Welcome to New in Cruise, our bi-weekly update on all the latest happenings in the cruise sector. Here’s what’s been happening in the industry so far in March.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises Simplifies Its Fare Structure
All-inclusive cruise line Regent Seven Seas Cruises buried the lead with the recent announcement of its new Air Concierge service. The change marks not only the introduction of more flexible booking options for guests, but the unbundling of airfare from the line’s fare structure.
Through March, Regent offers three fare classes for each suite type: All-Inclusive, Ultimate All-Inclusive with Economy Air, and Ultimate All-Inclusive with Business Class Air. Come April 1, it will offer one: the basic all-inclusive fare.
Guests who wish for Regent to handle their flights can reach out to the Air Concierge team 240 to 270 days in advance of sailing (based on suite category) to access their choice of routes, travel dates, cabin class, and airline, all priced at real-time market rates.
A $125 per person ($250 per suite) nonrefundable deposit is required to begin air travel arrangements; the deposit will either be applied to the final airfare cost or, if the guests choose not to book the Air Concierge team’s itinerary, as an onboard credit. Guests who use the Air Concierge will also receive up to a $500 credit per suite to apply to a Blacklane private chauffeur, as well as complimentary bus transfers between the airport and the ship.
The change offers increased flexibility for flight itineraries (no more deviation fees and limited customization), while simplifying Regent’s fare structure. Guests are no longer forced to choose at time of booking whether they wish for Regent to handle their airfare.
Middle East Cruise Update
After the current Middle East conflict closed air space and stranded cruise passengers in several regional ports, cruise lines have been monitoring the situation closely.
Celestyal Cruises has disembarked all its guests from ships in Dubai and Doha. It has canceled the remainder of its Arabian Gulf season, and is working to reposition both ships to the Mediterranean for their summer seasons in that part of the world. Given the delays, Celestyal has canceled Celestyal Discovery’s March 20 and 23 Aegean cruises.
MSC Cruises and Aroya Cruises have disembarked all guests in Dubai and have both canceled the remainder of their Arabian Gulf seasons.
Viking continues to operate its Nile River cruises as scheduled. AmaWaterways has, as well, but has canceled its Dubai, Jordan, and Israel extensions. Avalon Waterways has canceled its Egypt cruises through April and Tauck has canceled its through mid-March.
Celebrity Announces Shore Excursion Options for River Cruises
As the cruise world waits for the launch of Celebrity’s new river cruises in 2027, the line continues to tease details of its potentially game-changing entrance into this market. The latest tidbits revolve around its destination experience categories and how the line plans to offer more culturally immersive shore excursions.
Storyteller Series and Skillmaster Series experiences introduce guests to locals with unique interests and skillsets. The Storyteller tours focus on sightseeing while Skillmaster excursions include guests in hands-on activities, such as cooking local specialties in a home kitchen or taking a painting class with a local artist.
The Celebrity Takeover Series borrows an idea from former-sister-cruise-line Azamara and will offer a once-per-cruise exclusive event designed to wow.
The Keys to the City Series allows guests to pursue independent exploration in port with the aid of digital tools that provide curated walking tours and audio and video guides. The itineraries don’t only focus on major attractions; they promise to lead river cruisers to off-the-beaten-track locations where local guides will be stationed to surprise guests with expert insights and regional treats.
Carnival Cruise Line Leans Away from Slow Dining
Some folks cruise to embrace a slower pace of life – but not Carnival cruisers. The mass-market line has always appealed to travelers with short attention spans, as evidenced by its move toward the shorter Playlist Productions evening shows, while lines like Royal Caribbean embrace multi-act Broadway shows.
The line’s latest move is to cut the time required to enjoy dinner in its main dining room. Its new Express Dining allows groups of six or fewer to finish a multi-course meal in under an hour. The program is currently available on 15 ships and will roll out fleetwide by the end of May. The line also recently rolled out its Family Express stations at the Lido Deck buffet, which group kid favorite dishes all in one place for easier lunch service for families.
Cruisers can still opt to linger over lengthier meals in the main dining room, but those who’d rather eat quickly and head out to the ship’s entertainment venues now have that option. It’s a win for a cruise line encouraging guests to spend more time at revenue-generating onboard attractions, as well as families and folks who struggle to sit still during a slow-service meal.
Princess Cruises Raises Gratuity Amounts
Princess Cruises has increased its auto-gratuity fees by a dollar to $18 per person, per day, for guests in standard cabins; $19 for mini-suites, Cabanas, and Reserve Collection rooms; and $20 for suites. In addition, the line has upped its food and beverage service charges from 18% to 20%.
Guests can avoid these charges by booking the line’s Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages, which bundle together multiple add-ons (gratuities, drink packages, Wi-Fi, specialty and extra-fee casual dining, etc.) together for a flat daily rate and promises savings of 50 to 70%.
In Case You Missed It
Ship launches and onboard updates
- Scenic Group announced three new river ships across its two brands: Emerald Nova and Scenic Aria launching on the Douro River in 2027 and Scenic Spirit II on the Mekong in 2028.
- Royal Caribbean revealed a new “America’s Got Talent” show on Legend of the Seas.
- Viking takes delivery of new European river ship Viking Eldir.
- Explora Journeys celebrated the float out of Explora IV, the coin ceremony for Explora V, and the steel cutting of Explora VI in Genoa, Italy.
- Norwegian Cruise Line’s new Norwegian Luna begins sailing in Europe ahead of its late-March debut in Miami.
- Disney Cruise Line christens new ship Disney Adventure in Singapore.
- Celebrity Cruises relaunched Celebrity Solstice after a major upgrade, which added eight new onboard experiences (including four new to brand).
- MSC Cruises’ MSC Poesia went into dry dock ahead of its debut season in Alaska, and will emerge with new dining venues and a Yacht Club.
- Avora Residences has acquired Regent’s Seven Seas Navigator and will debut it in January 2028 as Avora Lumina.
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