Carnival Cruise Line aims to expand its European offerings in 2024 with the Spirit-class Carnival Legend. The season will begin following an epic transatlantic voyage departing in April 204 from Baltimore. Guests planning to cruise Europe have options, including the Mediterranean, British Isles, Iceland, and the Greek Islands.
Carnival Legend to Sail Europe in 2024
With the cruise industry well on the road to recovery after a difficult few years, Carnival Cruise Line is looking at expanding its options in Europe for the 2014 season. The Carnival Legend will be the lucky ship sailing the continent which covers a series of 17 departures.
The vessel will start its European season after departing Baltimore, Maryland, on April 15, 2024, on a 12-day transatlantic voyage. The cruise will include calls at Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal; Malaga and Valencia, Spain.
“This extensive series for 2024 offers an excellent variety of itinerary lengths and options for our valued guests who want to experience Europe the best way possible: with our amazing crew providing outstanding service along with all the favorite venues aboard a Fun Ship,”said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
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Reservations for the new Carnival Legend sailings are now open. They include the Mediterranean, western Europe, the British Isles, Iceland, and the Greek Islands, along with departures from Barcelona in Spain, Civitavecchia in Italy, and Dover in the UK.
“Our guests who sail with us in Europe enjoy exploring diverse and spectacular destinations across the continent while simultaneously enjoying the comfort and convenience of having the amenities they know and love available to them on board,”Diffy added.
Carnival Legend European Itineraries
After the Carnival Legend completes her transatlantic sailing, European cruises will kick start out of Barcelona on May 30, 2024. That first voyage will be an eight-day Meditteranean itinerary, visiting Malta; Messina (Sicily), Italy; Naples (Capri/Pompeii), Italy; Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy; Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy; and Toulon (Provence), France.
There will be second sailing out of the Spanish port departing on June 7, 2024, on a nine-day Western European itinerary. The cruise will include calls at Malaga, Sevilla (Cadiz), and La Coruña, Spain; Lisbon and Leixões (Porto), Portugal; and Le Havre (Paris), France. The voyage ends in the UK, ready for the next phase of the European deployment.
On June 28, the Carnival cruise ship will depart London in the UK on a nine-day sailing around the British Isles. The itinerary will include visits to Holyhead, Wales, UK; Glasgow (Greenock), Scotland; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Liverpool, England; Dublin (Dun Laoghaire) Ireland; and Cork (Cobh), Ireland.
There will be multiple departures from the UK, including sailings to Iceland. On July 7, 2024, the vessel will sail further north on an epic 12-day itinerary, including visits to Dublin (Dun Laoghaire), Ireland; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Reykjavik, Iceland; Grundarfjordur, Iceland; Akureyri, Iceland; Seydisfjordur, Iceland; and Invergordon, Scotland.
Italy’s leading cruise homeport of Civitavecchia is also not missing out on the Carnival Legend’s deployment in August 2024. The ship will begin sailing from the port with a 10-night Greek Islands itinerary which includes calls to Mykonos, Greece; Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey; Santorini, Greece; Athens, Greece; Katakolon, Greece; Messina (Sicily) and Naples (Capri/Pompeii), Italy.
The Carnival Legend will remain sailing in Europe until October 26, 2024, when the ship departs Civitavecchia on another transatlantic cruise back to the US. The voyage will include calls at Cartagena, Spain; Funchal (Madeira) and Ponta Delgada (Azores), Portugal, before crossing the Atlantic and stopping in Nassau, The Bahamas, and will finally arrive home at the Port of Tampa, in Florida.
Following the European deployment, the Carnival Legend will begin offering itineraries from Tampa, Florida. There will be Panama Canal sailings, along with Western Caribbean cruises.
Additional Carnival Cruises in Europe
It’s not just the Carnival Legend that will be enjoying the historic ports of Europe, as the Carnival Glory will also be visiting some ports as part of its transatlantic voyage. The Conquest-class ship will depart on a Carnival Journeys cruise from Barcelona, Spain, on April 18, 2024. The 14-day sailing will include visits to Valencia, and Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Spain, and finally arrive home in Port Canaveral, Florida.
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It’s not just 2024 European cruises travelers can get excited about, with the Carnival Pride soon starting its 2023 season of sailings out of Dover, in the UK, and Barcelona in Spain. The Spirit-class ship will sail in Europe from May through October, with the final voyage being a 15-night transatlantic cruise from Italy and ending in Tampa on November 12, 2023.
The Carnival Freedom will also spend some brief time in Europe with a transatlantic voyage departing Port Canaveral, Florida, on September 21, 2023. The sailing will end in Barcelona on October 4. The ship will return across the Atlantic by departing Barcelona on October 23 and arriving at Port Canaveral on November 6.
