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Celebrity Cruises has launched a new set of short Caribbean cruises, allowing guests to experience Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, for the first time.

The trips started with the Celebrity Reflection on April 22nd and the Celebrity Beyond on April 23rd.

This exciting destination is part of Royal Caribbean Group’s offerings and was first introduced by their sister brand, Royal Caribbean International. But now, it will be used by both cruise lines.

Laura Hodges Bethge, President of Celebrity Cruises, highlighted that the new itineraries were created based on guest feedback and are designed to provide quick, enjoyable escapes for those looking to relax with family and friends.

Perfect Day at CocoCay is set to deliver a standout adults-only beachfront experience called Hideaway Beach. This spot includes a DJ, four bars, and local food options.

Additionally, visitors can enjoy the Coco Beach Club, where they can swim in an infinity pool, have a fine dining experience, or relax in the first overwater cabanas in the Bahamas, featuring hammocks, slides, and other luxurious amenities.

Celebrity Reflection and Celebrity Beyond will make stops at Perfect Day at CocoCay during their five-night Western Caribbean sailings departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. These cruises will also visit other sunny locations like Bimini, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Key West.

Looking ahead, Celebrity Cruises has also revealed its 2025-2026 Caribbean cruise season. These new offerings include three, four, and five-night trips starting from Fort Lauderdale.

The future seasons promise visits to beautiful destinations, including Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bimini, Cozumel, Key West, and Nassau aboard the Celebrity Reflection and Celebrity Summit.

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P&O Cruises’ beloved Britannia ship has recently undergone a significant multi-million-pound refurbishment and is now ready to set sail from Southampton.

This update, completed in time for its upcoming 10th-anniversary celebration in 2025, includes a series of enhancements designed to elevate the guest experience.

Britannia has welcomed several design elements previously seen on Iona and Arvia, particularly in the newly adorned Sunset Bar, which now features a warm colour scheme and additional seating.

In addition, the Market Café has been updated to enhance both space and dining options. It now offers an exclusive range of gelato-filled doughnuts from the luxury gelato brand Snowflake – a first at sea.

The refit not only refreshed the public spaces with a new colour palette but also extended the Loyalty and Cruise Sales area and invested in improvements to the crew’s living quarters.

Children will find joy in the upgraded splash area, which includes colourful interactive water features, ensuring fun for all family members.

Below is a photo of my kids enjoying the old splash area on Britannia. We’ve booked again for 2025 and I can’t wait for them to see the new and updated one!

“Britannia is our flagship, and with her 10th anniversary celebration cruise next summer we know the importance of ensuring the ship looks its absolute best to deliver an elevated experience for our new and loyal guests.”

Paul Ludlow, President of P&O Cruises

The anniversary cruise, setting sail on June 6, 2025, will tour the British Isles, featuring stops in Edinburgh, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Belfast, and an overnight stay in Liverpool, concluding in Cork.

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Royal Caribbean International has partnered with The Bahamas to build the Royal Beach Club on Paradise Island, Nassau. Expected to open in 2025, this 17-acre beach destination marks a significant step forward in the region’s tourism and economy.

Located on one of the most beautiful beaches on Paradise Island, the Royal Beach Club is designed to reflect the Bahamian way of life and hospitality.

It will offer visitors a top beach day with features such as three large pools with swim-up bars, private cabanas, and multiple dining venues offering local cuisine. The club will also highlight Bahamian art and music, bringing vibrant cultural experiences to the forefront.

This project aims to involve and benefit the local community. Bahamians will own up to 49% of the club, ensuring they have a significant role and advantage. This is part of a bigger plan to improve The Bahamas’ tourism industry and support local businesses.

“With the signing of this Heads of Agreement for the development of Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, we embark on this project to further enhance the vitality of our tourism product. Signing today’s agreement, we add another world-class experience to our tourism offerings. And even more importantly, we take a bold step toward greater Bahamian empowerment in the tourism industry,”

Honorable Philip Davis, Prime Minister of The Bahamas.

