Cruise
Emerald Cruises unveils the Emerald Astra
Emerald Cruises has announced a new ship, adding to its fleet of Star-Ships, Emerald Astra, along with extensive updates to the entire Emerald Cruises river fleet across Europe. The developments aim to enhance guest experiences, blending Emerald Cruises’ hallmark features with luxury yacht-inspired design elements. Emerald Astra will mark the next evolution of Emerald Cruises’ river fleet. Designed to mirror the sleek elegance of the line’s luxury superyachts, the ship features a modern, grey-tinted glass exterior and will welcome 180 guests. From ancient Greek and Latin...
Hurtigruten sails into the future with zero-emission cruise ship
Hurtigruten is sailing into the future with the release of its updated plans for its Sea Zero project, the zero-emission ship scheduled to debut in 2030, as it is in its research and development phase. With the help of large batteries, sails, and other innovative solutions, the ship will be able to sail entirely emission-free during normal operation, while energy consumption could be reduced by 40% to 50%. Hurtigruten initially announced its Sea Zero project in October 2022, and then unveiled its first set of renderings in summer 2023. As the research and development phase has...
Carnival Panorama emerges from dry dock with new look
Adorned with the red, white and blue hull livery that’s become the signature look of America’s Cruise Line, Carnival Panorama returns to service Oct. 12, from a 24-day dry dock in Singapore. The ship is the final one in Carnival Cruise Line’s 27-ship fleet to receive its hull livery and the latest vessel to sport a variety of enhancements. A non-smoking casino has been added near the main casino. Guests who love to shop will also find an all-new Effy Fine Jewelry store and a new Carnival Adventures store amid the refurbished Fun Shops. A Dreams Studio, where guests can schedule...
Carnival sets sail with enriched learn and earn program for agents
Carnival Cruise Line has set sail with an enhanced Learn & Earn training platform as part of its popular Loyalty Rocks! program for travel advisors. Travel advisors will now be able to partake in new curriculum options, having access to more than 50 video-based courses that sharpen expertise on a variety of topics on both Carnival offerings, such as ship overviews, as well as industry trends and helpful tools, like social media training. Meegan Broussard, senior director of trade marketing and sales communications for Carnival Cruise Line, explained that: “The travel...
Viking takes delivery of new Egypt ship, Viking Sobek
Viking has taken delivery of the company’s newest ship for the Nile River, the Viking Sobek. The delivery ceremony took place when the new ship was presented at Massara shipyard in Cairo, Egypt. The 82-guest Viking Sobek joins the company’s growing fleet of state-of-the-art ships for the Nile River and will sail Viking’s popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary. “We are proud to welcome the Viking Sobek to our award-winning fleet. In our view, these identical sister ships are by far the most elegant vessels on the Nile,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO...
Atlas Ocean Voyages adds new agent booking tool
Atlas Ocean Voyages has launched a new online booking tool within the Atlas Advisor Central portal. Designed to make it easier for travel advisors to book, manage, and track their client’s voyages, this tool is designed to simplify the booking process, offering an intuitive experience with features such as searching expeditions by destination, booking staterooms, accessing promotional rates, and tracking current and future bookings. Advisors can now create, view, and review bookings more efficiently by visiting Agents.AtlasOceanVoyages.com. “We are committed to supporting our...
Ponant announces 2024-2025 expeditions to Arctic and beyond
PONANT is gearing up for new winter 2024-2025 itineraries to Central America, Greenland, Scandinavia, and beyond. A new expedition to the Ross Sea, which extends from the Antarctic coastline out into the Southern Ocean, invites travellers to follow in the footsteps of legendary polar explorers. The lecturer and guide Jonathan Shackleton, a descendant of legendary polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, and the historian Lucy Scott, the great granddaughter of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, will be on board to regale guests with stories of their ancestors’ Antarctic exploits. The 21-night...
Disney celebrates agents at spooky event packed with updates
Even though the a capella singing group The Cadaver Dans and the butler that roamed the room to meet with travel advisors were very much “dead,” yesterday The Walt Disney Company held a fang-tastic breakfast at the Fairmont Royal York that was alive with news and updates from its theme parks and cruise ships. During the agent appreciation event, Marlie Morrison, managing director, marketing & sales; Canada/Japan/South Korea, noted that Canada is a top international market for Disney, following the U.K. “We have had a really strong year out of Canada. 2024 has been extremely...