Top Cruise Travel Stories From August

by Donald Wood
Last updated: 7:00 PM ET, Tue August 29, 2023

Carnival Reveals Name for New Bahamas Port

1/12 Carnival Cruise Line announced the name of its new destination in the Bahamas is Celebration Key. The name of the highly-anticipated exclusive cruise port destination on Grand Bahama was revealed during a ceremony that featured guests, employees, travel advisors and Bahamian government officials.

 

Norwegian Returning to Baltimore With Multiple Ships

2/12 Norwegian Cruise Line announced plans to dock the Norwegian Sky in Baltimore in September, followed by the Norwegian Sun in November, marking the company’s triumphant return to Charm City.

 

Carnival Welcomes Next Roller Coaster at Sea

3/12 Carnival Cruise Line is set to welcome its third BOLT: Ultimate Sea Coaster aboard Carnival Jubilee. Crews at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany installed the roller coaster's 800-foot track on Deck 19. The installation is expected to be completed next month and test runs are scheduled for October.

 

Celebrate Spooky Season with Virgin Voyages’ Halloween Cruises

4/12 Virgin Voyages is offering several Halloween-themed sailings onboard its three cruise ships this year. They begin Friday, October 13 and end November 1 on the Scarlet Lady, while the Resilient Lady and the Valiant Lady offer Halloween cruises from October 13-31.

 

Cunard Brings Shore Power to Entire Fleet

5/12 Cunard is the latest cruise line now able to utilize shore power across its fleet while in port. The milestone, which allows cruise ships to switch off their onboard engines and use a port’s local electricity grid, reduces emissions and noise while in port, making it one of the methods that cruise ships are implementing to increase sustainability.

 

Silversea Introduces the Spacious New Ship of Light

6/12 The name of Silversea Cruises’ newest and 12th ship, Silver Nova, reflects the philosophy behind its construction. The name Nova is the feminine form of the Latin novus, meaning “new,” “fresh” or “extraordinary.”

 

VIVA Cruises Joins CLIA

7/12 European river cruise specialist VIVA Cruises is the newest Cruise Lines International Association member. The company was founded in 2018 as the first foray into tour operations for Swiss shipping company Scylla AG. VIVA now boasts an eight-ship fleet, including its own newbuilds VIVA ONE and VIVA TWO, with a third, VIVA Enjoy, launching next month.

 

MSC Cruises Gets Approval for Private Island Overhaul

8/12 MSC Cruises announced it had received approval from the local government to expand and upgrade its Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve cruise destination in The Bahamas. The Bahamian Central Bank revealed in its Monthly Economic and Financial Developments report that MSC would dump around $100 million into Phase II of the project.

 

Seabourn Announces New Gourmet Dining Experiences

9/12 Seabourn announced a wide variety of gourmet dining experiences and cuisines on the cruise line’s new ultra-luxury purpose-built expedition ship, Seabourn Pursuit, which launches on August 12. The main fine-dining venue on board all Seabourn ships is The Restaurant, with Seabourn Pursuit boasting two new recipes added each week to the already extensive menu. The new recipes will use several fresh ingredients, such as oysters, Dover sole and more.

 

Crystal Reveals Details for 2025 World Cruise

10/12 Crystal announced the 2025 World Cruise onboard Crystal Serenity will be open for booking on Aug. 30, 2023. Sailing over the course of 123 nights, the voyage encapsulates visits to more than 31 countries, 62 ports and 17 overnights where Abercrombie & Kent – Crystal’s sister company and the world’s leading tour operators, introduce unparalleled shore excursions, overlands and pre- and post-tours for World Cruise guests.

 

Cunard Teams With Michelin Chef on New Menus

11/12 Cunard announced a new partnership with two Michelin-starred chef, Michel Roux, who will work alongside the cruise line’s culinary development chefs. Roux and the Cunard team will create an exclusive gala menu for the Queens Grill restaurant on the cruise line’s new Queen Anne ship and design the latest offerings for the fleet-wide pub, the Golden Lion.

 

Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Release 2025 Itineraries

12/12 Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic released its selection of 2025 expedition voyages, available to book now with several limited-time offers. Travelers who book two cruises will enjoy a ten percent discount if booked within the same schedule. Guests who travel with a friend can both enjoy five percent off their cabin fares for 2025 departures.

 

The cruise industry has made significant waves throughout the month of August as demand continues to soar and travelers continue to hit the open seas.

With an eye shifting to 2024 and next year’s cruise itineraries, companies within the industry have continued to announce new destinations, additional homeports and sustainability efforts.

Add in cruise lines boasting new menus and restaurants, debuting world cruises, highlighting new sailings, and even building roller coasters at sea, and there has never been a better time to book a cruise vacation.

Here are the top stories from August.

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