The building plans are carefully made to include sustainability and environmental protection. The project will work on restoring the natural areas to protect wildlife and will use Royal Caribbean’s sustainable methods to make sure the beach club operates in an environmentally friendly way.

When it opens in 2025, the Royal Beach Club Paradise Island will welcome around 2,000 guests each day and can be reached by a short ferry ride from the Nassau Cruise Port.

This new spot is set to become a key attraction, boosting Nassau’s appeal and offering a new reason to visit the stunning islands of The Bahamas.

More information about when the club will open, its features, and pricing will be available soon on Royal Caribbean’s website as people get more excited about this new Caribbean hotspot.

You can also read more about the Beach Club here: 11 Things To Know About Royal Caribbean’s Royal Beach Club

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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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On Sunday afternoon, the Carnival Paradise, during its 5-night Western Caribbean cruise, emerged as a symbol of hope in the vast blue waters of the Caribbean Sea.

As the ship was travelling west from Cuba to Roatan, Honduras, the alert crew spotted and quickly rescued 27 people stranded at sea.

A Timely Intervention off Cuba’s Coast

Around 2:30 pm, a time usually spent enjoying the sea, the bridge crew of Carnival Paradise noticed a distress signal from a small, overcrowded boat.

The boat, about 20 miles southeast of Los Cajuelos – the westernmost tip of Cuba, was equipped with a makeshift sail that was ineffective.

Recognising the immediate need for help, the ship changed its course, fulfilling the maritime tradition of assisting those in danger.

The rescue operation involved the safe transfer of 27 Cuban nationals from their inadequate vessel to the safety of the Carnival Paradise. Each person received essential supplies such as food, water, and medical care.

They promptly coordinated with the US Coast Guard Sector Key West to ensure all appropriate measures were in place for the well-being of the rescued. Officials in Roatan were notified as part of the standard procedures for maritime rescues.

Ensuring Safety Without Sacrificing Schedule

The admirable rescue mission was carried out without impacting the cruiser’s eagerly awaited schedule. Since Carnival Paradise was set to travel at relaxed speeds that day, there was sufficient time to perform the rescue without major delays.

The ability of the ship to adjust its speed ensured it stayed on course to arrive in Roatan as expected, maintaining the promise of an exceptional cruise experience.

Carnival Paradise: A Legacy of Lifesaving

Carnival Paradise is celebrated not just for its delightful vacations but for its heroic history. This Fantasy-class ship, a veteran of the fleet, has a notable history of maritime rescues.

One significant example was in May 2019, when Carnival Paradise rescued a sailor near Cozumel after his vessel began sinking.

2022 saw the ship involved in two more critical rescues near Cuba, highlighting its steadfast dedication to saving lives.

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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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MSC Cruises has officially cancelled the upcoming Grand Voyage of its latest ship, the MSC Euribia, due to escalating tensions in the Red Sea area, which are affecting the safety of maritime operations.

Originally set to depart on October 19, 2024, from Kiel, Germany, the journey was to highlight MSC Euribia’s entry into the cruise line’s fleet. It featured stops across Northern Europe and the Mediterranean before sailing through the Suez Canal to Dubai.

The decision to cancel the voyage follows concerns over the safety of navigating through the Red Sea, a region currently experiencing heightened maritime threats.

“The safety and well-being of our guests are our top priority, and under the current circumstances, no viable alternative routes exist for this trip.”

MSC Cruises stated in an email to travel agents.

Despite the cancellation, MSC Euribia will still relocate to Dubai, initiating passenger sailings starting November 16 from Dubai and Doha, Qatar. The ship will either navigate at high speed through the Red Sea without passengers or take an alternative route around Africa.

The latter option, while safer, extends the travel distance significantly and precludes carrying passengers due to logistical constraints in visiting planned ports while ensuring timely arrival in Dubai.

This adjustment in schedule follows a similar pattern to that recently announced for Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas, which also involved itinerary changes due to the same regional tensions.

