1. As of March 1, 2022, Norwegian Cruise Line will be allowing unvaccinated kids under the age of 12 to sail on its ships. Those 12 and older will continue to have a vaccine requirement, but booster shots are not necessary.
2. The world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, arrived in the U.S. for the first time on Sunday evening. The ship will begin sailing to the Caribbean in March from Port Everglades before heading to the Mediterranean for the summer. In November, the vessel will return to the states, homeporting in Port Canaveral.
3. Carnival Cruise Line has announced new details on its next Excel-class ship Carnival Celebration. The vessel will feature an aquarium-themed bar with a mural from Carnival Victory, as well as other pieces around the ship from Carnival’s history.
4. Oceania Cruises has announced its 2024 ‘Around the World in 180 Days’ voyage, which will take place aboard Insignia. The vessel will set sail on a western route from Los Angeles, and visit the South Pacific, Oceania, Asia, the Mediterranean, and northern Europe before concluding in New York City.
5. MSC Group’s new luxury line Explora Journeys has announced its first year of itineraries, which will include voyages ranging from six to 44 nights. In its first year, the line’s first ship Explora I will visit 132 ports in 40 different countries.
Featured Article: Which Cruise Lines Require Masks?
As cruise protocols continue to rapidly change, it can be hard to keep up with which lines are requiring what on board. Lately, mask requirements are one of the fastest-changing rules for cruise lines as the Omicron variant winds down. We decided we’d gather together the current mask rules for each cruise line so that you have the latest information all in one place.
This Week’s Podcast: Scarlet Lady Review + Cruise News
On this week’s Cruise Radio episode, we chat with Theresa about her recent cruise aboard Scarlet Lady, around six months after the ship debuted in 2021. She goes over the food, entertainment, activities, and the line’s new beach club in Bimini, Bahamas. Also on this episode, we chat with Richard about the latest cruise news and answer a listener’s question about bidding on a cabin upgrade on Norwegian Cruise Line.
Featured Video: Cruise News Today
This week’s featured YouTube video is the Cruise News Brief from Tuesday, February 22. Doug talks about cruise lines dropping their mask mandates, Carnival Spirit heading across the Atlantic from Europe, and American Queen Voyages’ Ocean Voyager kicking off cruises from Jacksonville.