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Oceania Cruises adds perks for all guests

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 September 2025 10 September 2025

Oceania Cruises, the culinary- and destination-focused luxury cruise line, has enhanced its guest experience even further with a new choice of amenities under its “Your World Included” program.

On bookings made on or after September 17, 2025, guests will have the opportunity to choose one of two additional amenities: a generous shore excursion credit or complimentary wine and beer during lunch and dinner restaurant hours. This is in addition to its current suite of always included onboard amenities such as free specialty dining, unlimited WiFi and shipboard gratuities.

For guests looking to experience each destination just as they wish, they can choose a generous shore excursion credit of up to $600 per guest, depending on the length of the voyage. This credit can be applied toward any of its more than 8,000 small-group immersive tours in global destinations ranging from the wilds of Alaska, to jet-set European islands, to iconic Asian cities.

The choice of complimentary wine and beer by the glass is perfect for guests who like to sip and savor. Dozens of choices, such as sparkling wine; red, white or rosé wine; or a selection of international beers and more, are available to guests during lunch and dinner hours.

“This is not another passing promotion; it’s a brand promise and reinforces the incredible value of the Oceania Cruises experience, giving our guests the luxury of even more choice,” said Jason Montague, Chief Luxury Officer of Oceania Cruises.

The shore excursion credit, or complimentary wine and beer during lunch and dinner hours, enhances the line’s impressive array of Your World Included amenities for all guests on all Oceania Cruises voyages. These include:

– Gourmet specialty restaurants
– In-suite and in-stateroom dining
– Sodas, specialty coffees and teas
– Still and sparkling Vero Water®
– Unlimited Starlink WiFi
– Group fitness classes
– Juices, smoothies and gourmet ice cream
– Laundry services
– Shipboard gratuities

Beyond these always included amenities, anyone who books a sailing with Oceania Cruises can be assured the best overall value of their vacation thanks to the line’s Best Value Guarantee. This ensures that no matter when guests book their cruise, they will receive the best overall value for the voyage. Should another promotion be made available for the voyage and the category booked before the cruise departure, the new promotion can be applied to the booking. This secures the best value and gives the confidence to book early to secure the perfect stateroom on the ideal itinerary.

The enhanced Your World Included amenities are applicable across all sailings in all categories beginning with new bookings made on or after September 17, 2025.

Carnival Cruise Line enhances its offerings from Galveston

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 09 September 2025 09 September 2025

Fun is on the move and as part of Carnival Cruise Line’s 2027/28 deployment, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Spirit will homeport in Galveston for the first time, joining Carnival Breeze and Carnival Jubilee. The lineup of newly available sailings, ranging from quick four-day getaways to extended Carnival Journeys cruises, continues the cruise line’s commitment to delivering unmatched variety and more capacity than ever for Galveston cruisers.

In addition to the introduction of ships that are new to Galveston, highlights include an expanded seven-day program aboard Carnival Breeze, Bahamas sailings aboard Carnival Jubilee that feature Celebration Key, as well as unique Panama Canal and Journeys itineraries aboard Carnival Spirit.

“Galveston is one of our most popular homeports, and this new deployment continues our commitment to our Texas guests and the community by adding more variety than ever,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “The four ships that will sail from Galveston in 2027/28 are each of their own unique class. That means guests will have more choices as they personalize their future cruise vacations and choose the fun that’s right for them from Galveston.”

Carnival Horizon

The nearly 4,000 guests Carnival Horizon will first sail from Galveston on May 19, 2027 on a special eight-day Western Caribbean cruise with stops in Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Isla Tropicale. Following that, the ship will offer four- and five-day cruises to the Western Caribbean. Carnival Horizon brings added capacity to Galveston, offering frequent departures to Cozumel and Progreso, with more than 70 sailings scheduled between May 2027 and April 2028.

The Vista-class ship encompasses a variety of dining selections like JiJi’s Asian Kitchen, Fahrenheit 555 and Cucina del Capitano; family-fun favorites for guests of all ages including SkyRide and Carnival WaterWorks; and top-tier entertainment including Playlist Production shows, comedy nights and live music.

