This Week in Cruise: Loyalty Tier Matching, New River Ships and More

In big news, Royal Caribbean Group became the first major cruise company to match loyalty program status across all three of its wholly owned ocean brandsRoyal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea. Separately, Regent Seven Seas Cruises is introducing new fare options for guests. For all new reservations made on or after July 1, 2024, guests can now choose from two fare types: “All-Inclusive Cruise Fare” and “Ultimate All-Inclusive Fare.” 

For the first quarter 2024, Viking Holdings reported financial results for the first time as a publicly held company. Total revenue for first quarter 2024 was $718.2 million, an increase of $89.2 million, or 14.2 percent over the same period in 2023. The cruise company posted a quarterly net loss of $493.9 million compared to $214.4 million for the same period the prior year. Viking cited the "seasonality of our business" in reporting the loss, noting that its highest occupancy comes in summertime and that "the majority of our revenue and profits have historically been earned in the second and third quarters of each year."

Oceania Cruises has unveiled its newly revitalized Marina, which has returned to service. The 1,250-passenger vessel now offers guests three new dining options. And on global rivers, AmaWaterways plans to launch two new vessels in 2026AmaKaia on Southeast Asia’s Mekong River and AmaSofia on the Rhine/Danube Rivers.

For clients seeking the ultimate world voyage, Silversea will operate a robust, 149-day “Three Oceans World Cruise” in 2027, according to sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor. Departing Los Angeles, Silver Dawn will call at 80 destinations in 35 countries on five continents. 

Greece’s SeaJets Group is launching a new adults-only, music-party-at-sea cruise line called Neonyx, as reported by Seatrade Cruise News. Sailing on two different itineraries, the line's flagship, the former Costa Magica, will operate three- or four-day cruises, which can be combined for a seven-day vacation. Guests can embark/disembark at Piraeus (Athens) or Mykonos, Greece, or Cesme, Türkiye.  

Themed Cruise News

Designed to appeal to motorsport racing fans, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team have unveiled a new 10-night, racing-themed voyage on July 22, 2025. Former Formula 1 driver Pedro de la Rosa will host this motorsport-themed sailing in the Mediterranean aboard the 746-passenger Seven Seas Splendor

In addition, Star Clippers unveiled its 2024-2025 themed cruise calendar, while Atlas Ocean Voyages has announced additional new chefs for its upcoming Epicurean Expeditions.

More on Global Waters

Aqua Expeditions has a new partnership with 4Ocean—a company dedicated to ending the ocean plastic crisis. The expedition line has pledged to remove a minimum of 25,000 pounds of plastic from the world’s waterways over the next year.

Asia is growing in popularity with river cruisers eager to explore exotic locations. Here's a look at a sampling of upcoming voyages on the Mekong and Ganges Rivers by AmaWaterways, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, Viking and other river operators.

Seabourn has introduced Zero @ Sea, a new zero-proof mixology program that offers guests a range of non-alcoholic cocktails. 

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