MSC Cruises' Meraviglia arrived in New York City earlier today, marking her first ever visit to the United States and breaking the record for the largest cruise ship to port in Manhattan.

The ship can accomodate more than 4,500 passengers, and will offer two New England and Canada itineraries this fall from the city before she will move to her homeport in Miami for Caribbean itineraries during the winter.

The ship's pool includes a full water park with several slides. The ship also has more than 10 dining areas and a spa.

Carnival Corporation & plc announced it officially began construction of a new cruise terminal in Japan, located at the port of Sasebo.

St Kitts and Nevis announced one million cruise passengers have visited already this year, and greater growth is coming soon.

This  is the second year in a row that the Caribbean country has reached the one million passenger milestone. 

This is expected to grow even further upon the completion of the second pier at Port Zante, whose construction is funded by St Kitts and Nevis' Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme.

On World Animal Day, Royal Caribbean International marks a major milestone in its partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia, focused on saving the endangered hawksbill turtle species from extinction.

A new DNA extraction test will offer scientists and conservationists vital information to track – and ultimately help end – the illegal trade of hawksbill turtle products. This is a significant breakthrough led by WWF Australia, Royal Caribbean the NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC), in California, USA.  

Celebrity Cruises is adding a new surcharge on complimentary beverage packages selected as promotional booking perks.

Celebrity Cruises' booking promotions let passengers choose from free extras that include things like onboard credit, prepaid gratuities and even the Classic Beverage Package. However, the beverage package as a perk is no longer entirely free. Effective October 10, 2019, all passengers who choose this perk will be charged $14 per person, per day.

Two respected leaders in the travel and tourism industry, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and ITM Group, are teaming to form a new destination company, to be called Holistica.

Holistica will create an inclusive model for destination development that works holistically – thus the name – to meet the needs of coastal communities, local governments, and land, sea, and air travelers.

Carnival Cruise Line announced the appointment of the senior officers for Mardi Gras, currently under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland and set to debut in summer 2020.

Mardi Gras’ senior officers will include:

In the wake of the new U.S. government policy change towards Cuba, Carnival and Royal Caribbean have both cancelled their sailings to Cuba.

Royal Caribbean

For all 2019 sailings on both Majesty of the Seas and Empress of the Seas, Royal Caribbean has secured alternative ports and is in the process of communicating the new itineraries to our guests and travel partners. For these guests, they will have the option of remaining on their sailing with the new itinerary and receiving a 50% refund or they may cancel their cruise and receive a full refund.

Princess Cruises announced a special tie-in with Discover Channel's Shark Week event by offering Summer of Shark activities showcased on eight summer sailings, now through July 27, 2019.