6 New Cruise Ships Arriving in 2025

When choosing a cruise, does the ship or the destination hold more weight in your decision? For my wife and me, it’s undoubtedly the ship that takes precedence. While we love cruising, we’re not big beachgoers, and most cruise destinations only allow for daytime visits, which means we rarely get to experience the local nightlife. As a result, the ship itself becomes the focal point of our vacation.

Over the past 25 years, we’ve witnessed remarkable changes in the size and sophistication of cruise ships. Our first cruise was aboard the now-retired from Carnival, the Carnival Holiday. At 728 feet long and accommodating 1,450 passengers, it’s a modest vessel compared to the colossal ships of today. Modern ships often exceed 1,000 feet in length and carry more than 4,000 passengers, offering an array of amenities and activities that were unimaginable back then.

Looking ahead to 2025, cruise enthusiasts have much to anticipate with the launch of several groundbreaking ships:

• MSC - World America: Featuring a unique over-the-side water swing, this ship promises thrills and innovative design.
• Royal Caribbean - Star of the Seas: With a capacity of 7,600 passengers, it’s set to redefine large-scale cruising.
• Norwegian Cruise Line - Norwegian Aqua: This ship boasts a waterslide and rollercoaster combo, blending adventure and fun.
• Virgin Voyages - Brilliant Lady: Designed for luxury, 86% of its cabins feature balconies, ensuring breathtaking ocean views for most passengers.
• Disney Cruise Line - Disney Destiny: With a Marvel-themed stern, it’s perfect for families and superhero fans alike.
• Princess Cruises - Star Princess: As the largest ship in the Princess fleet, it’s a testament to the brand’s commitment to elegance and innovation.

For us, the ship’s design, amenities, and overall experience continue to be the deciding factors in our cruise choices. With the incredible advancements in shipbuilding, the journey truly becomes the destination.

Is Food Safety a Concern When You Travel?

It seems like there are so many different food allergies or intolerances today.  While I do not have what I consider any allergies, I do classify as being intolerant to a few different food items.  Eating them isnt going to put me in the hospital but can cause discomfort.

This is why I took an interest in the latest from Carnival Cruise Line’s recent initiatives to enhance passenger dining experiences are a significant leap forward in promoting safety, inclusivity, and customer satisfaction. The introduction of Menu Mate software could become a groundbreaking development in food allergy management aboard cruise ships. By integrating touchscreen tablets across food venues, Carnival empowers guests with the ability to make informed dining decisions effortlessly.

The technology works by identifying allergens in menu items and ensuring that meals align with passengers' specific dietary requirements. This innovation significantly mitigates the risks of allergic reactions, offering peace of mind to travelers with food allergies—a group often underserved in large-scale dining operations.

Carnival’s claim that no other major cruise line has similar technology can only help the company’s continued role as an industry pioneer. 

Does this seem like an innovation you would use while onboard?  Does food options and choices have a bearing on your vacation itinerary and where you go?  Let us know in the comments.

What is Your 1 Non Standard Item You Need to Bring?

 We just booked our 14th Carnival Cruise.  This time on the Firenze.  It has been a while.  But when we were on the Disney Wish, it was a last minute thing that we did while traveling already to add it to our month long road trip, so we did not have our "cruise essentials".   

The one thing I try not to forget to pack is 1 or 2 large binder clips.  We use these on the balcony curtains.  This is something I need to start brining to some hotels too but for the ship it has been a must have item.

Why, some may ask.  Well, one cruise long ago, we had a lot of sea movement.  That beam of light when taking a nap or sleeping in is bad enough but when its moving and becoming a lighthouse beacon of light flashing in your eyes every 10 seconds, its nap over.

So what is your must have that people may not think about?  Not the standard things, or anything that you have to sneak on, just some random item people may not think to have, but helps with the vacation.  Let us know in the comments.  It may become a staple of our future trips!

When is the Best Time to book and Go on an Alaskan Cruise

 As the 2024 Hurricane season is going out with a bang, many people are not thinking about their next cruise right now, or wondering what other cruising options are available next year that are not in hurricane alley.   This is a great time to start planning an Alaska Cruise.  These cruises only operate from May until September due to weather.  By no means is an Alaskan Cruise going to be a fun in the sun wear your bathing suit everywhere cruise, but it is something every avid cruise fan should have on their bucket list.

May and September will be the coldest, but can come with bigger discounts along with better availability being these are still during school season..   The more popular dates are around the Summer Solstice.  The week leading into and from the longest day of the year gives the best opportunity to enjoy the "midnight sun".

There are plenty of tours to do, however, the closer you are to the start or end of the season can limit some of these as things like the Denali National Park may not be open yet right at the start of the cruise season.  So if there are specific places/tours you are interested in, you should plan accordingly.

Cold is not the only weather related issue to think about.  Late August into September tends to have more rain on average.

So, if you are interested in doing an Alaskan Cruise, we here at Time to Cruise say now is the time to start planning!  Get that list going of wants and needs so you can find the perfect time to go!

Happy Cruising!

Cruise Line Carbon Initiative and Guest Impact

 There are a lot of pros to decreasing the carbon footprint of even just 1 cruise ship, but when you think about the fact that there are now over 320+(and growing) ships currently in service, the impact is exponential.  But as cruise lines work to meet standards, either set by governments, or even themselves, they have to be careful to not step on expectations of the guests on board.  This is where some cons come in.

The  (current) lifespan of an ocean Cruise Ship is between 17 and 30 years.  Once they are no longer in service, they usually go to a cruise ship graveyard to be dismantled.  The process is dirty and not environmentally friendly, but getting better.  There is a really cool article here that you can read about it.  Before that happens, a ship will go through a few dry dock refurbishments to improve guest experience and updates to remove the dated feel along with working on decreasing the carbon footprint of the ship.  

However, cruise lines look to more ways to meet their goals, usually trying to not have a financial impact on them, or even save them money in the process.   The biggest culprit here is waste! The average cruise goer is not thinking about the fact they loaded up their plate and asked for 3 entrees at dinner, then failed to eat half of it.  Or the little kid making a mess at the dinner who got sauce all over the white table cloth!  These are just a few examples of simple little things that add up both for the bottom line and even carbon footprint.

To mitigate things like this, cruise lines do things like decrease portion size, or as recently with Carnival, remove the table cloths from the main dining rooms.  Personally I found it funny how many people complained about that one.  Carnival has over 27 ships. The amount of water usage, time, and detergent alone decreases their waste dramatically.  The impact on your cruise experience should not be affected much by this, but apparently for some it does.

Other little things, like getting rid of single use items like plastic straws and single use cups.  I for one am not a fan of paper straws but I totally understand.  While on the Disney Wish, they had paper straws but still had single use cups.  I bought a cup while on board and reused my cup that had a lid all week which worked for me.  Not everyone wants to walk around carrying their cup with them, but I can see something like this coming sooner than later as well.

What do you think?  Are there changes that the Cruise lines say are for the better good impacting your cruise experience?  Do you have suggestions?  Let me know in the comments.