Carnival celebrates sailing with 100 million guests

• Carnival Cruise Line has 100 million reasons to celebrate after announcing today it achieved a major milestone for the industry as the first cruise line to embark 100 million guests since its first sailing. Carnival President Christine Duffy visited Carnival Sunrise today as guests boarded the ship at PortMiami, where the cruise line was founded, to thank them for choosing fun since 1972 and making Carnival the world’s most popular cruise line. 
• The milestone was commemorated as Debbie and David Clifford, who are vacationing from Ohio and representing Carnival guests everywhere as the 100 millionth, boarded the ship with their family. They were recognised with fanfare from Duffy and the ship’s team members, who are led by Captain Luca Cherchi. Other guests embarking on the cruise were able to take part in the festivities as well – and take special photos signifying how each is ‘One in 100 Million.’
• The company’s new Carnival Celebration is already proving popular with guests in its first few months of sailing from Miami, and now the cruise line is preparing for another ship to debut in May. Carnival Venezia will expand Carnival’s New York offerings from seasonal to year-round and bring to life a host of all-new “Carnival Fun Italian Style” experiences. Later this year, Carnival Jubilee, a third sister ship to Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration, will join the fleet and sail from Galveston, Tex. In the spring of 2024, Carnival Firenze, sister ship to Carnival Venezia, will begin offering year-round cruises from Long Beach, California.

Beetlejuice the Musical to premier at sea

• NCL announced “Beetlejuice” The Musical as the headline production aboard its newest ground-breaking ship, Norwegian Viva, along with the ship’s full lineup of onboard entertainment offerings debuting August 2023. 
• Marking the first time the Tony Award®-nominated musical will be performed at sea, the 90-minute Broadway adaptation of Tim Burton’s iconic 1988 film narrates the story of the Deetz family as they attempt to remodel an uproariously haunted house. The musical’s paranormal antics will be heightened by NCL’s three-story multi-purpose Viva Theatre & Club and its immersive special effects and cutting-edge lighting and audio.
• The elaborate “Beetlejuice” production will charm and captivate guests as performers dance and sing along to show tune classics includeing “Day-O,” and “Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora),” while also revelling in the nostalgia from the pop culture classic film. Michelle D’Amico, who was a cast member of the Broadway production of “Beetlejuice” will join Norwegian Viva playing the role as “Lydia” for the first-at-sea rendition.
• Norwegian Cruise Line is known for its unwavering commitment to bringing world-class productions to the high seas, having previously debuted shows including “Six,” “Jersey Boys,” “Footloose” and more across its 18-ship fleet. This announcement also comes on the heels of the wildly popular debut of “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical,” aboard Norwegian Prima, which featured a show-stopping performance from “American Idol” season two finalist, Kimberley Locke, during its 2022 inaugural season.

Princess Cruises Announces Lavazza as Official Coffee Partner

• Princess Cruises, the world’s most iconic cruise brand, today announced that world-renowned coffee brand, Lavazza, is now the line’s Official Coffee Partner. For more than 120 years, Lavazza has expressed the essence of real Italian coffee, with a passion for superior quality.
• Lavazza offerings will begin rolling out on Princess ships throughout the spring and guests can expect to enjoy the brand’s array of hot coffee options and convenient Ready-to-Drink cans. The relationship will extend beyond offering Lavazza products and services on board to include unique coffee-inspired dinners and recipes collectively designed by Lavazza experts and Princess executive chefs, educational sessions, tastings, food pairings and samplings. The two brands will also collaborate on upcoming marketing campaigns, promotions and exclusive events.

Carnival Firenze opens for sale

• Carnival Cruise Line today opened reservations for the inaugural season of its next new ship to showcase Carnival Fun Italian Style experiences, Carnival Firenze™, which will begin sailing year-round from Long Beach, Calif. starting in May 2024 through April 2025. View the sailings now open for sale on Carnival.com.
• The newly available sailings give guests 15 different itinerary options of three to seven-day cruises. Carnival Firenze’s sailings will feature visits to popular Baja Mexico and Mexican Riviera destinations. Some of the sailings now open for sale from Long Beach, Calif. include:
  • 5-Day Mexican Riviera Inaugural Cruise departs May 2, 2024, and visits Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada, Mexico
  • 6-Day Mexican Riviera Cruise, offering several departure options, visits Ensenada and two days in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
  • 7-Day Mexican Riviera Cruise, offering several departure options, visits Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
• Carnival Firenze will be the second ship to showcase all-new Carnival Fun Italian Style experiences, which will debut with the May 2023 arrival of Carnival Venezia. Carnival Fun Italian Style incorporates Carnival’s signature fun, friendly crew and many familiar venues, plus several new, creative concepts – including Italian-themed restaurants, bars and entertainment – and beautiful, unique architectural designs.

