Are you on prime of the large cruise developments? Don’t fear, we now have all of it coated for you on Cruise Hive. On this week’s thrilling recap, examine 4 Seasons Yachts, Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, and Roatan Island.
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Captain Kate Is Headed to an Extremely-Luxe Ship
Captain Kate McCue, maybe the preferred cruise ship captain on the excessive seas as we speak, introduced she’s going to quickly be on the helm of the ultra-luxe 4 Seasons I, the primary ship within the soon-to-launch 4 Seasons Yachts fleet.
McCue, who has labored for Royal Caribbean Group for the final 22 years, most lately as captain of Superstar Cruises’ Superstar Past, was the primary lady to captain a big cruise vessel, having labored her approach up from cadet to deck officer to grasp mariner and, lastly, captain.
The information earlier this month that she would depart Superstar Cruises got here as a shock to the business. McCue, a social media celeb in her personal proper, revealed she would be part of 4 Seasons Yachts in a joint announcement with the luxurious journey model on March 18, 2025.
4 Seasons I, which can accommodate simply 190 company, is below development at a Fincantieri shipyard in Italy and attributable to launch in January 2026. The ship will sail the Caribbean and Mediterranean.
New Icon-Class Ship to Launch Earlier Than Anticipated
Royal Caribbean added one other preview, or showcase, cruise to the schedule of its new-build Star of the Seas, set to debut in summer season 2025. The ship will now depart on her first cruise on August 20, 2025 from her homeport of Port Canaveral, including to 2 earlier introduced preview sailings on August 23 and 27.
The August 20, 2025 cruise will take company to Good Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s personal island vacation spot within the Bahamas.
Maiden voyages are high-demand itineraries. Visitors who have already got reservations for both the August 23 or 27 sailings can change to the sooner cruise in the event that they act shortly, or add a brand new reservation if they want. If no motion is taken, booked company’ current reservations will stay unchanged.
The timeline for the launch of the enormous new cruise ship, the road’s second Icon-class ship after Icon of the Seas, has been in flux.
The ship was initially scheduled to debut with a maiden voyage on August 17, 2025. Nonetheless, a delay within the supply of the ship compelled the cancellation of that cruise.
In January 2025, the road introduced that ship can be able to sail on August 23, 2025, and scheduled the unique two preview voyages.
Peeved Visitors Say Artwork Public sale Was a Rip-off
Visitors crusing on the business’s largest cruise ships are accustomed to seeing art work on the market and receiving invites to artwork auctions. For one household crusing on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, the meant buy of a chunk of artwork turned out to be a giant disappointment.
The artwork public sale was organized by Park West Gallery, which leases house from the cruise line to carry its artwork shows and auctions. The gallery has no different affiliation with the cruise line.
The story that unfolded signifies a bait-and-switch scenario. The household posted on social media that they efficiently bid $650 for a chunk of art work they beloved.
Nonetheless, when finalizing the deal after the public sale ended, they have been informed there had been a pricing error and that the precise value of the art work can be $2,700.
Making issues worse, they have been informed that the piece of artwork that they had bid on was bought out, and one other art work was provided as an alternative. The household backed out of the deal altogether and contacted the ship’s Visitor Companies division.
Visitor Companies workers, nevertheless, informed the visitor that the cruise line shouldn’t be answerable for Park West’s actions.
Wildlife Officers in Honduras Say ‘Palms Off’
Native officers in Honduras have put the kibosh on the apply of cruise company dealing with and holding wildlife similar to monkeys and sloths, and the brand new coverage is impacting some shore excursions.
As of March 1, 2025, wildlife authorities on Roatan Island, house to the vastly well-liked Mahogany Bay vacation spot owned by Carnival Company, applied a ban on cruise company bodily interacting with native animals.
Guests can observe wildlife, however not contact them anymore, the authorities mentioned. The coverage change was made, in accordance with the Nationwide Institute of Forest Conservation, in an effort to cease unlawful trafficking and over-manipulation of wildlife.
The brand new rule impacts a number of shore excursions that beforehand featured wildlife interactions, such because the “Pirates, Birds & Monkeys of the Caribbean” tour and the “Cover & Gumbalimba Park” tour, as an illustration, each of which had provided alternatives for company to carry wildlife. The excursions are nonetheless provided, however with out the dealing with of animals.
World Cruise Retains an Eye Out for Pirates
Visitors crusing on a Cunard world cruise aboard the three,000-guest Queen Anne skilled some heightened safety precautions because the ship sailed the Sulu Sea, a area of the Philippine Archipelago recognized for . . . gulp, pirates.
There was no purpose to fret, ship Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge informed passengers on March 14, 2025, nevertheless, he issued a number of actions designed to thwart any attainable interplay with pirates.
The precautions known as for all company to keep away from the exterior promenade deck from 9 p.m. on March 14 to five a.m. on March 15. Additionally, exterior lights on the ship have been to be dimmed, and all company have been informed to maintain stateroom curtains closed and to dim or flip off cabin lights.
The in a single day hours handed with none points because the ship sailed from Darwin, Australia, to Manila. Queen Anne, Cunard’s latest ship that debuted in 2024, is continuous on her 111-night world voyage, roundtrip from Hamburg, Germany. The cruise ends on April 29, 2025.
Cruise Line Pulls a Favourite Fruit Off the Buffet
There are no extra grapes within the Lido Market buffet on Carnival Cruise Line ships nowadays, and one visitor wished to know why.
Posting the query on the favored Fb web page of cruise line model ambassador John Heald, the visitor mentioned he observed that there have been no grapes within the buffet or in eating places, however did see them in particular person fruit baskets delivered to visitor cabins.
Heald replied that, sure, grapes have been faraway from the buffet as a result of having company pull grapes off the vine shouldn’t be a hygienic motion. The coverage could possibly be modified sooner or later, he added.
Touching meals objects, together with utensils, plates, and different surfaces, comes with a danger of spreading germs. Certainly, the previous few months have seen a number of circumstances of gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships throughout cruise traces.
Visitors are routinely reminded to clean palms often, particularly earlier than eating at any cruise ship venue.
Cruise Line Clarifies Security Drill Requirement
Cruise company have develop into accustomed to the digital type of muster drills which have emerged throughout the business, the place company sometimes watch a security video of their cabin quite than report in particular person, carrying their life vest, to their muster station.
However in some way rumors have surfaced that sure Carnival Cruise Line ships have been returning to the in-person drill requirement. Some company turned to model ambassador John Heald to clarify what’s occurring.
On his Fb web page, Heald confirmed that, no, the road is not reverting to in-person drills, nevertheless, to evolve to security rules, every ship within the fleet should maintain one in-person drill each six months.
The in-person requirement is often introduced to company shortly earlier than departure day, so it gained’t be a shock. All cruise ships should maintain a security briefing earlier than leaving the dock.
Digital drills might be executed on the company’ comfort as soon as they enter their cabin, whereas the in-person drills take a few half-hour.
Extra Cruise Headlines
Cruise Hive has loads extra cruise information tales you gained’t need to miss, together with MSC Cruises bringing its new “Soiled Dancing” present to a different ship; a Maine port limiting visiting cruise ships to 50 company; Villa Vie Residences including one other world cruise reserving choice; one other viral outbreak impacting a Holland America Line ship; and Carnival Company including solar energy to 2 Caribbean ports.
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