Cruise tourism is sailing back into Providence, RI. Announced on Friday, small-ship American Cruise Lines is adding the city to its New England itineraries for the first time in four years as part of a long-term, collaborative partnership with the City of Providence led by Mayor Brett Smiley and the State of Rhode Island. During Phase One of the plan, starting in May, cruise ships will arrive at a new floating dock at 25 India Street, adjacent to the Seastreak Ferry Terminal.
For cruise passengers, that location is within walking distance of Providence's top local attractions including the culinary scene in Fox Point and Wickenden Street, the historic John Brown House Museum, the pedestrian friendly waterfront and the RISD Museum. Phase Two of the initiative will involve constructing a permanent dock along the Providence River. The goal of the cruise-government collaboration is to establish permanent cruise infrastructure and reintroduce Providence as a key coastal destination and potential future homeport.
Cruise Line News
Riviera River Cruises launched a new river vessel, Riviera Rose, which has a unique split-level design. Now sailing Portugal's Douro River, the 114-passenger ship is the first of a new generation of Riviera vessels. Victory Cruise Lines christened its 190-passenger Victory I in Toronto on Sunday. The moment signified the return of the small-ship cruise line led by John Waggoner, founder and CEO. Now sailing the Great Lakes, Victory is the only cruise company to dock at Chicago’s downtown Navy Pier, where Victory II will be christened on May 12, 2025. Both ships will operate 10 -to-15- night voyages from Chicago, Toronto, Milwaukee and Montreal now through October.
Holland America Line detailed its 2027 "Grand Voyages," while Unforgettable Croatia unveiled its 2026 small-ship cruise line-up. Azamara will debut 13 entertainment experiences in 2026, everything from original, exclusive-to-Azamara Cruises stage shows to interactive game shows and themed musical experiences and pop-up moments.
Citing a rescheduled drydock, Carnival Cruise Line has cancelled Carnival Magic's voyages between April 18, 2026, and May 24, 2026, according to Cruise Industry News. HX, celebrating its 130th anniversary in 2026, is expanding its North American team in the areas of business development, marketing and tour operations.
Harry Sommer, president and CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, told Seatrade Cruise News that NCLH is in advanced talks with two European destinations for supplying green methanol. That more eco-friendly fuel is intended for Norwegian Cruise Line's last two Prima-Plus ships. The first will be methanol-ready in 2027, the other launching in 2028 with methanol engines, pipes and tanks.
In luxury cruising, Four Seasons Yachts has revealed its new shore excursions for Four Seasons I, which begins sailing in early 2026. Silversea revealed more detail about its new hotel in southern Chile, designed to serve the line's Antarctica-bound travelers. Seabourn Expeditions released its 2026 fall and winter schedules and 2027 winter and spring schedules. Uniworld Boutique River Cruises unveiled new 2025 travel deals, while Explora Journeys opened bookings for its Monaco Grand Prix Experience.
Cruise360 in South Florida
More than 1,000 travel advisors attended Cruise Lines International Association's (CLIA) 20th annual Cruise360 conference at the Broward County Convention Center in South Florida last week. Travel Agent was on site to cover the insight and "intel" provided by Bud Darr, CLIA's new president and CEO. He promised closer collaboration with the travel trade and ASTA.
Separately, we also covered remarks by Charles Sylvia, CLIA's vice president of industry and trade relations, who provided advisors with a "sneak peek" look at a new "Cruise Actually" initiative; that's expected to showcase the joy of cruising and the industry's diversity, plus tackle consumer anxiety and misperceptions about cruising.
At Cruise360, travel advisors also participated in workshops and training classes; "worked" the trade floor; met with individual suppliers and host agencies; and inspected multiple ships at both PortMiami and Port Everglades. Look for more coverage today about Cruise360's "Travel Trade Titans" general session panel discussion. Leaders from Avoya Travel Network, Cruise Planners, Harr Travel, InteleTravel and Levarte Travel provided down-to-Earth trade tips and ideas, particularly for new advisors, during a discussion moderated by Dondra Ritzenthaler, CEO, Azamara.
In just one marketing tidbit from that discussion, "big companies really struggle with text messaging," explained Jeff Anderson, co-CEO of the Avoya Travel Network. "It’s very difficult as there are a lot of laws that get in the way of a big company and reaching a customer." In contrast, he said that cruise selling advisors who have established individual relationships with customers, both new and old, "have a unique opportunity to be able to reach them” via text messaging. Sometimes customers don't always look at social media or they may zap an email message without reading it, but Anderson told advisors that the text messaging "open rate" is more than 95 percent. So, it's a strong method for individual advisors to stay in touch with their customers.
During a gala evening event at Cruise360, CLIA inducted four new members into its Hall of Fame for their significant contributions to the cruise industry. Recognized with a "Lifetime Achievement Award" were both Alex Pinelo, chief sales officer, AmaWaterways, and Drew Daly, senior vice president and general manager, Dream Vacations and CruiseOne. Oasis Travel Network (OTN) took top honors as "Travel Agency of the Year," with Lee Smolinski, chairman and CEO, accepting the award. Also, CLIA's "Elite Cruise Counselor of the Year" award was bestowed on Amanda Goddard, M.Ed., ECC, who is hosted by the KHM Travel Group.
Port Canaveral's Record Month
Port Canaveral, the world's second busiest cruise port, set a new monthly record when it hosted 925,994 cruise guests in March 2025, eclipsing 2024's March passenger counts by 16 percent. The port says it's on track for a record 2025 fiscal year performance. The Space Coast port is expected to host 8.4 million passengers compared to 7.6 million passengers last year.
Currently, 16 ships operate more than 1,000 sailings annually from Port Canaveral. Lines include Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International. Norwegian's newly launched Norwegian Aqua just began sailing from the port, while Royal Caribbean’s new Star of the Seas arrives this coming August. Carnival Festivale and the MSC World Atlantic will debut sailings from the port in 2027.
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