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!
The week began with tragic news out of Port Miami where a boat and a ferry collided claiming one life and leaving another in serious condition. The port was closed for several hours and no ships could enter or depart which delayed the sailing of MSC Seascape, Norwegian Escape and Carnival Celebration.
Royal Caribbean International has replaced its jazz clubs aboard its three oldest Oasis-class ships with smoke free casinos. Harmony of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, and Allure of the Seas were remodeled by Trimline’s “ride on squad” experts in about two weeks with minimal disruption to the guests and crew in what appears to be an effort to keep everyone happy. The smoke free casino is a much smaller space that houses about 40 slot machines and only two live dealer tables.
In a big announcement from Celebrity Cruises, two of its cruise ships will begin visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay. Celebrity Reflection and Celebrity Beyond will both begin sailing out of Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2024 and offer sailings that include Royal Caribbean’s private island. In order to make this change, the cruise line canceled all European sailings aboard Celebrity Beyond between April 22, 2024 and November 1, 2024. Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International are sister cruise lines of Royal Caribbean Group.
Next up is Holland America Line with two new offerings. This summer, cruisers aboard Oosterdam or Nieuw Statendam in the Mediterranean can book a “National Geographic Day Tour” which is led by a National Geographic tour guide. There are four different tours to choose from in Italy, Turkey, or Greece.
The second offering, which can be booked between now and July 31, 2023, is the new “Unforgettable Journeys Event” which is available on cruises between October 2023 and April 2024. The “Unforgettable Journeys Event” adds crew appreciation (gratuities) and 50% reduced deposits to its “Have it All” premium package, and when combined can add up to a significant savings for travelers.
It looks like Miray Cruises’ three-year world cruise will take place onboard a different ship. Miray Cruises has acquired a larger ship, MV Lara, in order to accommodate “an overwhelming demand” for the cruise. As of June 29, 2023, bookings were still open.
The week ended with canceled sailings of Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas. Royal Caribbean notified booked guests that select sailings in December 2024 and January 2025 had been canceled for “routine maintenance and exciting improvements.” There was no word what those exciting improvements might bring.
There you have it. This week’s Cruise News Digest. Did you follow along with Tony and the lovely Jenny B on their latest adventure? If not, you can catch up on their Alaskan cruise aboard the Carnival Spirit along with more daily Cruise News here. If you would like to follow along with Tony’s weight loss journey restart, 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.