Carnival Spirit

Carrying more than 2,000 guests, Carnival Spirit will begin sailing from Galveston on Oct. 11, 2027 and offer a wide variety of four-, five- and six-day Western Caribbean cruises featuring Cozumel, Progreso and Belize. After completing her season in Alaska and repositioning to Galveston via the Panama Canal, the Spirit-class ship will offer 11 10-day cruises to the Caribbean and Panama, as well as to the Eastern and Western Caribbean, in addition to the unique 16-day Panama Canal Journeys voyage from Seattle to Galveston departing on September 25, 2027, giving guests the chance to experience a full Panama Canal transit and destinations such as Cabo San Lucas, Puntarenas and Cartagena.

Guests can enjoy a variety of Carnival favorites while sailing Carnival Spirit, including popular dining and beverage spots like Guy’s Burger Joint, Bonsai Sushi and Alchemy Bar.

Carnival Breeze

Carnival Breeze will transition to a new seven-day schedule beginning in May 2027, offering both Western and Eastern Caribbean itineraries that include calls at Celebration Key, Key West, Nassau, Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, Belize, and Isla Tropicale. Special sailings include an eight-day Christmas cruise on December 18, 2027, a 14-day Eastern Caribbean Journeys voyage on Oct. 16, 2027, and a 14-day Southern Caribbean Journeys cruise departing Jan. 29, 2028. The Dream-class ship carries nearly 4,000 guests offering popular Carnival amenities including SportsSquare, Carnival WaterWorks and Cloud9 Spa.

Carnival Jubilee

The fleet’s flagship Carnival Jubilee will continue sailing from Galveston with a mix of six- and eight-day cruises from May 2027 through April 2028. The six-day Western Caribbean itineraries will visit Cozumel and Isla Tropicale, while the eight-day Bahamas voyages will feature Nassau, Celebration Key and RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay.

Proudly featuring the Texas Star on its bow, the Excel-class ship carries more than 6,400 guests and was the first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) powered cruise ship to operate from Texas and the third Carnival ship to offer BOLT, the Ultimate SeaCoaster. Guests can enjoy more than 30 dining venues, bars and lounges with a variety of styles and flavors.

With this deployment, Carnival will continue to have four ships sailing regularly from Galveston throughout the 2027/28 season, reinforcing its position as the largest cruise operator from Texas. Carnival will announce further plans for its 2027/28 schedule in the coming weeks, with additional ship moves creating new cruise options in more homeports.

Meyer Turku lays the keel of fourth Icon-class ship

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 08 September 2025 08 September 2025

Meyer Turku Shipyard celebrated today the keel laying of the fourth cruise ship in the Icon-class. The ship, built for Royal Caribbean and known by its working name Icon 4, has thus progressed to the hull assembly phase.

The traditional ceremony held at the bottom of the building dock included a symbolic ceremony in which representatives of the customer, the classification society and the shipyard placed coins under the first steel block to bring good luck and protection to the ship. In their speeches, the ship project managers of Meyer Turku and Royal Caribbean noted that the cooperation is progressing well and that the lessons learned from previous sister ships are further streamlining the process.

"Icon 4 is a very significant ship for both the shipyard and the entire partner network. With this ship, Meyer Turku is further strengthening its position as one of the world's leading cruise ship builders. Each luxury cruise ship of this size creates 13,000 person-years of employment, and we are constantly looking for new shipbuilders to join our team at various stages from design to implementation," says Casimir Lindholm, CEO of Meyer Turku.

Meyer Turku delivered the first ship in the series, Icon of the Seas, in November 2023 and its sister ship, Star of the Seas, in July 2025. The third Icon, Legend of the Seas, has recently been moved to the outfitting dock and will be completed in the summer of 2026.

Royal Caribbean has also announced an option for a fifth and sixth Icon-class ship.

