Cruise news! A cruise drink has been discovered that will hit your stomach in a real way. Most cruise passengers and crew are not aware of this. We’re going to get you the information, plus we have the top 10 cruise news updates from across the cruise industry, and we’re going to get you the information fast. Coming up, welcome to the Day Itinerary Planner. My name is Avnish, and we are your crew information channel. We get you the cruise news and information you’re looking for quickly without wasting your time. So if you love cruising, consider subsribing us.
Let’s go ahead and kick this off with Number One: Mobile, Alabama once again has a cruise ship. The cruise terminal in Mobile has been inactive for almost 12 months, but the Carnival Spirit has arrived and will be offering five, 6, 8, and 12-day cruises. The Carnival Spirit will be in Mobile for 6 months; it will then leave to resume Alaska cruises next summer.
Number two, we have a hurricane season update. There is lots going on; let’s start in the Pacific. The Eastern Pacific has two weather systems of concern. They are identified by the red and orange icons on this map. The first is Tropical Storm Lydia. It is gaining strength and has maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. It is forecasted to become a hurricane very soon, and that is identified by the “H” on this map. Tropical Storm Lydia is also forecasted to turn back towards the West Coast of Mexico. So let’s take a look at what that may mean for cruising. This map shows all of the cruise ports in Mexico, and I am circling in yellow the ports in the vicinity of where Tropical Storm Lydia is heading, so cruise impact is expected. Stay tuned for more information on that. The second weather system of concern in the Eastern Pacific could also cause some issues over the next week. It is identified by this orange “X,” and it is currently close to the coastline. This weather system has an 80% chance of cyclone formation over the next week.
Now let’s switch over and take a look at the Atlantic. The big weather story in the Atlantic is still Tropical Storm Felipe. The strength of Tropical Storm Felipe has remained about the same; it has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. The trajectory still shows it arriving in New England and Eastern Canada on Sunday.
Moving on to number three, Carnival Cruise Line has opened up booking availability for almost another year of cruises out of Long Beach, California. Long Beach will have some of Carnival’s newest ships. The newly opened itineraries include sailings on the Carnival Panorama, the Carnival Foren, and the Carnival Radiance. You will now find cruises out of Long Beach available to book all the way through the spring of 2026.
Now moving into our next news piece, Royal Caribbean International has placed orders for three icon class ships. The first of those is called the Icon of the Seas. It is set to launch in January of 2024.
Number four. Royal Caribbean has announced the name of their second icon class ship. Back in January, Royal Caribbean put four names up for a vote to get input from cruisers. Those names were the Star of the Seas, the Idol of the Seas, Love of the Seas, and Queen of the Seas. Star of the Seas won the poll with 44% of the vote, and going with the input from cruisers, Royal Caribbean has officially announced that the name of the second icon class ship will be the Star of the Seas. The Star of the Seas is scheduled to debut in the summer of 2025. Details about the ship and where it will sail from have not yet been announced.
Number five, there are seven Carnival Cruise ships that will be getting new menus in the next 8 weeks. Carnival Cruise Line has been revamping the menus in their main dining room. Several cruise ships have already received the new menus, and here are the seven Carnival ships that will be getting the new menus next. I’ve also noted the dates when the new menu will roll out.
Okay, we have five cruise news pieces remaining, including the top headlines of the day. But quick question, chime in down below. Speaking of the main dining room, here’s a question. On a typical night on a cruise, do you eat in the main dining room? Chime in down below with ‘A’ for yes or ‘B’ for no. I will look forward to reading that. I love reading your all’s comments. But now on with the cruise news.
Number six, Sitka, Alaska, will not be limiting cruise visitors this summer. Around 560,000 travelers arrived in Sitka by cruise ship last month. One resident spearheaded a proposal to limit the number of cruise visitors to 240,000. Now there are three steps that he needed to do in order to do this. First, he needed to get 800 signatures on a petition. Second, this had to be approved by the city. And third, it would go to a vote by the Sitka residents. Well, the news is in; the city has officially denied the petition to limit cruise visitors, but it does sound like the debate will continue. So stay tuned for more information.
Number seven, P&O Cruises Pacific Explorer cruise ship has saved a life. This 24-year-old man was seeking to become the youngest person ever to row a boat across the Pacific Ocean. He began his journey from Peru, South America, more than a year ago. It was a dream that he had planned since he was a teenager, and he was starting on the final leg of his expedition, going from Vanuatu to the Queensland Coast of Australia. Unfortunately, he said a rogue wave came out of nowhere and flipped his boat. He climbed onto the hull of his boat and then activated his emergency beacon. He had to cling onto his boat for about 14 hours. Thankfully, the P&O cruise ship was alerted; he was rescued, and he is now doing well.
Number eight, US Government data is missing regarding criminal activity on cruise ships. In 2010, Congress passed the Cruise Vessel Safety and Security Act. The Act requires cruise lines to report alleged crimes that have taken place on cruise ships. This includes sexual assault, theft, homicide, suspicious death, kidnapping, and missing person cases. The Act also requires the data to be updated quarterly, including the name of the cruise line and whether the alleged crime was committed by a cruise passenger or employee. No data has been updated by the Department of Transportation for the last three quarters, which has some people asking for answers. The cruise line reps have noted that they have provided all needed information. The Department of Transportation responded and said that they wait for the FBI to compile the data, and the FBI declined to comment.
Now, I follow travel trends very closely, and one thing I have noticed for quite some time is that one of the most desirable destinations is to visit Japan.
Number 9 Princess Cruises has opened up booking availability for their 2025 Japan season. Princess will have 35 Japan cruises running from March through August of 2025. The ship will be the [Diamond Princess](insert link here), and it will sail from Tokyo, visiting 36 different destinations in the region.
And speaking of Japan cruises, that brings us to number 10. If you cruise in Asia, there is a drink that you need to approach with caution. It is Coke Plus. Now, this variant of Coca-Cola is unique to the Asian market. You can see here from Coke’s website that it was the first Coca-Cola approved by the Japanese government. But this drink has secrets that you need to be aware of. Many cruisers will take Asian cruises and will drink Coke Plus without thinking twice. And if you ask a crew member for a Coke, they may just bring you a Coke Plus.
But here is the rub: The Coca-Cola website even notes that this product contains a dietary fiber. The ingredient is called dextrin, and many have noted that it acts somewhat like a mild laxative. But what would happen if an unknowing Westerner who just loves Coke were to down quite a few of these in the course of a day? Well, let’s just say they may be spending some quality time in their stateroom, and I just wanted you to know. Proceed with caution.
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