MSC Cruises announced a major enhancement of its family programs with new activities and public spaces onboard MSC World America, currently under construction in France and slated to enter service in April 2025.
The ship’s new programming was created with the LEGO Group, the famous toy manufacturer that forged a partnership with MSC Cruises a decade ago and whose themed play spaces are found across the fleet.
Aboard MSC World America, youngsters will enjoy the fleet’s largest Doremiland kids’ area, consisting of more than 10,000 square feet of dedicated spaces in seven venues.
MSC World America SportsPlex
Age-appropriate activities will be offered to children and teens up to age 17, and all of the Kids’ Club spaces will be open from 9 a.m. to midnight daily. The centerpiece of Doremiland will be Family Aventura, a LEGO Family Zone area where kids and their parents can build all manner of LEGO structures.
The focal point of Family Aventura will be The Harbour, a new outdoor park with activities such as a high ropes course, an over-water swing ride, and a playground inspired by the lighthouse at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, MSC Cruises’ private destination in The Bahamas.
“We set ourselves the goal to create the most exceptional kids and family offering at sea with MSC World America. Our aim is to give our smallest guests the freedom to express their creativity, play, socialize and explore with amazing spaces and programs that have to be seen to be believed,” said Steve Leatham, head of entertainment at MSC Cruises.
The 215,863-gross ton ship accommodates up to 6,700 guests and is under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. The ship recently reached a major milestone when she was floated out of her construction bay on April 7, 2024. Work has moved to the interior of the ship, the final building stage.
Along with the Family Aventura space, MSC World America’s LEGO partnership has developed several new fun-filled events for youngsters and their parents.
Among them are a LEGO Parade, which will be held once per sailing, marching from the Family Aventura space to the World Promenade; the LEGO Game Show, where families can participate in Master Builder competitions; the Boxes Family Game Show, in which “mystery boxes” contain challenges that families can solve to win prizes; and the Doremix Family Disco, a dance competition for kids and adults.
MSC World America Young Club
Youngsters also can participate in the line’s MasterChef at Sea Juniors program, which features cooking competitions. For teenagers, MSC World America will offer virtual reality and other high-tech experiences.
MSC Cruises revealed in April 2024 that the 22-deck ship will feature seven districts, each themed with activities for families and children, plus adult-only spaces, and dining and shopping areas.
The ship also will offer guests the line’s exclusive luxury area, MSC Yacht Club, an all-suite area with a dedicated lounge and restaurant, a private pool and sun deck facilities, and 24-hour concierge and butler service.
Ship Will Homeport in Miami Following 2025 Launch
MSC World America is the line’s second World-class ship following the launch of MSC World Europa in 2021. Both ships are environmentally advanced, powered by LNG (liquified natural gas), and with shoreside power connectivity.
MSC World America Cruise Ship
A third in the class, MSC World Asia, is also under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard and is due to enter service in 2026.
MSC World America is scheduled to be christened on April 9, 2025, during a ceremony at PortMiami. The ship will homeport there and operate 7- and 14-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.
A 7-night Eastern Caribbean voyage will call at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.
Celebrity Cruises celebrated a significant milestone today as the fifth ship in its Edge series, Celebrity Xcel, marked its keel-laying in a special ceremony on June 13, 2024. The ceremony took place at Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France.
Coins are placed in a ship’s keel to bring good luck and protection to the vessel and its crew. Known a “keel-laying,” officials gathering for the occasion included Chanteriers de l’Atlantique’s General Manager Laurent Castaing and Celebrity Cruises’ President Laura Hodges Bethge.
Celebrity Xcel Keel Laying (Photo Courtesy: Celebrity Cruise)
As part of maritime tradition, coins were placed in one of the 44 blocks that will comprise the new 141,000-gross-ton Edge Class ship. The coins are engraved with the symbols of the Paris Olympic Games, taking place in France July 5 through 27, 2024, and NASA’s Saturn V rocket to “pay tribute to the values of team spirit, commitment and respect” as well as to the “innovative characteristics of the ship.”
Owned by Royal Caribbean Group, President and CEO Jason Liberty was also on hand for the event. He said, “Today we not only mark the start of construction, but we are laying the foundation on which countless memories will be created.”
Liberty also attended the handoff ceremony of Royal Caribbean International’s newest ship, Utopia of the Seas, alongside Castaing, who exalted the close collaboration, saying, “We know and trust one another, and work in harmony to offer a unique and sustainable experience for passengers.”
Celebrity Xcel, which began construction with its steel cutting on November 7, 2023, at the same shipyard as its Edge-class sisters Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Beyond, and Celebrity Ascent, completed in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023, respectively, will be the first in Royal Caribbean Group’s fleet to feature a tri-fuel capable engine.
