A Look at the Inaugural Season of Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas

A Look at the Inaugural Season of Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas

The third ship in Royal Caribbean International’s Icon class is scheduled to offer itineraries in Europe and the Caribbean as part of its maiden season in 2026.

Cruise Industry News takes a closer look at the Legend of the Seas’ schedule, which includes seven-night cruises in the Western Mediterranean, as well as six- and eight-night itineraries departing from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.

First Cruise
Date: August 2, 2026
Length: 7 nights
Homeport: Barcelona (Spain)
Itinerary: Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona (Spain); La Spezia, Civitavecchia and Naples (Italy)

According to Royal Caribbean’s website, the Legend of the Seas is scheduled to enter service in early August 2026, with a cruise to the Western Mediterranean.

Sailing from Barcelona, the seven-night maiden voyage features visits to destinations in Spain and Italy, such as Palma de Mallorca, La Spezia, Civitavecchia and Naples.

Seven-Night Cruises in the Mediterranean
Dates: Multiple sailings between August and October 2026
Length: 7 nights
Homeport: Barcelona (Spain) and Civitavecchia (Italy)
Itinerary: Palma de Mallorca (Spain); Marseille (France); La Spezia and Naples (Italy)

Later in August, the Legend of the Seas kicks off a series of regular seven-night cruises to the Western Mediterranean that sail to ports of call in France, Spain and Italy.

With departures scheduled through October, the itinerary sails from Barcelona and Civitavecchia and features visits to Palma de Mallorca, Marseille, La Spezia and Naples.

Maiden Trans-Atlantic
Date: Oct. 25, 2026
Length: 13 nights
Homeports: Barcelona (Spain) to Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Itinerary: Alicante, Málaga and Cádiz (Spain)

Upon completing its inaugural season in the Western Mediterranean, the Legend of the Seas offers a trans-Atlantic crossing to Fort Lauderdale.

The 13-night repositioning voyage sails from Barcelona and features visits to three additional destinations in Spain: Alicante, Málaga and Cádiz.

Eight-Night Cruise to Southern Caribbean
Dates: Multiple sailings between November 2026 and April 2027
Length: 8 nights
Homeport: Miami (United States)
Itinerary: Oranjestad (Aruba); Willemstad (Curaçao); Cabo Rojo (Dominican Republic); and Perfect Day at CocoCay (Bahamas)

Sailing from its homeport in Fort Lauderdale, the Legend of the Seas offers different itineraries to the Caribbean and the Bahamas, including this eight-night cruise to the Southern Caribbean.

Offered between November 2026 and April 2027, the itinerary includes visits to Aruba, Curaçao, and Cabo Rojo in the Dominican Republic. The LNG-powered ship is also scheduled to stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay before returning to Fort Lauderdale.

Six-Night Cruise to Eastern Caribbean
Date: Multiple departures between November 2026 and April 2027
Length: 6 nights
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Itinerary: Labadee (Haiti); Perfect Day at CocoCay (Bahamas); and Falmouth (Jamaica)

The Legend of the Seas also offers cruises to the Eastern Caribbean that sail to ports of call in Haiti, Jamaica and the Bahamas.

As part of the six-night itinerary, the ship sails to two of Royal Caribbean’s private destinations in the region: Labadee and Perfect Day at CocoCay. The Legend is scheduled to visit Falmouth before returning to Fort Lauderdale.

Sir Richard Branson Surprises Passengers on Delta Flight with Free Cruise

Sir Richard Branson Surprises Passengers on Delta Flight with Free Cruise

Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson surprised passengers when he walked onto a Delta flight heading from Atlanta to San Juan, according to a press release.

Virgin Voyages and Delta Airlines teamed up to surprise 160+ passengers with a free cruise aboard the Resilient Lady to celebrate the ship’s launch in Puerto Rico later this year. Branson boarded the flight to personally gift all SkyMiles Members on the flight (18 and older) a free cruise during the ship’s inaugural season in San Juan later this year.

“The Caribbean has been my home for many years, and I’m very excited to welcome Resilient Lady as she sails from San Juan to visit the region’s most beautiful destinations,” said Branson. “My excitement clearly couldn’t be contained, so we came up with a way to celebrate with a personal invitation and surprise for some unsuspecting guests on a Delta flight to San Juan. We’re grateful for our partners at Delta who joined in on the fun and have also been long-time venture partners of our airline, Virgin Atlantic. We look forward to showing everyone what it’s like to Set Sail the Virgin Way!”

