The world’s second largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International’s 5,668-passenger Utopia of the Seas has sailed into its new homeport of Port Canaveral, FL. This sixth Oasis-class ship will be the line’s first big, amenity-laden ship targeted specifically at short cruises. Those three- and four-night voyages to the Bahamas, including Perfect Day at Coco Cay, are designed to draw both new-to-cruise and new-to-brand guests. Travel Agent is boarding a preview cruise Monday and will report back soon. Grammy Award-winning songwriter and singer Meghan Trainor, the ship's godmother, will christen the vessel and perform an onboard concert mid-week.
Four Seasons Yachts in partnership with luxury yachting company Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings Ltd. and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, hosted a keel-laying ceremony for Four Seasons I at the Fincantieri shipyard in Ancona, Italy. The yacht will set sail on its inaugural season in January 2026.
Sailing as the Sea Cloud Cruises' flagship, the iconic, 64-passenger Sea Cloud windjammer, originally built in the 1930s by Marjorie Merriweather Post and E.F. Hutton, will receive an extensive renovation at the conclusion of its 2025 European season.
New Cruise Activities
Our sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor is just back from a three-night Disney Magic sailing from Port Everglades to visit Disney Cruise Line’s new 900-acre Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point on Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Lookout Cay offers a relaxing, tropical vibe, soft white sands and crystal-clear waters. The lengthy beach area offers several different beach experiences, including family-friendly areas and adults-only spaces. From our perspective, the overall look and feel of Lookout Cay seems less commercial than some other cruise line private islands we've explored in the past. Good to know? Just 16 percent of Lookout Cay is developed, leaving room for eco-preservation and future activity options.
Debuting new voyage activity options are two sister lines. MSC Cruises introduced exclusive shore excursions for its MSC Yacht Club guests, while Explora Journeys also announced a new entertainment program.
Oceania Cruises has announced its new collaboration with the American Cancer Society (ACS), bringing the ACS “Relay For Life at Sea” program to the line’s guests, crew and team members. The goal is to foster a community of support and raise funds for cancer research, patient support services and advocacy efforts.
Adam Martindale, a Cruise Planners franchise owner and cruise veteran with 30 years of experience, acquired MeetMeOnBoard in 2022 and has just launched the transformed LGBTQ+ app. Cruisers can discover fellow LGBTQ+ companions aboard their cruise, fostering connections before setting sail.
More Cruise News
Hornblower ceased operating American Queen Voyages earlier this year. In the aftermath, last week, Hornblower announced that it has successfully completed financial restructuring, reduced its debt by 70 percent, and will continue to offer daily ferry transportation and dinner-and-sightseeing cruises.
Yacht charter company The Moorings is expanding its portfolio of destinations to include La Paz in Baja California Sur, Mexico.
On the personnel front, Marie-Andrée Blanchet, director, cruise development and business ecosystem, Port of Quebec, was named to a two-year term as the leader of Cruise the Saint Lawrence.
Finally, in celebration of its new partnership with Chef Tony Gemignani, a 13-time World Pizza Champion, Princess Cruises established a new Guinness World Record title for the “World's Largest Pizza Party.” The action unfolded recently at multiple venues aboard its fleet of ships. Guests devoured more than 60,000 slices of fresh-from-the-oven pizza prepared by the line's master chefs.
Related Stories
Windstar Cruises Extended Its "Sail Beyond Ordinary" Promotion
Oceania Cruises Floats Out Allura at Fincantieri Shipyard