It’s almost 2026, so let’s spend some time looking back at some of the year’s biggest or most exciting stories.
In January…
Eric Stonestreet, two-time Emmy Award-Winning Actor, was announced as the godfather of Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, Norwegian Aqua, and as the cruise line’s new brand ambassador and star of its new advertising campaign-Experience More.
Nassau Cruise Port once again surpassed its annual cruise guests record by more than one million passengers.
MSC Cruises kicked off its new nationwide marketing campaign during television’s biggest night–Super Bowl Sunday–featuring two celebrities aboard the cruise line’s upcoming flagship MSC World America.
Cunard’s Queen Anne debuted in North America when she arrived in New York from Southampton, England. Her call on Friday, January 17, 2025, was the first stop of her 107-day World Voyage.
Celebrity Cruises signed an order for 10 transformative ships that will make up Celebrity River Cruises. The river cruise line will offer “premium river cruise vacations” when they debut in Europe in 2027.
In February…
Port NOLA reported record-breaking numbers for 2024. The port attributed its growth to homeport commitments from Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line, in addition to river cruises on America Cruise Line and Viking River Cruises.
The Cruise Capital of the World, PortMiami, welcomed a record number of ships on February 8, 2025, when 10 cruise ships representing seven different cruise lines brought nearly 68,000 passengers to the port.
Royal Caribbean revealed the name of its third Icon Class ship–Legend of the Seas. She is expected to debut Summer 2026 offering 7-night Western Mediterranean vacation from Barcelona.
In March…
MSC Cruises announced that Drew Barrymore would be the godmother of its new flagship, MSC World America. She and Orlando Bloom, who were the two celebrities featured in the cruise line’s Super Bowl ad, cut the ribbon and broke the bottle of champagne onto the bow of the ship during its naming ceremony.
Norwegian Cruise Line took delivery of its 20th ship, Norwegian Aqua. She sailed a transatlantic journey from Southampton on March 28, 2025, where she was christened by her godfather, Eric Stonestreet on April 13, 2025.
Nassau Cruise Port broke another one day record when 30,538 passengers disembarked from six different cruise ships on March 11, 2025.
As March came to a close, MSC Cruises celebrated three milestones. Chantiers de I’Atlantique delivered MSC World America to the cruise line, while also celebrating milestones for her sister ships during the coin ceremony for MSC World Asia and the steel cutting for the newly named MSC World Atlantic.
In April…
We did some island hopping and shared a review of the Stingray Sandbar, Hell & Turtle Center Experience Excursion we took while on the Carnival Paradise.
Port Canaveral reported a record-breaking month with 925,994 cruise passengers, making it the busiest month in the port’s history. At the time, the port was on track to welcome 8.4 million cruise passengers.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Aqua began sailing from her homeport of Port Canaveral, Florida, on April 26, 2025. Be sure to check out all of Tony’s videos on Norwegian Aqua from construction to the first sailing.
I Saw A Cruise Ship Being Built
I Didn’t Expect NCL To Tell Me This
Cruise Ship During Construction Versus Now
That’s the first four months! Come back tomorrow for the next four!