MSC Cruises announced it is taking proactive steps to lower the risk of its ships colliding with marine life, including whales, dolphins and porpoises. The cruise line, which currently operates 21 vessels worldwide, partnered with a marine conservation charity that offers specialized training to deck officers.
MSc Cruises Implements Strike Mitigation Plan
MSC Cruises is working with ORCA, the UK-based marine conservation group, to implement a ship strike mitigation plan designed to reduce the chances of ship collisions with marine mammals.
The cruise line revealed on March 2 that bridge officers aboard the 171,598 gross ton MSC Bellissima will be the first to undergo an online training program.
MSC Bellissima was selected as the pilot vessel for the educational program because she regularly navigates the Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals, a large wildlife reserve in the Ligurian Sea that reaches from the Italian Riviera to Monaco. The ship sails Mediterranean cruises from her home port of Genoa.
Photo Credit: A.Casinos / Shutterstock
MSC Cruises Vice President of Environmental Operations and Compliance Captain Minas Myrtidis said, ”By working together with ORCA we are able to play an important role in protecting the seas for future generations. We are committed to supporting the health of our oceans and believe partnering with experts to introduce bespoke training and education is a positive step forward.”
The training is meant to educate officers stationed on the ship’s bridge about marine mammals and how to avoid ship strikes. Following the training of MSC Bellissimo’s officers, the course will be launched across the entire MSC fleet, including on the cruise line’s latest newbuild, MSC Euribia, which will debut in June and sail in Northern Europe.
Whale Safety
Cruise lines in recent years have been dealing with government protections aimed at safeguarding whales, particularly right whales, a species that was added to the endangered list in 1970.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglement are the two primary causes of right whale deaths and serious injury. There are only approximately 350 right whales alive today.
Photo Credit: Manamana / Shutterstock
A proposed NOAA rule change for right whale safety announced last August alarmed officials at Port Canaveral, which is the world’s busiest cruise port. The rule change reduces the speed limit to 10 knots for cruise ships and other large vessels within five miles of the coast from November to April — prime cruise season for ships operating between Florida ports and the Caribbean.
Other major cruise destinations also have been affected by marine mammal protections, such as Alaska. A Canadian government order enacted in June 2022 and seeking to protect killer whales in the waters of southern British Columbia prompted Princess Cruises to drop planned port calls at Victoria and avoid the area by replacing the destination with Prince Rupert during the ship’s 2023 Alaska season.
MSC Cruises joins other cruise lines in partnering with the ORCA conservation group. Adventure cruise line Hurtigruten Expeditions, for example, has the group’s ocean conservationists onboard its ships as part of the line’s expert expedition teams.
Royal Caribbean has recently announced a change to its wine policy, which won’t be well-received by everyone. Starting from March 3, 2023, passengers can only bring one 750ml bottle of wine or champagne per adult of drinking age per sailing. This is a significant reduction from the previous policy that allowed guests to bring up to two bottles per stateroom on the first day of the cruise.
The new measure will mostly impact single travelers, who are typically already hit with a supplemental charge for occupying a cabin alone. The move is part of a series of cost-cutting measures implemented by Royal Caribbean.
One Bottle of Wine Per Adult
Royal Caribbean International has changed its policy on bringing wine onboard. Now, guests may bring one bottle per person instead of two bottles of wine per cabin. While this may be good news for suites and cabins with more than two adults, who can now enjoy more wine, it could be considered a downside for solo travelers who will now be limited to one bottle per sailing.
The new wine policy still requires passengers to bring wine via hand luggage/carry-on; boxed wine or other containers are prohibited. Passengers wishing to enjoy wine or champagne in dining or bar venues will be charged a corkage fee.
Photo Credit: SeaRick1 / Shutterstock
The new policy now states, “On embarkation day, each guest of drinking age may bring one (1) sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne. Boxed wine and other containers are prohibited. Guests who purchase alcohol bottles onboard, in a port-of-call, or bring more than the one permitted bottle on boarding day, will have their items safely stored by the ship.”
Passengers booked on consecutive sailings with Royal Caribbean will be pleased to know that they are allowed to bring one 750ml bottle of wine or champagne for each sailing, provided they are of drinking age.
This is another measure that doesn’t sit well with most guests. The ship will store any extra bottles brought on the first sailing and deliver to the cabin, one bottle at a time, on the first day of each new voyage.
Impact on Passengers
The updated wine policy is expected to bring mixed reactions from passengers. Royal Caribbean and various other cruise lines have been on acost-cutting spree since the restart of operations in 2021. While understandable that the companies need to think of their bottom line, this policy change is unnecessary for the amount of money it will bring in.
