News
Windstar’s Star Explorer Arrives in Portugal for Conversion
The project will add Basil + Bamboo Restaurant and two 74-square-meter Horizon Owner's Suites, which Windstar says will be the largest staterooms on the ship.
Mediterranean
News
Lisbon Sets June Cruise Record as Turnaround Traffic Surges
Lisbon also added eight first-time ship visits in the first half of 2026, including Orient Express Corinthian during its May inaugural cruise.
News
Ponant's Le Boreal Makes Maiden Call at Bodrum Cruise Port
The Global Ports Holding-operated terminal has a finger pier for two large cruise ships or four smaller vessels, roughly one and a half kilometers from Bodrum Castle.
Royal Caribbean
Harmony of the Seas Marks 10 Years in Royal Caribbean Service
Harmony debuted Ultimate Abyss, a ten-deck slide billed at launch as the tallest at sea, and The Perfect Storm, later added to other Royal Caribbean ships.
Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages Adds Astronauts to 2026 Solar Eclipse Cruises
It will be the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe since 1999, with totality crossing northern Spain and waters east of the Balearic Islands.
MSC Cruises
MSC World Asia Begins Sea Trials Ahead of 2026 Barcelona Debut
MSC says the ship will include more than forty bars, lounges, cafes and restaurants, including a Pan-Asian venue and a Venchi chocolate store in the Deck 6 Galleria.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean Exits Kusadasi as Global Ports Holding Buys Stake
Kusadasi serves as a cruise gateway to ancient Ephesus, with eight dedicated berths and 995,303 cruise passengers handled in 2025.
MSC Cruises
MSC World Asia to Debut Venchi’s Largest Shipboard Venue
The Deck Six Galleria venue will seat more than sixty guests. A chocolate lab will let guests make custom bars with Piedmont hazelnut or chocolate caviar.
Virgin Voyages
Scarlet Lady Passenger Arrested in Crete After Drug Search
The Atlantis Events charter had been forced off its original routing after planned calls in Turkey and Egypt were blocked because of the cruise’s LGBTQ+ theme.
News
Uniworld Adds Free Hotel Stays to Select 2027 Europe River Cruises
Uniworld says four ships are due to join its fleet next year in what it has described as its largest fleet expansion, including Audrey and Marlene.
News
Aurora’s Douglas Mawson Makes Inaugural Call at Bastia
Captain Andrey Gilevskiy and the crew were welcomed by Bastia’s harbor master and the President of the Maritime Pilots before a traditional plaque exchange.
News
Ponant Opens Bookings for 150-Plus Europe Cruises in 2027-28
Ponant says each Mediterranean and Atlantic sailing includes one shore excursion per guest in every port, with Kid Explorers activities on fourteen departures.