Windstar Cruises’ classic, five-masted Wind Surf will soon undergo Phase 1 of extensive renovations in a Cadiz, Spain, shipyard this November. The Windstar flagship will emerge for its first post-renovation sailing on December 21. Separately, Viva Cruises announced a new Viva Boutique line. Starting in 2026, its new Viva Beyond will offer a holistic concept combining the amenities of a boutique hotel with the experiences of a river cruise. It will offer 12 suites, four junior suites and 10 master suites.
Sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor is sailing this week on Silversea’s ultra-luxury Silver Nova from Tokyo to Singapore. In the first of several on-site articles, we discuss our initial insight about the pre-cruise experience, boarding process, our aft premium veranda suite and two dining experiences.
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Seabourn has opened sales for its new 2026 voyages, while Explora Journeys has unveiled its Chef Invite series. On the port front, new cruise terminals are planned for Klaipeda, Lithuania, and Riga, Latvia, according to Seatrade Cruise News. On another front, American Cruise Lines plans to name two new, 126-passenger Project Blue vessels arriving in 2026 as American Maverick and American Ranger; they'll be the seventh and eighth ships in that class. ACL also has another new riverboat, American Encore, arriving in 2026.
Carnival Cruise Line, which recently introduced new 2026-2027 cruises, also launched an enhanced Learn and Earn training program. Most notably, though, Carnival's president and CEO Christine Duffy jumped out of a plane in a tandem skydive to raise $85,000 in funds for the Gary Sinise Foundation benefitting Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene relief. The skydive also coincided with the inaugural Special Forces Legacy Initiatives (SFLI) cruise on Carnival Paradise.
Building upon travel advisor support initiatives, Atlas Ocean Voyages has introduced a new travel advisor booking tool. The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) along with its premium members, travel agency executives and industry suppliers gathered over the past several days on Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady in Miami for the organization's annual Premium Business Summit; that program concluded on October 20, 2024.
Finally, the Avoya Travel Network concluded its national conference on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Joy and unveiled many enhancements. It also announced that the 2025 Avoya Conference will take place on board MSC Cruises' MSC World America October 11-18, 2025.
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