Virgin Voyages Announces Limitless Voyage Programming

• Setting sail on April 14, Virgin Voyages’ special-edition Limitless Voyage is a one-of-a-kind experience created by the brand’s Chief Entertainment and Lifestyle Officer, global icon and inspiring entrepreneur Jennifer Lopez. Taking to the high seas April 14-19 and set to the beautiful backdrop of the dream Caribbean seas, the unique programming – designed by women for women – includes a mix of engaging speaker events, networking opportunities, shore excursions, panels and on-board happenings spanning across wellness, lifestyle, dining and entertainment. Today, Virgin Voyages is announcing the incredible line-up of talent, including more than a dozen powerhouse speakers. Starting today, women now have the opportunity to book an exclusive package for this sailing with access to extraordinary, one-time-only events.
• At the forefront of the Limitless Voyage programming are the special guest speakers, each trailblazers in their own right. They have all been hand-selected to share their experiences, motivations and unique insights aligned with seven core themes (coined the seven Cs) including Clarity, Character, Confidence, Courage, Care, Community and Connection. The speaker line-up will touch on all themes, introducing new conversations and topics everyday and offered alongside Virgin Voyages’ award-winning sailing experience.
• The impressive line-up of speakers includes:
  • Andrea Sullivan, Chief Marketing Officer at VaynerX – As CMO of VaynerX, Andrea is responsible for the organization’s brand and building its vibrant community of business leaders and culture icons. Creator of Marketing for the Now, she’s personally responsible for the popular series featuring prolific speakers and drawing a global audience of 100,000 per month.
  • Beatriz Acevedo, CEO + Co-Founder SUMA Wealth – A leading inspirational voice and Latina entrepreneur, Beatriz is dedicated to creating opportunities for the voices of diverse youth, with efforts to authentically influence and positively depict Latinos in society.
  • Carrie Byalick, President of Spartina Industries – From one of the entertainment industry’s most sought-after media and publicity strategists, to creator of her own talent management firm, Carrie now works with Late Show legend, Stephen Colbert, as president of his production company, Spartina Industries.
  • Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, Founder & CEO at Kindra – Catherine is a life-long advocate for women’s health and launched Kindra to break down the stigma around menopause. Empowering women through midlife, Kindra is an innovative self-care company for women in menopause that uses science-backed formulas, education, and community-building initiatives.
  • Lissette “Chiky BomBom” Eduardo, Co-Host, hoyDía – After conquering the hearts of the U.S. Hispanic audiences with her participation on Telemundo’s first season of Top Chef VIP, and known for her famous TikTok videos in which she shares inspiring messages, the renowned Dominican influencer joined the network’s morning show Hoy Día as co-host.
  • CJ Frogozo, Communications & Marketing Executive / Fitness Instructor – CJ is focused on transformational policy change and communications strategies — disrupting norms to fight for social and economic justice, women’s and gender issues, and consumer product transparency.
  • Jill Lindsey, CEO of JILL LINDSEY – Entrepreneur and podcast host, Jill believes in positive business growth through partnering with small business owners — all while mentoring many of her vendors.
  • Jill Stoneberg, Senior Director of Social Impact and Sustainability at Virgin Voyages – Dedicated to bringing to life Virgin Voyages’ mission to “Create An Epic Sea Change For All,” Jill oversees brand initiatives to bring positive change to our Sailors, ocean, communities, Crew, and partners, with a focus on decarbonization and community relations.
  • Katie Rosen Kitchens, Co-Founder, FabFitFun – Co-leading the evolution of this female-focused media brand since 2013 – from writing about lifestyle products to getting them into people’s hands – Katie curates fresh and exciting brands for FabFitFun’s members and oversees all brand partnerships and product development.
  • Natalie Kuhn, Co-CEO, The Class – As the first employee of The Class, Natalie helped grow the business and its method from its inception in 2013 to what it is today: a global digital wellness company whose mindful movement practices are experienced in-person, in NY & LA, and digitally in 71 countries across the globe.
  • Nathalie Walton, CEO of Expectful – As a new mother, Nathalie experienced the failure of the US healthcare system to nurture the mental and emotional wellbeing of pregnant and new mothers — so she joined Expectful to help solve this problem.
  • Rei Chou, Founder, Rei of Light, The Feast – Rei is a healer, advisor, confidante and coach to the world’s most visionary creatives and leaders.
  • Stacy London, CEO, State of Menopause – Host of TLC’s hit show “What Not to Wear,” Stacy is now an outspoken entrepreneur about women’s health and longevity.
  • Susan McPherson, Founder and CEO, McPherson Strategies – A purpose-driven leader, keynote speaker, and author, Susan focuses on ESG and corporate social impact communications.
  • Sylvia Benito, Chief Investment Officer, ASK Family Office – A rare blend of spirit-dweller and financier, Sylvia is an indigenously trained shaman and Chief Investment Officer for a billion-dollar portfolio.
• Sailors will also be treated to enhanced entertainment experiences featuring female talent and Latina artists. Bella Dose, a bilingual group Rolling Stone recently named among the top 10 Latin acts to make it big in 2023, will perform along with VTech, a DJ known for her Vegas residencies and sharing the decks with the likes of David Guetta, Avicii, Zedd and Diplo. Keeping the voyage light and playful with their comedy acts are Gina Brillon, who’s appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, America’s Got Talent and Chelsea Lately, along with Aida Rodriguez, a Latina comedian, writer and actress who’s recent comedy special “Fighting Words” is streaming on HBO Max.
• While everyone on-board will have the opportunity to experience a taste of the amazing programming like social happy hours or the JLo Booty Burn class, Virgin Voyages is taking it a step further by creating a “Limitless Package,” now available for purchase. Women who book this through Sailor Services (Customer service) will have access to fireside chats, hosted dining experiences, JLo Beauty gifts, private yoga sessions, a sound-bath meditation, thermal suite passes, networking opportunities and some surprises and delights along the journey. They can also select from a handful of specially guided shore excursions in Puerto Plata including surf lessons, a tour of a local women’s co-op or jumping off the iconic Damajagua waterfalls.