Photo Credit: Melissa Mayntz
There is another aspect to consider, and that is guests becoming disorderly when over-consuming alcohol. This behavior could be another reason for the policy change, as Carnival Cruise Line in particular, has seen numerous incidents in the last couple of months. Royal Caribbean has always been strict in this aspect.
Alcoholic beverages such as beer, seltzer, or hard liquor are not permitted to be brought on board, and any seized on embarkation day will not be returned. Security personnel are also authorized to inspect any containers, including water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, luggage, and other items that could contain alcohol.
Guests who violate any of the alcohol policies, including over-consuming, providing alcohol to people under the legal drinking age, demonstrating irresponsible behavior, or attempting to conceal alcoholic items at security or luggage checkpoints, may face severe consequences, such as disembarking the vessel.
On Sunday morning, Lexus Moorer, a 31-year-old woman, was arrested at the Port of Miami by police officers for allegedly stealing eight credit cards to fund a family vacation to the Caribbean.
According to reports, Moorer is accused of using the stolen credit cards to book two staterooms on a seven-day cruise ship with the Oasis of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International. The cost of the trip amounted to $22,425, which was allegedly paid for using fraudulent credit cards.
Royal Caribbean reported the suspicious activity to the police, which led to Moorer’s arrest at the Port of Miami. The alleged fraud was detected after Moorer had already boarded the Oasis of the Seas cruise ship, which made several stops in the Caribbean before returning to Miami.
Crime on the High Seas
Lexus Moorer, a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, faces eight counts of grand theft, eight counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, and four counts of unlawful possession of a stolen credit card, according to county records obtained by News 10.
Royal Caribbean reported the fraudulent activity to the police. Upon her arrest, U.S. Customs officials and Border Protection officers found four of the eight stolen credit cards in Moorer’s wallet.
Oasis of the Seas Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Solarisys / Shutterstock)
According to the arrest report, Moorer used the eight stolen credit cards to book two cabins on the 225,282 gross tons Oasis of the Seas sailing departing February 19. The seven-day cruise made stops at Labadee in Haiti on Tuesday, Puerto Rico on Wednesday, St. Thomas on Thursday, and The Bahamas on Saturday before returning to Miami on Sunday morning.
Arrested on Arrival
Crew onboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship detected the fraudulent activity and alerted the police, who arrested Moorer at the Port of Miami at about 11 a.m. on Sunday.
After her arrest, Moorer appeared in court on Monday in Miami-Dade County, where she faced eight counts of grand theft, eight counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, and four counts of unlawful possession of a stolen credit card.
According to county records, corrections officers held Moorer since 1:40 p.m. on Sunday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. The investigation also involved Homeland Security Investigations.
Crime Doesn’t Pay, Even onboard Cruise Ships
The alleged credit card fraud committed by Lexus Moorer is a serious crime that can have severe consequences. Fortunately, in this case, Royal Caribbean was vigilant in detecting and reporting the fraudulent activity to the police.
Cruise ships are equipped with advanced technology that can help detect and prevent credit card fraud. Cruise ships often work with financial institutions to monitor onboard credit card transactions. This allows them to detect and respond to any fraudulent activity quickly.
While this case involving Lexus Moorer may be an exception, it serves as a reminder that even on cruise ships, credit card fraud will be detected, and those who commit such crimes will face severe legal consequences.
The 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas set sail again on Sunday afternoon on its next itinerary. The ship departed from Miami, Florida, and spent the next day at Perfect Day at Coco Cay in the Bahamas.
Today, Oasis of the Seas is in Cozumel, Mexico. Tomorrow, March 2, guests will spend the day in Roatan, Honduras, followed by Costa Maya, Mexico. The ship returns to Miami, Florida, on March 5.
Princess Cruises has recently introduced upgrades to its all-inclusive packages, Princess Premier and Princess Plus, to provide guests with more value for their money. Both packages now come with significantly more perks.
The packages include a variety of amenities, such as drinks, WiFi, gratuities, fitness classes, premium desserts, and more, all bundled together at a discounted price. The packages help guests save money, as savings could amount to more than 60% compared to buying each included perk individually.
Princess Plus Package
The Princess Plus package costs $60 per person per day and includes several amenities with which guests can enhance their cruise experience. With this package, they can enjoy the Plus beverage package, WiFi for one device, and gratuities, with the addition now of two premium desserts daily, unlimited juice bar beverages, and two Xponential fitness classes per cruise.
Princess Cruises Packages
The Plus package includes sodas, specialty coffees and teas, cocktails, wine, and beer for up to $15 each.
