Virgin Voyages kicked off its first-ever Alaska cruise season on May 21, with the Brilliant Lady departing Seattle — bringing adults-only, all-inclusive cruising to one of the world's most iconic destinations.
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The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and MSC can be sued under the Helms-Burton Act for using confiscated Cuban docks, reviving a $440 million damages claim.
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Carnival Legend debuts a new 'From Sea to Shining Sea' bow crest as part of the America250 celebration, kicking off a fleet-wide patriotic makeover across the cruise line's U.S.-based ships.
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China's two domestically built cruise ships, Adora Magic City and Adora Flora City, passed each other at sea for the first time on May 20, 2026.
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A last-minute infrastructure failure at Alaska's new Seward cruise terminal forced Royal Caribbean to reroute Ovation of the Seas passengers to Whittier with less than 24 hours' notice.
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Mexico's environmental authority has formally rejected Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day Mexico development at Mahahual, blocking the $600 million private cruise destination over concerns about the Mesoamerican Reef, protected mangroves, and nesting sea turtles.
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Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is expanding its Japan program across four ships and two booking years, committing to the country as a luxury cruise destination through 2028.
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Royal Caribbean will broadcast every FIFA World Cup 2026 match live across all 29 ships from June 11–July 19, with pool deck screens, sports bars, and themed watch parties.
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EXPLORA III sets sail August 3, 2026, with Nordic fjords, Iceland, Greenland, a transatlantic crossing, and a front-row seat to a solar eclipse Europe hasn't seen in 27 years.
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Carnival Luminosa and Virgin Voyages' Brilliant Lady both made their maiden calls at the Port of San Francisco within two weeks of each other, signaling a major shift in West Coast cruise momentum.
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MSC Cruises and Eni completed a landmark HVO biofuel trial on MSC Opera, cutting GHG emissions 80% and NOx 16% with zero engine modifications.
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Torstein Hagen founded Viking with four Russian riverboats in 1997. Now he's stepping back — and the executive who took the company public is taking the wheel.
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Royal Caribbean is pulling Spectrum of the Seas sailings from Shanghai as China-Japan political tensions continue to disrupt East Asia cruise itineraries into 2027.
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The Port of Dover made cruise history on May 8, 2026, welcoming four ships simultaneously for the first time in its 30-year cruise operations — a milestone backed by major infrastructure investment.
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Windstar Cruises' brand-new Star Seeker has begun its inaugural Alaska season. Within days, the line opened 2028 reservations across six itineraries — a confident bet on small-ship wilderness cruising.
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Carnival's Celebration Key has seen three guest deaths in under a year. The latest: an 88-year-old woman whose mobility scooter drove off a pier on May 9, 2026.
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French authorities locked down Ambassador Cruise Line's Ambition in Bordeaux on May 13, 2026, confining over 1,700 passengers and crew over a norovirus outbreak. Here's the full story.
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The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program lost all its full-time inspectors in 2025. With cruise outbreaks rising and only one epidemiologist left to respond, the gap in oversight is bigger than the industry wants to admit.
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More than 7,000 people gathered at Yokohama's Osanbashi Terminal on May 10, 2026 to bid farewell to the Nippon Maru — the ship that helped build Japan's cruise culture over 36 years, 2,000+ voyages, and 600,000 passengers.
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Hantavirus struck the MV Hondius expedition ship mid-voyage, killing three. All 18 American passengers returned to the U.S. on May 12 for a 42-day monitoring period.
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