Carnival Cruise Line Signs on to Build Largest Cruise Port in the Bahamas on Grand Bahama Island
Author: Bill
Today at a ceremony in Freeport, officials with Carnival Cruise Line and the Bahamian government signed an agreement to build a record-breaking cruise port on Grand Bahama Island. This port will be the largest purpose-built cruise facility ever built in The Bahamas and will be funded and operated by Carnival Cruise Line. While the exact location has not yet been announced, it will include a one-mile stretch of beach, food, beverage and shopping outlets, an array of water-based amenities and other recreational facilities. Importantly, the port will also feature a pier capable of accommodating two of Carnival’s largest cruise ships simultaneously and can expect to see up to 1 million guests a year... read more
Today Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, parent company to Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises had their first quarter earnings call, and in case your wondering, it seemed good news for shareholders. For cruisers there earnings calls don't generally offer much, so there wasn't any huge news, but interestingly, most non-financial comments were about onboard technology and Celebrity Edge... 
Inspired by her mission and advances in furthering girl’s education, Celebrity has named 19-year old Nobel Laureate and U.N. Messenger of Peace Malala Yousafzai as the Godmother of their newest ship, Celebrity Edge, debuting late in 2018. In addition, the Miami-based cruise line announced a two-year partnership with the Malala Fund, an organization whose mission is to secure 12 years of safe, free quality education for every girl.
Oceania Cruises, known for for cuisine and dining experiences that stand out in the cruise industry, has introduced a large variety of options on new vegan menus as well as cold-pressed raw and vegan smoothie bars. This expands their already impressive menus and culinary crew which cater well to passengers with dietary restrictions. The juice bars are already available on the Marina and Riviera, while the new vegan menus are available across the fleet of six ships... 
Today Virgin Voyages, a new cruise line from Richard Branson's Virgin Group, cut steel on their first ship. The ceremony, which took place at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Genoa, Italy represents the brand "becoming real", as up to now the very real effort to create Virgin Voyages has been planning and marketing without the tease of an actual ship. Now, Hull 6287 (the name of the first Virgin Voyages ship... [click through for a video of the ceremony and more] 
Just announced, "Top Chef's" Isaac Toupe will be featured on a new video series as he competes against tastemakers in a wide variety of culinary challenges while sailing the Caribbean on Celebrity Cruises. Viewers will catch appearances from the beautiful Celebrity Reflection and its team as well as Celebrity's own Michelin-starred chef, Cornelius Gallagher. Isaac's challenges vary from whipping up world-class omelets, creating specialty cocktails, to tacking Mofongo, a traditional Puerto Rican dish.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has penned a multi-year strategic partnership with Global Eagle, maker of in-flight entertainment systems. This agreement will bring enhanced internet and entertainment services to Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet of 14 ships. This is slated to include tiered plans for Wi-Fi, messaging services, and video. In the future, guests will be able to access an integrated portal from their own smartphones and tablets, which will allow access to live and on-demand TV programming, movies, and more. Further, the systems being put in place by Global Eagle will allow for dynamic adjusting on bandwidth for each ship based on demand. This comes only a week after announcing