Guests can also indulge their sweet tooth with two Princess Premium desserts daily. The Xponential fitness classes offer a great way to stay balanced during a cruise and get rid of the calories from the desserts again, with a range of options from Pure Barre to Yoga Six and Stretch Lab.
Princess Premier Package
The Princess Premier package is the top-of-the-line option that costs $80 per person per day and includes everything offered in the Princess Plus package, plus several additional amenities.
With this package, guests could already enjoy the Premier beverage package, WiFi for up to four devices, included gratuities, specialty dining, a photo package deal, and princess prizes.
Additionally, guests now get unlimited juice bar beverages, Xponential fitness classes, premium desserts, a Medallion accessory to create a memorable piece of jewelry, and reserved seating in the theater.
Photo Courtesy: Princess Cruises
The Premier beverage package includes everything in the Plus beverage package and drinks up to $20 each, with a premium selection of spirits, cocktails, and wine by the glass.
The photo package includes unlimited digital photos taken by onboard photographers and up to three prints of guest’s favorite images. Guests can also enjoy two specialty dining meals at Crown Grill, Sabatini’s, or other onboard restaurants, and participate in Princess Prizes, where they can win big prizes on their cruise, from new experiences to free cruises and even more specialty dinners.
Princess Cruises also offers the Standard Package, the basic cruise fare without any included amenities for passengers not interested in the all-inclusive packages. Guests still have the option to pay for individual amenities on board but must realize they will pay a significant amount more than they would when purchasing the packages.
Benefits of the All-Inclusive Packages
By bundling the most popular amenities together, guests can save money compared to buying them separately. The savings for Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages are approximately 54% and 66%, respectively, versus purchasing each amenity individually.
Moreover, these packages offer convenience, as guests can enjoy multiple amenities without worrying about the individual cost of each. As we’ve seen with numerous cruise lines in the past months, prices are increasing across the industry, so trying various new methods to offer savings is a great idea.
In December of last year, Princess Cruises announced a hike to the prices of its beverage packages. The price per drink for the Plus Beverage Package went up to a maximum of $15 from $12, while the premium beverage package went up to $20 per glass, up from $15.
The cruise line also hiked the price of specialty dining options by up to 25%, with Bistro Sur La Mer costing $39 per person from February 2023 onwards, up from $29. The increases follow another hike in crew gratuity and Wi-Fi charges.
Carnival Cruise Line is doubling down on reminders for guests to respect the established code of conduct, and warning guests of the consequences of poor behavior ahead of the busy spring break season.
The cruise line has emailed booked guests with another detailed reminder of current policies, including the use of earphones, alcohol guidelines, smoking, and more.
Carnival Emails Spring Break Guests
The traditional spring break period includes sailings in March and April, and Carnival Cruise Line is expecting fully-booked ships with many younger cruisers, not only children, but college-age adults as well. To ensure the safety, comfort, and enjoyment of all passengers, the cruise line has emailed guests with more code of conduct reminders.
“You will be sailing with us during Spring Break, which is traditionally a period of high occupancy,”the email reads.“As part of our commitment to create the best environment to provide a fun and memorable vacation for all, we would like to remind you of our Safety First! guidelines.”
Photo Credit: Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock
The letter goes on to detail a number of concerns, including the fact that a cruise ship is a shared space and that “all guests should feel welcome and included, and that everyone demonstrates care and respect towards each other.”
All booked guests must acknowledge Carnival Cruise Line’s Code of Conduct during check-in as the first step in ensuring that everyone aboard is aware of behavioral expectations and cruise line policies.
The email also encourages groups and families to have pre-cruise discussions to be sure that everyone is aware of onboard policies. Several contentious behaviors are highlighted in the email, including:
The requirement to use earphones when listening to music or watching shows or movies on mobile devices in public areas.
The confiscation of portable speakers and large stereos, which will be returned at the end of the cruise.
The prohibition on saving deck chairs or lounge seats, as all seating is first-come, first-served.
Each of these behaviors can be very irritating to cruise passengers, and Carnival Cruise Line has made a strong push in recent months to curb such disrespectful actions, hoping to give every guest a more pleasant vacation.
Photo Credit: gary yim / Shutterstock
The letter also goes into great detail about the cruise line’s alcohol policy, drinking age, and what types of drinks may or may not be brought onboard in either checked or carry-on bags.
The tobacco and marijuana smoking policy is also covered in detail, noting a $500 fine per violation if guests do not follow the restriction on what smoking is permitted and where smoking areas are located.
“This applies to all forms of smoking, including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, vaporizers, electronic cigarettes, and marijuana,”the email outlined. The email concludes with reminding all guests to be aware of their personal safety onboard, to not climb on rails, and to be mindful of wet surfaces.
