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!
This week brought us news from Norwegian Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Explora Journeys, Virgin Voyages and Carnival Cruise Line.
Norwegian Cruise Line now has two ships homeporting from the Port of Baltimore in Maryland. Norwegian Sky has joined Norwegian Sun and they will be offering fall foliage sailings from Baltimore to New England and Canada and winter cruises to Bermuda and the Caribbean.
In a rare occurrence, Royal Caribbean had to cancel Radiance of the Seas’ Alaska-Canada cruise on embarkation day. Citing propulsion issues, the sailing was canceled and cruisers had to make other arrangements to return home. Royal Caribbean did help cruisers and offered generous compensation for their trouble. The propulsion issues also canceled the ship’s September 8, 2023 sailing, but Royal Caribbean has stated they are confident the ship will be ready for her September 15, 2023 sailing.
Midweek brought us news from Disney Cruise Line and its newest ship, Disney Treasure. When she debuts in late 2024, Disney Treasure will incorporate stories from Walt Disney Animation Stories, Pixar and Disney Parks. Guests will find themed spaces and entertainment inspired by Disney favorites like Zootopia, Coco, The Lion King, Moana, Mulan, The Incredibles and Aladdin. She will have new spaces along with the classics and something for everyone both young and old.
Explora Journeys was back in the news this week as the cruise line reached two milestones in the same day. Just a month after Explora I embarked on her maiden voyage, Explora II was floated out and the steel cutting ceremony took place for Explora III. Explora Journeys, the luxury cruise line for MSC Group, is set to have Explora II debut in 2024, Explora III in 2026 and Explora IV in 2027.
Virgin Voyages announced the debut of Brilliant Lady would be delayed by an undetermined amount of time citing supply chain, construction and staffing issues. The canceled sailings of Brilliant Lady have also created canceled sailings onboard Valiant Lady and Resilient Lady. Additionally, some of Brilliant Lady’s 2024 winter Caribbean sailings are being shifted to Valiant Lady. Sailors who are booked on Brilliant Lady will be generously compensated and offered exclusive rebooking incentives along with onboard credit once her debut is announced.
The week ended with Carnival Cruise Line announcing that Carnival Legend will replace her sister ship, Carnival Miracle, when she arrives in San Francisco on May 8, 2025. She will begin sailing alternating routes to Mexico and Alaska with the first 4-day sailing exploring Baja and Ensenada, Mexico. Her sailing season will begin and end with Carnival Journeys–the first is a 14-day Panama Canal sailing on April 24, 2025 and the last is a 15-day Hawaiian cruise.
There you have it. This week’s Cruise News Digest. Were you able to catch the latest La Lido Loca live show? If not, you can catch the replay here. You can get all your cruise news and views at La Lido Loca, find extra content and the podcast at La Lido Loca Two, follow along with Tony’s weight loss journey at Have To Lose or join in on the conversation via social media on the La Lido Cruising Community and the Have to Lose Support Crew group pages.