Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line announced a new art experience at sea, called the ARTSEA Cruise.

Departing April 2, the sailing features some internationally-recognized artists including Jose Sabate "PEZ", The London Police and Dasic Fernandez and more.

The sailing promises to be an "unique art experience never-before-seen in the cruise industry."

Carnival Cruise Line announced its Cruise Director and Entertainment director for the Carnival Sunshine, following the ship's major refurbishment.

Previously sailing as Carnival Triumph, the ship is currently undergoing a $200 million bow-to-stern transformation in Cadiz, Spain, and will re-emerge as Carnival Sunrise featuring all of the line’s popular, branded food, beverage and entertainment experiences.

Princess Cruises today announced an exciting series of Latin-themed cruise itineraries on 7-day Caribbean cruises on two Caribbean Princess sailings in July 2019. The "Sabor Latino" themed cruises promise to deliver the Caribbean cruise experience, tailored to the preferences of the Latin American guest, with late night DJ dance parties, an onboard Spanish-speaking host, shore excursions guided in Spanish, and Latin-inspired cocktails.

The first Sabor Latino sailing will be on the Caribbean Princess on July 13, 2019, followed by the July 20, 2019 sailing of Caribbean Princess.

Cruise Critic announced the winners of its 9th annual Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Awards naming the most popular cruise ships of the year, based on consumer reviews and ratings shared on Cruise Critic over the past year. 

First-place winners include:

Best Cruises Overall

• Celebrity Equinox – Celebrity Cruises (Large)
• Riviera – Oceania Cruises (Mid-Size)
• Viking Sky – Viking Ocean Cruises (Small-Mid)
• Silver Galapagos – Silversea Cruises (Small)

Best Cruise Ship Cabins

Carnival Cruise Line announced a partnership with Celebrity Chef Emeril Lagasse which will see Emeril open his first-ever restaurant at sea on the Carnival Mardi Gras.

The new restaurant, Emeril's Bistro 1396, will be located in the ship's French Quarter zone of the ship.

Named after Mardi Gras’ hull number at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, the bistro will celebrate New Orleans’ rich culture with Creole favorites and daily specials. 

Disney Cruise Line announces it will return to Greece in 2020, as part of its 2020 sailings release.

After a five-year hiatus, the Disney Magic will be returning to the Greek Islands with 9- and a 12-night voyages from Civitavecchia.

DCL will offer five new ports in Europe in its 2020 European season, along with sailings to Alaska, the Caribbean and the Bahamas.

Guests will be able to begin booking these sailings on March 7, 2019. 

Alaska

After nearly 30 years, Illene and Howard Weiner are being celebrated by Princess Cruises for being the most-travelled guest on the cruise line, with 2,500 days at sea spread over 282 cruises.

"We're incredibly honored to have the loyalty and passion for Princess Cruises that Ms. Weiner exudes as our most-travelled guest," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. "Not only has she celebrated her own milestones throughout the years, she's found pure joy and happiness in discovering the world's beauty and local cultures from a cruise ship."

Norwegian Cruise Line says a  “sudden, extreme gust of wind, estimated at 100 knots" struck the Norwegian Escape, which caused injuries to several passengers.

The wind gust was so powerful that it caused the Escape to tilt on its port side, when the incident occurred on Sunday night.

The cruise line confirmed the incident following several reports on social media of damage to the ship.

Princess Cruises announced it will expand its MedallionNet internet service on additional ships by the end of 2019.

MedallionNet will expand to six additional ships this year:

• Coral Princess (April 5)
• Island Princess (May 15)
• Crown Princess (June 30)
• Emerald Princess (August 3)
• Golden Princess (December 20)
• Sky Princess (October 12)

MedallionNet is currently available on Caribbean Princess, Regal Princess, Royal Princess and Ruby Princess.