any flight credit or alternatives.

While the cruise line hasn’t commented, the Virgin Australia Group has released a statement:

We apologize to our winners who can no longer redeem their prize due to the cancellation of Virgin Voyages’ Australian and New Zealand cruises amid the conflict in the Red Sea. We are grateful that Virgin Voyages have offered all impacted guests the opportunity to take complimentary cruises on its other international sailings, including in Europe and the Caribbean.

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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

Luxury cruise line Seabourn has announced a new range of alcohol-free cocktails as part of a new programme called Zero @ Sea. The goal of this new menu is to ensure that guests can enjoy sophisticated drinks even if they are avoiding alcohol.

The Zero @ Sea menu includes many different non-alcoholic cocktails, using a variety of ingredients like elderflower, bursts of fresh citrus, and botanical spirits to create delicious flavours.

Guests can find these new cocktails in all bars and lounges on Seabourn ships, along with a number of options for non-alcoholic wines, sparkling wines, and beers.

The Zero @ Sea programme features some special non-alcoholic cocktails, such as:

• Amalfi Spritz: A refreshing mix of non-alcoholic Rosé and Lyre Italian Orange.
• Ginger Blossom: A zesty blend of Seedlip Groove 42, elderflower, and ginger ale.
• Ginny ‘n Tonic: A sophisticated mix of Optimist Bright, elderflower, and grapefruit.
• Not So Cosmo: A creative version of the classic Cosmopolitan.

The heart of our ultra-luxury experiences is to provide our extraordinary guests the luxury of choice, and we’re proud to offer an extensive menu of innovative and delicious zero-proof cocktails for guests to enjoy when they sail on Seabourn

Gerald Mösslinger, Senior Vice President of Guest Operations at Seabourn

The Zero @ Sea cocktails were created by Seabourn’s culinary and beverage team. Michael Simon, Senior Manager of Restaurant and Bar Operations, and Francisco Fernandes, Corporate Manager of Service Operations, led the project.

Their mission was to create a range of mocktails that not only tasted incredible, but that had that luxurious look to them as well.

Many cruise lines offer a small selection of mocktails already as well as a limited range of other non-alcoholic beverages, but this new range will help non-drinkers to still enjoy a special drink on their luxury cruise.

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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