The U.S. government is authorizing the first ferry services to Cuba for the first time in five decades. At least four companies were licensed to provide a wide range of large-scale sea travel to Cuba. The U.S. Embassy in Cuba officially reopened August 14, 54 years after having broken diplomatic relations. More on the topic here.
Port Canaveral will become homeport to Norwegian Cruise Line’s largest ship and currently the fifth largest in the world, Norwegian Epic, starting in November 2016.
Norwegian Cruise Line will increase its Port Canaveral presence in fall 2016 and will mark the line’s return to the port after a three-year absence Continue reading
A fire broke out aboard Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas Wednesday injuring one crew member. Passengers were moved to assembly stations but not evacuated.
The incident happened at about 9:30 a.m. while the cruise ship was pulling into the port of Falmouth, Jamaica. Royal Caribbean International said on its Twitter page that the fire started in a mechanical area and was extinguished a short time later. The passengers were told to put on their life jackets and gather on the deck. The fire suppression system for the vessel was immediately activated and the fire did not spread. Photos posted on social media showed a thick plume of grey smoke coming from an upper deck of the 154,407-ton Freedom of the Seas. Continue reading
Carnival Corporation will sail to Cuba in a new deal, the world’s largest cruise ship company announced Tuesday. Princess, the parent company of Carnival, will launch seven-day “people-to-people” travel to the island beginning in May 2016. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Commerce granted the company approval to begin traveling to Cuba. Continue reading
The British entrepreneur Richard Branson officially announced that his latest travel venture, Virgin Cruises is planned to launch from Miami in early 2020. The Virgin founder made the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday, in Miami.
The company had signed a letter of intent with the Finacntieri shipyard in Italy to build three 110,000-ton ships with 1,430 cabins. The ships are expected to be delivered in early 2020, 2021 and 2022. Each vessel will have room for over 2,800 passengers and 1,150 crew members, said Tom McAlpin, Virgin Cruises CEO. Continue reading