Let’s take a cruise through the news across the key players in this industry and take a look at ship launches, location changes and cancellations for 2022/2023. We’ve captured the cruise news highlights in one spot, just for you.
Norwegian Cruise Line – NCL
NCL recently celebrated the completion of its “Great Cruise Comeback” with Norwegian Spirit returning to service, offering itineraries in French Polynesia. This means NCL now offers sailings onboard its full fleet of seventeen ships to 300+ destinations across 7 continents from Hawai’i to Alaska, the Caribbean to the Mediterranean and, of course, NCL’s private island in the Bahamas, Great Strirrup Cay and its resort-style destination, Harvest Caye in southern Belize. It has also placed six ships on order from 2022 to 2027.
NCL has returned to the Canary Islands for the first time since 2017 meaning it can offer year-round European cruise itineraries.
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International hasn’t had any major itinerary changes or cancellations to report recently. This summer sees 8 ships sailing in Europe. This includes the two newest in the fleet: Odyssey of the Seas (launched 2021) and Wonder of the Seas (launched 2022). In addition, RCI will continue its rollout of new ships with Icon of the Seas expected in 2023 and following her launch, Utopia of the Seas in 2024.
RCI returns to Spectrum of the Seas
RCI announced its long-awaited comeback in Singapore with Spectrum of the Seas returning to popular destinations in Malaysia, for the first time in two years, beginning 30th June 2022. Itineraries include stops in Southeast Asia such as Penang and Kuala Lumpur.
Looking Like a Perfect Day for Callister
Jennifer Callister (Royal Caribbean International) shares with ITTN: “Bookings are going well and are even surpassing those at this time in 2019, which is heartening to see. We have eight ships sailing in Europe this summer so these sailings are doing particularly well with a later booking curve than we’ve known previously. We’re delighted to have both Wonder and Odyssey, the two newest and most impressive ships in our fleet, just a short flight away in Barcelona and Rome. We are also seeing excitement further ahead for our Caribbean sailings – especially those calling at our Private Island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, which quite rightly is a guest favourite.”
MSC Cruises
Sailing into a stronger 2022, Suzanne Rowe (Head of Sales, Ireland, MSC Cruises) shares with ITTN, “It has been a very challenging time for the tourism industry, particularly the cruising industry but we are back bigger and better than ever. All nineteen ships are back sailing and we look forward to the launch of MSC World Europa and MSC Euriba in 2022”
Full MSC Fleet Back Sailing with 15 Ships on the Mediterranean
MSC offers itineraries across South and North America, South Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and, of course, Europe. MSC Cruises will have a record-breaking 15 ships sailing the East and West Mediterranean.
MSC Cruises has added MSC Bellissima to its 2022 Mediterranean summer programme with itineraries starting in Valencia and Barcelona, visiting Genoa, Livorno and Naples. Sailings will continue into autumn and The MSC Bellisima is a Meraviglia class ship that launched in 2019.
Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas is close to Miami and Florida’s east coast. The private island getaway offers activities from sunrise to sunset with something for the whole family. The MSC Armonia, MSC Divina, MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seashore all have itineraries that feature excursions to Ocean Cay. Find out more, here.
NCL’s Oceania – Best Single-Day Bookings in its History
Oceania Cruises had the best single-day booking periods in the company’s history when it launched its 2024 Collection of Voyages last month. Oceania offered 350+ voyages ranging from 7 to 82-day sailings across a fifteen-month period stretching from October 2023 to December 2024.
All of the bookings over this period are “new bookings”, i.e. not from Future Cruise Credits issued during the pandemic. Oceania Cruises continues to see strong demand from new-to-brand guests with one-third of all bookings coming from first-time guests. In addition, one-third of the total transactions included reservations for at least two voyages, and extended travel continues to prove popular with Grand Voyages performing well. The single most in-demand voyage was the 35-day circumnavigation of Australia departing December 21, 2023, where more than 60% of capacity was filled in one day.
Across the board, all destinations saw strong bookings with Asia as the most popular and with the 2023-2024 South America sailings and 2024 Northern Europe itineraries on the 1,238-guest Marina performing exceptionally well. Africa, the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand also showed strong demand.
NCL’s Regent Seven Seas Cruises – A World of Possibilities
Regent Seven Seas Cruises has sold out its world cruise in record time with the sailing fully reserved head of officially opening for bookings on 15th June 2022. The sailing, which at 150 nights, is the longest in the cruise line’s history, has fares from $87k per person. Regent’s 2025 World Cruise has been reserved by loyal past guests as well as over a third of guests who will be new to Regent’s unrivalled experience.
Regent’s 2025 World Cruise – Away in Wonder – embarks on January 7, 2025, from Miami, Florida to San Francisco, California and discovers incredible destinations in South America, the South Pacific, Australia & New Zealand, Asia and Alaska. Guests will sail three oceans, visiting 97 ports of call in 25 countries on five continents and will cover 36,295 nautical miles over more than five months.
Princess Cruises
Rebecca Kelly of Princess Cruises shared “Bookings continue to be strong for 2022 and 2023 to destinations Princess visits worldwide, including the Mediterranean, Caribbean and the Americas. Princess Cruises has 13 ships sailing in North America, Europe and Australia with itineraries covering Alaska, the Caribbean, the California Coast, the Mediterranean and more.
Princess Cancels Baltic Program given impact of war in Ukraine
Princess today announced changes to summer 2023 itineraries. Emerald Princess will begin homeport cruising from out of the Port of San Pedro starting in May 2023 and Regal Princess will take over Emerald Princess’ previously published cruises. To accommodate these changes and in view of the impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine, Princess is cancelling Regal Princess’ 2023 Baltic Program out of Copenhagen. Princess is offering guests affected by this cancellation a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) offer of 100% value of a cruise fare paid, or a full refund – for more details on cancelled cruises and what to do if you are impacted, click here.
Alaska Itinerary Expands for 2023
Princess Cruises has updated its 2023 Alaska program to include a series of new 10-day and 11-day Inside Passage voyages, from roundtrip Vancouver, on Crown Princess. As a result, Royal Princess will replace Crown Princess on the popular 7-day Inside Passage with Glacier Bay voyages, roundtrip Seattle.
Royal Princess Itineraries Cancelled in Asia, Australia & New Zealand
Additionally, due to unavoidable deployment updates, Princess is cancelling Royal Princess cruises in Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific from September 5, 2023, through October 10, 2023.
Princess is offering guests affected by this cancellation a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) offer of 100% value of a cruise fare paid, or a full refund.
