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MSC Cruises has announced an exciting expansion of its kids and family programmes, set to debut for the summer 2024 itineraries.

This enhancement includes a variety of new entertainment options and services designed to create unforgettable experiences for families.

From extended hours for kids’ clubs to new family game shows and marine conservation initiatives, MSC Cruises is committed to providing a memorable holiday for all ages.

At the heart of our business is family. We love creating unforgettable memories and holidays for everyone, especially for families. That’s why we proudly offer a fleetwide family program of entertainment and activities that resonates with our valued guests.”

Steve Leatham, global head of entertainment at MSC Cruises

One of the exciting new additions for summer 2024 is the “Doremiland Open House and Party.”

This initiative allows parents to spend quality time with their children in the kids’ clubs. During designated time slots each day, all Doremiland areas will be open for families to explore together.

In addition to the open house, MSC Cruises will host a big family party once per cruise. This event is designed for parents and kids to engage in fun activities and play together.

To accommodate the needs of families, MSC Cruises has extended the hours of its teens’ clubs.

This allows parents to enjoy some adult-only time while knowing that their children are in a safe and entertaining environment. The new hours will be 10 am to 1 pm and 3pm to midnight on sea days, and 3pm to midnight on port days.

Perhaps the biggest change is the fact that the Baby Club Chicco – the kids club for those under 2 – will now offer baby care services for children as young as six months.

Previously only children aged 1 and over would be cared for by staff while parents explored the ship. Now babies will be able to engage with Chicco toys and have naptime either in the baby club or in your own stateroom (with staff supervision at an extra charge).

Other changes include:

• New marine conservation activities created in collaboration with the MSC Foundation, so that kids can learn about sustainable initiatives
• The MSC Dance Crew competition returns, in partnership with Fremantle (the production company behind The X Factor and Got Talent TV shows)
• Guinness World Record quiz activities will be rolled out to the following ships: MSC World Europa, MSC Euribia, MSC Seascape, MSC Seashore, MSC Magnifica, MSC Divina, MSC Meraviglia, MSC Virtuosa, MSC Grandiosa
• Two new family game shows will be available for guests to take part in. World Quest will be a geography-based trivia game, and Caravaggio is a spy-themed game show with art-based challenges

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A male passenger aboard Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas has gone overboard just one day into the ship’s 7-night Western Caribbean voyage.

The incident took place in the early hours of 26th May, after the ship had set sail from Miami.

Despite the early hours, the overboard situation was detected and the emergency alarm sounded. The crew immediately halted the ship for two hours so that the passenger could be recovered.

Passengers filmed videos showing two small rescue boats helping the man to be recovered. According to passenger reports, the man was then taken to the onboard medical centre.

At the time of writing, it is not yet clear whether the man had survived.

It’s also not clear what caused the man to go overboard, and the cruise line refuses to fuel speculation, as it should. Reports state that he jumped but there has been no confirmation of this. The cruise line is also protecting the identity of the passenger, for privacy reasons.

Despite the two-hour pause in sailing, the ship was able to continue onto Roatan on time.

Often guests who do jump or fall off a ship are not found, but the fast action of the crew here meant that the passenger could be recovered in the hope that he can pull through.

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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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Celebrity Cruises has announced that it is enhancing The Retreat, the premium ship-within-a-ship you’ll find across the Celebrity fleet.

The Retreat is where you’ll find all the suite accommodations on a Celebrity cruise, along with some public spaces reserved exclusively for suite guests.

And now, Retreat guests will enjoy and even better experience with some new benefits to make cruising even better.

At the minute, all Retreat guests have access to a butler, who is available for any requests that guests may have during their cruise. Butlers are assigned to suites, but will typically manage multiple suites per cruise, and so are not always immediately on-hand.

So now, guests will be able to use a special Butler Chat feature via WhatsApp to message their butler at any time, whatever they need.

There will also now be a special shore excursions expert on hand to help Retreat guests to book activities ashore. As well as arranging transfers to help guests, they can also plan private car trips for guests, with the butler offering a suite-to-car escort for these special excursions.

Luminae, the Retreat-exclusive restaurant, will offer some new enhanced menu options, while in-suite dining will also now include a full menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner along with premium wines.

Guests already enjoyed premium check-in, but they will now benefit from priority luggage drop off at port, and priority delivery on the ship too.

And finally, as well as the welcome drinks that guests are already served and the premium drinks package included, guests will now have a complimentary stocked minibar in their suite along with some personalised treats.

At The Retreat, the world really does revolve around our guests. We collected extensive feedback from past guests, loyalty members and our trade partners to inform how The Retreat experiences are being reimagined to continue exceeding vacation expectations by delivering on the amenities and experiences Celebrity Cruises guests value most.

Laura Hodges Bethge, president of Celebrity Cruises

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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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A woman from Georgia in the US has undergone quite the ordeal after falling ill during her Carnival cruise to the Caribbean.

Loretta Cox, 54, from Georgia in the US, was on a cruise that departed on 19th May 2024, but she took ill while onboard and, by the time the ship arrived in the Dominican Republic on 22nd May, things were more serious.