Celebrity Xcel Keel Laying (Photo Courtesy: Celebrity Cruises)
“Each new ship also represents an opportunity to advance our journey to net zero and with Xcel we are building our first methanol-capable ship, which helps advance our transition to the energy platform or the future,” said Liberty.
Celebrity Xcel to Offer Innovative Luxury
Construction on Celebrity Xcel is set to be completed by November 2025, when the ship will begin offering 7-night itineraries in the Caribbean. Like Celebrity Ascent, the ship will sail from Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades.
A standout feature of Celebrity Xcel will be The Retreat, an exclusive area for suite guests offering a resort-within-a-resort experience, highlighted by a two-story sundeck.
The ship’s accommodations will be designed for modern tastes with guests able to choose from two-story villas with private plunge pools to stateroom with infinite verandas.
Celebrity Xcel Cruise Ship
The expended Rooftop Garden and Resort Deck will be additional notable features to enhance the outdoor experience for guests. The garden will provide a serene outdoor space while the deck will include unique cantilevered float pools. A redesigned Grand Plaza, spanning three decks, will provide an airy and open indoor space central to the ship’s design.
At the ship’s aft, the multi-level Sunset Bar will offer panoramic views across a multi-terraced design. For dining, Celebrity Xcel will feature a new restaurant by renowned Chef Daniel Boulud to provide a fine-dining option at sea. Dining will also include the innovative Magic Carpet cantilevered platform, providing uninterrupted ocean views for passengers while they float above the sea.
Celebrity Xcel will also offer a variety of entertainment and activities as passengers enjoy alternating routes between the Bahamas, Mexico, and the Cayman Islands, as well as Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and St. Maarten.
Unless you’re an avid cruiser with plenty of cruises under your belt, you might not realize just how many things can go wrong when booking your cruise cabin.
If you’ve never really given the booking process much thought, and just merely picked out a balcony cabin because you wanted a balcony, or an interior cabin because you wanted to save cash, and you’ve always been satisfied with the results, chances are you just got lucky.
While the right cruise ship cabin can simply come with all the room and amenities you need, the wrong cruise ship cabin can nearly ruin what would have otherwise been a perfect trip.
So, to avoid booking the wrong cabin for your cruise, what do you need to do? Here’s what not to do when choosing your cruise cabins at booking.
Cruise ship cabins can vastly differ in size, and it’s important that you don’t overestimate just how large or small a cruise ship cabin is. For example, take Norwegian Cruise Line’s 100-square-foot single cabins.
While 100 square feet may sound spacious at first read, it’s not really a lot of room. Many cruise ships start their cabins at around this size and then go up from there, with the biggest suites on a ship sometimes going over a thousand square feet — the size of a single-family home! However, just because this smallest option is offered, and often at an economical price, don’t assume it’ll be right for you.
Small Interior Cruise Cabin (Photo Copyright: Cruise Hive)
Think about it. If a cabin is a hundred square feet, you can assume it’ll be about 10 feet long and 10 feet wide, and within that space, you have to fit a bathroom, bed, storage space and sometimes even a couch and small table. That’s a lot to fit into 100 square feet and not a lot of clear floor space.
If you have any questions about whether or not a cabin will be big enough for you and your fellow travelers’ needs, plot it out. Break out the tape measure and see what 100 square feet looks like in your own home. You’ll be able to quickly get a sense of how big or small these cabins really are.
Book a Room Just for the View
Yes, having an amazing cabin with a stellar view of the water can really turn a great trip into an absolutely spectacular trip — especially when you look at the luxurious inside-outside living spaces you can get with newer cabin options like the Edge series staterooms from Celebrity Cruises.
However, if you’re working with a somewhat tight travel budget, you might not want to drop the majority of your travel cash on that balcony or verandah stateroom.
Photo Credit: Maridav / Shutterstock
Yes, it can make for a luxurious experience, but how much time do you plan on spending in your stateroom? There’s so much to do on a modern cruise ship, especially on the modern cruise ships that feature some of these high-end balconies and similar, that you might not be in your cabin very often at all, except to sleep.
Plus, if it’s views you’re after, there are plenty of other places you can find them on the ship. Kicking back and watching the ocean with a cocktail in hand can be easily enjoyed elsewhere (again, if we’re talking Celebrity cruise ships, the Sky Observation Lounge is a good option), without dropping a huge amount of money on a specialty stateroom.
Save your travel budget for other cruise experiences, like specialty dining or shore excursions.
Think that “Ocean View” Guarantees a View of the Ocean
And while we’re on the topic of views, don’t just assume that what’s technically labeled as an “ocean view” cabin truly offers an ocean view. You might be disappointed to find that, once you actually arrive at your cabin, that ocean view, whether via window or a balcony, is obstructed by either part of the ship itself, or the ship’s lifeboats.
