Top Cruise Travel Stories From June

by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:00 PM ET, Wed June 28, 2023

Cruising Continues to Surge in Popularity

1/13 New information from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) showed that cruise occupancy rates are surging. In fact, some cruise lines have resorted to the airline practice of overbooking, as almost 40 million people are expected to take a cruise by 2027.

 

Online Searches for Cruising Increase

2/13 Data shows there has been a 15 percent increase in the number of people going online and searching cruise lines. The industry has clearly rebounded from the dark days of the pandemic and is currently taking advantage of the pent-up demand for summer travel. Nearly every cruise line showed record bookings in January.

 

Cruise Industry Clarifies Stance on Cannabis

3/13 Major cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival and even Disney Cruise Line have clarified their stance on cannabis and CBD. Simply put, if you sail from a United States port you must follow U.S. federal law. And right now, while there are many states that allow the possession of certain amounts of marijuana, there is no such federal law, so it’s considered prohibited items.

 

Disney Cruise Line Announces Holiday Voyages for 2024

4/13 Disney Cruise Line (DCL) announced a series of holiday-themed voyages for late 2024, including the return of Halloween on the High Seas and Very Merrytime Cruises. All of the holiday sailings are now on sale.

 

Jay Leno Named Godfather of Carnival Venezia

5/13 Acclaimed late-night talk show host and comedian Jay Leno will serve as Carnival Cruise Line’s first-ever godfather for the Carnival Venezia. Leno christened the former Costa ship on June 14 in New York City and performed for guests during the ceremony.

 

Sir Richard Branson to Host Special Virgin Sailing

6/13 Virgin Voyages will be offering a new “Virgin Celebration Voyage,” this summer from Athens, Greece, hosted by Sir Richard Branson and departing on August 27. The brand-first celebration voyage will include Branson and other company leaders, featuring curated fireside chats, performances, foodie experiences and more.

 

Four Seasons Yachts to Build Second Luxury Yacht

7/13 The first of the Four Seasons Yachts is expected to set sail in 2025, yet the luxury brand has ordered another luxury yacht to expand the line, this one projected to debut in 2026. Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings signed a $437 million contract to build the second yacht.

 

Royal Caribbean Introduces Utopia of the Seas

8/13 Royal Caribbean International’s upcoming ship, the Utopia of the Seas, will be the next Oasis Class ship to debut in July 2024 when it begins 3- to 4-night sailings from Port Canaveral, Florida. Bookings for the new ship are now open.

 

Carnival Cruise Line to Enhance Dining Room Menu

9/13 Carnival Cruise Line announced that it would be enhancing its main dining room menus with a new rotation of nearly sixty new entrees, to be offered fleetwide by this fall. The Carnival Dream, which began operations in 2008, will be piloting the new entrees. The line will be rolling out the menu offerings in a staggered manner, with an entire fleetwide rollout this autumn.

 

Crystal Ships to Debut New Aurora Spas

10/13 When Crystal’s Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony embark on their inaugural voyages this summer, both will be outfitted with one-of-a-kind Aurora spas. The spas are being designed by the highly regarded marine architecture and interior design firm Tillberg Design.

 

Hurtigruten Norway Unveils First Zero-Emission Ship

11/13 Hurtigruten Norway is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year by sharing more information about the development of the most sustainable ship at sea, a zero-emission ship whose project name is ‘Sea Zero.’ The Sea Zero project’s first zero-emission ship will debut in 2030; the line expects to completely replace its current fleet with zero-emission vessels in the future.

 

VIVA Cruises to Launch Third New-Build Ship

12/13 VIVA Cruises has announced the debut of its third new-build ship, VIVA ENJOY, which will launch in September 2024. Sharing a similar design to VIVA Cruises' second new-build ship VIVA TWO, VIVA ENJOY will mainly sail on the Danube from September to December 2024.

 

Holland America Line Unveils 2024-25 Asia Itineraries

13/13 Holland America Line unveiled its roster of 2024-25 Asia itineraries, which includes 10 countries, 49 port calls, nine one-of-kind 14-day itineraries combining multiple countries and two longer Legendary Voyages. The itineraries will depart from Hong Kong, Yokohama (Tokyo) and Singapore.

 

As the popularity of the cruise industry continues to increase and bookings continue to skyrocket, more and more cruise lines are working to improve the passenger experience and grow the industry to meet the elevated standards of customers.

From a focus on sustainability to the addition of new ships, companies throughout the cruise industry continue to capitalize on travel’s resurgence. Add in updates about unique entertainment options and new food and beverage offerings, and there has never been a better time to hit the high seas.

With data suggesting cruise travel is one of the industry’s fastest-growing sectors, companies like Carnival, Norwegian and Princess have taken advantage by making major waves over the last month. Here are the top stories from June.

 

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