100 years of Cunard captured in time

• Cunard celebrates a century’s worth of luxury, magic, history and memories by launching its new Sea Views Exhibition, carefully curated by British photographer and filmmaker Mary McCartney.
• The exhibition celebrates two momentous milestones in Cunard’s history – the first being that over 100 years ago, Cunard introduced onboard photography to capture the signature moments of their voyages and the second being the centenary of the first ever round the world voyage on Cunard’s ship, Laconia. Laconia’s 130-day voyage departed on November 21,1922 and arrived back in New York on March 30, 1923 after calling at 22 ports.
• Boasting images from Cunard’s photography archive together with an incredible number of photos submitted by past and present guests of its iconic cruise liners, the Sea Views Exhibition is a culmination of the century’s rich history.
• The centennial Sea Views digital exhibition is available to view on www.Cunard.com/seaviews.
• Hundreds of Cunard passengers from all over the world, including America, Australia, Canada, Germany and the UK, submitted over a thousand of their personal highlights aboard Cunard ships. The images depict a series of fascinating moments from families immigrating to new continents, milestone anniversaries to unexpected guest encounters, telling magical stories from the 1920s to present day.
• Other images Mary McCartney selected to be part of this unique photography exhibition include:
  • Troops walking onboard in Sydney, Cunard’s Queen Mary (1940). The Queen Mary was deployed during the Second World War to carry troops to Europe
  • Nelson Mandela sailing on the Queen Elizabeth 2’s 1998 passage between Durban and Cape Town. In the ship’s visitor book, he wrote “Travelling on QE2 was an unforgettable honour and a pleasure”
  • Elizabeth Taylor, who regularly travelled with Cunard and her producer husband Mike Todd
  • Harry Lillis Crosby, known to the world as Bing, was a regular on board the Queen Mary. He was often found in the dark room on board the ship chatting to photographers.
  • The first ever Blue Note Jazz themed Transatlantic Crossing, with President of Blue Note Records Don Was, on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 (2015) (image is not of Don Was). The image was submitted by former guest Nick Pride
  • Sir Winston Churchill operating the controls with cigar in hand, with Commodore J.G.P. Bisset on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth (1940s)
  • Prominent Passengers Phyllis Calvert and husband Peter Murray-Hill, actors, with their daughter, Auriol, facing press photographers on the Queen Mary’s boat deck

