Regal Princess Celebrates 10th Anniversary

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Regal Princess arrives in the World Famous Port City of Liverpool on the 29th June 2023 and Spacejunkie2 took some great photos of the arrival.

Regal Princess in the Famous city of Liverpool, Photo credit  Spacejunkie2 Flickr -29/062023

The Regal Princess is completing its 10th year of service this month. Built for Princess Cruises at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, the vessel officially debuted on May 20, 2014.

A sister to the 2013-built Royal Princess, the ship is the second in a series of six Royal-class ships for Princess Cruises.

For its maiden voyage, the Regal Princess offered a seven-night cruise to Italy, Turkey and Greece. Built at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard, the vessel departed from Venice on an open-jaw cruise to Athens.

Sailing through the Eastern Mediterranean, the itinerary featured visits to Corfu and Mykonos, in addition to a two-day stop in Istanbul.

Throughout the summer of 2014, the Regal Princess offered Princess Cruises’ signature Grand Mediterranean cruises, with different seven- to 12-night itinerary choices.

In October 2014, the 3,600-guest ship crossed the Atlantic for the first time ahead of a winter season in the Caribbean.

Sailing from Port Everglades on Sundays, the Regal offered week-long cruises to St. Thomas, St. Maarten and the Bahamas during its inaugural program in the region.

The Princess ship is spending another summer in Europe in 2024.

Sailing from Southampton, the vessel is offering a series of 12-night cruises to the British Isles that feature visits to Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England. Some itineraries also include stops in Wales, France and the Shetland Isles.

In early October the Regal Princess is scheduled to return to North America for a winter season in the Caribbean.

Now sailing from Galveston, the ship will offer six- to 11-night cruises to the Western Caribbean, featuring calls to ports in Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, Belize and Grand Cayman.

PortMiami Reports Increased Economic Impact in 2023

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PortMiami’s annual economic impact has grown to $61.4 billion, up from $41.4 billion in 2016, according to a study conducted by Martin Associates, according to a press release.

The study measured PortMiami’s impact in terms of jobs, business revenue, consumer spending and state and local taxes. PortMiami has contributed $2.2 billion in state and local taxes, of which $1.6 billion is attributed to port users. Additionally, 340,078 jobs are supported by port activity, including 29,423 direct local jobs.

“PortMiami is not only one of Miami-Dade County’s most important economic engines, its economic impact is also felt regionally and globally,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “This report confirms the seaport’s vital role in supporting good-paying local jobs and contributing to the growth of our community, in addition to our commitment to resilience and reducing our carbon footprint with shore power and our net zero plan.” 

Highlights of the 2023 study:

  • $61.4 billion in total economic activity, which accounts for 3.9 per cent of the $1.6 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the state of Florida.
  • $2.2 billion in state and local taxes, of which $1.6 billion is attributed to Port users.
  • 340,078 jobs supported by port activity, including 29,423 direct local jobs.

The economic impact analysis was based on data obtained through interviews and telephone survey programs of the seaport’s tenants and the companies providing cruise and cargo services at PortMiami. In addition, a survey of cruise passengers and crew was conducted to develop passenger spending profiles pre- and post-cruise as well as the spending characteristics of the crew during each port call at Miami. 

“The seaport continues to play a critical role in the economic vitality of our region. We will continue to invest in our infrastructure to ensure that PortMiami remains a world-class cruise and cargo port,” said Hydi Webb, director and CEO, of PortMiami. “I want to thank all the seaport’s partners for their unrelenting support. Our continued growth and success are a result of strong collaborations.” 

MSC Magnifica to Reposition to Europe in 2025

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MSC Magnifica berthed in Queensferry, Photo credit Spacejunkie2 Flickr

Previously scheduled to offer short cruises to the Bahamas, the MSC Magnifica is now set to sail in Europe during the summer season of 2025.

Joining MSC Cruises’ lineup in the Western Mediterranean, the 2010-built cruise ship will offer a new seven-night itinerary to Italy, France, and Spain.

The itinerary, which is set to run between early May and early October 2025, includes visits to Genoa, Marseille, Valencia and Tarragona.

With only one day at sea, the itinerary also includes stops in Civitavecchia and Livorno, from where guests can visit Rome and Pisa, respectively.

Following the summer program, the MSC Magnifica is scheduled to offer varying itineraries in the Western Mediterranean before kicking off MSC Cruises’ 2026 World Cruise.

Taking over the global voyage from the MSC Poesia, the 2,550-guest vessel is set to depart from Genoa on January 6, 2026.

During the 119-day world voyage,, the 89,600-ton ship is scheduled to travel 36,000 nautical miles and visit 47 destinations in 32 countries and five continents.

Currently sailing from PortMiami, the MSC Magnifica has been offering three- and four-night cruises to the Bahamas and Florida since late 2023.

In addition to Nassau, Freeport, and Key West, the vessel’s itineraries also include visits to MSC Cruises’ private island destination, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

Now, the MSC Seascape is scheduled to offer three- to seven-night cruises to the Caribbean and the Bahamas departing from PortMiami in 2025.

After entering service next April, the 5,400-guest MSC World America is also set to sail from the South Florida homeport on a year-round basis.

MSC Cruises fleet in the United States for the summer of 2025 also includes the MSC Meraviglia sailing from New York City and the MSC Seashore sailing from Port Canaveral.