Princess Cruises has launched its “most expansive Americas season”

Discovery Princess will offer two 15-night Hawaii cruises for the first time

New for 2023-24 is a 32-night South Pacific Islands & Hawaii itinerary on two voyages sailing round-trip from Los Angeles onboard Sapphire Princess. The voyage will also include Fiji for the first time as well as late-night stays in Honolulu and Tahiti.

Meanwhile, Discovery Princess will offer two 15-night Hawaii cruises – the ship’s first-ever sailings to the island state – with overnight stays in Honolulu. Other ships offering Hawaii & Tahiti sailings include Crown Princess, Diamond Princess, Discovery Princess, Emerald Princess, Ruby Princess and Sapphire Princess.

Elsewhere Princess will sail again from Galveston with a series of voyages on Regal Princess to the Western Caribbean. Other departure points for round-trip cruises include Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, as well as one departure from New York

Other highlights of the new programme include 126 departures on 18 itineraries in the Caribbean ranging in length from five to 21 nights, sailing round-trips from Fort Lauderdale and Galveston.

The line’s Mexico programme will include eight destinations including Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, La Paz and Loreto.

Meanwhile, Princess’s California Coast sailings feature 11 destinations in three countries, including six in California: Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Monterey, Catalina Island, San Diego and Ensenada.

Princess will also offer Panama Canal itineraries onboard Emerald Princess, Island Princess and Ruby Princess with two options available – round-trip from Fort Lauderdale or ocean-to-ocean between Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Carnival Celebration to Host Wide Range of Retail Collections

Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Celebration will host nine retail collections, including a relaunch of its sold-out 50th birthday memorabilia, according to a press release.

The retail options will include new designs as well as guest favourites, a destination-driven collection, a Carnival core-logo collection, and special retail items influenced by the ship’s various entertainment venues, according to the company.

“As retailers, we saw more opportunity to connect our merchandise with our onboard experiences, so for Carnival Celebration’s collections, we really kicked it up a notch,” said Jeremy Schiller, vice president of retail operations, Carnival Cruise Line. “We know our guests want Carnival products, ship-name products, and products that remind them of where they’ve travelled to with us, and they will find all of that and much more on Celebration.”

Carnival will also offer its most broad collection of logo items in reimagined designs and styles, as well as a completely new line of customizable apparel and merchandise. In addition, the Carnival Celebration will feature a variety of new concepts developed in collaboration with partners Starboard Cruise Services and Effy fine jewellery.

The retail offerings of Celebration will be spread across the ship’s six zones: The Gateway, 820 Biscayne, Celebration Central, The Ultimate Playground, Summer Landing, and Lido. Guests can explore their options when the ship sets sail from Miami on November 21, 2022.

Explora Journeys Presents the ‘Homes at Sea’ Staterooms

Explora Journeys today unveiled the design of its Ocean Terrace Suites for its first ship, Explora I, ahead of her maiden cruise next May for MSC’s new luxury brand. 

According to a press release, Explora Journeys was born from a long-held vision of the founders, the Aponte Vago family. With the family’s nautical heritage of over 300 years coupled with their innate understanding of luxury, the family have carefully curated the design of the suites, penthouses and residences to create a luxurious home at sea. 

The company said that the Aponte Vago family has worked meticulously in collaboration with some of the world’s foremost superyacht, cruise and luxury hospitality designers and architects. The innovative ship will seamlessly blend elegant Swiss precision with modern European craftsmanship and vibrant design, to create luxurious, serene, and spacious Homes at Sea ranging from 35 sqm (377 sq ft) in the Ocean Terrace category up to 280 sqm (3014 sq ft) for the Owners Residence.

Each Home at Sea includes a walk-in wardrobe with a seated vanity area and features a Dyson Supersonic hairdryer, heated floors in the bathrooms, personal binoculars, wireless bed-side charging, a personal mini-bar replenished according to the guests’ preferences, an espresso machine with bio-degradable pods, a kettle and teapot, and a complimentary personal refillable water bottle for each guest. 24-hour guest services also ensure every desire or request is provided.

Michael Ungerer, Chief Executive Officer of Explora Journeys, said: “The Homes at Sea have been a long-held vision of the Aponte Vago family. It is a truly exciting and profound moment for us to be able to welcome future guests to the carefully curated suites, penthouses and residences. Marrying the family`s impeccable taste and innate understanding of luxury, inspired by their personal travels and style, the interiors of EXPLORA I have been designed with their enduring dedication and an incredible eye for detail, along with their vision for the future, weaving a thread of their passion throughout each touchpoint. We aspire to elevate the ocean experience and luxury travel to new heights, whilst being respectful to the ocean, environment, and the destinations and cultures we discover, to ensure we leave a positive legacy for generations to come.”

The design of each suite has been developed in collaboration with De Jorio Luxury & Yachts projects, and London-based architectural and interior design studio NenMar.