Norwegian Cruise Line has taken delivery of their brand new Norwegian Joy cruise ship that’s custom-designed for the Chinese market. It’s the 15th ship in the fleet and arrived with an impressive on board ceremony in Bremerhaven, Germany.

Quick stats include the ability to accommodate 3,883 guests, weighing in at 167,725–gross-tons, and is the second ship in NCL’s Breakaway-Plus class that’s aiming to deliver “First Class at Sea”… See comments from the chief executive officer for Norwegian Cruise Line below and also from David Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings China. Also, towards the bottom of this page we have a comment from Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Werft.

“As Norwegian Cruise Line continues our global growth, Norwegian Joy’s delivery marks a momentous occasion in our company’s history, signifying our official entry into the Chinese cruise market,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer for Norwegian Cruise Line. “We are very grateful for the outstanding team at MEYER WERFT, along with our operations teams and more than 1,800 crew members, whom once again have delivered an exceptional vessel.”

“With this incredible ship, we have taken Norwegian’s signature on board experience and expanded and customized it with exciting features, services and amenities that combine the best of the East and the West,” said David Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings China. “We are honoured to deliver this spectacular ship to our Chinese guests and we can’t wait to see Norwegian Joy come to life when she welcomes her first guests upon her arrival in China this June.”

“With Norwegian Joy, we have completed a highly sophisticated ship with a lot of technologically challenging features. Thanks to a dedicated team consisting of Norwegian Cruise Line, yard, classification society and suppliers, we have accomplished our goal to deliver a great ship on time, while meeting high quality expectations,” said Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Werft.

For more details visit ncl.co.uk.

If you have always wanted to visit the beautiful country of Cuba, but wanted to appreciate the country while on a cruise, then your options have been limited. However, more cruise lines have been updating their itineraries to include the once black listed country. The latest to do such that is Royal Caribbean, much to the delight of many of us cruise lovers.

We are still awaiting details on the Royal Caribbean 2017 Cuba itineraries, but we cannot see the cruise line making us wait too long, as they know how cruisers much prefer to book early to get their preferred stateroom.

In terms of what ship will be used in the next year’s Cuba cruise sailings, this will be Empress of the Seas, which recently underwent an extensive refurbishment, which now makes sense as to why they chose this ship to have its interior updated.

There have been some concerns as to why people keep paying the money to choose a cruise on older ships such as Empress of the Seas, which first entered service in 1989. Many people believe ships this old are now obsolete, especially when compared to the modern ships. However, you have to look at it from another point of view, and that’s the fact some people feel the more modern ships lack character, and also lack the ability to get into some of the smaller ports, which we know are often more stunningly more beautiful, and not industrialised to make way for the larger ships.

Andrea Stafford has been announced as the new Head of Retail for MSC Cruises UK, and will take up her new role from 3 January 2017. The reason for this move is said to help strengthen MSC Cruises position within the UK and Irish market, which we know has not been a huge focus – until now that is.

Some of you might know Andrea Stafford from Thomas Cook, although also worked for TUI/First Choice as a Retail Sales Manager for 9 years, and so comes with a wealth of experience, something that MSC Cruises could not turn down.

As part of her new job, Andrea will manage the Regional Sales Managers, which was recently formed, and she will also help develop Multiple and Consortia relationships for MSC Cruises within the UK.

Having such a wealth of experience will be a huge asset to MSC Cruises because of understanding the high street very well, and so is very important for MSC Cruises and its plans to expand in the UK and Ireland.

We learned yesterday of the terrible accident in Dominica that took the life of one Azura passenger, while another 10 passengers on the P&O cruise chip were also injured.

The bus that crashed was carrying 12 people in all in Dominica, and even though it was not operated by P&O Cruises themselves, we have seen on the Facebook page that customers have started to raise concerns about the safety of these small buses that P&O Cruises allow their guests to use.

P&O Cruises said, “please rest assured the safety, security and welfare of all our guests and crew is our absolute priority, so we are working closely with all involved to determine the cause of this accident.”

However, this still does not seem good enough to people and have become very vocal, with many of them saying they have faced a situation in the past where they felt the bus or coach being offered up for people to use on a shore excursion was not road worthy and as such refused to go on it.

Some people have said that tyres were bald, or it just did not look road worthy enough. Now, we do not know the exact details of this, and do not want to put the blame on anyone, as this is down to the investigator, but do you think it is now time for P&O Cruises to now get much tougher with these smaller bus companies?