The good news? It is possible to avoid these misleading ocean views by simply checking the ship’s deck plans before you book. The deck plans will indicate whether or not a cabin comes with an obstructed view, or, as they’re sometimes called, partial view. Then, all you have to do is avoid booking those particular cabins.
For example, if you look at Celebrity Cruises’ deck plans for any particular ship, you’ll see that each deck is broken down into individual cabins and venues, and the cabins are color-coded, with certain colors letting you know that that cabin has a partial view.
It’s not just partial or obstructed views you should watch out for, though. Also, keep in mind that some ocean view staterooms have less than ideal ocean views.
Sure, some offer wall-to-wall windows (like the panoramic view suites on some of Royal Caribbean’s ships), but sometimes you just get a little tiny porthole or a rectangular window that’s so awkwardly positioned (like directly behind the bed) that you’ll hardly get to enjoy the ocean view at all.
So — if an ocean view is really important to you, know exactly what to expect before you book that cabin, or just go ahead and get a cabin with an (unobstructed) balcony.
Ignore the Singles Cabins
Yes, as we mentioned above when detailing Norwegian’s 100-square-foot solo cabins, these solo or singles cabins can be small. However, if you’re traveling alone, they could be an excellent option for you, so don’t ignore them just because of the size.
Norwegian Cruise Line Solo Cabin
The thing is, if you book a regular cabin as a solo traveler, you’ll often be charged with a single supplement — an extra fee that the cruise line uses to make up for the fact that there won’t be multiple people staying in the cabin, spending extra money.
That’s not the case with singles cabins, though. You get to avoid that extra fee, and, in some cases, like on Norwegian, you even get extra perks, like access to a singles-only lounge where you can mix and mingle with other solo travelers.
Pick a Cabin Near the Top or End of the Ship If You Get Seasick
Don’t worry — if you struggle with motion sickness, you don’t have to leave cruising off your bucket list for good. There are plenty of tried-and-true ways to cruise even if you get seasick.
Beyond, though, just packing your Dramamine, you’ll want to prep to avoid seasickness earlier in the process, by booking the right cabin. Don’t make the mistake of picking a cabin near the top or either end of the ship, if you get seasick.
View from High Up Cruise Cabin (Photo Credit: ODIN Daniel)
Just like sitting in certain areas of an airplane can make any turbulence feel more extreme, so can being at or in certain spots of a ship make it feel as if the ship’s rocking and the waves are more pronounced. The best place to be, to feel the least movement possible, is toward the bottom of the ship and toward the middle of the ship.
Additionally, consider booking a cabin with a window or balcony. Being able to see the horizon can likewise lessen any feelings of seasickness.
Pick a Cabin Near the Ship’s Venues, if You Want Peace and Quiet
Cruise ships aren’t necessarily neatly split into decks with cabins and decks without cabins. Some decks are broken up into both cabins and public venues. For example, if you look at the deck plan for Celebrity Beyond, you’ll see that Deck 3 has quite a few staterooms — but also the two main dining rooms, Grand Plaza, theater and kids’ clubs.
Elevators on Celebrity Beyond (Photo Credit: Melissa Mayntz)
If you want peace and quiet, don’t book a cabin near venues that are going to be loud at certain times of the day. For example, don’t book a cabin near the children’s clubs if you don’t want to hear the pitter-patter of running kids first thing in the morning. Likewise, if you don’t want to hear signs of nightlife, don’t book a cabin near the casino or similar late-night venues.
Before booking, just take a look at your chosen ship’s deck plans and analyze how close or far from the ship’s various venues your cabin will be.
(And don’t just look out for noisy venues, either. Stairwells and elevators can likewise draw loud crowds.)
Underestimate Just How Much You Can Get with a Suite
Don’t just think that suites are overpriced staterooms, where all you get is a little more legroom. Thanks to many cruise lines’ adoptions of special, VIP ship areas that are exclusively available to suite guests, booking a suite can come with a range of extra amenities and complimentary experiences that very well could be worth spending the extra money.
Royal Family Suite with Balcony
For example, if you book a suite within Norwegian’s Haven space, you’ll enjoy access to a concierge, 24-hour butler, private sundeck, private restaurant and private lounge, plus priority access to restaurants and entertainment throughout the rest of the ship. You’ll also get a personal escort on and off the ship at the pier and ports.
Overlook Special Cabin Classes
Along these lines, don’t overlook the other special cabin classes. While you might not want or need a suite, you may really enjoy the special perks that come with some of the special cabin classes that are available on some cruise ships.