Photo: Icon 4 Project Managers Anastasios Vythoulkas (Royal Caribbean) and Kalle Hyytia (Meyer Turku). Credit: Meyer Turku/Mediascope Productions

Mika Heiskanen appointed as CEO of Davie Shipyards in Finland

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 05 September 2025 05 September 2025

Mika Heiskanen’s responsibility covers Davie’s operations in Finland encompassing both Helsinki Shipyard and the recently acquired SATA Shipbuilding in Pori. As a CEO, Heiskanen is coordinating all Finland operations in a moment of pivotal growth and will be working in close coordination with Helsinki Shipyard Managing Director Kim Salmi and SATA Shipbuilding Managing Director Niko Suomela.

Heiskanen has been part of the Finnish and global shipbuilding industry for the past 18 years, holding leadership roles across shipyards and as a shipowner. His career has taken him through Finland, Germany, France, and the United States, where he has driven major newbuilding, design, and innovation programs. Heiskanen holds a master’s degree in naval architecture and industrial engineering from Aalto University

“I am thrilled to join Davie at such a pivotal moment in its growth. Together with Finland’s strong maritime expertise, we have the opportunity not only to position Davie as a global leader in specialized vessels and advanced shipbuilding technologies, but also to ensure that the Finnish maritime industry remains at the forefront of competence well into the future. The direct workforce of Davie companies in Finland is expected to rise by at least 650 employees during the next two years," said CEO Mika Heiskanen.

“Mika brings the leadership and international experience we need at this important stage of Davie’s growth in Finland. With the construction of Polar Max now underway for the Canadian Coast Guard, his expertise in ship design, production, and global shipbuilding programs will be key to uniting Helsinki Shipyard and SATA Shipbuilding as a world-class operation. Finland has long been a leader in maritime excellence, and with Mika’s guidance we will build on that legacy while setting new standards in specialized vessels and Arctic shipbuilding," said James Davies, CEO and co-owner of Davie Shipbuilding

Updated: Meyer Turku floats out Legend of the Seas

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 August 2025 30 August 2025

Legend of the Seas, which is being built at the Meyer Turku shipyard, floated out with a festive ceremony on Friday, August 29, 2025. The traditional float out ceremony included speeches by representatives of the shipyard and the vacation company, a salute fired by a gun salute group, and a playful competition to open the water valves of the construction basin. During the weekend following the ceremony, the ship was moved to the outfitting dock, where finishing work will continue for just under a year.

Casimir Lindholm, CEO of Meyer Turku: "Legend of the Seas continues the state-of-the-art Icon Class, which allows the Finnish maritime industry to showcase its unique expertise at its best. The shipyard, Royal Caribbean, and an extensive network of partners work together to develop the processes and concepts from ship to ship. Alongside its sister ships, Legend of the Seas will also mark an important milestone in increasingly responsible shipbuilding."

At 365 meters long, nearly 50 meters wide, and with a gross tonnage of approximately 248,000, Legend of the Seas is the third ship in Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class. The first ship in the class, Icon of the Seas, was delivered to the brand in November 2023, and the second, Star of the Seas, in July 2025. The fourth Icon Class ship, currently under construction at the shipyard and yet to be named, will be completed in 2027. Royal Caribbean’s agreement also includes options to build fifth and sixth Icon Class ships.

In keeping with the hallmarks of the Icon Class, a giant glass and steel dome, the AquaDome, has been lifted on the bow of the ship. Inside Legend, you will also find the familiar Pearl, also a part of the ship's load-bearing structure. The ship also offers passengers eight distinct neighborhoods, numerous pools, and a variety of restaurants and bars.

The Icon Class ships are the first ships in the fleet to run on natural gas. Icon’s record-breaking energy efficiency in Legend has been further improved with new-generation TSDF main engines, among other things. Together with other features, such as shore power connections and waste heat recovery systems, they are pioneers in sustainable development.

Legend of the Seas will be delivered to Royal Caribbean in the summer of 2026.