While you might not be thinking of booking your next cruise that includes an itinerary to Cuba, this is now possible when sailing from the United States and follows the US President’s efforts in this region.

It’s impressive that Carnival Corporation is the first cruise company to make this happen in years, in fact they’re the first to sail in over 50 years from US to Cuba. The permission has only just been granted and this is breaking cruise news within the last 24 hours.

It will be Carnival’s Fathom brand with this honour by Cuba and it will start the historic full-week sailings from May, 2016. You can read full details of this release below, also let us know if this is a cruise holiday you will be booking in the near future.

Carnival’s Full Story: Cuba has granted approval for the company to begin travel to Cuba starting on May 1, 2016. Following U.S. authorization granted in July 2015, Carnival Corporation is now cleared to operate the 704-passenger MV Adonia to Cuba through its newest brand Fathom. This marks the first time in over 50 years a cruise ship is approved to sail from the United States to Cuba.

Cuban authorities from Havanatur Celimar, various other agencies and Carnival Corporation today signed agreements enabling cruising by Carnival Corporation to Cuba.

“Our Carnival Corporation and Fathom brand teams have worked closely with Cuba throughout this process and we are thrilled to begin regular sailings to Cuba from Miami starting on May 1, 2016,” said Tara Russell, president of Carnival Corporation’s new Fathom brand. “We have been told that we will be the first cruise line to sail from the U.S. to Cuba with our historic inaugural sailing.”

“We are excited about Cuban approval and are ready to take travelers there through an extraordinary guest experience on the beautiful MV Adonia,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. “This is a historic opportunity, and we know there is pent-up demand amongst Americans who want to experience Cuba. We believe there is no better way to experience so much of Cuba in seven days. Everyone who sails with us with Fathom to Cuba will have a very special, rewarding and enriching experience with our Fathom brand.”

Fathom Cuban itineraries feature three ports of call – During each sailing, Carnival Corporation through its Fathom brand initially will visit Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba, three ports of call for which Carnival Corporation has obtained berthing approval.

As part of this historic sailing in this inaugural year, travelers will enjoy an exciting Cuban experience and will sail aboard the 704-passenger MV Adonia, where they can choose to partake in onboard experiences, including Cuban- and Caribbean-inspired music and film options, as well as Cuban-inspired menu options.

Special onboard programming will include a wide variety of activities covering an array of interests, ranging from an orientation to Cuba’s history, customs and culture, to geographic-inspired entertainment, to casual and fun personal enrichment activities, to conversational Spanish lessons, to guided sessions with the Fathom team.

“We are humbled and honored to offer a one-of-a-kind Cuban experience to our travelers,” said Russell.

Seven-day itineraries on Carnival Corporation’s Fathom brand depart from PortMiami on Sundays at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The ship will arrive at its first destination, Havana, the following morning (Monday) at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. The MV Adonia returns to its homeport, PortMiami, at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time Sunday.

Prices for seven-day itineraries to Cuba start at $1,800 per person, excluding Cuban visas, taxes, fees and port expenses and including all meals on the ship, onboard experiences and several on-the ground activities. Prices will vary by season.

To secure a spot on future sailings, a $600 per person deposit is required for all cabin categories and occupancy levels. Final payment is due 90 days prior to departure. Learn more at fathom.org.

If you love to feel like you’re given something exclusive and don’t mind paying extra for certain one-of-a-kind experiences, then you will love the new Royal Caribbean Royal Suite Class that arrives in May, 2016.

Not only will the Loft Suites or higher categories have many extras and the best cruise ships can provide, but you’ll also have the opportunity to have a personal Royal Genie to cater to everything you desire.

From May you will find this new class onboard Allure of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, and Oasis of the Seas. Find out more in the release sent to our inbox this week.

FULL DETAILS: Introducing the Royal Genie, every holidaymaker’s dream come true! When Royal Caribbean International debuts the Royal Suite Class this May, guests in the Star Class – Loft Suites or higher categories – will have the opportunity to have their own personal Royal Genie to cater to their every whim.

