Disney Treasure Named in New York

Disney Cruise Line welcomed its new ship, the Disney Treasure, during a waterfront christening celebration on the Hudson River in New York City, the line announced in a press release.

The celebration included a light show featuring Disney adventures on the new ship, including “Aladdin,” “Haunted Mansion,” “Moana,” and “Coco.”

The tribute to the stories and characters was brought to life by a synchronized showcase of 1,000 drones set to a medley of Disney songs.

Jordin Sparks performed a live rendition of “Live the Adventure,” the original anthem of the Disney Treasure.

Bob Iger, chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, said: “Since the launch of the Disney Cruise Line in 1998, our ships have become brand ambassadors that bring our world-class storytelling and the immersive nature of our theme parks to new audiences in new places all over the world.”

“This is an unprecedented era of growth for Disney Experiences and a dramatic period of expansion at Disney Cruise Line,” said Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences.

“We are doubling our fleet to 13 ships by 2031 to bring Disney cruise vacations to even more families across the globe.”

The Disney Treasure, sister ship to the Disney Wish (launched in 2022) and the Disney Destiny (setting sail in Nov. 2025), will use stories of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney Parks attractions to offer new and guest-favorite experiences.

The new ship embarks on its maiden voyage on Dec. 21, 2024, followed by an inaugural season of seven-night itineraries from Port Canaveral, Florida, to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

Norwegian Cancels Nearly 40 Cruises Onboard Three Ships

Norwegian Cruise Line is cancelling a total of 38 cruises onboard three of its ships, according to a statement sent to travel advisors.

Sailing onboard the Norwegian Jewel, the Norwegian Star and the Norwegian Dawn, the cruises were scheduled to take place between November 2025 and April 2026.

Cancelled cruises onboard the Norwegian Jewel include all the itineraries that were set to depart between Nov. 23, 2025, and April 5, 2026.

The ship was scheduled to offer a series of 16 five- to 14-night cruises to the Caribbean and the Bahamas departing from Tampa.

For the Norwegian Star, cancellations include the ship’s full season in South America and Antarctica, which featured 11 cruises between Nov. 20, 2025, and April 14, 2026.

Sailings onboard the Norwegian Dawn include all cruises previously scheduled to depart between Nov. 2, 2025, and April 12, 2026.

Sailing around Africa and then Asia, the ship was poised to offer 11 cruises during the timeframe, visiting ports in the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and more.

Replacement sailings have yet to be revealed.

According to Norwegian, guests are set to soon receive notification letters outlining the details of the deployment changes.

Affected passengers will receive a full monetary refund to the original form of payment provided at the time of reservation, the company added.

While commissions will be protected for all bookings paid in full, Norwegian will also offer guests a ten percent discount in the form of a Future Cruise Credit (FCC).

Norwegian also cancelled sailings onboard the Norwegian Sun and the Norwegian Getaway.

Citing fleet redeployment, the company cancelled a 14-night cruise to the South Pacific onboard the Sun, which was scheduled to depart on Aug. 7, 2025.

Norwegian also cancelled the Aug. 17 and Aug. 21, 2026, cruises onboard the Norwegian Getaway due to a ship charter.

Cruise Lines 2024 Q3 Breakdown: By the Numbers

La Ponant and AIDA Cosmos both enjoying good passenger numbers, photo credit Spacejunkie2 Flickr

Cruise Industry News takes a look at the financial performance of the “big three” cruise corporations following the third quarter of 2024.

Traditionally, the third quarter has been the key part of the year for cruise operators, as it spans the summer months with more family travel and more deployment into higher-yielding markets such as Alaska and Europe.

Carnival Corporation, the world’s biggest cruise company, delivered the best net income performance with $1.8 billion, up from $1.1 billion in the third quarter a year prior.

The company also outpaced the gains year-over-year from Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

Net income per passenger day was $61.96 for Carnival, Royal Caribbean Group had $75.14 of net income per passenger day, while Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings came in at $72.82

Of note, fuel cost was up for both Carnival and Royal Caribbean, but down for Norwegian, which continues to make deployment changes to published cruises for fuel efficiency.

Follow the link below to see all the numbers from the 3 leading Cruise companies: