Norwegian Cruise Line reveals Norwegian Bella, its final Prima Class ship
Norwegian Cruise Line unveiled Norwegian Bella on October 20, the sixth and final ship in its Prima Class. At roughly 170,000 gross tons and carrying 3,921 guests, she will tie Norwegian Aura as the line's largest ship; Aura arrives in May 2027. Bookings opened with the reveal, and Bella's debut season of 7-night Mediterranean round-trips from Barcelona, with calls at Rome, Florence, Salerno, Marseille and Palma de Mallorca, begins in May 2028.
MSC World Asia completes sea trials ahead of a December debut
MSC Cruises' MSC World Asia, the third ship in its World Class, has finished sea trials and is on track for delivery later this month. She debuts December 4 from Barcelona, then settles into a winter inaugural season of 7-night Western Mediterranean itineraries with homeports including Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Civitavecchia and Messina.
Royal Caribbean pauses Labadee calls through April 2028
Royal Caribbean announced October 30 that it is removing its private destination Labadee, Haiti, from about 44 sailings across nine ships through April 2028. Replacement itineraries are being issued to booked guests, and the changes are being communicated as revised sailing plans for each affected voyage.
Princess ships begin calling at Celebration Key
Princess Cruises started calls at Celebration Key, Carnival Corporation's exclusive resort on Grand Bahama Island, on November 1 with Star Princess; Regal Princess follows on November 9. More Princess ships, including Caribbean Princess, Enchanted Princess, Sky Princess and Sun Princess, join in later seasons, giving the line's Caribbean itineraries a new beach day to love.
Viking Libra, the first hydrogen-powered ocean cruise ship, is set to sail
Viking's new ocean ship Viking Libra, billed as the first hydrogen-powered ocean cruise ship, is scheduled for her maiden voyage on December 3. Built for 998 guests, she opens with inaugural itineraries in Greece, where the industry will be watching hydrogen fuel-cell technology at work on an ocean cruise ship for the first time.
Windstar's Star Explorer opens its inaugural Mediterranean season
Windstar Cruises' new all-suite yacht, Star Explorer, joins the fleet December 28 with a round-trip Southern Spain Winter Escapes voyage from Barcelona. In early 2027 she settles into her inaugural Mediterranean Local Season through Spain, Italy, southern France and Croatia, ahead of summer 2027 sailings in Northern Europe. Windstar is one of our trusted partners, so we are watching her launch with particular excitement.
Tauck doubles its Rhône river capacity for 2028
On October 28, Tauck announced it is doubling its Rhône river cruise capacity in France for 2028 with the arrival of the new riverboat ms Harmonie. Tauck is one of our land-tour partners, and the move makes a lovely stretch of river, with its vineyards and hilltop villages, easier to book than ever.
What changed for cruisers this fall
Three booking updates are worth knowing before you reserve. Royal Caribbean's new cancellation calendar took effect October 11, replacing its old penalty tiers with simpler windows: 75 days for cruises of 1 to 4 nights, 90 days for 5 to 9 nights, and 120 days for voyages of 10 nights or more. Carnival introduced airline-style dynamic pricing for Wi-Fi and drink packages, with prices locked at the time of purchase. And Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings said it is scaling back included airfare as part of a broader cost-and-yield push, so check air-inclusive offers carefully before you book.
