It’s another weekly cruise news update, with plenty of coverage on Carnival Cruise Line as onboard offerings are changed, along with developments at Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the seas.
Cruise news update
It’s been a news-filled week on the Miami-based Carnival Cruise Line, as onboard offerings have been tweaked while the room service menu has been tweaked and Wi-Fi rates increased. However, the cruise line is bringing more fun aboard its ships, welcoming Carnival Luminosa to the fleet and the new Carnival Celebration embarking on sea trials.
We get a first look at the bow that will be installed on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the seasand one cruise line has booked more than 100 passengers.
Carnival cruise line makes changes on board
Carnival Cruise Line has been especially busy this past year changing its onboard offerings. In a letter sent to guests and travel agents on Sept. 9, the cruise line says it is implementing even more changesstarting with sailings departing on or after October 1, 2022.
According to the cruise line, it has carefully studied guest patterns on board since its July 2021 relaunch. This includes dining and food options that have been popular versus those that have been less popular.
As a result of this market research, Carnival is updating its room service menu to add more à la carte options while maintaining a complimentary breakfast offer each morning.
Complimentary options include continental breakfast options, and the a la carte option consists of breakfast sandwiches, which will now be expanded. The new menus will start appearing on October 1. What is clear is that guests will have a greater variety to choose from, but at an additional cost.
of Complimentary à la carte continental selections will be available from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and for the rest of the day, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., there will be only one à la carte selection available.
Carnival Cruise Line is finally bringing back the ever-popular Dr. Seuss Green Eggs & Ham. As with the room service menu changes, this event will also return on cruises departing on or after October 1st.
Recently, Carnival is also implementing a price increase for onboard WI-FI packages. Due to the rising costs of Internet connections at sea, the company has implemented a small price change. The social package will increase from $8.50 per day to $10.20 when purchased before sailing. The value price is increasing from $11.05 to $14.45 and the premium package will increase from $14.45 to $17.00.
Carnival Party Sea Trials
It is not yet ready for guests, but Carnival celebration is definitely getting closer to its official launch later this year. After a construction period that began just twenty months ago, the newest cruise ship in the Carnival cruise line’s fleet embarked on her first set of sea trials on Monday, September 5, from the Meyer Turku Shipyard in Turku, Finland.
The ship is currently sailing in the archipelago around the port city in the Baltic Sea, where engineers will test all onboard systems. Sea trials are an essential part of the construction process and are expected to take anywhere from a few days to ten days, depending on the test results.
Like her sister, Mardi Gras, Carnival celebration powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). Although the shipyard has fitted the power source to many ships now, this still means intensive testing of onboard systems and whether or not the ship meets the criteria Carnival Cruise Line has set for maneuverability and speed. Sea trials will also enable the ship’s crew and officers to familiarize themselves with the ship.
Carnival celebration captain Vincenzo Alcaras said, “During the sea trials, the ship is undergoing several tests, which aim to determine the ship’s capability and performance. We do a lot of tests, but I list only a few, such as endurance tests, driving tests, speed tests, thruster tests, zig-zag tests, which are part of the maneuverability tests and all the tests required in the class .
Carnival celebration will be 180,800 gross tons with a passenger capacity of 5,282 people on a double frequency, along with 1,282 crew members. Sunday, November 6, Carnival celebration will sail on her maiden transatlantic voyage from Southampton to the United Kingdom.
The bow arrives for the icon of the seas
It’s an understatement to say that Royal Caribbean International has been secretive about its newest cruise ship. Icon of the seas. The last class of ships for the cruise line, Royal Caribbean, has very slowly appeared in small pieces, and we finally get a first look at the arc that will be installed.
The cruise line has finally lifted the veil on what the ship will look like, with a distinctive parabolic bow design.
The new bow, at first glance, is not as distinctive as those featured on Celebrity Edge-class cruise ships, which have an ultra-parabolic bow. Although visually appealing, the choice for this type of bow is not surprising. The design provides a much smoother ride, especially for vessels with heavy cargo, and is much more efficient.
