Explora III Sets Sail on Maiden Voyage

Posted on 5 August, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

Explora III Sets Sail on Maiden Voyage

The Explora III recently sailed from the Spanish port of Barcelona to kick off its maiden voyage for Explora Journeys.

Delivered by the Fincantieri shipyard in late July, the luxury ship officially started its inaugural season on August 3, 2026.

The 922-passenger ship is now offering a seven-night cruise that includes visits to destinations in Portugal, Morocco and Spain.

The itinerary is highlighted by stops in off-the-beaten-path ports in the region, including Portimão and Puerto Banús.

Before ending in Lisbon, the maiden voyage will also include visits to Palma de Mallorca, Cádiz and Tangier, in addition to a full day of cruising in the Western Mediterranean.

The ship will later offer a second seven-night cruise to Southampton, which will sail to Spain, Portugal and France.

On its way to the United Kingdom, the Explora III will visit Porto, La Coruña, Bilbao and Bordeaux, as well as St. Jean de Luz.

In addition to sailing the individual cruises, guests were able to combine the two weeklong voyages for a 14-night itinerary sailing from Barcelona to Southampton.

As part of its inaugural season, the 70,000-ton vessel is also set to offer itineraries to Northern Europe, Iceland, Greenland and North America.

The ship is also set to offer cruises to the Caribbean departing from San Juan and Miami starting in December 2026.

Before kicking off its maiden voyage, the Explora III was christened during a special ceremony at the Port of Barcelona. Marking the debut of Explora Journeys’ first LNG-powered vessel, the inaugural event took place on August 1, 2026.

Cristina Ozores, a marine educator and National Geographic Educator, served as the ship’s godmother during the ceremony.

The Explora III also offered a pre-inaugural cruise in the Western Mediterranean, which departed from Genoa, Italy, on July 24, 2026.

The five-night preview journey included visits to destinations in France and Italy, including Marseille, Saint-Tropez, Livorno and Villefranche-sur-Mer.

Barcelona Approves 24 Euro Tax for Cruise Passengers

Posted on 20 July, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

Barcelona Approves 24 Euro Tax for Cruise Passengers

The City of Barcelona will raise its fees for cruise passengers to 24 euros per person in municipal taxes, according to a report by Metropoli Aberta.

The local news source said that the decision was approved by Barcelona’s City Council following a meeting of the Committee on Economy and Finance.

Guests staying in the city for less than 12 hours will be required to pay the increased fee, which was proposed by Mayor Jaume Collboni earlier this year.

The initiative will triple the current tax, an increase that was originally set to be applied gradually through 2029.

While the immediate increase was green lit by local authorities, it is expected to be enacted into law following the upcoming fiscal ordinances meeting, scheduled for the end of the year.

A supporter of the measure was quoted as saying that cruise tourism is currently unsustainable for Barcelona, impacting the day-to-day life of the city’s neighborhoods.

Representing the BComú political party, Marc Serra said that the change serves as a tool to send a message to cruise lines, pushing them to “seek other destinations.”

The increase is also expected to incentivize homeporting operations, reducing the number of port of call guests arriving in the city onboard cruise ships.

In addition to paying the 24- Euro municipal fee, passengers will also pay an additional 6 euros in regional taxes.

Barcelona has also been reportedly discussing limiting the number of cruise guests arriving in the city, considering an annual cap of 3.5 million passengers.

As previously reported by Cruise Industry News, the city approved a plan to reduce the number of cruise terminals in its port.

In an effort that also aims to modernize the city’s infrastructure, three cruise terminals are expected to be demolished to make room for a newer and larger facility.

Carnival Magic: 15 Years of Service for Carnival Cruise Line

Posted on 29 June, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

Carnival Magic: 15 Years of Service for Carnival Cruise Line

The Carnival Magic recently celebrated 15 years of service for Carnival Cruise Line after being delivered on April 27, 2011.

As a sister to the 2009-built Carnival Dream, the 3,650-passenger ship was built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.

At the time of its delivery, the Carnival Magic became the 100th ship across Carnival Corporation’s then 10 cruise brands.

Following a traditional handover ceremony, the vessel sailed for Venice to kick off its maiden voyage, which departed on May 1, 2011.

Sailing to Barcelona, the open-jaw itinerary included visits to destinations in Croatia, Italy, Spain and Monaco, such as Dubrovnik, Messina, Livorno and Monte Carlo.

The ship continued to offer itineraries in the Mediterranean through most of its inaugural season, operating itineraries to additional destinations in the region.

Ahead of its first sailing, the Carnival Magic was also officially named during a ceremony at the Venice Cruise Terminal.

Lindsey Wilkerson, a former St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital patient who served as ambassador for the organization, was chosen as the ship’s godmother.

Soon after its first season in Europe, the Carnival Magic repositioned to Galveston for seven-night cruises to the Western Caribbean.

According to Carnival, the 130,000-ton vessel was the largest cruise ship sailing year-round from the Texas homeport at the time.

The Carnival Magic later sailed from other U.S. homeports, including Port Canaveral, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Norfolk and New York City.

In 2023, the ship returned to Miami to kick off a year-round schedule of six- to eight-night cruises to the Eastern and Southern Caribbean.

Still being offered in 2026, the deployment features itineraries that visit destinations like Grand Turk, Curaçao, Puerto Plata and Celebration Key.

The Carnival Magic also became the second ship in the company’s fleet to introduce the new “From Sea to Shining Sea” crest.

Created in homage to the United States’ 250th anniversary, the patriotic feature was revealed in May and will be added to all of the company’s U.S.-based vessels.