Week of July 29, 2024
Did You Know? That if you notice on the cruise line’s daily planner, or written on a billboard, a meeting or gathering for “friends of Bill W”, it is actually a meeting for Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
And The Gold Medal For Comfort Goes To…The Surfers!!
With the opening of the Olympic games in Paris, most of us have heard of the notorious cardboard beds that athletes are expected to get their much needed rest upon.
One lucky group of competitors found themselves on regular mattresses. Instead of residing in Paris’ Olympic Village, the surfers in Tahiti are spending the next two weeks aboard a cruise ship.
The competition is held in Teahupo’o, and due to its small size, the Paris Olympic Committee decided that a cruise ship docked in the bay would be the most viable option to house surfers.
The Aranui 5, part of the Aranui cruise ship line, has been converted into a first-of-its-kind floating athletes village. Each Olympian will have their own private room, a balcony and a view of the ocean.
Is There A Limit??
Royal Caribbean has the two largest cruise ships in the world as part of their fleet, the Icon of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas. The ships can carry 7,600 and 6,988 passengers respectively.
Not to be outdone, Carnival is getting into the ‘floating city’ game by announcing the addition of three new ships. Each ship will be able to carry almost 8,000 passengers.
While the cruise line is a bit short on information, they have signed an agreement with Italian shipbuilder Finacantieri to do the design and construction of the ships.
Don’t get too excited, or start packing yet, as the three ships are scheduled for delivery in 2029, 2031 and 2033.
Troubled Waters
Luxury brand, Seaborn, has modified Seaborn Encore’s original itinerary because of the ongoing tensions in the Red Sea. Encore will not sail to Southeast Asia, Japan, Hawaii, the Panama Canal and the Mediterranean during the March to May 2025 season.
Originally scheduled to sail westbound from Asia to Europe, Seaborn changed planned itineraries to “prioritize the safety of guests” by avoiding the Red Sea.
While it is distressing to know that a cruise line needs to avoid an area due to unrest, the Encore will visit two ports of call that have never been visited by the Seaborn fleet, Tolushima and Wakayama.
Week of July 22, 2024
Did You Know? That the time on a cruise ship may be different from the time in a port. Sometimes, ships will adjust their official onboard clock, but not always. If you leave the ship in port, make sure you know the onboard ship time so that you don’t miss the time you need to be back on ship.
Where Can I Get The Best Cheesesteak??
Philadelphia, home of the Cheesesteak sandwich, will homeport its first cruise ship in almost 15 years. PhilaPort, the state agency that operates the Port of Philadelphia, has been working to expand facilities to position cruise ships closer to large population centers in the state.
The SouthPort Marine Terminal Complex is currently being developed to provide the capacity needed for large cruise ships. They will welcome a major cruise line when Norwegian Jewel visits in 2026.
Between April and October of that year, Jewel will have 24 calls that offer cruises to Bermuda, Charleston, Philadelphia, and Canada.
Hopefully, cruisers will take the time to sample a famous Philly cheesesteak before embarkation. Pat’s King of Steaks, the official sandwich inventor, can sell upwards of 6,000 cheesesteak sandwiches on any given weekend!
And That Would Be A “No.”
Carnival Cruise Lines has had some feedback from cruisers that use mobility scooters while onboard. They are saying that they find it difficult to get on elevators, as passengers who don’t need scooters tend to pass them by and get on first.
These cruisers were asking Carnival if they could have their own designated elevator. While sympathetic, Carnival responded by declining to provide such an option.
Conversely, Carnival has also gotten feedback from non-scooter-using cruisers saying that the number of scooters on a cruise seems to be getting a lot higher and navigating around scooters and their riders can be tricky.
These astute cruisers felt that proof of disability for a mobility scooter should be required so that fakers could be weeded out. Again, Carnival responded with another firm “No.”
Short And Sweet
Royal Caribbean, the owner of the two largest cruise ships in the world, is looking into whether cruisers would be responsive to shorter cruises. The demand for cruising has soared in recent years, but not everyone has the time to take six to eight days off work or juggle school schedules.
Over half of Royal’s guests are millennials or younger and those cruisers look for lots of activities and experiences. Royal’s Icon of the Seas and the newly launched Utopia of the Seas have all the bells and whistles that those passengers could want.
If short and sweet would work for you…and it certainly does have its advantages, watch for Royal to pivot towards adding more three-day cruises to their itineraries.
Week July 15, 2024
Hurricane Beryl Update
The Port of Galveston is getting back to normal, slowly but surely, following the arrival of Hurricane Beryl. The Category 1 hurricane made landfall on July 8 after having left a swath of devastation across the Caribbean.
Fortified with backup generator power, the port, also known as Galveston Wharves, is the fourth-busiest cruise port in the United States and is back in business for cruise liners.
Get Ready To Get Soaked
Bahama’s largest port, Nassau, is embarking on a $35-million water park that will seek to cater to families. Designed to complement the port’s $330-million upgrade that was completed in May 2023, the water park is due to open in December 2025.
Nassau is visited by most of the major cruise lines, like Norwegian, Silversea, Carnival, MSC, Virgin and Celebrity.
Another cruise line, Royal Caribbean, is currently constructing the Royal Beach Club on nearby Paradise Island scheduled to also open in 2025. It will be a 17-acre resort with a small water park and multiple swimming pools.
The first half of this year has been a busy one for Nassau, and the port has seen a 24% increase in cruise ship passengers over the same time period in 2023.
A Rose By Any Other Name…
The head honchos at Carnival Cruise lines are adamant about something. This is something that is so important to them, it even was rolled out in an official announcement.
The executives at Carnival no longer want the main dining room on their cruise ships referred to as a dining room.
Yep, you heard it right. The main dining room is not a dining room, and the powers that be don’t want it called that. According to them, it is a restaurant. And they want it to be called a restaurant.
We’re not sure if the food will taste any different in the room that is called a restaurant rather than a dining room, but it will make the Carnival executives feel better. Loyal Carnival travelers, however, have always felt that the “dining room” moniker gave the space a homey, welcoming feel.
The House Of Mouse Meets The Land Of The Rising Sun
On Tuesday, Disney announced that they will be offering cruise vacations in Japan. Currently, Disney has ships that sail to the Caribbean, Hawaii and Europe.
Although itineraries have not been announced, the first ship, and the ninth vessel in Disney’s fleet, won’t sail until 2029.
The ship will also be based out of Tokyo and will hold about 4,000 passengers. The new vessel is part of a deal with Japan’s Oriental Land Company which operates the Tokyo Disney Resort.
This page contains affiliate links for which we may receive financial compensation when a purchase has been made through one of our affiliate partners. About Jonathon HyjekJonathon is the tech guy behind CruiseportAdvisor.com. When he’s not stuck in front of his computer, Jonathon enjoys travel & cruising (even after being on a cruise ship that caught fire – a story for another day!)