MSC Euribia, which debuted in June 2023, is the latest addition to MSC Cruises’ fleet. A Mereviglia-plus-class vessel powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), it boasts a gross tonnage of 184,011 and can accommodate up to 6,327 guests.

For travellers affected by the cancellation, MSC Cruises is offering several alternatives. Passengers can transfer their booking to a different Grand Voyage on another ship or different dates on the MSC Euribia without additional costs to the cruise fare.

Alternatively, bookings can be shifted to any available MSC Cruises voyage without a change fee. For those who prefer not to reschedule, a full refund is available. All decisions must be finalised by April 26, 2024, after which any unresolved bookings will be automatically cancelled and refunded.

This proactive approach by MSC Cruises aims to manage the impacts of global geopolitical tensions on its operations, prioritising passenger safety while attempting to minimize disruptions to planned travel itineraries.

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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 a move to revolutionise onboard dining, Princess Cruises has announced an enhancement to its main dining services fleetwide. Passengers will enjoy dining flexibility with options that cater to every preference.

This initiative follows the successful implementation of new dining concepts on the recently launched Sun Princess, which features a three-storey dining room each dedicated to different dining styles: traditional fixed-time dining, flexible reservations, and a walk-in anytime format. Inspired by this model, Princess Cruises is now expanding these options across all its ships.

“We’ve seen tremendous enthusiasm from our guests regarding the dining flexibility aboard the Sun Princess, and we are excited to extend this innovative dining concept throughout our fleet,”

Sami Kohen, Vice President of Food and Beverage at Princess Cruises.

Starting April 15, 2024, the new dining formats will be available for booking, with a full rollout on voyages departing on or after September 14, 2024. The new system will replace all existing main dining reservations made for these departures, excluding those on the Sun Princess. However, reservations for voyages through September 13 will remain unchanged.

The enhanced dining options include:

• Traditional Dining: Offers early and late seatings with the same waiter and table each evening.
• Reservable Dining Times: Allows guests to reserve their preferred dining times.
• Walk-in Anytime: Supports diners without reservations at any time during dining hours.
• OceanNow Anywhere Service: An exclusive feature that allows ordering food anytime and anywhere on the ship.

Guests booked in specialty dining restaurants or staying in suite or reserve collection accommodations will continue to enjoy access to dedicated dining areas with no need for a reservation.

This transformation is part of Princess Cruises’ commitment to individualised service and guest satisfaction, ensuring a personalised and seamless dining experience for all passengers.

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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 has announced a new technology that has been installed on Icon of the Seas, offering assistive listening features.

The system works through the ship’s WiFi network, allowing guests to use their smartphones to connect directly to an audio network on the ship.

The main use for the tech is to help people who use hearing aids, especially in the Royal Theatre. But it also has practical uses for those without hearing impairments too.

One example would be the option to tune into sports commentary for the game of guests’ choice while in Playmakers Sports Bar, or to choose their perfect playlist while enjoying a silent disco.

The technology is called Listen EVERYWHERE and has been developed by Listen Technologies Corporation. It’s easy for guests to use – they just need to download the Listen EVERYWHERE app to their smartphone and then connect to the ship’s network.

Royal Caribbean is renowned for providing outstanding guest experiences with the latest technologies and services that raise the bar on travel and offer next-level vacations. Listen Technologies is proud to have Royal Caribbean select our audio over Wi-Fi assistive listening solution to offer guests exceptional hearing and engagement experiences onboard its ships.

Kasey Kaumans, Regional Sales Manager, Listen Technologies

The system has low latency, meaning there is no perceptible delay between the sound through the main speakers and that coming through the app – so guests can enjoy the theatre performances without disjointed sound and visuals.

It can also be used for translations, which makes Icon of the Seas even more appealing to non-English speaking guests and can help improve safety, with announcements provided in different languages as they are made in English.

The cruise line has announced plans to introduce the technology across the entire fleet, though no timeline has been given.

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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