It’s time for another weekly round-up of cruise news from Cruise Hive, your go-to source for developments across the cruise industry. Our recap this week highlights stories from Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, and the city of Barcelona.
In This Article:
- Cruise News Update
- Cruise Line Nixes Two Adventure Areas on Sun Princess
- Barcelona Eyes Increase in Cruise Guest Tax
- Carnival Cruise Line Places Three-Ship Order
- Cruise Line Reveals Thrill Rides, Play Areas on Newest Ship
- Princess Cruises Bets on Alaska’s Growing Popularity
- Cruise Line Boosts Online Security Measures for Guests
- More Cruise Headlines
Cruise News Update
It’s been a busy week for cruise news, so let’s dive into the stories behind the headlines. Our coverage this week includes Princess Cruises announcing it will not open two areas on Sun Princess; Barcelona proposing to hike its cruise guest tax; Carnival Cruise Line ordering three more mega-ships; MSC Cruises detailing new outdoor spaces aboard new-build MSC World America; Princess Cruises adding capacity to its 2026 Alaska schedule; and Carnival Cruise Line beefing up its online security measures.
Cruise Line Nixes Two Adventure Areas on Sun Princess
Princess Cruises has put the kibosh on two adventure activities originally planned for Sun Princess — the RollGlider and the Coastal Climb ropes course.
Both features were installed on the 4,300-guest ship, which entered service in February 2024, but were never opened to guests.
The cruise line gave no reason for the permanent closures, nor did it indicate whether any new experiences would ultimately replace the two features. The RollGlider was described as a glider-style zip-line attached to an overhead track. It was to provide thrilling sea views for all ages.
Coastal Climb was to be a two-deck ropes course with challenging features such as bridges, nets, and planks. At its top, a destination called The Lookout was slated to be an observation deck offering 360-degree ocean views.
Both activities were part of the ship’s Park19 space, a destination that continues to offer plenty of other experiences, such as Infinite Horizon, a viewing platform area with cantilevered walls that extend over the sides of the ship.
Park19 also has the Splash Zone, for water-based fun, and the Recreational Court, offering games such as corn hole, shuffleboard, and ping pong. A jogging track also is found in Park19.
Barcelona Eyes Increase in Cruise Guest Tax
Cruise guests on ships calling at Barcelona already pay €7 per day to enter the city, but that amount is likely to rise as city officials respond to local concerns about the continued rise in tourism.
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni revealed the city’s plan to bump up the cruise tourist tax. He offered no specific amount but indicated the new fee will be significantly higher.
The destination on the Spanish Riviera is a major embarkation port for cruise ships as well as a popular port call for ships sailing the Western Mediterranean. The port broke records in 2023, when 803 cruise ships visited, delivering 3.5 million cruise arrivals.
The data reflects a nearly 14% spike from pre-pandemic arrival levels. The record is expected to be broken again in 2024.
Barcelona in 2023 enacted a ban on cruise ships docking in the city’s World Trade Center area and at the Muelle Barcelona Norte, forcing them to instead dock at the Moll d’Adossat pier, which is farther from the central tourist areas.
The mayor also is considering limiting the number of cruise ships and guests entering the city. Currently, the port of Barcelona can accommodate 10 ships daily, and officials have proposed lowering the number to 7.
In recent weeks residents of Barcelona made headlines when they attacked tourists by spraying them with water and throwing debris at them.
Carnival Cruise Line Places Three-Ship Order
Carnival Cruise Line ordered the construction of three “next generation” mega-ships that will form a new, as yet unnamed, class of ship, with the vessels slated for delivery in 2029, 2031, and 2033.
Italian shipyard Fincantieri will build the ships, each of which will have 3,000-plus staterooms with double occupancy capacity of about 6,000 guests and room for up to 8,000 guests with all berths occupied.
The ships will weigh in at 230,000 gross tons, putting them at roughly the same weight as Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class. While details about the new class are yet to come, Carnival Cruise Line revealed that the ships will be powered by liquified natural gas (LNG) and be outfitted with energy-saving and environmentally-responsible systems.
The new ships will be the largest ever built by Fincantieri and the largest to be constructed at any Italian shipyard.
The new ship order adds to capacity the cruise line already has in the pipeline. Two more Excel-class ships are due to enter service in 2027 and 2028, and two additional ships will join the fleet in 2025, when Carnival Cruise Line absorbs Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter from the P&O Cruises brand, which is being dissolved.