AquaClass Sky Suite
On Celebrity Cruises, as one example, the AquaClass is the ship’s spa-centric class, where cruisers enjoy special amenities related to the on-board spa experiences, without the need to upgrade to a suite.
These amenities and perks include access to an AquaClass-only restaurant, Blu; a spa concierge; and the SEA thermal suite. Plus, you get a complimentary fitness pass and discounts on spa packages.
Rely on Guarantee Cabins if You Want Something Specific
When you book a cabin on a cruise ship, you may have the option to book what’s known as a guaranteed cabin. This is a cabin available at a lower-than-normal rate, but you won’t get to pick the individual cabin you’re staying in. Instead, the cruise line just “guarantees,” that you’ll get a specific type of cabin or better.
Carnival Cruise Line Cabin (Photo Credit: Cruise Hive)
Some cruisers like this option, because there’s always the chance that you get a better cabin and essentially an upgrade, if that’s all that’s left on the ship when your cabin is assigned. However, this is a risky game, as, while you’re guaranteed to get a certain type of cabin, you might get the least desirable cabin within that type.
So, if you want something very specific in your cruise ship cabin, just go ahead and book the cabin you want. Don’t gamble with a guarantee cabin.
Assume You Need a Huge Suite if You’re Traveling in a Group
Maybe you’re traveling as a large family. Maybe you’re traveling as a group of friends. Whatever the case, don’t assume that, just because your group is huge, you have to book a large suite.
Royal Loft Suite
Instead, you can book connecting rooms that allow you to turn a block of regular cabins into an interconnected space. This is an ideal option if you’re all paying for your cabin separately, or just don’t want to drop a bunch of money on a large suite, as well as if you want the possibility of a connected space — but also some privacy on occasion.
Port, starboard, aft — Does it really matter where your cabin is located, so long as you’ve picked your cabin location based on whether or not you get seasick, and whether or not you’re going to be annoyed by noise?
Actually, yes! There are a few other things to consider when picking cabin location.
Cruise Ship Balconies
In some cases, you’ll find that certain sides of the ship are more desirable due to other aspects, like the views. For example, if you’re on an Alaskan cruise traveling northbound, you’ll want to stay on the starboard side of the ship, so you can see the coastline views. However, if you’re traveling southbound, you’ll want to stay on the port side of the ship.
In other cases, the view might be…well, you! If you book an aft balcony, you might not get any privacy on that balcony, as the people on the decks above will be able to see you and your balcony, due to the way most ships are configured.
The best way to know if any of the above will be an option? Talk to your fellow cruisers and look for cabin reviews for your specific ship.
On the heels of its decision to sell two of its ships serving the Galapagos Islands market, Celebrity Cruises has cancelled all 2025 voyages scheduled to operate on the vessels and announced options for guests booked for departure after the sale is completed.
Lindblad Expeditions, a well-known adventure and expedition cruise line, revealed on June 12, 2024 that it will acquire the two ships — the 48-guest Celebrity Xpedition and the 16-guest Celebrity Xploration. Financial terms were not disclosed, and the transaction is expected to close in January 2025.
New Linblad Vessel
The acquisition will leave Celebrity Cruises with just one ship operating in the destination, the 100-guest Celebrity Flora.
In a communication to guests booked on Celebrity Xpedition and Celebrity Xploration sailings after January 2025, the cruise line explained:
“On December 28, 2024, Celebrity Xploration and Celebrity Xpedition will set sail from Baltra for their final time as part of the Celebrity Cruises fleet. We remain committed to the Galapagos Islands, offering sailings on Celebrity Flora, a ship built to sail in the archipelago year-round.“
Baltra Island is the starting point for cruises to the Galapagos, an island chain roughly 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador and best known as the destination where naturalist Charles Darwin recorded observations of its many endemic animal species.
Celebrity Cruises is offering two options. In the first, booked guests can select a new departure aboard their ship before the end of 2024. Those who choose this option will have their booking transferred to a similar or better stateroom category with the fare protected. If the current cruise fare for the new cabin is lower, the guest will receive the lower rate.
Any guests who booked their air fare through Celebrity Cruises will be automatically rebooked for the new cruise, and the line will reimburse up to $400 per guest for any non-refundable charges incurred, such as for flights, rental cars, and trains.
Under option two, guests who were booked on a 2025 voyage can switch their reservation to a 2025 departure onboard Celebrity Flora, an all-suite ship, at the cruise fare they originally paid for the cancelled sailing. However, holiday sailings are excluded from the option.
For these guests, the line is offering “a complimentary transfer to a similar or upgraded cabin category with your price protected on Celebrity Flora sailings departing on a like weekend, or one week before or after your original departure date.”
As with the first option, all air transportation booked through Celebrity Cruises will automatically be rebooked to accommodate the new departure date, and the $400 per guest reimbursement for non-refundable travel arrangements is valid as well. Any refunds will be processed within 14 days and will be made to the original form of payment.