Before boarding, Virgin Voyages hosted a full departure gate takeover, bringing to life elements of the ship’s onboard experience at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Fliers were treated to original choreography from Virgin Voyages’ entertainment team, vignettes at the gate, specialty drinks and music. 

Branson was joined by Delta’s SVP and Chief Communications Officer, Tim Mapes, for a game of roulette. Customers and passersby alike were invited to spin the wheel of prizes, which included Delta and Virgin Atlantic flights, Virgin Hotel stays, a Virgin Voyages cruise, a Delta Vacation package, gift cards and more.

 “When two award-winning brands come together, they create magic for their customers. Delta is thrilled to have partnered with Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Voyages for this special surprise-and-delight for our SkyMiles Members on the flight,” said Mapes. “This is one more way in which we’re adding value to the program and unlocking exclusive experiences for our Members. Stay tuned for more with Virgin Voyages.”

Record Inaugural Cruise Calls for Gibraltar in 2022

Record Inaugural Cruise Calls for Gibraltar in 2022

The Minister for Business and Tourism, Hon Vijay Daryanani, announced that Gibraltar has seen a record number of 20 inaugural cruise calls in 2022, beating the previous best of 19 in 2016.

“The cruising industry has suffered immensely but the Government has worked at full throttle to make sure that Gibraltar has not been forgotten and the statistics are proof of this,” said Daryanani.

“I have represented Gibraltar at the most important cruise conferences in the world. I have spoken about what we have to offer and people have approached me to talk about us. We have recovered quickly in 2022 after the pandemic and now we have a record amount of inaugural calls. This new year will be better as we already have more calls booked than last year. 

“Whatever my detractors may say, I will continue marketing Gibraltar because that’s what our retail and hospitality industries want and expect from me. It is not easy in this very competitive industry but we will work hard to deliver on all fronts.”

Following a difficult time for the cruise industry during the pandemic, Gibraltar is now making a steady recovery. 

Norwegian Cancels Viva’s Inaugural Cruises

Norwegian Cancels Viva’s Inaugural Cruises

Norwegian Cruise Line is cancelling the first and second sailings of the new Norwegian Viva.

Citing construction delays, the company said the 3,215-guest ship won’t be ready in time for the cruises, which were set to depart on June 15 and June 24, 2023.

In a statement sent to booked guests, Norwegian informed that the cancellations were a result of “global supply chain constraints impacting industries worldwide and the related downstream construction delays at the shipyard.”

According to the company, impacted passengers will receive a full refund to the original form of payment, with no further actions required on their part.

“We are committed to always putting our guests first. This includes providing information regarding any changes to voyages with as much notice as possible,” Norwegian added.

Opening up the ship’s inaugural summer in the Mediterranean, the cancelled cruises included visits to several countries in Europe.

A one-way, nine-night voyage, the inaugural sailing was set to depart Portugal, calling in various destinations in Spain and France before arriving in Italy.

An open-jaw itinerary as well, the second cruise was set to sail between two Italian ports: Civitavecchia and Trieste.

The nine-night voyage also featured visits to other ports in the country, in addition to popular destinations in Croatia, Greece, Malta and Slovenia.

The Norwegian Viva is being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy. Second, in a series of six ships known as the Prima Class, the vessel will be a sister of the new Norwegian Prima.

Set to debut this year, the 142,000-ton vessel is also entering service later than initially planned due to supply chain issues. Norwegian informed guests booked on the ship’s inaugural voyage that their cruise was no longer going ahead.

Also being built in Marghera, the Prima was set to depart on August 17, 2022. Ahead of a christening ceremony in Reykjavik, the vessel was offering an eight-night cruise from the Netherlands to Iceland.

Costa Toscana to Host Fashion Show Before Inaugural Cruise

Sustainable fashion producer Jessica Mh Anhin is set to transform the new LNG-powered cruise ship, the Costa Toscana, into a sky-high ocean catwalk on Feb. 28, 2022.

According to a press release, the, J Spring Fashion Show 2022 will be held against the cinematic backdrop of the Italian Riviera to deliver a message of “sustainability and style.” The event will welcome some global media and famous people on board the Costa Toscana, before its inaugural cruise in Portofino, Italy.

