In big news on the cruise line management front, Frank A. Del Rio, president of Oceania Cruises is stepping down, effectively immediately, according to Seatrade Cruise News. He spent two years as the brand's president but had worked for Oceania for many years. Jason Montague, who recently returned to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in a new role as chief luxury officer to oversee Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, will assume the day-to-day oversight of Oceania. That's a role he's also doing for the Regent brand, given the previously announced departure of Andrea DeMarco, Regent Seven Seas' president.
On the river cruise management front, Catherine Powell starts this week as the new president of AmaWaterways. Reporting to Rudi Schreiner, the line's co-owner and co-founder, she's now working alongside both Schreiner and Kristin Karst, co-owner and co-founder. In addition, Karst will also take on the position of brand ambassador. Powell previously spent 15 years at the Walt Disney Company and also served as Airbnb's global head of hosting. The river line said Powell's appointment will position the river cruise brand for its next phase of growth.
Major Homeport Moves
Carnival Cruise Line’s 3,700-passenger Carnival Sunshine began sailing year-round from the Half Moone Cruise Center in Norfolk, VA. The homeporting move will transform Norfolk from a seasonal operation to a permanent cruise hub, serving 150,000 cruise guests on an annual basis, the port's most ever. Also good to know? Carnival Sunshine recently emerged from a month-long drydock to refresh and update public spaces and accommodations.
On the West Coast, Royal Caribbean International will now homeport for the first time ever at San Diego, starting in October 2026. Serenade of the Seas will operate three-, four- and seven-night cruises to Ensenada, Mexico, and the Mexican Riviera. This marks an expansion for the cruise line, which will also continue to sail from the Port of Los Angeles (San Pedro) with Voyager of the Seas (replacing Navigator of the Seas) and Ovation of the Seas for the 2026-2027 season.
New Schedules
Ponant unveiled six new winter 2026-2027 voyages for Le Commandant Charcot, the line's modern expedition icebreaker. Guests will travel to the Norwegian fjords, Baltic cities and snow-covered shores. They'll head out whale-watching near Svalbard, Spitsbergen, Norway, and also view fishing villages along the St. Lawrence River’s ice floes within North America.
In addition, Explora Journeys, also unveiled its new 2026-2027 itineraries. But while some of these luxury voyages are far-flung in scope, others are closer to home—in the Caribbean or along the U.S. West Coast.
Trending Now: Asia is "Hot"
On Sunday night, many travel advisors tuned into HBO or Max and watched the first Season 3 episode of “The White Lotus.” Unfolding at a luxurious Thailand resort, the fictitious comedy-drama anthology focuses on interactions of global travelers and hotel staffers. Story lines dive into fun, romance, intrigue, mystery and, yes, at times even murder. The new season’s eight episodes were filmed on location at multiple Thai luxury resorts and eco-spots in Bangkok, Koh Samui and Phuket.
Those Thai destinations are reachable for guests traveling on select Asian ocean itineraries. In addition, consumers taking a Mekong River cruise often combine that experience with a pre-or post-cruise land stay in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia or Thailand). Sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor chatted with several top travel executives (some die-hard “White Lotus” fans) from Cruise Planners, Dream Vacations, CruiseCenter.com and Seabourn. They see good opportunities for growth in travel and cruise sales to Asia.
Sales and Support
In a move causing advisors to cheer, last week ultra-luxury Crystal introduced a new policy of faster commission payments for travel advisors. Other lines also are ramping up service and options to assist travel advisors. For instance, Uniworld introduced new marketing tools for travel advisors.
And on the sales executive front, Liz Fettes, currently vice president of sales, USA and Latam, Scenic Group, will join Cunard as senior vice president commercial, North America, on March 24. In addition, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has named Derek Lloyd vice president of strategic and national accounts. He'll succeed Brennan Quesnele who will become senior vice president of sales at sister brand Oceania Cruises effective February 24.
Royal Caribbean International announced its "Travel Partners of the Year" honorees for 2024. Travel Leaders Network received the Chairman's Award for Overall Achievement, while Travel Planners International took home honors with the President's Award for Overall Achievement. Cruise Planners was named National Account Partner of the Year. The full list of honorees is here.
Good for clients to know? Nassau Cruise Port announced that it has joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program. That's a global initiative designed to support individuals with non-visible disabilities.
Parting Ways
It’s official. Hurtigruten Group AS, which operates the Norwegian coastal cruise line Hurtigruten, and Hurtigruten Expeditions Holdings Ltd, which recently rebranded its global expedition cruise line as HX, are now two separate companies. Each finalized its acquisition by a consortium of investors.
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