Loretta was transferred to a local hospital with fluid in her lungs, where she had to be placed on life support. She was of course kept in the hospital, with the cruise ship carrying on its itinerary without her.

However, Loretta did not have proper travel insurance cover for her medical bills, meaning that she had racked up significant charges of $28,000 for the transfer to hospital, and an extra $4,000 each day she spent there.

The costs to evacuate Loretta back to the US, where she could continue treatment under her regular health insurance, were over $25,000 with upfront payment required.

The family were unable to afford this alone but quickly started a fundraising campaign, raising $18,000. The family paid the remaining amount and on Friday 24th May, Loretta was flown to a hospital in Florida, just two days after being admitted in the Dominican Republic.

The latest updates at the time of writing have Loretta in a stable condition, although she remains on life support.

This story shows the importance of getting appropriate travel insurance for any cruise you take – you never know when you might need medical help, and the financial support to pay for it.

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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

A woman has shared her story of losing $10,000 on her Carnival cruise booking after sharing her booking details online.

Tiffany Banks and her partner had booked a luxury cruise in a Presidential Excel Suite onboard Carnival Celebration, one of the biggest ships in the fleet, for a total cost of around $13,000.

But she was confused when she received emails telling her that two of her booked shore excursions had been cancelled, without any reason provided.

She called the cruise line to ask what had happened and was told that the excursions were cancelled because the suite had been cancelled by someone logging into the online portal.

The cruise line was unable to rebook the couple in the suite, and their best offer was for two Interior cabins.

Banks and her partner later realised what likely happened – that they shared their vacation countdown email on social media, accidentally revealing their booking number.

All you need to log into a booking and make changes is that booking number and the lead passenger’s surname – meaning it’s probable someone saw the information and decided to log in, cancelling the cruise.

Originally Carnival refused to refund Banks, as the error was not on the cruise line’s side. However, following Banks sharing her story online, the cruise line has offered a $10,000 Future Cruise Credit as compensation.

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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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In collaboration with the Cleaner Seas Group and the University of Surrey, Marella Cruises is addressing the critical issue of microplastic pollution in our oceans.

Microplastics are minuscule plastic particles, less than 5 millimetres in diameter, originating from various sources such as the degradation of larger plastic debris, microbeads in personal care products, and synthetic fibres from textiles.

Once these particles infiltrate the ocean, they become persistent pollutants, challenging to remove and capable of causing extensive harm.

The presence of microplastics in the ocean also raises significant human health concerns. Research indicates that these particles can enter the human food chain through seafood consumption, posing potential health risks such as inflammation, toxicity, and exposure to harmful chemicals.

To combat this issue, Marella Cruises has introduced innovative INDIKON filters. These filters are designed to capture microfibres from laundry wastewater before it is discharged into the ocean.

The advanced technology behind INDIKON filters ensures the capture of even the smallest particles, providing a more effective solution compared to traditional methods.

The trial of the INDIKON filters is currently underway on the Marella Explorer. The trial aims to evaluate the efficiency of the filters in real-world conditions, with the ultimate goal of reducing the amount of microplastics released into the ocean.

Expected outcomes include a significant decrease in microplastic pollution and valuable data to support further implementation.

Marella Cruises plans to roll out the INDIKON filter technology across its entire fleet, if the trial is successful. By extending this technology to all ships, the cruise line aims to maximise the environmental benefits and solidify its commitment to ocean conservation.

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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

P&O Cruises Australia recently came to the aid of stranded teenage volunteers from Australia, rescuing them and giving them a free ride home.

The Hive Rotary Club Australia organised a volunteer trip to the island nation of Vanuatu, 1,500 miles from their home. These young volunteers engaged in various activities, leaving a lasting impact on the island. However, the students were left in a precarious situation due to the collapse of Air Vanuatu.

The airline declared insolvency and immediately grounded all flights, meaning that the students were unable to get home. As the company had declared insolvency, it wasn’t able to offer alternative travel methods, meaning that 16 students and their chaperones had no way of flying back.

The group put out an appeal on social media to ask for help, and P&O Cruises Australia was happy to answer the call.

The cruise line extended an invitation for a free six-day cruise home aboard the Pacific Adventure. The ship was already sailing on a Sydney to Vanuatu cruise, and had space to bring aboard the group and give them safe passage back to Australia.

The guests were essentially given a free cruise, with permission to enjoy all of the facilities onboard. The students and chaperones have expressed their gratitude to the cruise line for the rescue and the way they were looked after.

However, while the cruise line was happy to accommodate the guests at no charge, the volunteer group did need to fundraise to help get the $10,000 needed to cover other expenses, including flights from Sydney back to their home in Albury.

The work carried out by the Hive Rotary Club included improving a local clinic and fundraising for healthcare efforts in Tanna. Thankfully they were able to continue to make a difference on the island nation and still make it home, albeit not as they originally intended.

P&O Cruises Australia is a separate company to the P&O Cruises operating out of the UK, but both brands are owned by the Carnival Corporation.

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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