Week in Review: AQV to Pay on NCFs, MSC, RCI Debut New Ships

Luxury Cruise Guide


Book Your All Inclusive Vacation and save 25% in Atmosphere Hotels and Resorts, Maldives
Book Your All Inclusive Vacation and save 25% in Atmosphere Hotels and Resorts, Maldives
Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on the latest news:
Follow Maldives Magazine social media
Follow Maldives Magazine social media
Wonder of the Seas ship

14 December, 2022

In more good news for travel advisors on the pay front, American Queen Voyages updated its all-inclusive fares to include port charges, taxes, services fees and onboard crew gratuities, starting January 2, 2023. That means that travel advisors will earn commission on fare items that were previously non-commissionable (NCFs).

In a christening ceremony on the Hudson River in New York City, MSC Cruises debuted its new 5,877-passenger MSC Seascape. Capacity-wise, the line is growing sizably and is focusing more on the U.S. market. For example, MSC Meraviglia will home port in New York starting in spring 2023, plus the MSC World America, sister of the recently launched World Europa and the line's largest ship class, will also sail from a U.S. port—yet unnamed—in 2025.

Also on the new cruise font, Royal Caribbean International officially welcomed Wonder of the Seas into the family with a naming ceremony held for the ship in Port Canaveral, Florida. It is the largest cruise ship in the world by gross tonnage, surpassing its sister ship Symphony of the Seas.

Updated Cruise Schedules

Shipyard supply chain issues have caused a delay in the new Carnival Jubilee's debut, originally planned for October 2023. Carnival Cruise Line has canceled the maiden transatlantic voyage and five Caribbean cruises from Galveston, TX. The new start-of-service date is December 23, 2023. .

The cruise industry's return to Asia continues. Princess Cruises will return to Japan in 2023 with voyages operated by Diamond Princess. Ponant also updated advisors about what’s new for 2023. For instance, the small-ship, luxury boutique line will sail an expedition to the islands of southern Japan.

In Europe, Emerald Cruises added four additional 2023 Christmas holiday season sailings—two on the Danube and Rhine Rivers and two on Portugal’s Douro River.

Looking a bit further out, SeaDream Yacht Club unveiled its 2024-2025 plans for the Caribbean and Mediterranean. A “West Indies“ itinerary departing March 29, 2025, will include an evening call in St. Kitts, so guests can experience SeaDream’s new evening beach party. Also, the ships will call at several Mediterranean ports for the first time, among them Thasos and Ios, Greece.

More Cruise News

On the sustainability front, The Travel Corporation, parent of Uniworld Boutique Cruises and many other brands, has introduced verified net-zero targets validated by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). The company has also introduced an internal carbon fund to achieve net-zero. The group’s approach prioritizes reductions and eliminates the use of offsets, and its not-for-profit foundation, TreadRight, will move to prioritize nature-based solutions.

Sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor reported on Dream Yacht Worldwide's new plans for 2023. In addition, Luxury Travel Advisor was on-site in London as Cunard Line officials unveiled a sneak peek at design elements for the new Queen Anne, debuting in 2024.

Advisors were still answering client questions throughout the week about a rogue wave that hit Viking Polaris. The expedition ship was sailing to Ushuaia, Argentina, when the incident occurred. Sadly, one guest died and four others sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Viking said damage to the ship was limited.

Find Great Cruise Deals

CruiseDirect

Responsive image

CruiseDirect is a leading online cruise travel company dedicated to providing customers with better deals than any other cruise website and access to great deals on cruise vacations. Offering special rates and savings on cruise bookings with some of the most popular cruise lines in the world, we are so confident in our cruise packages that each and every deal is backed by a price guarantee. You won't find these prices on other cruise booking sites.

Since 2001, we've helped our customers find the perfect cruise packages and book dream cruise vacations for less. We are a cruise finder and booking website committed to helping you research all your cruise travel options to find a cruise that fits what you're looking for. After you find a cruise the perfect cruise, make your reservation with our cutting-edge booking engine. We are the best site to book a cruise with because we are driven by our passion for cruise ship travel. Book a cruise today and enjoy the excitement of cruising the world with us!

Find Great Cruise Deals
what is better: beach or overwater

Beach or Water Villa?

Maldives - a name that became synonymous with honeymooners' paradise in the tourism world, has slowly revamped to cater to the needs of families visiting

Read More
Maldives Resort Offers & Packages

Best Maldives Resort Offers & Packages

Find out more about the most unparalleled Maldives hotel deals and special rates, when Book Direct your next beach holiday

Read More
Best Resorts for Vegetarians

Maldives Hotel Reviews

Some of the best hotels and resorts in the Maldives are already included in this list, and the good part of them offers the best prices. We will constantly add new hotels

Read More
10 Exclusive Resorts in Maldives

10 Exclusive Resorts in Maldives

The Maldives is paradise destination that should be on the bucket list of every discerning travelers. There's a special breed of hotels there that cater to the most tasteful of luxury travelers Read More

water pool villas, male

The Maldives’ Hottest Luxury Hotel Openings for 2022

hese are the hotel openings in the Maldives is most excited for in 2022 for planning your next luxurious getaway Read More

10 Cheapest Water Villa Resorts in Maldives

10 Most Affordable Water Villas

While it may never be cheap to visit thу Maldives, fortunately there are still some chic and relatively affordable overwater villas you can stay. Read more

luxury privaye villa

Maldives Luxury Guide

Here's the best of Maldives for luxury travellers. We've compiled the finest recommendations of places to stay, ranging from the most celebrated five-star resorts to luxurious private islands Read More

honeymoon

Maldives Romantic Guide

The ultimate ‘flop and drop' and honeymoon destination, the Maldives is the playground for the most amazing and finest utilization of each second of this extremely valuable and hopeful time with each other in tota Read More

maldives on the cheap

Maldives Budget Guide

Budget travellers choose Maldives as their destination of choice thanks to the variety of affordable stays  Read More

family holiday

Maldives Family Guide

Maldives - a name that became synonymous with honeymooners' paradise in the tourism world, has slowly Read More

scuba diving in the maldives ultimate guide

Maldives Diving Guide

The life of these paradise islands below the Indian Ocean's level is the main draw attracting thousands of divers Read More