Celebrity Cruises has not detailed any alternative that allows for a refund of cruise and air fares for guests who do not wish to choose either option one or two.
Ships Will Join Two Lindblad Vessels in the Galapagos
Lindblad Expeditions, which operates its Galapagos Islands expedition cruise series in partnership with National Geographic, plans to renovate both Celebrity Cruises ships before they join two Lindblad vessels already operating in the region.
Celebrity Xpedition, which entered service in 2001, has two restaurants, 13 balcony cabins, and 24 outside cabins. Celebrity Xploration, launched in 2007, is an 8-cabin catamaran designed for small groups and private charters.
The Celebrity Cruises ships will be renamed, and bookings are expected to open under the Lindblad Expedition brand in a few weeks.
Lindblad currently operates the 96-guest National Geographic Endeavour II and the 48-guest National Geographic Islander II year-round in the Galapagos.
Following an extensive, three-month dry dock renovation that added the lively and colorful Margaritaville at Sea vibe, the 2,650-guest Margaritaville at Sea Islander departed on her maiden voyage from her new home port of Tampa, Florida.
Guests aboard the June 14, 2024 departure will enjoy a 4-night cruise to Cozumel, Mexico, as the ship begins a series of 4- to 7-night sailings to Western Caribbean ports.
The ship sailed to Tampa in late May 2024 following her dry dock at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Margaritaville at Sea bought the ship, which formerly sailed as Costa Atlantica, from Costa Cruises in 2023.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander Cruise Ship
While in dry dock, enhancements included adding the tropical Margaritaville theme to public spaces, repainting the hull with colorful trees and parrots, and updating the 24-year-old vessel’s technical aspects.
“We’re thrilled to kick off the summer by giving guests the opportunity to experience the Margaritaville state of mind on the open ocean like never before,” said Christopher Ivy, CEO of Margaritaville at Sea.
“The Islander offers an entirely new way to float into island time, providing couples, families, and friends an unforgettable journey with new spaces and experiences to explore, making the voyage just as enjoyable as the destinations,” added Ivy.
Before setting sail, the ship was named by her godmother, Savannah Buffet, the eldest daughter of the late singer, songwriter, and sailor Jimmy Buffet, who wrote the famous pop song “Margaritaville” in 1977. Buffet died in 2023.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander features six dining venues and 11 bars, including a three-story LandShark Bar at Sea; Far Side of the World Sushi Bar; Mexican Cutie Cantina; Island Eats; The Flip Flop Atrium; JWB Prime Steakhouse; and Cheeseburger in Paradise.
Cruisers can dance the night away at the Hot, Hot, Hot Night Club and treat themselves to fancy cocktails and champagne at the Bubbles Up Lounge and Champagne Bar.
Entertainment options on the ship include two stage shows: Conky Tonkin’ at Sea, billed as a country music-themed extravaganza sure to get the audience on its feet, and Caribbean Heat Remix, featuring dance and acrobatics to traditional Caribbean beats.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander Cruise Ship Stateroom
For families, Margaritaville at Sea Islander offers the Caribbean Amphibian Play Pad & Slide, an area for youngsters with a playground, waterslide, and other water games. In the Dis and Dat Activity Zone, families can play mini-golf, corn hole, and other games. Circus-themed activities and scavenger hunts are featured in the Defying Gravity Experience area.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander offers 11 stateroom categories, including family and solo cabins, both interior and with balconies. The ship also has six luxury-level Signature Suites.
New Ship Joins Margaritaville at Sea Paradise
Through 2024, the new ship will sail 4- and 5-night cruises to Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico, and Key West, depending on the departure date. In 2025, the series will expand by adding 6- and 7-night sailings that include port calls in Belize, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman.
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise (Photo Credit: Grand Bahama Shipyard)
Margaritaville at Sea Islander joins the cruise line’s first vessel, the 1,300-guest Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, another former Costa Cruises’ ship that operated as Costa Classica.
The ship, built in 1991, sails 2- to 4-night Bahamas cruises from West Palm Beach, Florida. All sailings visit Freeport, Bahamas, with the 4-night voyage adding Key West. Its accommodations include interior and oceanview cabins, plus Junior Suites and Grand Terrace Suites.
Both vessels feature a Margaritaville Casino, the St. Somewhere Spa & Salon, plus multiple pools and hot tubs, along with quiet spaces for guests looking to relax.
The U.S. Coast Guard sprang into action after a retired cruise ship began sinking at her dock in Little Potato Slough, a river northwest of Stockton, California.
