Cruise News

When it comes to environmental impact, major cruise lines have a hard time sleeping at night. The smaller ones only occasionally wake up in a cold sweat.

Could cruise lines actually benefit from stricter regulations on American travel to Cuba? Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio thinks so — and with even more cruises scheduled to the island next year, he'll find out if he's right.

After the costliest hurricane season in its history, Royal Caribbean Cruises still saw profits increase and exceeded its own expectations for the quarter. The business appeared to recover quickly, but we are curious to find out if travelers will be willing to book Caribbean cruises during the peak time for storms next year.

One of the buzz phrases in the cruise industry for the past couple of years has been "multigenerational cruising." Virgin Voyages sees an opportunity in keeping one generation off its inaugural ship.

The last thing Carnival Corp. wants is for its much-hyped new technology to be a flop with guests. So a phased rollout it is — though we wonder why that wasn't the plan from the beginning.

Cruise passengers are still taking the trips they had planned for this time of year in the Caribbean, despite recent storms. As operators seek to reassure travelers that the region is open for business, it's still unclear how demand for cruises next hurricane season will hold up.

One new ship for most cruise lines wouldn't make a world of difference, but for these niche brands, the expansion will be significant.

Tourism will be crucial for the recovery of island nations devastated by recent hurricanes. The travel industry, across all sectors, needs to do its part to help in the recovery effort.

Carnival Corp. is eager to communicate directly with consumers, and continues to invest in new ways to do so. It will be interesting to see if potential cruise passengers respond to these new methods of engagement.

Crystal Cruises has no shortage of ambitious plans for growth, but those plans have occasionally changed. Its new CEO will need to reassure fans of the luxury brand that the company will steer a consistent course under new leadership.