Welcome to the weekly Cruise News Digest.
Let’s dive in!
This Monday, we explored MSC Cruises’ Meraviglia-class–MSC Meraviglia (2017), MSC Bellissima (2019), MSC Grandiosa (2019), MSC Virtuosa (2021), and MSC Euribia (2023). Which have you been on?
Global Ports Holding, the world’s largest port operator, hosted a Coastal Cleanup Day bringing together more than 250 volunteers worldwide. The cleanup day was designed to protect marine life and oceans. The more than 20 hours of volunteer work gathered more than a ton of waste from the coastal areas.
Margaritaville at Sea announced the homeport for its newest flagship, Beachcomber, will be the cruise capital of the world–PortMiami. She will begin offering 4- to 8-night Eastern and Southern Caribbean itineraries when she debuts in 2027.
After selling out the initial offering in just 6 minutes, Celebrity River Cruises opened the remaining inventory of its inaugural season of river vacations to the public. Her inaugural sailings will be 33 unforgettable 7-night voyages aboard “the most innovative ships on the river.”
Four of Holland America Line’s Culinary Ambassadors will be joining segments of the cruise line’s 2026 Grand Voyages. While onboard, they will offer exclusive gourmet experiences inspired by their destination and host special events.
Virgin Voyages announced it will launch a new fare system in October 2026–VoyageFair Choices. The new pricing model will include three options for Sea Terrace and below cabins–Bare, Essential, and Premium. Sailors who book RockStar and Mega RockStar Quarters will only see one important change in their benefits–the opportunity to make dining reservations 120 days before sailing.
There you have it–this week’s Cruise News Digest.
Tony’s been chasing that Carnival Cruise Line Diamond status which means he’s been cruising aboard Carnival Freedom this week. If you didn’t watch his Celebration Key video, you missed an iconic juggle break in front of the sandcastle. Go watch it now! Of course there is other great content on the La Lido Loca YouTube Channel, including the Carnival Freedom Ship Tour, and a cruise show regarding the cruiser that went missing on purpose. Also, those of you that have been asking for the tour of MSC World America, it is now available. If you missed anything on the channel, you will want to subscribe to the channel with the notification bell on so you don’t miss out again. You can also catch The Cruise Show wherever you get your podcasts so you can listen on the go.
You will also want to head over to The Cruise Talk Network where Tommy and Tony talked about the cruise pet peeves during Cruise Talk Weekly.
Check out La Lido Loca’s FaceBook page for cruise updates, and to interact with not only Tony, but the lovely Jenny B, other cruisers, and become part of the La Lido Loca family.
You can also find La Lido Loca Cruising on Instagram, X, and TikTok.