Aurora, a non-operational 300-foot long cruise ship, began to sink at her berth into 13 feet of water below on May 22, 2024, where she remains partially submerged. The 1955-launched ship suffered a hole that caused the ship to fill with water.
As she sank, the old vessel began leaking diesel fuel and oil into the river delta – with sheen that is indicative of an oil spill appearing on the surface of the water near the ship.
Sinking Aurora Cruise Ship
The U.S. Coast Guard responded urgently to reports of the sinking vessel to clean up the pollutants and refloat the ship before significant damage could be done by forming a united command with experts from the coast guard, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention & Response, and the City of Stockton.
The coast guard also brought in a team of specialists from Global Diving and Salvage as contractors to better address the pollution quickly.
Additionally, the Oiled Wildlife Care Network was been notified and is standing by to respond if needed, but so far none of the local wildlife appears to have been affected by the spill.
Together, these organizations have pulled their resources to work on refloating Aurora, preventing further fuel, oil, or other chemicals from spilling into the waterway, and to recover the pollution that already escaped.
“Containment boom is deployed around the vessel and the City’s drinking water intake pump station. Additional mooring lines were also attached to the vessel to ensure stability…Over the next several days, crews will work to maintain the containment boom, recover pollution, and conduct dive surveys to assess the vessel,”read a press release from the U.S. Coast Guard.
“The U.S. Coast Guard issued a notice of federal assumption and hired Global Diving and Salvage as a contractor to address the pollution, deploy hard boom and assess the status of the vessel. The U.S. Coast Guard also established a water safety zone around the vessel to enforce a no-wake zone within the area,”continued the release.
While the focus has thus far oriented around cleaning up pollutants, the refloating process officially started this week.
On Monday, June 11, 2024, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention & Response posted this update on X:“Operations to refloat and remove any remaining petroleum will potentially begin this week. Be advised the safety zone around the vessel is still in place. No observed impacts to wildlife.”
Operations to refloat and remove any remaining petroleum will potentially begin this week. Be advised the safety zone around the vessel is still in place. No observed impacts to wildlife. 2/2
— CDFW Spill Prevention & Response (@CalSpillWatch) June 11, 2024
Over a period of weeks to months, Aurora will be refloated through a slow-going process of patching and pumping out water. Once the process is finished, Aurora will either need a financier to refurbish the old ship or she will likely be scrapped and recycled for parts.
Aurora recently changed hands to a new, unidentified owner, and it is unclear what they have planned for the historic vessel.
Aurora’s Extraordinary Career At Sea
Originally christened as Wappen Von Hamburg, Aurora was the first large-scale ship building project completed by Blohm Voss in Hamburg, Germany, in the wake of World War II.
But she is most famous for serving as the inspiration for the hit “Love Boat” TV show in the 1970s and for appearing in the James Bond Film “From Russia With Love” in 1963.
Her career began on February 1, 1955 as a Hamburg-based ferry that would take passengers on day trips to and from Heligoland, a small archipelago in Germany that was popular for day trips.
Wappen Von Hamburg (Photo Credit: Oxfordian Kissuth)
The 1,600-person vessel’s relatively slow cruising speed of 17.5 knots per hour meant that it could take up to five hours to sail from Hamburg to the island, which was only 90 nautical miles away, allowing visitors just a couple hours to explore once they arrived.
In 1960, Aurora was sold to the Nomikos Lines, a Greek cruise line, which renamed her Delos and turned the ship into one of the first luxury cruise ships on the Aegean Sea, complete with a swimming pool and air conditioning in all cabins.
Over the years, she changed owners and names many times – going by aliases like Polar Star, Pacific Star, Xanadu, Expex, and Faithful – and sailing to more destinations around the world, including Alaska, Panama, and the South Atlantic.
She was not given the name Aurora until 2009 when a former tech developer, named Chris Willson, bought the ship on Craigslist, well after her retirement in 1977. He worked to restore the ship, which had fallen into disrepair, with hopes of opening a museum onboard.
Indeed, she served many roles during her retirement from cruising, including functioning as a private yacht, serving as a shelter for the homeless, and was even temporarily a floating children’s hospital.
The travel industry is very important to Greece, with tourism accounting for around a quarter of the country’s economy. However, it is possible to have too much of a good thing.
In the post-pandemic travel rush, Greece has become increasingly popular – and desirable destinations like Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes, are struggling to keep up with the demand.
Throughout 2023, Greece welcomed a total of 5,230 cruise ships carrying over 7 million passengers to the island. This is a dramatic 9.41% increase in cruise ship arrivals and a 51.26% surge in passenger numbers from 2022.
The staggering number of cruise passengers is causing overcrowding on the islands, maritime traffic jams that can be a deterrent to cruisers and other tourists, and hindering the quality of life for the locals – with a particularly severe impact on Santorini.
