Cruise News Update
In this week cruise news In summary, we have coverage of a celebrity cruise ship coming to the rescue of 35 refugees, Carnival’s new beverage line-up and the cruise line celebrating 100 million guests, more than any other industry. It was also a week Royal Caribbean wants to forget with two website errors that have left guests upset and the cancellation of a Mariner of the Seas show.
Royal Caribbean cancels April 1 cruise
Guests who have booked on board sailors of the seas for a 5 night cruise on April 1, 2023 from Port Canaveral will be disappointed to hear this Royal Caribbean has actually canceled their cruise.
The canceled voyage was a Western Caribbean cruise that was scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral, Florida and call in Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico before returning to Port Canaveral.
Guests who booked this trip have been informed of the cancellation. You have the option to either rebook on a future Royal Caribbean cruise or receive a full refund.
In the letter to guests, Royal Caribbean stated: “We are continually working to improve our ships and the many amenities they have to offer. Mariner of the Seas is currently in dry dock for routine and exciting maintenance which will take some additional time to complete these upgrades.”
“Unfortunately, this means that our cruise on April 1, 2023 has been cancelled. We know this news is disappointing and we apologize for the impact it has on your cruise.”
Since maintenance is relatively straightforward, that seems odd sailors of the seas would be delayed. However, like many other European countries, Spain, including Cadiz, has seen a significant proportion of strikes, particularly in the metals industry. This would explain any delays the ship experienced during dry dock, which began in late February.
Celebrity Rise to start sailing earlier
Celebrity Cruises has two preview cruises planned from his new one Celebrity Riseso eager cruisers can get a glimpse of the ship ahead of her inaugural cruise in December 2023. Both departures are return trips from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.
The first is a 4-night Western Caribbean cruise departing November 22, 2023, offering cruisers a Thanksgiving week. The ship will call at Cozumel. The second preview cruise is a three-night Bahamas cruise departing November 26, 2023 and calling at Nassau, Bahamas.
The 3,260 guests Celebrity Rise is a twin ship celebrity beyondwhich debuted in 2022. The first Edge-class ship was celebrity edgewhich was introduced in 2018. The third in class celebrity apexentered service in 2021.
Celebrity Rise marked a construction milestone in late January 2023 when she was floated out of dry dock at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.
Her maiden voyage is scheduled for December 3, 2023 from Port Everglades. The 7-night Western Caribbean cruise will call at St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Puerto Plata. The maiden voyage will be followed by alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.
100 million guests have sailed Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line reaches a major milestone which no other cruise line has ever matched by welcoming more than 100 million guests aboard their ships.
The celebration was marked by the boarding of the 100 millionth guest, Debi and David Clifford, who were vacationing with their family from Ohio. Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy and the ship’s team members, led by Captain Luca Cherchi, greeted her with fanfare and took photos to mark her place as “One in 100 Million.”
Carnival Cruise Line, the world’s largest cruise line, was founded in 1972 and celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Originally only a single ship, the carnivalthe company has since expanded its fleet to 23.
In addition, among the 100 million guests, 167 people have sailed on more than 100 cruises, while 152,000 guests have spent more than 100 days on board.
In fact, there is even a five-year-old guest who has already accumulated over 100 cruise days. These incredible stats show the popularity and loyalty of carnival goers.
Royal Caribbean disruptions
It’s been a tough week for Royal Caribbean, not only because of the April 1st cancellations we detailed earlier, but also because of online disruptions.
On March 11, 2023, Royal Caribbean International placed a new premium VIP package called The Premier Pass on its website. This was a package for two guests priced at $88.99. It’s an identical package to what’s offered by sister brand Celebrity Cruises.
The excitement surrounding the new package was short-lived, however, as the cruise line withdrew the offer on March 12, saying it wasn’t available to its guests.
Although the cruise line apologized for the confusion it caused and offered refunds to guests who bought the package before the bug was fixed, the bug didn’t go unnoticed on Twitter and other social media.
The second glitch of the cruise line was on March 1st, but only now guests are being informed about it. Royal Caribbean accidentally started offering the Atlantis Aquaventure Waterpark Tour for $64.99. The excursion used to cost $249, but since the glitch brought the price down, many people booked it for their upcoming cruise.
Due to the cruise line’s error, guests who booked the tour were not pleased to be informed that the purchase at the glitch price of $64.99 had been cancelled. Royal Caribbean will refund the purchase back to the original payment form and offer a $50 onboard credit as an apology.
Many guests were upset with the cruise line for not honoring the glitch price and only offering a much lower $50 credit. To the annoyance of guests, the cruise line has also increased the regular price of the Atlantis Aquaventure Waterpark tour to $309.
New beverage selection from Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line announced the release of a new line of non-alcoholic cocktails. The new cocktails are created with non-alcoholic spirits from Lyre’s, a global trendsetter in non-alcoholic spirits. This partnership makes Carnival the first cruise line to offer a full range of non-alcoholic cocktails.
According to Zachary Sulkes, Carnival’s senior director of beverage operations, partnering with Lyre’s offers guests who desire non-alcoholic cocktails a great way to enjoy a cocktail onboard.
Lyre’s uses all-natural flavors, including essences, extracts and distillates to achieve the aroma, flavor and look of time-tested classics. The company’s spirits have received multiple awards and are recognized as the world’s most awarded line of non-alcoholic spirits.
The new range of non-alcoholic cocktails is based on seven Alchemy Bar favorites including Martini Seduction, Spicy Chipotle Pineapple Martini, The Remedy, Hearts of Fire, Restorative Basil Drop, The Perfect Storm and Cucumber Sunrise.
The Alchemy Bar is a prominent feature of Carnival cruise lines, with a particular emphasis on cocktail preparation and serving. It differs from typical bars on ships by offering a personalized experience where guests can interact with their bartender and witness the creation of bespoke cocktails.
More cruise headlines
Those were just some of the cruise headlines from the past week. We’ve got all the coverage of Cruise Hive, including a resort in the Bahamas give some recoil about a new development from Royal Caribbean, a special MSC Cruises Formula 1 Experiencea couple Carnival Cruise Line explanations to forthcoming departures, The celebrity millennium Cruise ship do a caribbean rescue, magicians on stage during a performance on board and much more.
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