Viking announces new Paris & D-Day 80th Anniversary voyage

• Viking today announced its new Paris & D-Day 80th Anniversary voyage for the 2024 European river season. With departure dates running from March through November 2024, the special 12-day voyage from London to Paris will commemorate Operation Overlord and the historic battles of Normandy, which took place nearly 80 years ago and served as the catalyst to the liberation of Western Europe from German occupation.   
• Guests booked on Viking’s new Paris & D-Day 80th Anniversary voyage begin their journey in London to visit historic World War II sites—including the Churchill War Rooms, where the D-Day landings were prepared in England, and Bletchley Park, the home of the World War II codebreakers. Guests may also learn about Britain’s Special Forces and its allies during a visit to the Imperial War Museum London and experience Gunwharf Quays, the D-Day Museum and Southwick House—where Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower planned Operation Overlord.
• After four days in England, guests continue on to Paris to embark on an award-winning Viking Longship. Sailing roundtrip from Paris, guests may explore Giverny and visit the beautiful gardens and charming farmhouse where Claude Monet lived and worked, trace the footsteps of Joan of Arc in Rouen, visit the Pegasus Memorial Museum and walk the hallowed ground at Normandy’s Commonwealth Cemetery and World War II beaches.
• Hosting 168 guests in 84 staterooms, Viking Longships on the Seine River are built specifically to navigate into the heart of Paris, with an exclusive docking location at Port de Grenelle, just a short walk from the Eiffel Tower. The ships feature an Aquavit Terrace and a wide variety of stateroom choices, as well as Viking’s signature Scandinavian design aesthetic. The vessels also have a hybrid propulsion system with batteries and are also equipped for shore power to reduce reliance on fuel while in port. Onboard solar panels further contribute to the ships’ energy efficiency.

Ponant’s 2024-2025 Antarctic expeditions

• Ponant has released its 2024-2025 sailing itinerary program for the mythical White Continent of Antarctica.
• With the first departure in the season scheduled for 19 October, the austral summer will see 26 sailings across three ships, Le Lyrial, L’Austral and Le Boréal in the company’s fleet crossing the remote territories which offer the entire reproduction cycle of the penguins which populate in the White Continent.
• Backed by over 30 years of experience in the region and with the captains, expedition leaders and naturalist guides sharing their knowledge of the region, guests have the opportunity to see Adélie chinstrap and gentoo orcas, seals, elephant seals, albatrosses and southern fulmars all within the vast untamed land of ice and icebergs.

Seabourn Announces Sale of Seabourn Odyssey to MOL Group

• Seabourn, announced the sale of Seabourn Odyssey to Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL). Following the sale, Seabourn will continue to operate all published voyages through August 22, 2024, under a charter arrangement. Seabourn Odyssey will be delivered to MOL after the charter agreement.
• With the addition of Seabourn Pursuit this summer, Seabourn will have one of the most modern fleets in the ultra-luxury segment with an average age of just seven years.”
• Seabourn’s fleet expansion into the ultra-luxury expedition market allows for a more diverse offering of deployment opportunities, which will lead to new and exciting itineraries across all seven continents with a higher guest capacity compared to 2019 even after Seabourn Odyssey’s departure.
• Seabourn Odyssey carried guests across the world for the last 14 years.

How Pool is that

• A-Rosa River Cruises will make a big splash by becoming the first river cruise line to offer swimming lessons onboard one of its ships. Working in partnership with the Wasserlust Swimming School, swimming lessons will take place on A-ROSA SENA, the lines flagship, family friendly vessel which launched last year.
• Beginner and intermediate courses will be available for children aged between four and a half and seven years of age on two key summer holiday departures – 5 and 12 August. The course will include six lessons all taught by a qualified swimming instructor, with a maximum of six participants per lesson of 45 minutes.
• Beginner lessons are aimed at all children who are completely new to swimming and aim to build water confidence and early skills and techniques. The intermediate course is for children who are already confident in the water and is designed to improve technique and endurance. After completing the course all children will receive a certificate. Each six lesson course will cost €100 per child.
• A-ROSA SENA’s pool is located on the ship’s expansive sundeck, next to the separate children’s splash pool, another first on a river cruise.
• A-ROSA SENA is the perfect choice for a family holiday. Built from the outset with families and multigenerational groups in mind, she is the first European river cruise ship to feature a dedicated kids club room called ‘Treasure Island’. This pirate themed space boasts a slide, climbing and cave areas, craft and painting corners and a relaxation area with large cushions designed to look like stones.
• The kids club and 12 spacious family cabins are located in the ‘family area’ of the ship on deck 1. These 28m2 cabins sleep up to five and have been creatively designed to feature a large double bed, bunk beds with port holes and curtains for little ones and a sofa bed. There is also a play area, a bathroom with shower and two sinks, a separate toilet and a toy box in every cabin filled with age-appropriate toys for the little guests.
• Aiming to make mealtimes as stress free as possible, a special children’s buffet is available for younger guests and older children can put together their own favourite dishes at the gourmet buffet if they prefer. There is also a separate family area in the A-ROSA MARKET restaurant where families can eat together should they wish.