Participating brands, which will be unveiled in mid-February 2022, will premiere a combination of haute couture and ready-to-wear collections from five continents. Minh Anh’s previous catwalks included Paul Costelloe, Montblanc, Yumi Katsura, Ziad Nakad, Shiatzy Chen, and Tony Ward.

The red-carpet experience will feature Italian art, architecture, culture, luxury and delicacies alongside the impressive catwalk.

“This particular moment in history provides an opportunity for a sustainable ‘restart’ of our society. The Costa Toscana aligns perfectly with my mission of highlighting sustainability in a visually attractive way. It runs on liquefied natural gas, one of the most advanced technologies to reduce emissions right now. It represents a breakthrough in the travel industry. I am honoured to celebrate the resurgence of business and style on such a unique ship,” Minh Anh said.

According to the press release, J Spring Fashion Show 2022 is Minh Anh’s “comeback catwalk” after the success of “Runway on the Runway” at JFK international airport held before the pandemic. The show will combine three of Minh Anh’s catwalk series, namely Fashion x Sustainability, Catwalk-On-Water, and Sky-High. Previous editions took place atop the Eiffel Tower, London’s Tower Bridge, Grand Canyon Skywalk, Hoover Dam, Gemasolar Power Plant, and cruise ships in Dubai, New York, Sydney, and Hong Kong.

“Jessica Minh Anh is a pioneer in marrying fashion with sustainability, just like Costa Cruises in offering the most advanced sustainable ships”, said Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Cruises. “Costa has been the first in the world to operate LNG-powered ships and focuses on value-driven, sustainable and inclusive tourism. As the travel industry is gradually recovering, it is very exciting for us to welcome Jessica on board, and have her launch such an important message in a creative way on our new flagship, the Costa Toscana. We are also proud that this collaboration will happen in Italy and specifically the Ligurian Riviera!”

A site visit took place last weekend on the Costa Toscana in Civitavecchia, where Minh Anh met with the president of Costa Cruises to discuss the floor plan, schedule, setup and treatments for the media and guests.

The official campaign video captured Minh Anh running atop the sky-high catwalk in a bright pink dress against the backdrop of the ship, deep blue sea and skyline.

P&O’s Iona Makes Inaugural Cruise Call in Lisbon

The Iona – the new 5,200-passenger ship operated by P&O Cruises – made its first cruise call at Lisbon, Portugal.

The ship arrived in the Port of Lisbon on the evening of Oct. 6. According to a press statement, passengers were allowed to go ashore in “bubble tours.”

A customary plaque exchange took place on the Quayside with representatives of the Lisbon Harbour Master, Immigration Authority, Customs Authority, Terminal Operator, Port Authority and Port Agency exchanging plaques with Captain Andrew Wolverson.

“It was a successful call and we look forward to seeing the ship again on the 20th of this month at which time we hope passengers and crew can come ashore independently and enjoy our lovely city,” read a statement from James Rawes Navegação, port agents on the call.

Port Everglades Ready For Double Ship Day For Royal Caribbean and Celebrity

For the first time in more than 15 months, two cruise ships with passengers will be sailing from Port Everglades on the same day, Saturday, July 31 at 6PM, according to a press release.

Royal Caribbean International’s Odyssey of the Seas will sail on her inaugural cruise.

At the same time, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge will depart on her sixth voyage since kicking off the industry’s restart on June 26 from Port Everglades, according to the port. 

Broward County visitors and residents are invited to watch the ships sail from the south end of Fort Lauderdale Beach or from Dr Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Hollywood, or join the sail-away from the water on Facebook Live @port.everglades.

In addition, Celebrity’s Celebrity Equinox is scheduled to sail on its second voyage on Sunday, August 1, for a total of three ships sailing during the off-season summer months.

“It’s starting to look a lot like a cruise port here again,” said Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Jonathan Daniels. “After no passengers or revenue for at least 15 months, and significant job loss, it is a greatly welcome re-start. The cruise lines and the port are doing all they can to enforce safe protocols to continue sailing.”

“The vaccine is a game-changer that will inject tourism dollars into our community,” said Broward County Mayor Steve Geller. “Approximately 6,000 local workers have been directly impacted by the cruise shutdown and another 84,000 residents were employed in the local hospitality and tourism industry. Those jobs have been severely impacted by the virus and the pause in cruise travel."

'Love Boat' cast to christen Regal Princess

By Tom Stieghorst

Princess Cruises said the original cast of the "Love Boat" television series has been chosen to name the Regal Princess at a ceremony in November in Fort Lauderdale.