Carnival Cruise Line promised that the new class of mega-ships will introduce new features and offer many Fun Ship favorites, too.
Cruise Line Reveals Thrill Rides, Play Areas on Newest Ship
Water thrill rides, playgrounds for youngsters, zip-line style experiences, and a challenging ropes course all will be featured in The Harbour, a new outdoor space onboard MSC Cruises’ MSC World America.
The cruise line revealed the onboard destination’s details as construction of the 6,700-guest ship continues at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipbuilders in France. MSC World America is slated to debut in April 2025.
Among the adventures guests can experience in the Harbour Aquapark are the Cliffhanger, an over-water, motorized swing ride; a raft slide that uses virtual reality technology, a rock-climbing wall; and a dual racing slide.
The Harbour Light House Playground will be modeled on the cruise line’s Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas, with a real lighthouse that children can climb. The Harbour will be situated within the ship’s Family Aventura zone, an area that also will be home to the Doremiland kids area and the Sportsplex.
Doremiland will house the ship’s supervised programming for children and teens, while Sportsplex will feature various sports courses and other activities for kids and adults.
The 22-deck ship will be based at PortMiami, offering a series of Caribbean voyages.
Princess Cruises Bets on Alaska’s Growing Popularity
As Alaska’s popularity as a cruise destination continues to soar in the post-pandemic era, Princess Cruises is adding capacity to the region in 2026, with eight ships to be deployed including its newest vessel, the 4,300-guest Star Princess.
Star Princess is under construction at an Italian shipyard and will enter service in September 2025. Initially homeported in Fort Lauderdale, the ship will reposition to Seattle in March 2026 for her inaugural season in the Great Land.
Other ships that will deploy to Alaska in summer 2026 include Emerald Princess, Island Princess, Grand Princess, Royal Princess, Discovery Princess, Ruby Princess, and Coral Princess. The cruise line will open bookings for sale on August 1, 2024.
All told, the ships will sail 180 departures and visit 19 destinations on itineraries ranging from 7 to 20 days. Additionally, 20 cruisetours will be featured for the 2026 season.
Seven- to 20-day cruises along the Inside Passage will be offered from multiple homeports, including Seattle, aboard Royal Princess and Star Princess; San Francisco, aboard Ruby Princess; and Vancouver, British Columbia, and Los Angeles, aboard Emerald Princess.
The longer itineraries include a 20-day Ultimate Alaska Solstice journey on Ruby Princess roundtrip from San Francisco and a 16-day Inside Passage Cruise on Emerald Princess from the Port of Los Angeles.
Cruisetours combine a voyage with a land tour, featuring rail transportation into interior Alaska and accommodations at four wilderness lodges that Princess Cruises owns.
Cruise Line Boosts Online Security Measures for Guests
Carnival Cruise Line has shored up its online account security measures with an eye toward better safeguarding guest information.
Guests entering the line’s website to manage their reservation must now provide more detail before accessing their booking, such as their date of birth, their sail date, and their ship name. This data is in addition to the guest’s name and booking ID number, which were required previously.
The changes follow a recent identity theft case that was widely publicized on social media after a guest posted her booking ID and cabin number on the platform. An unknown person was able to log into her booking and cancel it, causing a major financial loss for the victim, who then shared the story online.
Rules for accessing bookings on cruise line websites vary by line, with some requiring two-factor authentication codes, text message responses, and answers to security questions, among other measures.
To maintain privacy and keep fraudsters away from booking data, cruisers should generally avoid sharing key information online, such as departure date, booking and cabin number, and any logins.
The cruiser who was victimized by sharing her data had booked Carnival Celebration‘s presidential suite at a cost of $12,000. At the time of her identity theft, it was too late to claim any refund from the cruise line.
More Cruise Headlines
Get even more insights into the week’s cruise news with additional coverage from Cruise Hive, including Oceania Cruises unwrapping its holiday sailings through 2026; the final ‘Golden Girls’ theme cruise being held aboard a Celebrity Cruises ship in 2025; Royal Caribbean posting an upbeat bookings and earnings report; the Port of Nassau welcoming the inaugural visit of Utopia of the Seas; and a UK cruise line offering behind-the-scenes ship tours.
