Week of September 2, 2024
Did You Know? That every ship has a main artery that runs through its center, allowing crew members to easily access key areas. This long corridor, nicknamed 1-95 after the interstate highway, is hidden from view at the bottom of the ship below the public decks.
Are We There Yet?
Not only are they not there yet, passengers that bought tickets on a three-year cruise haven’t even left!
The sadly stationary ship, Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey, has been stuck in Belfast undergoing repair work which grounded to a halt all planned sailing.
For the potential passengers stuck in Belfast since May, it has seemed like three years have already gone by while waiting. Hoping to actually be on the water in the next week or two, we will all be wishing the best for Odyssey’s passengers to finally get there.
They Really ARE Great!
Two of the grandest Great Lakes cruise ships will be making a comeback in 2025. Victory Cruise Lines ships, Victory I and Victory II, will return after a years-long hiatus.
Victory I will operate a 197 day season while Victory II will be on the lakes 153 days.
The ships will travel between Chicago and Toronto, docking at the Port of Cleveland. They will also make stops at Niagara Falls, Detroit, Mackinac Island and Sault Ste. Marie.
It Pays To Be Flexible
If you have a flexible schedule, love to travel and usually keep your bags packed, Holland America Line has a deal for you!
The cruise line has introduced a Standby Program for $99 per person per day on one of their voyages.
The voyages range from 4 to 56 day cruises with various itineraries anywhere from Alaska to New England, maybe Western Caribbean or even the South Pacific.
Week of August 26, 2024
Did You Know? That in 2024, the three most popular cruise ports are the Port of Miami, Port Canaveral and the Port of Cozumel. Port Everglades, Barcelona and Galveston are the next ports in line after the top three.
A Cozy Cruise
American Cruise Lines (ACL) has launched their third new coastal ship. The American Liberty is a 100 passenger ship with four decks and a unique catamaran bow.
A main restaurant, casual café, walking track and fitness center are among some of the amenities on this cozy ship.
Christened in Newport, R.I., the American Liberty’s inaugural cruise is a New England Islands cruise, round trip from Providence, R.I. All of ACL’s coastal itineraries operate just like river cruises by sailing in sight of land.
Anxious To Break Into The Market
China’s first domestically produced cruise ship has completed 54 voyages and entertained over 220,000 passengers after seven months of operation.
A source of national pride, the Adora Magic City can accommodate 5,246 passengers, and is a joint venture between China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) and American cruise operator Carnival.
According to China Daily’s report, more than 95% of passengers expressed satisfaction with the ship’s food, accommodations, shopping and entertainment.
Princess to Visit The Caribbean
Princess Cruise Lines has plans to sail to all regions of the Caribbean for the first time ever in 2026.
Regal Princess and Caribbean Princess will depart from Fort Lauderdale/Port Everglades and Port Canaveral respectively.
Princess will offer over 90 voyages to every region of the Caribbean, available for booking now. Passengers can also combine seven day cruises to see both Eastern and Western Caribbean on a 14-day cruise.
Week of August 19, 2024
Did You Know? That cruising is a family affair? More than 30% of families traveling on a cruise are with at least two generations and 28% travel with three to five generations.
Trade Your POSH for FOSH
If you have the time and inclination, a Fly-Out-Sail-Home Cruise (FOSH) might be the ideal way to cruise. With a FOSH cruise, you can skip the luggage restrictions on the way home and the lines at the airport.
One of the better aspects of these one-offs in a cruise lines’ annual calendars is that they often call at smaller communities making it more like an adventure.
Most of the docking places in these smaller ports of call are right next to town centers, making them walkable for shops, museums and local scenery.
The glitch in this FOSH system is that you really need to search to find them. Using a cruise agency and a good cruise guide, you can discover the options that make for an interesting cruise.
A couple of cruise lines that offer a FOSH cruise are:
Silversea offers a nine-night, all-inclusive cruise departing on April 3, 2025 including door-to-door travel.
Viking offers a 14-night cruise departing on January 3, 2026.
Seabourn offers a 14-night all-inclusive cruise departing on June 19, 2025.
Home Sweet Home
Norwegian Cruise Lines, along with Royal Caribbean International, have chosen the port terminals of Panama as their Home Port for their operations in the Caribbean for the 2025-2026 cruise season.
The reasons cited for this decision by the cruise lines is the hotel infrastructure and tourist attractions in the province of Colon and Panama.
Panama City these days is a modern metropolis with skyscrapers and shopping malls. Traveling through the canals and the UNESCO site of Casco Viejo are popular with cruisers, as well as the beaches.
Don’t Get Your Feathers In A Ruffle
With all that is going on in the world at the moment, it is hard to understand some of the things that ruffle cruisers feathers.
First and foremost, you are on a cruise! You are in an environment where you will be waited on, you will be entertained and you have all the time in the world to relax.
But apparently, small yellow rubber ducks are enough to raise some people’s blood pressure. Carnival Cruise Lines in particular have guests who love to hide these cute creatures for others to find all around the ship.
Passengers can choose to seek out the ducks and find a new hiding spot for them, or to ignore them completely, like you would an obnoxious deck mate.
Playing this game has always been optional, but there are those passengers that consider the little yellow rays of sunshine an insurmountable nuisance that must be banned.
To our way of thinking, embrace the ducks and avoid the ruffled passengers!
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About Jonathon Hyjek
Jonathon 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!)
