Carnival Vista Crosses the Atlantic for Drydock in Spain

The Carnival Vista just arrived in Europe for its upcoming routine drydock.

After leaving Port Canaveral on Jan. 8, the Carnival Cruise Line ship crossed the Atlantic on its way to Spain.

The 2016-built vessel is now set to undergo a two-week drydock at the Navantia shipyard in the Bay of Cádiz.

Work expected to be carried out onboard the Carnival Vista includes the addition of Carnival’s new hull livery, in addition to scheduled maintenance, class surveys and technical work.

The 135,000-ton vessel is also poised to see upkeep of its common areas and staterooms, as well as updates to facilities and venues.

Following the work, the Carnival Vista is set to cross the Atlantic on its back to North America before resuming service on Feb. 15.

On that day, the vessel sails from Port Canaveral for a three-night cruise to the Bahamas that features a visit to Nassau, in addition to a full day at sea.

After repositioning from Galveston in late 2023, the Carnival Vista kicked off a year-round program out of its new Central Florida homeport.

The ship’s regular schedule features six- and eight-night cruises to the Southern and the Eastern Caribbean.

Itineraries include popular ports of call in both regions, such as Half Moon Cay, Princess Cays, Aruba, Curaçao, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau.

First in a series of three ships known as Vista Class, the Carnival Vista offers a series of features, including SkyRide, a suspended open-air cycling experience, and the Dreamscape, a three-deck-high LED sculpture located its main atrium.

The 4,000-guest cruise ship was later followed by the 2018-built Carnival Horizon, and the 2019-built Carnival Panorama.

Originally built for Costa Cruises, the 2019-built Carnival Venezia and the 2020-built Carnival Firenze are also considered part of the Vista Class.

Margaritaville at Sea Launches ‘Three Sail Free’ Sale

Margaritaville at Sea launched “Three Guests Sail Free” allowing paying passengers to add up to three additional guests for free, depending on the stateroom capacity.

The company’s biggest offer yet applies to all sailings and itineraries on both the Paradise and Islander ships in 2024, according to a press release. 

Guests also have the option to pay monthly via uplift with 0 percent interest for up to nine months.  The offer is valid for bookings made between January 9 and Feb. 12, 2024.

“There is nothing better than sailing the open ocean and exploring new destinations with friends or loved ones, and our new offer lets our guests bring up to three of their favorite people along for the journey,” said Christopher Ivy, CEO. “And with two ships, four ports of call, and two- to 5-night itineraries, there has never been a better time to bring your entire crew aboard Margaritaville at Sea.”  

Star Kicks Off Norwegian’s 2023-24 Season in South America and Antarctica

The Norwegian Star recently arrived in South America to kick off Norwegian Cruise Line’s 2023-24 in the region.

Extending through April, the local program features different itineraries to Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, the Falkland Islands, Chile, and Antarctica.

After concluding its summer program in Northern Europe, the 2,200-guest vessel arrived in Brazil in early December.

Before concluding its repositioning cruise in Rio de Janeiro, the Star visited several destinations in the country, including Recife, Maceió, Salvador and Búzios.

Continuing its way to the Southern tip of the continent, the ship also offered a ten-night cruise to Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay in mid-December.

The one-way cruise sailed from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires and featured visits to Búzios, Ilha Grande, Ilhabela, Santos, Balneário Camboriú, Punta del Este and Montevideo.

Once in Buenos Aires, the Norwegian Star kicked off the first sailing of a regular series of cruises to Argentina, Antarctica, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands.

The 16-night cruise features visits to several destinations in the region, such as Puerto Madryn, Punta Arenas, Port Stanley and Punta del Este.

Before returning to Buenos Aires, the Norwegian Star is also scheduled to spend a few days cruising around Elephant Island and other parts of Antarctica.

After additional itineraries in the region, the 2001-built vessel is scheduled to return to Europe in mid-April, via a transatlantic crossing that starts in Rio de Janeiro and ends in Lisbon, Portugal.

In addition to the Star, Norwegian Cruise Line’s 2023-24 program in South America also includes the Norwegian Sun.

Between January and early March, the vessel is scheduled to offer a series of cruises to the Andes, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego that include visits to destinations in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and the Falkland Islands.