The video also discussed how the cruise line works to create a safe and enjoyable vacation for guests, including updated security procedures, additional crew training, and enhanced guest communications so all passengers are aware of policies.
These changes follow a series of highly publicized incidents in spring and summer 2022, when onboard violence caused concern among travelers and may have influenced guests’ choice of cruise line.
Carnival Cruise Line has also implemented a youth curfew, posted additional signage onboard its ships, hired narcotics-sniffing dogs for use in homeport terminals, and taken other bold steps to curb poor behavior.
Will multiple emails put guests off the cruise line in fear of what could happen, or does it provide extra security so everyone is aware of expectations? Share your thoughts on the Cruise Hive Boards!
John Heald, Brand Ambassador of Carnival Cruise Line, has announced the details for the next For Fun’s Sake (FFS) Cruise. The FFS cruise will set sail on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship in February 2024.
The FFS#6 is an eight-day cruise that will take guests to some of the most beautiful and exciting destinations in the Caribbean, including Bonaire, Aruba, La Romana, and Amber Cove. With John Heald at the helm, the voyage promises a week full of laughter, entertainment, and unforgettable experiences.
Heald’s FFs Carnival Horizon Group Cruise
The FFS Cruises have become a tradition among Carnival Cruise Line fans since their launch in 2007. Known initially as Bloggers Cruises, the FFS cruises were created to bring together John Heald’s blog followers and give them a chance to cruise together and have fun.
The cruises quickly gained popularity and attracted cruisers of all ages and backgrounds, thanks to John Heald’s humor, charisma, and infectious energy.
Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald
The FFS#6 promises to be one of the most exciting cruises of 2024. Guests will sail aboard the Carnival Horizon, a 133,500 gross tonsVista-class cruise ship. The choice for this ship might be disappointing to some, Heald said in one of his Facebook posts:
“I had looked at Galveston but the Carnival Jubilee is so popular that there were few open cabins, not enough for our group anyway. I then looked at other home ports including a Panama cruise from Tampa and an Alaskan cruise on the Carnival Luminosa.”
“I know that this would have pleased some, but the majority would have been disappointed. I know I am never going to please everyone with my choice, and to those who I have disappointed, I do apologize.”
“However, I think the itinerary and the ship will provide us with a wonderful time, and it will be the first time I have ever had a cruise formally known as the bloggers cruise on this wonderful vessel.”
On the cruise, guests can attend various events and activities hosted by John Heald himself. These events include cocktail parties, breakfasts, question-and-answer sessions, tea times, karaoke nights, and more. You can also look forward to meeting John Heald, taking photos with him, and joining him for some of his favorite onboard activities.
The Itinerary
The FFS#6 itinerary is designed to give guests the perfect mix of sea days and port calls. The cruise will start in Miami, Florida, where guests will embark on February 17, 2024. The first two days will be fun days at sea, giving guests plenty of time to explore the ship and participate in various onboard activities.
Photo Copyright: Tony Davis (Flickr)
The first port of call is Bonaire, a small island in the southern Caribbean known for its pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and fantastic coral reefs. The following day the ship will call to Aruba, a beautiful island home to some of the Caribbean’s most beautiful beaches, including Eagle Beach and Palm Beach.
The vessel will then sail to La Romana in the Dominican Republic. The final port of call is Amber Cove. Located in the eastern Caribbean, this private 30-acre retreat is exclusively offered as a port of call to cruisers from Carnival and its sister companies.
As a private resort destination for Carnival, Amber Cove is crammed with watersports activities, dining opportunities, shopping, shore excursions, and fun attractions. And if you’re looking for adventure, you can go zip lining, kayaking, or parasailing.
Cruise travel is always evolving to meet different cruisers’ expectations and to offer new and exciting options for oceangoing getaways, but not every change or trend is necessarily positive.
There are some trends cruisers should be really concerned about, because they might signify a fundamental change in what cruise vacations offer. If these trends continue, cruising may never be the same.
A one-time change for an emergency or an unusual situation is not a trend, but when cruise lines adapt new policies and shift operations permanently, that can create a new trend that other cruise lines may follow.
Some trends are great and may offer more value for guests, make it easier to enjoy a cruise, improve accessibility onboard ships, or open up new ports for visitors.
Other trends, however, can be more troubling, and may involve cutbacks, service reductions, or loss of what makes cruising so special and enjoyable for millions of passengers every year.
Cruise Ships in Miami, Florida (Photo Credit: Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock)
There are times when a cruise line might try out a trend for a limited time or only on a few ships, only to find that it has a negative impact on guests’ experiences and the trend will be discontinued. Other times, a trend might be necessary due to operational difficulties, no matter how it may be received by loyal travelers.
