Godmother Nicole Scherzinger officially names Arvia. Picture Credit: Christopher Ison Pop star Nicole Scherzinger has officially named P&O Cruises’ latest ship, Arvia, in a beachside ceremony in Barbados. The star-studded event – which took place on March 16– saw the global singer perform her godmother duties onboard Arvia, before taking to the stage to sing several hits for passengers. With the well-known words of “I name this ship Arvia, may God bless her and all who sail in her” Scherzinger pressed a button to release the lever of a specially commissioned bottle of 15 litres of Mount ..read more

Artist impression of Disney Cruise Line’s new destination, Lighthouse Point. Picture Credit: Disney Disney Cruise Line is set to open a new island destination in The Bahamas in summer 2024. The cruise line has announced it will welcome guests to Lighthouse Point, which is located on the island of Eleuthera in The Bahamas, for the first time. The island retreat has been developed in collaboration with local artists and advisors, to celebrate Bahamian culture as part of a cruise holiday with Disney Cruise Line. Artist impression of the family cabanas. Picture Credit: Disney What can visitors ..read more

Portoferraio city in Elba Island. Picture Credit: DanieleFiaschi Creator/Shutterstock Follow in Napoleon’s footsteps on a small-ship sailing to the Mediterranean isles of Corsica and Elba As we sweep into Portoferraio, Elba’s striking capital, guarded by such imposing fortresses that Admiral Lord Nelson branded this the safest harbour in the world, I can’t help thinking that I’d rather like to be exiled here. Around the horseshoe-shaped bay sit rows of handsome pastel-hued merchant houses, lined up like soldiers standing to attention alongside hulking stone walls built to defend the city by ..read more

Norwegian Star Norwegian Cruise Line has announced it will be expanding its exotic itineraries in destinations including Asia and South America As part of its 2024-25 season, NCL is placing three ships in Asia for the first time. From October 2024 to May 2025, Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Sky will be sailing country-intensive voyages in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan – including a collection of Japanese spring cherry blossom and fall foliage itineraries. Both ships will be joined in the region by Norwegian Spirit, which will embark on a brand-new repositioning v ..read more

Sun Princess float out Princess Cruises celebrated a construction milestone with the float out of its new ship Sun Princess this week, and offered a glimpse of what will be onboard. Sun Princess will be the first of Princess Cruises’ next generation of ships and it will also be the first to be powered by Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) when it sets sail in 2024. The float out at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Italy completes the first phase of construction for Sun Princess which now transitions to focus on building the ship’s interiors. What can you expect to find onboard on Sun Princess? The ..read more

Colombia’s annual carnival. Picture: AmaWaterways/Carnaval SA AmaWaterways has announced it will debut two news ships on Colombia’s Magdalena River in 2024 The company said it would be the first river cruise line to explore the Magdalena with the custom-built ships AmaMagdalena and AmaMelodia. The 60-passenger AmaMagdalena will launch on March 30, 2024, while AmaMelodia – which will carry 64 passengers – will begin sailing on June 19, 2024. AmaWaterways has said that itineraries would reflect the growing demand for immersive cultural experiences.  “We are absolutely thrilled to hav ..read more

Picture: Sam Pelly Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger has been unveiled as the godmother of P&O Cruises’ latest ship, Arvia, and is set to perform at the ship’s naming ceremony in Barbados   P&O Cruises has revealed further details of the entertainment on offer at the naming ceremony of new ship Arvia. Award-winning singer and presenter Nicole Scherzinger, lead singer in girl band the Pussycat Dolls, is set to officially name the ship in a beachside ceremony in its home port of Barbados, followed by a performance during the show finale. It is part of an exclusive collabora ..read more

Celestyal Journey Greece and Mediterranean cruise specialist Celestyal has confirmed the acquisition of a new vessel, Celestyal Journey. Originally built as the Ryndam for Holland America Line and more recently operating for P&O Australia, the 1,260-guest Celestyal Journey will undergo an extensive €20 million refurbishment and technical maintenance overhaul before entering service. “While the global events of the past few years have placed our growth plans on pause, the positive industry outlook along with strong bookings for the coming season provides Celestyal with the opportunity to ..read more

Olly Murs. Credit: Edward-Cooke Singer and presenter Olly Murs will lead a stellar line up for the live broadcast of P&O Cruises’ beach-side naming ceremony of its newest ship Arvia in Barbados later this month. Award-winning singer Olly Murs, who appeared on the X Factor and is now a judge and coach on The Voice UK, will treat guests watching the live broadcast to his top hits as he performs from Heywood’s Beach in Barbados on Thursday March 16, 2023. The ceremony, which will be conducted both on board Arvia and from the beach, will be hosted by UK broadcasters and DJs Sara Cox and ..read more

Jason Manford (left), Beverley Knight and Paul McKenna are due to appear on Imagine Cruising’s British Isles sailing on board P&O Cruises’ Britannia Imagine Cruising has revealed the celebrity-filled line-up for its forthcoming holiday on P&O Cruises’ Britannia   Comedian and presenter Jason Manford, platinum-selling soul singer Beverley Knight and hypnotist and author Paul McKenna are set to appear on board a British Isles cruise in June. The 14-night itinerary departs from Southampton, calling at Liverpool (with an overnight in port), Greenock (for Glasgow), Kirkwall, Invergor ..read more