“Santorini is the most sensitive, Mykonos will be the second. Though many Greek islands are straining under the weight of their popularity, these are the ones ‘that are clearly suffering,’” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Bloomberg.
In 2023, Santorini experienced 800 cruise ship calls, bringing about 1.3 million cruisers to the Mediterranean hot spot – a 17% increase in cruise tourism numbers from 2022 that is upending the lives of the 15,000 permanent residents who live on the island.
“There are people spending a lot of money to be on Santorini and they don’t want the island to be swamped,”Mitsotakis added.“Plus the island can’t afford it, even in terms of security.”
Meanwhile, Mykonos hosted 749 ship calls in 2023, which is an increase of 23% in just one year.
While no cruise limitations have been put in place as of yet, Mitsotakis said it’s something he expects to happen in 2025. The new rules will likely include limiting the total number of island berths that are available to cruise ships and/or a bidding process to call on the islands.
Several European Ports Limit Cruise Tourism
Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic ended, cruising has been on the rise. The number of cruise passengers exceeded 31 million in 2023, with 2 million more people cruising last year than they did in 2019.
With that number only expected to grow, other European destinations (and some in the US) have already taken measures to limit the number of cruise tourism to prevent overcrowding and to mitigate the negative environmental impact that can come with welcoming a large number of vessels – and particularly older vessels that may not be as sustainable as newer builds.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis’ announcement is following in the footsteps of destinations like Venice, Italy, Majorca, Spain, and Barcelona, Spain.
Cruise Ships Docked in Barcelona, Spain (Photo Credit: Iglwch)
In 2021, Venice implemented a new tourist feeto mitigate crowds on the Italian city’s busiest days – a rule that took effect earlier this year on April 25, 2024. The fee applies to visitors regardless of if they come by land, plane, train, or sea.
In May of 2024, Majorca moved forward with new proposals to renew restrictions that would prevent mega-cruise ships from docking in Palma, the capital city of the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands.
If approved, the restrictions would continue to cap the number of cruise ships that can visit the port to three per day, with only one allowed to carry over 5,000 passengers – a measure that has been in place since 2022.
However, the new proposal also seeks to add additional taxes for cruise passengers – including a fee to arrive in port and a separate fee to enter Palma.
In October of 2023, Barcelona implemented its own partial cruise ship banto prevent ships from docking at the Spanish city’s northern docks or the World Trade Center. The purpose of this change was to keep cruise ships further from the city center in order to lessen exhaust gasses in Barcelona’s most populated areas.
Just a couple of weeks ago on May 24, 2024, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni announced that the coastal city would be taking additional actions to limit the number of cruise passengers visiting per day to address remaining overcrowding concerns.
The controversial court case between the SS United States Conservancy and Penn Warehousing that would determine the fate of the legendary SS United States has officially come to a conclusion.
The Conservancy that maintains and protects the historic ocean liner has been embroiled in an intense rent dispute with the Philadelphia-based shipping company after Penn Warehousing raised the rent for the ship’s berth from $850 to $1,700 (USD) without warning in 2021, which was unsustainable for the nonprofit.
In 2022, tensions rose when Penn Warehousing terminated the lease agreement and sued the Conservancy, claiming the nonprofit owed more than $700,000 in back rent after it refused to accept the rent increase.
SS United States in Port (Photo Credit: Kirkam)
While the Conservancy hoped to keep “America’s Flagship” docked in Philadelphia, where she was designed by a local naval architect named William Francis Gibbs, the US District Court of Philadelphia ruled that it was not to be.
U.S. District Court Senior Judge Anita B. Brody ruled that the ship needs to vacate its current dock at Pier 82 by September 12, 2024, or risk being lost. The Pier served as the vessel’s home for more than a decade.
“The judge’s decision gives us a very limited window to find a new home for the SS United States and raise the resources necessary to move the ship and keep her safe. We must do both to avoid the tragic fate that countless supporters from around the world have worked for over a decade to prevent,”said Conservancy President Susan Gibbs, the granddaughter of the ship’s famed designer.
The Conservation has already begun looking into potential pier locations throughout the East Coast that could accommodate the nearly 1,000 foot-ocean liner, but needs help from the public to secure enough funds for the nonprofit to pay for the move.
“Relocating a ship the size of the SS United States is complex and costly. It requires funds for insurance, tugs, surveys, and dock preparations to ensure the ship’s safe passage to a new home,”Gibbs explained.
The Conservancy is currently accepting donations as part of an urgent campaign on their website to help save this symbol of American ingenuity.
A Lucky Break: SS United States Conservancy Doesn’t Owe Back Rent
While the order for 1951 ocean liner to relocate is a huge blow, the SS United States Conservancy did get one win.
