Royal Caribbean’s flagship Icon of the Seas made an unexpected return to the Port of Ponce Wednesday afternoon. According to a statement from the Municipality of Ponce, an 80-year-old female passenger from Trinidad & Tobago experienced a medical emergency aboard the world’s largest cruise ship.
Princess Cruises scored a major win for wine lovers at sea. The cruise line has received 16 Awards of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine as part of its 2025 Restaurant Awards, more than any other cruise line in the world.
The awards recognize every ship in the Princess fleet, including 15 main dining rooms and the new Sanctuary Collection restaurant on the Sun Princess. It’s a clear sign that Princess takes its wine seriously and that guests can expect top-quality pairings with their meals, no matter which ship they sail on.
Viking has officially welcomed Viking Vesta into its growing fleet. The handover took place at the Ancona shipyard in Italy, with Viking’s Chairman and CEO, Torstein Hagen, and Fincantieri’s General Manager Luigi Matarazzo attending the ceremony.
Designed with Viking’s signature Scandinavian style and guest-first philosophy, Viking Vesta offers 499 staterooms and accommodates up to 998 passengers. Weighing in at around 54,300 gross tons, it’s the 14th ship Fincantieri has delivered to Viking, including two expedition vessels built by its Norwegian arm, Vard.
For the second time in just a week, a major cruise ship has skipped its scheduled call at the port of Cádiz, as labor protests continue to ripple through the region’s tourism and maritime sectors. The P&O Cruises Ventura with more than 3,000 passengers on board, was expected to arrive at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and remain docked until 6 p.m. before continuing on to Lisbon as part of a 14-day itinerary.
Carnival Cruise Line is demanding €4.5 million in compensation from Spain’s Navantia shipyard after a labor strike forced the premature removal of Carnival Liberty from dry dock, derailing a scheduled refurbishment and disrupting upcoming sailings.
Carnival Cruise Line is just weeks away from opening the doors (and the slides) to Celebration Key, its insane new private island party spot in the Bahamas, and it’s already lighting up Google searches like a bonfire on the beach. Mark your calendars: July 19, 2025, is the day it all kicks off – and Carnival Prez Christine Duffy will be there to cut the ribbon on what they’re calling “the ultimate day in paradise.”
Cunard has announced that Olympic silver medallist and world champion heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson will headline its first-ever Wellness at Sea voyage, set to depart on July 5, 2026, aboard the line’s newest ship, Queen Anne.
The seven-night sailing to the Norwegian fjords will depart roundtrip from Southampton, with fares starting from £1,199 per person based on double occupancy in a Britannia balcony stateroom.
Saudi Arabia’s first homegrown cruise line, Aroya Cruises, made its inaugural call to Galataport Istanbul this week ahead of its Eastern Mediterranean season. The arrival marks the start of the cruise brand’s first foray into European waters after a successful debut in the Red Sea.
Aroya Cruises has chosen Galataport Istanbul as its official homeport for the summer season, with weekly sailings scheduled every Saturday through mid-September.
Recent drone footage captured in the port of Volos has sparked debate after the departure of the cruise ship Norwegian Viva. The images, taken by Tasos Triantafyllou of Tasos T. Aerial Drone Photography and published by gegonota.news, show a stark trail of murky, brownish water left behind the massive vessel as it sailed through the clear blue sea.
TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 7 is celebrating its first anniversary after entering service on June 22, 2024.
Built by Meyer Turku in Finland, the 111,500-ton cruise ship was the seventh and final vessel in the original Mein Schiff series delivered by the shipyard to TUI Cruises between 2014 and 2024.