The Royal Genie will serve as the ultimate insider helping craft one-of-a kind experiences based on a guest’s personal style and preferences. From planning the perfect date night or a unique family celebration to creating the memorable adventure of a lifetime in one of the ship’s destinations, the Royal Genie will curate personalised experiences catered to each guest. After a day in port enjoying customised shore excursions, guests can return to their suite to savour handcrafted cocktails made in-suite. The Royal Genies will also assist with making restaurant and show reservations, in-room dining requests and any other needs – from laundry, pressing and shoe-shining, to luggage handling and unpacking.

The Royal Genie will embody contemporary fashion and lifestyle with her/his own distinct look and feel. From day time casual looks that feature trousers and linen shirts for balmy Caribbean days to a more formal evening look with bold purple and cranberry colours, the Royal Genie will impress in more ways than one.

An exclusive experience for guests seeking a luxury adventure, the Royal Suite Class features well-appointed accommodations including features such as complimentary VOOM – the fastest internet at sea; complimentary specialty dining in all of the cruise lines signature venues; an ultimate beverage package; inclusive gratuities; preferred seating at select onboard venues and upgraded room amenities.

The Royal Suite Class will be available for sailings beginning May 2016 onboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas as well as Harmony of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas (Sydney departures only) when they debut in spring 2016.

For details on the Royal Suite Class and amenities available for each class see this page.

Celebrity Cruises currently has a couple of good deals running at the moment, one of which is the free balcony upgrades on the Celebrity Eclipse and Reflection ships.

All you have to do is book your cruise as normal, and your Ocean View will be upgraded automatically to a Balcony stateroom. However, this offer does only apply to those two cruise ships mentions above – so please remember that at the time of booking.

That’s not all, as there are more Celebrity Cruises offers running until February 29, such as a second guest only pays half, and also all guests get a free drinks package, which also includes children.

However, this only applies to select sailings, details of which can be read here.

Just so you know, the free drinks package is for the Classic Package, and could be worth up to £500 per person, and so this is an awesome deal.

Some people will often save up for years to be able to afford a cruise, and it’s so simple for things to be spoilt. Take the recent Anthem of the Seas cruise, as the ship recently sailed into a storm, or more so what was similar to a Category 2 hurricane.

During the cruise passengers were advised by the captain to stay in their cabins. Not only that, but there were many public areas that had sustained damage.

Some gusts of wind reached more than 125 miles per hour, with waves of around 30 feet and reaching the lifeboats.

The thing is, there are times when things like this cannot be helped and so you just have to ride the storm – excuse the pun.

We have seen on a few cruise forums that some Anthem of the Seas passengers that expired the terrible storm feel that Royal Caribbean should issue some sort of refund because of the ordeal they went through.

We have never heard of anything so silly, as things like this happen, and is something you have to expect while on a cruise in the Atlantic, especially this time of year.

There had been rumors that the cruise was to be cancelled, although the weather now seems to have eased, and so there is just no reason to cancel it, as the crew will be able to make general repairs to public areas during the cruise.

If you were one of those that usually waited until the last minute in order to get a Royal Caribbean, Azamara Club or Celebrity Cruises at a discount price, then there is some bad news for you.

This is because the chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has said that the days of finding a cruise cheap within 30 days of sailing is over.

We can fully understand why Richard Fain has decided to change its policy on those cheap last minute cruises, as it was never fair on those full paying passengers.

This applies to all sailings, although not those for just three or four nights, and so you will still be able to get a deal on them.

The company had already had a similar policy before, but not those with 10 days or less when they set sail, and so this now increases that by a further 20 days.

For those of you that were hoping to bag yourself a massive bargain booking late, then those days are pretty much over.

Carnival Corporation has upped the ante by ordering another four new ships and will be spread across its cruise ship brands. Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri are the ones that won the contract, which is worth €2.5bn. This was already agreed in March 2015, but the order is officially going ahead.

These new ships are to be built at shipyard in Monfalcone and Marghera, and construction is to begin in early 2016. Deliveries are not expected until 2019 and 2020.

Costa Asia is to get two of the new ships, P&O Cruises Australia will get one and Princess Cruises will get the fourth new ship due to be built.

The first three ships will weigh in at 135,500t and have a capacity for 4,200 passengers, whereas the new Princess Cruises ship will be a 143,700t vessel and hold 3,560 passengers. This means that there will be far more public space because of having less staterooms.

Sticking with Princess Cruises, this is to be the fourth Royal Princess class vessel, and so a percent addition to the fleet.