New in Cruise: Hurricane Melissa Impacts, Scenic’s New Mega-Yacht and Fee Shake-Ups

While new ships topped last week’s cruise news, on Sunday the industry’s focus was on Hurricane Melissa‘s northward movement through the Caribbean. At press time, weather authorities noted this storm had just elevated to a Category 5 hurricane. Given the storm’s slow movement, they also warned of strong storm surges, flash flooding and landslides for Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

To avoid the hurricane zone, ships of Margaritaville at Sea, Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line and many other cruise lines have already shifted itineraries and ports of call. At press time, the storm was expected to move slowly northward and stay east of Florida and its major cruise embarkation ports.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America — Norwegian Cruise Line is advising guests on 2026 Hawaii cruises about the state’s Transient Accommodations Tax, which will cause increased fees for cruisers.

Booming Business

Advisors know that a strong buzz about new ships often fuels cruise vacation demand. So, they had much to cheer about last week. Scenic Group announced plans to build a new class of luxury mega-yacht. Launching in 2028, the 270-passenger Scenic Ikon will offer all-veranda suites ranging from 365–2,691 square feet.

Rated Polar Code 6 with an Ice Class 1A Super strengthened hull, this 672-foot-long yacht will sail in both polar and warm-weather regions. Scenic Ikon’s guests will likely feel akin to explorers as they head out via Zodiacs, tenders, two Airbus helicopters and a custom-designed Triton AVA submersible.

In major fleet growth, Viking christened nine new river ships. It also reached the 100-ship mark for its combined ocean, river and expedition ship fleet. Three of the new razzle-dazzle river vessels will sail Europe’s Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. One will sail France’s Seine River while another will operate on Portugal’s Douro River. In more exotic locales, one new Viking ship will sail Southeast Asia’s Mekong River plus two others will navigate along Egypt’s Nile River.

Also on the new ship front, there’s more! Celebrity Cruises took delivery of the new 3,260-passenger Celebrity Xcel and announced that its next new Edge-class ship will be named Celebrity Xcite. Disney Cruise Line also welcomed the new Disney Destiny earlier this month, according to Cruise Industry News.

Added Fees

Norwegian Cruise Line has now begun reaching out to guests on its 2026 Hawaii sailings about the impact of the state’s new Transient Accommodations Tax, which will become effective January 1, 2026. The new tax will levy an additional 14% on all cruise fares. While NCL has filed a legal challenge to the new tax, any resolution or court action could take time.

So, NCL guests sailing on 2026 Hawaii itineraries could see additional taxes of $50 to $500 or even more on their cruise fares, according to Cruise Hive. That’s based on both their overall cruise cost and the amount of time to be spent in Hawaii.

Separately, last week, Oceania Allura skipped a planned Shanghai, China, port call after Oceania Cruises replaced that call with a visit to Busan, South Korea. Apparently, the move was made to avoid a hefty, new retaliatory China port fee targeted at U.S. cruise operators.

New in Cruise: Itineraries

On the new itinerary front, Carnival Cruise Line announced year-round sailings from Mobile, Alabama, while sister brand Holland America Line unveiled its 2027-2028 Asia season. Princess Cruises introduced its 2027-2028 West Coast lineup of voyages. For those thinking of a Tahiti vacation, Paul Gauguin Cruises announced new 2027 family voyages.

In addition, advisors with foodie clients eager to cruise might check out Windstar Cruises’ five new James Beard Foundation sailings for 2026. For sophisticated, experienced luxury travelers, Mitsui Ocean Cruises introduced new 2026 Japan itineraries on the 458-passenger Mitsui Ocean Fuji. Sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor sailed recently on that ship and provided firsthand insight for advisors. Look for another article this week about Mitsui’s gastronomy, entertainment and shore options

For closer-to-home journeys, American Cruise Lines just introduced 15-day Northwest National Parks itineraries. Traveling roundtrip from Tacoma, Washington, in September 2026, ACL’s guests will spend seven days on land with guided exploration through Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades National Parks. That will be followed by eight days of cruising throughout the Pacific Northwest including Puget Sound, Friday Harbor and the San Juan Islands.

For select 2026 Arctic season voyages, Ponant Explorations extended its Enticing Iceland offer. Bookings must be made by November 23, 2025. Seabourn unveiled unique, after-dark experiences for its luxury guests on certain 2026 itineraries. For example, travelers might gaze in awe at the Northern Lights from their ship or spend an exclusive evening ashore under the stars at ancient Ephesus in Turkiye.

Eco-Progress, Norovirus

On the environmental progress front, MSC Group’s Cruise Division marked a back-to-back shore power milestone in Malta during an event attended by Dr. Robert Abela, that nation’s prime minister. On consecutive days earlier this month, MSC Cruises’ MSC World Europa and Explora Journeys’ Explora II both connected to Valletta’s shore power.

Explora II_Explora Journeys — In Malta, Explora II, shown above, recently became the first Explora Journeys ship to plug into shore power anywhere in the world.
(Explora Journeys)

And norovirus on land and sea continues, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating the 20th illness outbreak on a cruise ship this year. According to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program page, a gastrointestinal illness outbreak cited as norovirus occurred during Oceania Cruises voyage from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on October 16, 2025, voyage. Some 11.6 percent of all guests and 0.3 percent of crew members reported symptoms. That cruise ends today in Boston.

Trade Developments

Avoya Travel hosted its 2025 annual conference aboard MSC Cruises’ World America from October 11–18. New CEO Marc Kazlauskas welcomed more than 600 attendees including independent agencies and independent licensed agencies in the Avoya Network as well as more than 50 supplier partners and Avoya team members.

On the sales front, Quark Expeditions named Cher Allensworth as regional sales director, Eastern U.S. Based in New York, she’ll report to David Marathakis, senior director of sales, Americas.

Nostalgic & Futuristic

In a nostalgic move, Pan Am World Airways and Holland America Line will launch a first-ever, 28-day “Pan Am 100th Anniversary Legendary Voyage” in 2027. This journey will retrace the original Pan Am flying Clipper routes across the Caribbean, Mexico and Latin America.

Also taking a look back to its first voyage is HX Expeditions which has launched an onboard 1896 vintage cabin experience. Starting January 29, 2026, those traveling on Fridtjof Nansen’s 2026 voyages have an option for this unique experience at approximately $523 per person, single or double occupancy. Those who sign up can stay one night of their cruise within a meticulously recreated late 19th-century expedition cabin — complete with handcrafted period furnishings, authentic scents and curated touches.

Terminal G, one of Royal Caribbean's terminals at PortMiami, is being demolished and will be replaced with a new terminal. — Royal Caribbean’s Terminal G at PortMiami is being demolished to make way for construction of a new terminal.
(Photo by Susan J. Young.)

Looking to the future, demolition is under way at Royal Caribbean‘s Terminal G at PortMiami. A new terminal will be built on the same site. While Royal Caribbean also has operations at other PortMiami terminals, at certain times it may need to use another line’s terminal. For example, that’s happening today for guests embarking Freedom of the Seas who will board at MSC Cruises’ new Terminal AA.

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