Welcome to the weekly Cruise News Digest. Here you can catch up on the past week’s cruise news and all things La Lido Loca.
Let’s dive in!
Lots of news from MSC Cruises this week beginning with MSC’s luxury cruise brand, Explora Journeys, had to cancel its inaugural cruise of Explora I that was to take place tomorrow, July 17, 2024, due to a “critical issue.” The critical issue was found to be faulty fire panels that had been recalled and will need replaced before the rescheduled inaugural cruise on August 1, 2024.
Next up was the news that MSC Cruises is returning to China in 2024. MSC Bellissima will be offering nine sailings out of Baoshan Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in Shanghai during the 2024 spring season.
MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, received a special recognition as a “Hope Spot” by Mission Blue. Ocean Cay joins 154 Hope Spots that are currently recognized as “critical to ocean health.”
Exciting news from the partnership between Starbucks and Norwegian Cruise Line—the cruise line will debut collector “Been There” Starbucks mugs on nine of its ships. The mugs will debut with Norwegian Viva, but will also roll out at the Starbucks Cafes aboard Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Sky, and Norwegian Prima.
Holland America enjoyed its biggest booking day in its 150-year history on July 11, 2023. Bookings not only broke the cruise line’s single-day booking record but also marked the highest ever revenue booking day.
We end with some news from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Port Everglades will be the homeport for five new ships for the 2024 summer season–Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, the new Celebrity Beyond and Enchanted Princess, along with Celebrity Reflection and Disney Magic.
There you have it. This week’s Cruise News Digest. Are you keeping up with Tony and the Cruise News on YouTube? If not, you can catch up here. You will also find the replay of the first live show since Tony and the lovely Jenny B returned from Alaska. If you would like to follow along with Tony’s weight loss journey, you can do that here. Be sure to hit the subscribe button with notifications on so you never miss out on all things La Lido Loca.
You can also join in on the conversation via social media on the La Lido Cruising Community and the Have to Lose Support Crew group pages.