In recent years, changes in the overall travel industry, including pandemic-related necessities, have created a variety of trends in the cruise industry. Are they all good trends?
Cruise Trends to Worry About
While some recent cruise trends, such as upgraded cleaning procedures onboard or more sustainable operational procedures, are positive and helpful, not all cruise travel trends are necessarily welcomed by all guests. These are the top trends that just might have worrying impacts on the cruise travel experience.
Gratuity Increases and Service Decreases
Cruise lines regularly increase the suggested daily gratuity rates, tips that are given to crew members for their outstanding service. Automatic gratuities are a convenience for cruise guests, and help ensure that all appropriate crew members receive tips at a rate comparable to other industry wages and economic inflation rates.
The amount for suggested gratuities varies between different cruise lines, and higher stateroom categories such as suites or cabanas often have slightly higher gratuities because of the extra services they receive.
Gratuities can range from $12 per person, per night to as much as $20 or higher per person, per night. On a longer sailing, these extra charges can add up quickly, especially for a family on a budget.
Recently, however, cruise lines have been increasing gratuities more frequently, yet these higher gratuity levels have been combined with reduced services. Instead of cabin attendants cleaning staterooms both in the morning and evening, many cruise lines have changed to once-per-day service, even with the higher gratuities.
Other small parts of stateroom service have also been removed, such as no ice buckets provided in cabins, daily newsletters being transitioned to online apps and no longer delivered to the stateroom, and loyalty gifts needing to be picked up in different areas of the ship instead of being placed in guests’ cabins as a personalized welcome.
While it is true that these changes are more comparable to service provided at land-based hotels, land-based properties do not always add automatic gratuities to guests’ bills (though they do often have other types of fees). Similarly, cruise lines have prided themselves on providing service beyond what land-based hotels provide, and this distinction is not as clear any longer.
Nickel and Dime Costs for Extra Attractions
Cruise ships have many onboard attractions for guests to enjoy, from waterslides and aquaparks to theaters, live music, comedy shows, pools, ropes courses, miniature golf courses, and much more.
Newer, larger ships even have more thrilling options, such as go kart tracks on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway-class vessels, the Bolt roller coaster on Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration, and adrenaline-inducing FlowRider surf machines, skydiving simulators, escape rooms, ice rinks, and more onboard many Royal Caribbean ships.
Photo Courtesy: Carnival Cruise Line
Cruise lines have long promoted themselves as being as close to all-inclusive as many vacations get, with onboard attractions, multiple restaurants, shows, and more all part of the basic cruise fare. More and more new attractions, however, are now priced as a-la-carte features, requiring a few extra dollars here and there for guests to participate.
As more features begin to have extra costs, fewer onboard attractions are available without additional fees. This can make what seemed to be a budget-friendly cruise vacation much more expensive if travelers want to truly enjoy everything onboard the ship.
One cruise ship can only host so many features, and if more and more of those features come at an added cost, there will be less and less that guests can enjoy without a bigger budget, making it more challenging to plan for the full cost of a vacation.
Ship-in-a-Ship Exclusivity
Cruise ships have always had different categories of staterooms, from tiny interior cabins to more spacious oceanviews, balconies, and suites. Not only do stateroom sizes and locations vary onboard the ship, but different views, such as aft-facing balconies or staterooms overlooking popular on deck show theaters can command different prices.
Photo Credit: Joni Hanebutt / Shutterstock
In recent years, more cruise lines have begun to capitalize on the exclusivity of private areas onboard, creating ship-in-a-ship designs with special spaces such as elite lounges, restaurants, pools, and sun decks only available to guests booked in certain categories of cabins, which are priced much higher than similar cabins in “regular” areas of the same ship.
These private areas also often come with extra perks, such as dedicated butler service, premium bathroom amenities, priority boarding, or other benefits.
Yet this ship-in-a-ship concept also restricts how much space is available for all guests to use, and can create a class-like system not all guests will be comfortable with.
This is especially true when these private areas also include perks such as reserved seating in main lounges or priority reservations to restaurants or spa treatments, when those limited features may fill up before other guests have a chance to book these amenities for themselves.
Overall Ship Size
Many mainstream lines are focused on building ships larger and larger – the upcoming Icon of the Seas, for example, can accommodate up to 7,600 guests at once when fully booked.
While many cruisers do enjoy a very busy and energetic ship, so many people can also lead to tremendous crowds, long lines for onboard activities, slower dining service, sold out reservations, and other congestion.
Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas (Photo Credit: EWY Media / Shutterstock)
Some cruise lines are seeking to combat heavy crowds by requiring reservations for entertainment venues with limited seating. When reservations fill up quickly, however, especially if ship-in-a-ship guests can book seats earlier than other guests, many guests are left missing out on signature activities and once-a-cruise performances.
Furthermore, larger ships can simply have too much for guests to enjoy on a single vacation, especially if reservations are limited or sailings are shorter. This can make guests unhappy when they take a cruise but feel as though they haven’t “done” the ship because there was simply too much to do and not enough time.
Port Denials
As ships get bigger, more intimate ports of call are increasingly taking measures to deny ships the ability to visit. Limits on numbers of ship calls, total passengers visiting, gross tonnage of permitted ships, and other restrictions may make it harder for larger ships to include a greater variety of ports on their itineraries.
Photo Courtesy: Port St. Maarten
Already, ports such as Key West, Venice, Juneau, and Bar Harbor have all sought restrictions on cruise ship visits, and more ports are considering similar measures.
This means these larger ships will have fewer ports of call to choose from, and therefore those ports that do accommodate larger vessels may also become more overcrowded and begin restricting visits.
While many of the reasons behind such restrictions are respectable – such as not overwhelming local communities with thousands of guests, or protecting marine environments from the disturbances of massive vessels – the trend is a worrying one for any passenger who enjoys sailing the world and visiting new and unique ports of call.
Inability to Unplug
There is no denying that cruise line apps can be very helpful and convenient, but not all guests are happy with that convenience. Many travelers prefer to digitally unplug while on vacation, and while they may use a smart phone camera for photos, they don’t want to be held hostage by a screen and sometimes inconsistent wireless signals.
When printed alternatives are not available – such as menus in the dining room or newsletters with daily activities – guests may feel obligated to carry cell phones and mobile devices at all times, detracting from the relaxation of their vacation. This can also be a problem for guests who may not have mobile devices, or when devices may not be compatible with a particular cruise line’s app programming.
Health Requirements
During the industry restart after the pandemic lockdown, many cruise destinations had emergency health and safety protocols in place, and it was necessary for cruise lines to implement health screenings, vaccination requirements, and pre-cruise testing to ensure that guests, crew members, and port communities were as safe as possible.
What is unsettling, however, is that this might become a future trend whenever an outbreak of disease is noted or when seasonal diseases such as flu flare up.
Photo Credit: bear_productions / Shutterstock
While cruise lines have always advised guests to take health precautions before traveling and reserve the right to deny passage for guests who may be dangerously ill and present a risk to others, will guests be required to demonstrate seasonal vaccinations in the future?
What about creating cruise restrictions based on age, due to increased health risks with the elderly? Should guests have to provide proof that they are not subject to any dangerous condition before setting sail? The implications of such possibilities are very worrying indeed.
Dining Quality Changes
Food has always been a key component of a cruise vacation, and more and more ships are offering a wide variety of specialty restaurants ranging from the classic steakhouse, Italian kitchen, and French bistro to barbecue smokehouses, sushi bars, fresh seafood restaurants, and fusion options for truly unique menus and extraordinary culinary delights.
Photo Credit: Yevgen Belich / Shutterstock
These delicious dining options come at a cost, however. Not only are many of these specialty restaurants an extra charge for each meal, but in some cases, guests are noticing the quality of food in ships’ main dining rooms and casual buffets declining or becoming repetitive.
Both Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Cruise Line have also begun imposing limits on main dining room meals, such as charging for multiple entrees or streamlining menus with fewer options.
While these individual changes may be minor, it can seem as though cruise lines are trying to push guests toward paying more for specialty dining instead of simply enjoying the included dining venues.
More Trends on the Horizon
While these trends are all consistently appearing on most major cruise lines, other trends still need to be watched to see if they become stronger or fade away completely.
Fewer ports of call in the name of sustainability, the debate about how much private island destinations truly help local economies, parking and traffic challenges at ever-busier homeports, and cutbacks in cruise ship staffing are all further trends that may need more attention in the coming weeks and months.
Stay tuned to Cruise Hive for all the latest news about cruise trends, which patterns are great news for cruisers, which trends might be problematic, and which trends aren’t trends at all!
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending December 31, 2022, on Monday, February 28.
While the company reported strong pricing and onboard sales that led to a 225% rise in revenue, the cruise operator posted a higher-than-expected loss, sending its shares down. The company also provided disappointing guidance for 2023. Norwegian remains optimistic about its growth, and bookings are on track to reach historical occupancy levels in the second quarter of 2023 and beyond.
NCLH Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ adjusted loss was $1.04 per share in the fourth quarter, which missed estimates of an 86 cents loss that many analysts expected. The company’s revenue for the quarter rose more than 225% to $1.57 billion, beating expectations of $1.5 billion, driven by solid ticket pricing and onboard sales.
