Welcome to the weekly Cruise News Digest.
Let’s dive in!
This Monday, we explored Royal Caribbean International’s Icon-class–Icon of the Seas (2024), Star of the Seas (coming August 2025), Legend of the Seas (coming in 2026) and an unnamed vessel (coming in 2027).
Royal Caribbean is offering a new feature within its app called “Find My Kid.” The feature is intended for children between the ages of 3 and 12 and allows parents to track their child in real time. Currently, the “Find My Kid” feature is only available on Star of the Seas.
Carnival Cruise Line announced that Mardi Gras will begin sailing shorter itineraries in 2027-2028. She will sail 4- and 5-night sailings to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral. Princess Cruises also announced its biggest Alaska cruise and cruisetour season for 2027. The cruise line will deploy 8 ships to the region to offer multiple itineraries which can be paired with a cruisetour. Additionally, MSC Cruises announced it will bring MSC Seascape to the Texas market this November.
Margaritaville at Sea is offering “Sail the Haunted Seas” itineraries during September and October 2025. Both ships in the cruise line’s fleet will offer the themed cruises with Margaritaville at Sea Islander sailing 4- and 7-night Mexico and Western Caribbean cruises from Tampa, Florida, and Margaritaville at Sea Paradise sailing 2-, 3- and 4-day getaways to the Bahamas and Key West from West Palm Beach, Florida.
Princess Cruises’ Star Princess is getting closer to her debut. When she does, the ship will also feature a reimagined Spellbound by Magic Castle. The immersive experience is a collaboration between Princess Cruises and The Magic Castle which allows guests to experience “the world of illusion, sleight-of-hand, and unforgettable storytelling at sea.”
Holland America is also reimagining the Chef’s Table. The new experience is called Koningstafel which is Dutch for “King’s Table.” Guests who book the experience will enjoy a private pre-dinner cocktail reception, an exclusive galley tour, followed by a six-course meal which has been prepared from scratch using fresh, local ingredients.
There you have it–this week’s Cruise News Digest.
Over at the La Lido Loca YouTube Channel, Tony reported an Embarkation Day gone wrong, and a tragic end to a Cruise Excursion. All the latest episodes of The Cruise Show are also available wherever you get your podcasts so you can listen on the go. Subscribe to the channel with the notification bell on so you don’t miss out.
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