The 3,560-passenger ship has been sailing since its inaugural cruise from Venice in May.

Six "Love Boat" cast members who played the roles of Captain Stubing (), Gopher (Fred Grandy), Isaac (Ted Lange), Doc (Bernie Kopell), Julie (Lauren Tewes) and Vicki (Jill Whelan) will reunite for the Nov. 5 naming.

Princess said the christening will mark the beginning of a series of events to commemorate its 50th anniversary in 2015.

The pilot episode of The Love Boat was shot aboard Princess’ the original 730-passenger in 1977.

Cruise Ships Hired as Hotels- Could this past event be the reason for the Getaway Charter?

Cruise Ships Hired as Hotels

Norwegian Getaway chartered, inaugural cruise canceled

The Jacksonville Host Committee chose Landry & Kling to source cruise ship charters for Super Bowl 2005 because the city’s inventory of nearby hotel rooms fell short of NFL requirements. (6,000 people)

Ship selection was a complex process due to environmental and technical requirements, physical impediments for ships approaching the berthing points, unbundling of meal pricing and other modifications of ship service. Most challenging: however—how would Jacksonville accommodate 5 ships with only 1 passenger terminal?

“Using Five Cruise Ships as Super Bowl Hotels”

By Brendan M. Lynch, Meetings and Conventions Magazine

EVENT: The National Football League’s Super Bowl XXXIX, the New England Patriots vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, Feb. 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.

PLANNER: Joyce Landry, president and CEO of Landry & Kling, Meetings at Sea, a Miami-based company specializing in planning business events on cruise ships. Landry has worked as a planner since co-founding the company in 1982.

CHALLENGE: Because Jacksonville was the smallest municipality ever to bid for the Super Bowl, the pitch for the mega-event hinged upon the idea of using cruise ships on the city’s St. Johns River to supplement the local hotel room inventory. “The host committee wanted to have the ships operate like floating hotels, so corporate sponsors could move ship to ship and have freedom and flexibility,” says Landry. “Also, they wanted to allow the general public and sponsors from other hotels to come on board and use the ships as a venue.

Once Jacksonville won the chance to host the big game, it was up to Landry & Kling to attend to all the details of arranging for the ships.

SOLUTION: First, Landry had to determine what size cruise ships could be accommodated on the river. “We had so many bridges and overhead electric wires, we had to limit the height of the boats. Then we had to make sure they fit the depth and length of the docking facility,” she says.

It took a full year to identify and contract five appropriate vessels: Three ships came from Holland America Line, and one each from Carnival and Radisson Seven Seas. Together, the ships offered 3,667 deluxe and luxury rooms, 35 bars, 25 entertainment venues, 15 restaurants and five spas. More than 50 corporate sponsors of the game held 60-plus events, all coordinated through Landry & Kling.

“You can imagine that, in this new world, there was a multilevel approach to security,” says Landry. “We had to satisfy federal and state agencies, plus the Coast Guard and the Jacksonville sheriff’s office.”

Another challenge: to make sure the cruise ships would have no negative environmental impact. The vessels were hooked up to city utilities for water and electricity, so there were zero emissions.

In the end, the creative plan worked well. “People see the teamwork that takes place on the field and often miss the teamwork that is off the field,” Landry says. “It’s invisible. That’s what we’re proudest of — the ability to pull it off seamlessly.”

Norwegian Getaway chartered, inaugural cruise canceled

By Tom Stieghorst

The unfinished Norwegian Getaway has been chartered by a private company during the week leading up to the 2014 Super Bowl, and will make a transatlantic voyage in January to New York City instead of Miami, Norwegian Cruise Line said.

As a result, a previously scheduled inaugural cruise on Feb. 1 from Miami has been canceled.

The Getaway is being completed at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. It is scheduled to sail year-round from Miami after it is delivered in January.

Norwegian confirmed that its initial 16-day transatlantic cruise from Rotterdam to Miami, beginning Jan. 16, is now a 10-day cruise from Southampton, England, to New York.

The first Eastern Caribbean sailing has been pushed back to Feb. 8.

On Feb. 2, the National Football League is scheduled to play its Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., the first such game to be played outdoors in a cold-weather destination.

Norwegian said the charter extends from Jan. 29 to Feb. 5.

In confirming the new itineraries for the Getaway, Norwegian did not link the private charter to the Super Bowl.