The fourth quarter also saw an occupancy improvement of approximately 87%, which was in accordance with expectations, but far removed from where competitors Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Group are operating.
Photo Credit: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock
Despite the disappointing numbers, Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., remains optimistic:
“2022 was an eventful year, as we successfully completed our nearly yearlong Great Cruise Comeback, welcomed our newest ship Norwegian Prima to our world-class fleet and achieved several key milestones on our post-pandemic financial recovery,”
“We are now squarely focused on the future and are taking deliberate and strategic actions to best position the Company for its next chapter, which includes an industry-leading growth profile representing approximately 50% Capacity growth over 2019.”
The second quarter of 2023 is a critical period for NCLH as it aims to regain its pre-pandemic financial performance. By achieving historical occupancy levels, the company can ensure that its ships are operating at full capacity, which can help to boost revenue and improve the overall financial performance of the company.
Despite strong revenue numbers in the last quarter, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings missed analysts’ expectations for 2023. The company expects to post an adjusted loss of 45 cents per share in the year’s first quarter and a full-year profit of 70 cents per share.
Mark A. Kempa, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd:“We remain steadfast in our commitment to deliver value for all of our stakeholders. We are focused on identifying new and incremental opportunities to reinforce our solid foundation and become an even stronger and more nimble organization, while continuing to provide unparalleled vacation experiences for our valued guests.”
Analysts had expected a loss of 35 cents per share in the first quarter and a profit of $1.04 per share for the entire year.
Bookings on Target Says Norwegian
More people are booking cruises with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings lately, thanks to the high demand during Wave season. One of the company’s brands, Norwegian Cruise Line, broke a record for the most bookings in a single month in November 2022, boosted by Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas have been doing equally well in bookings.
Photo Credit: Melissa Mayntz
The booked position, or the total cabins booked, for the coming year is 62%, which the company calls optimal.
This record was then broken again in January 2023. As a result, the company has more bookings for the full year 2023 than it did in 2019 (a record-breaking year) while also increasing its capacity by about 19%. Prices have also gone up. NCLH is on track to reach its occupancy goals for the second quarter of 2023 and beyond.
Fleet Expansion and New Offerings
As for the companies’ fleet of cruise ships, Oceania Cruises has announced the name of its second 1,200-guest Allura Class ship, which will debut in 2025 as the eighth vessel for the line. Allura will be the sister ship to Vista, set to sail in May 2023.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises achieved a major construction milestone with the floating out of its newest ship, Seven Seas Grandeur, in January 2023. The ship will sail in November 2023, cruising 18 Caribbean and Mediterranean voyages.
Photo Copyright: Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Additionally, Oceania Cruises has accelerated the debut of its new ship Vista due to unprecedented demand for its inaugural season. Originally scheduled to debut on May 20, 2023, the maiden voyage has now been pushed forward by a week.
The companies have also announced the creation of a new division, “Experiences at Sea,” which will combine Sixthman Festivals at Sea, a subsidiary of NCL, and the companies’ Charters, Meetings, and Incentives department. The new division will focus on serving the companies’ corporate, incentive, and affinity-focused clients across all three brands.
Norwegian Sets Course for Decarbonization
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings also announced that the final two Prima-plus Class newbuilds for Norwegian Cruise Line would be ready to run green methanol. The company has modified newbuild contracts for the final two Prima-plus Class ships to accommodate the use of green methanol as an alternative fuel source in the future. The move will help Norwegian Cruise Line achieve its 2050 carbon-zero goals.
“While additional modifications will be needed in the future to fully enable the use of methanol in addition to traditional marine fuel on these ships, this reinforces the Company’s commitment to decarbonization and represents an important step forward in the pursuit of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,”Norwegian said in its earnings release.
Photo Credit: Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock
The delivery dates for the two 3,550-guest vessels from Fincantieri are scheduled for 2026 and 2027.
In addition to its change to methanol, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has recently tested biofuel blends on three additional ships: the Norwegian Star, Norwegian Sun, and Norwegian Epic. All three ships were tested with a mix of approximately 30% biofuel and 70% MGO.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ shares tumbled after the company’s disappointing guidance for 2023. The company’s shares fell more than 10% in early trading on Tuesday following the release of the financial results.
The pandemic has hit the cruise industry hard, with cruise lines unable to operate for much of 2020 and the first half of 2021. While NCLH’s financial results for the fourth quarter of 2022 showed signs of recovery, and 2023 bookings look strong for the second half of the year, the cruise industry still faces challenges in the wake of the pandemic.