Senior Judge Brody determined that Penn Warehousing wasn’t allowed to double dockage fees without notice in what was an apparent effort to “force” the American symbol from Pier 82. She also ruled that the Conservancy does not owe any back rent.
This is certainly good news for the nonprofit, which could have been on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars in back rent had the court not ruled in its favor.
SS United States Docked in Philadelphia (Photo Credit: Felix Mizioznikov)
Even so, the cost and logistics of moving the old, preserved ocean liner puts its fate in jeopardy.
“While the Conservancy was vindicated in not being compelled to pay a large sum of back rent to the SS United States’ pier operator, the ruling makes clear this iconic American symbol is in peril,” said Gibbs.
The verdict also calls plans to redevelop what was once the once fastest ship in the world into question.
In November of 2023, the Conservancy announced a partnership with investment firm RXR and management company MCR Hotels to reinvent the ship as a mixed-use facilitythat would include lodging, a museum memorializing the ocean liner’s storied history, dining venues, and public green space.
In its golden years, when SS United States was actively sailing from 1952 to 1969, the 53,329-gross-ton vessel could accommodate up to 1,984 passengers.
Holland America Line’s McKinley Chalet Resort in Denali National Park has received Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, highlighting its commitment to sustainable seafood practices. The recognition comes as the resort, located at the entrance of Denali National Park in Alaska, unveils new menu offerings.
Both Karstens Public House and Canyon Steakhouse at McKinley Chalet Resort received recognition for transforming their menus to serve sustainable seafood.
The MSC’s rigorous assessment ensures that fisheries and seafood suppliers adhere to sustainable fishing practices. These include ensuring the traceability of seafood throughout the supply chain, preventing the mixing of certified and non-certified products, and maintaining comprehensive records of transactions.
Companies must also pass regular audits to obtain and retain certification, ensuring seafood is sourced sustainably and responsibly.
“We are proud to extend our promise of fresh, sustainable fish beyond our ships to our guests on Cruisetours visiting Denali,”said Michael Stendebach, vice president of food, beverage, and rooms division for Holland America Line.“Our culinary team at McKinley Chalet Resort has done a wonderful job furthering our industry-leading program with this certification and creating inspiring fresh seafood dishes in our restaurants.”
The recognition follows Holland America Line’s achievement as the first global cruise line to receive the same certification earlier this year. In April 2024, all 11 ships in the fleet became Chain of Custody certified, allowing them to serve MSC- and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)-certified seafood.
The certification at McKinley Chalet Resort extends the cruise line’s certification to its Cruisetours, which combines an Alaskan cruise with an overland tour to Denali. The certifications are part of Holland America Line’s Global Fresh Fish Program, which aims to provide guests with high-quality seafood sourced sustainably when wild-caught and raised responsibly when farmed.
Rolls Out New Menus
All Holland America Line Denali Cruisetours include a seven-day Glacier Discovery cruise featuring Glacier Bay, plus either College Fjord or Hubbard Glacier, the Inside Passage, and up to three nights at McKinley Chalet Resort.
The resort, nestled on the shores of the Nenana River, now features updated menus. Karstens introduces new lunch and dinner offerings, and Canyon Steakhouse refreshed its dinner menu, all incorporating authentic Alaskan ingredients.
Chef Morimoto, Holland America’s Fresh Fish Ambassador of 2023 (Photo Credit: Holland America Line)
The updated menus include MSC-certified fresh Alaska halibut and steamed mussels at Canyon Steakhouse, along with a variety of new dishes at Kartsens Public House, such as seafood queso dip and alder grilled sockeye salmon.
Additionally, McKinley Chalet Resort offers various activities to enhance the guest experience. Denali Square, the resort’s 60-acre central hub, features live music every evening, a new outdoor bar named Denali Square Bar, and a range of educational and recreational activities.
Guests can enjoy Holland America Line’s exclusive De Lijn Gin, participate in “Life in Denali” educational talks in partnership with the Denali Educational Center, and engage with local artists through the Alaska Artist in Residence program.
The resort also offers nightly nature walks and S’mores by the firepits, family-friendly scavenger hunts, and guided activities to explore Denali’s natural beauty.
Holland America Line currently has six ships sailing in Alaska this summer. Ms Zaandam, ms Eurodam, ms Koningsdam, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, ms Westerdam, and ms Noordam are traveling the waterways from homeports in Vancouver, British Columbia; Whittier, Alaska; and Seattle, Washington.
Seward, Alaska, is the closest port to Denali, where ms Westerdam called on June 16. The ship is currently en route to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on a special 28-night solstice cruise to the Arctic Circle, calling in Nome, Kodiak, Anchorage, Homer, Haines, and Juneau while visiting Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm.