The new bow pieces arrived at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland last week, where they will be fitted to the hull, which, as seen in the footage, is already showing some final shape. What the final product will look like will be revealed in the coming days and weeks.
In October 2021, workers installed the new ship’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel tank. The keel was laid for the new ship in April 2022. Since then, rumors have been rife, with one in particular still prevailing; it may be so Icon of the seas will surpass the Oasis-class ship as the largest in the world:
Carnival sparkle ends the Alaskan season
Concordia class The brilliance of carnivals there was a celebratory send-off from Seattle on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, after officially leaving the region at the close of the Alaska season. The ship began sailing Alaska routes on May 2 and was the last of the Fun Ships to resume service after the pandemic shutdown.
now, The brilliance of carnivals is sailing an epic 23-night transpacific itinerary back to Australia, with four ports in Hawaii and two in Fiji en route, as well as 18 days at sea for guests to fully enjoy and explore all 113,300 gross tons the ship has to offer provided.
The ship will arrive in Sydney on September 30, 2022, the first Carnival cruise ship to welcome guests to Australian waters in nearly 1,000 days.
After returning to her home port in Sydney, The brilliance of carnivals will begin offering a range of itinerary options from 1 October 2022 – a date that coincides with Carnival’s 10th year of operation in Australia. Cruises range from 3 to 12 nights, giving guests plenty of options for quick getaways as well as longer, more immersive voyages.
Overlapping passengers on cruise
New cruise operator Resorts World Cruises operates just one cruise ship, the Genting Dream, but it’s clearly suffering from some initial issues. This became clear as guests arrived at the Marina Bay Cruise Center on September 4.
Ship representatives informed the guests that due to the overbooking of the ship, they would not be able to board their cruise despite having confirmed tickets. According to several other reports, more than a hundred guests were affected by the problems, leaving them stranded in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
The cruise line said it would compensate guests denied boarding in recent days. The cruise line said all affected guests would receive a full refund. They will also receive a complimentary Genting Dream cruise for sailings before April 28, 2023, subject to cabin availability.
Resorts World Cruises began operations from Singapore on June 15. The company operates the Genting Dream, a cruise ship previously operated by the now-defunct Genting Hong Kong Cruise Line.
Carnival Luminosa joins the fleet
With the name change official at 10:32 a.m. in Palermo, Italy, Carnival Bright officially joined the Carnival Cruise Line fleet of ships. Previously sailing for Costa Cruises, the ship has now changed company, sure to delight the thousands of guests who will set sail on board, starting from Brisbane, Australia, on November 6.
With high-ranking officials from Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises and Carnival Corporation in attendance, Costa Cruises Captain Nicolantonio Palombella delivered Bright carnival for Carnival captain Adriano Binacchi, who will bring the ship to Australia.
Bright carnival it’s already looking every inch the fun ship we know from the cruise line. The ship has already undergone some changes and will have most of the famous attractions that Carnival guests love.
They include Playlist Productions, The Punchliner Comedy Club, Limelight Lounge, Piano Bar 88, Alchemy Bar, RedFrog Rum Bar, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Chef’s Table, Bonsai Sushi Express, Seaday Brunch, Serenity Adult-Only Retreat, and Cloud9, among others.
Completion of work to be done on Carnival’s newest ship will continue in the coming weeks during a dry dock renovation phase. Costa LuminosaCarnival Cruise Line’s transfer was announced on June 14, 2022. Once completed, the ship will sail to Australia.
Bright carnival will sail her inaugural season in Australia, commencing November 6 to April 13, 2023.
More Cruise Titles!
These were just a handful of the top cruise stories from last week, it’s certainly been a busy week of cruise news, including Carnival Panorama affected by Tropical Storm Kay, Viking ordering four more cruise ships in ocean from Fincantieri, the naming ceremony for MSC World Europa will be held in Qatar, another Caribbean cruise island relaxes requirements for cruise visitors, a new French cruise line launches, Carnival brings back a preferred guest and much more.
