Holland America’s Rotterdam Returns to Fort Lauderdale for Winter Season

Posted on 4 November, 2024 by Spacejunkie2

Holland America Line’s Rotterdam returned to Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades to kick off its winter season in the Caribbean.

After completing a summer deployment in Europe, the vessel docked at Port Everglades on Oct. 27, 2024.

To open its season in the region, the Rotterdam is offering a 12-night cruise to the Southern Caribbean and Panama Canal.

Named “Panama Canal Sunfarer,” the itinerary features visits to six destinations, as well as a partial transit of the Panama Canal.

After departing Fort Lauderdale, the 2021-built ship sailed to Holland America’s private island destination in the Bahamas, Half Moon Cay.

The Rotterdam then visited Willemstad in Curaçao and Cartagena in Colombia before entering the Panama Canal.

Before returning to South Florida, the ship is also scheduled to sail to Colón in Panama, Puerto Limón in Costa Rica and George Town in the Cayman Islands.

Through mid-April, the Rotterdam continues to offer a series of seven- to 12-night cruises to the Caribbean.

The itineraries also sail to the Eastern Caribbean and feature visits to additional destinations, such as Grand Turk (Turks and Caicos), Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic), San Juan (Puerto Rico), and St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands).

Following the winter season, the Rotterdam is scheduled to return to Europe for a summer program sailing from the Netherlands.

The cruise program features departures from Rotterdam and Amsterdam, with itineraries that visit Scandinavia, Iceland, the British Isles, the Baltic, and more.

The Rotterdam is currently the newest ship in the Holland America Line fleet. It was built by the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy and entered service in late 2021.

A sister to the 2016-built Koningsdam and 2018-built Nieuw Statendam, the 2,650-guest ship is the seventh in the company’s fleet to carry the Rotterdam name.

As part of Holland America’s Pinnacle Class, the vessel offers 11 different dining experiences, as well as a series of entertainment venues and other facilities.

Cruises Cancelled as Carnival Pride Heads to Drydock in 2026

Posted on 22 May, 2024 by Spacejunkie2

Carnival Pride arriving into Liverpool, photo credit Spacejunkie2 Flickr

Carnival Cruise Line has cancelled three cruises onboard the Carnival Pride to accommodate a drydock in early 2026.

According to a statement sent to booked guests, the impacted sailings were set to depart from Baltimore between March 29 and April 12, 2026.

“In our continuous effort to enhance our product, Carnival Pride has now been scheduled for drydock and we’re sorry to inform you that your cruise has been cancelled,” Carnival Cruise Line said.

The cancelled cruises were set to sail to different ports of call in the Bahamas. Sailing for seven nights, the itineraries featured visits to Half Moon Cay, Nassau, Celebration Key and Princess Cays.

Carnival is offering passengers a series of alternatives, including the option to rebook another voyage.

Guests who choose to transfer their reservations will have their cruise rate protected when sailing on a comparable sailing in similar accommodations, the company said.

Carnival is also offering a $50 per person onboard credit (limited to $100 per stateroom) for passengers who choose to rebook their cruises.

For passengers who do not wish to reschedule, the company is offering a full refund of the paid cruise fare and any pre-purchased items.

According to Carnival, the amounts will be automatically returned to the guests’ original form of payment after May 28, 2024.

Following a winter program in Tampa, the Carnival Pride recently repositioned to the East Coast. Currently sailing from Norfolk, the 2001-built cruise ship offers seven- to 14-night cruises to the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Greenland.

Carnival Opens Sales for New Venezia, Year-Round Cruising from NYC

Posted on 14 November, 2022 by Spacejunkie2

Carnival Cruise Line today opened reservations for the inaugural season of its next new ship, the Carnival Venezia, which will begin sailing year-round from New York City starting June 15, 2023, and will showcase “Carnival Fun Italian Style,” the company said.

The ship will offer guests a wide range of sailing options, with 10 different cruise durations and 22 unique itineraries featuring visits to 25 ports across 14 countries.

“Our summer season in New York has been extremely popular, so increasing our offerings with a larger, newer ship that sails year-round provides the opportunity for more guests in the tri-state area and beyond to enjoy the convenience of sailing right from Manhattan,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Carnival Venezia will give guests our signature fun, combined with Italian theming, to beautiful destinations from The Bahamas and the Caribbean to Bermuda and Canada.”

Following a 15-day trans-Atlantic Carnival Journeys cruise from Barcelona that departs on May 29, 2023, the Carnival Venezia will sail a variety of cruises from New York’s Manhattan Cruise Terminal, and for the summer will alternate between sailing four-, five- six- and eight-day sailings to the Caribbean, Bermuda and ports in Canada and New England, including Halifax and Saint John.

Beginning Sept. 29, 2023, the ship will alternate between operating eight- to 12-day cruises to the Eastern Caribbean, Southern Caribbean and The Bahamas, visiting destinations like St. Thomas, San Juan and Aruba, along with four of Carnival’s private destinations: Half Moon Cay, Princess Cays, Amber Cove and Grand Turk. In addition, Carnival Venezia’s nine-day cruises will feature Miami as a port of call.

Sample Cruises:

Nine-Day sailing to Miami and the Bahamas (10/14/2023) – Miami, Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Freeport, Bahamas
10-day Eastern Caribbean sailing (1/23/2024) – Princess Cays, Bahamas; Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic and San Juan, Puerto Rico
12-day Southern Caribbean Carnival Journeys sailing (2/11/2024) – Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Maarten
15-day Caribbean Carnival Journeys sailing (9/29/2023) – Grand Turk, Aruba, Curacao, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Maarten and St. Thomas

Built-in 2019 and set to undergo enhancements before entering service, Carnival Venezia will be home to many of the activities and experiences guests enjoy aboard other Carnival ships, including Carnival Waterworks, Piano Bar 88, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Bonsai Sushi, Seafood Shack, Cloud 9 Salon & Spa and the Serenity Adult-Only Retreat.

In 2024, Carnival Cruise Line will welcome a second Carnival Fun Italian Style ship, when the Carnival Firenze joins the fleet, scheduled to sail year-round from Long Beach, Calif.