Norwegian Sky Repositions to Europe for Farewell Season

Norwegian Sky Repositions to Europe for Farewell Season

The Norwegian Sky recently kicked off a repositioning voyage ahead of its farewell season for Norwegian Cruise Line.

Having completed its winter season in the Southern Caribbean, the 1999-built vessel departed from the Dominican Republic on April 6, 2026.

The 13-night trans-Atlantic crossing sails to Le Havre and includes visits to destinations in the British Virgin Islands, Portugal, Spain and France.

Ports of call set to welcome the Norwegian Sky include Tortola, Ponta Delgada, Lisbon, Vigo and La Coruña.

Once in France, the 2,000-passenger ship offers seven-night cruises to Northern and Western Europe between April and May.

Sailing between Le Havre and Copenhagen, the itineraries feature visits to ports in France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and more.

In mid-May, the Norwegian Sky sails to the British Isles with a series of ten- and 11-night cruises departing from Southampton.

The itineraries will be offered through late August, when the ship repositions to the Mediterranean for a short season.

In addition to a repositioning voyage, the deployment includes a nine-night cruise between Barcelona and Piraeus in late August.

Sailing to destinations in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean, the itinerary is highlighted by visits to ports in France, Italy and Greece, such as Villefranche, Salerno and Santorini.

In early September, the Norwegian Sky is set to offer a final cruise before being handed over to Cordelia Cruises.

The 21-night cruise sails from Piraeus to Dubai and features a transit of the Suez Canal, in addition to visits to a range of destinations in the Middle East and the Red Sea.

As part of a deal announced in April 2025, the ship will be leased to Cordelia Cruises, launching cruises from Mumbai in September 2026.

In late 2027, the Norwegian Sun is also scheduled to join the fleet of the India-based cruise line, which currently operates the Empress.

Majestic Princess Kicks Off Repositioning Cruise to Boston

Majestic Princess Kicks Off Repositioning Cruise to Boston

The Majestic Princess recently sailed from Southampton to kick off a repositioning cruise to Canada and New England.

After sailing from the British port on July 18, the Princess Cruises vessel is now offering a 15-night voyage that will end in Boston.

The trans-Atlantic cruise features visits to destinations in Iceland and Canada, including Reykjavik, Isafjord and Grundarfjordur, as well as Charlottetown, Sydney and Halifax.

After arriving at its new homeport in North America, the Majestic Princess is set to kick off its first-ever fall foliage season in Canada and New England.

Sailing round-trip from Boston, the vessel offers seven-night cruises around the region that include visits to Portland, Halifax, Sydney, Eastport and Saint John.

In September, the Majestic Princess is also scheduled to offer open-jaw itineraries that sail between Quebec City and Boston.

Upon completing the deployment on the East Coast, the 141,000-ton ship is set to reposition to Fort Lauderdale for itineraries in the Caribbean.

Before arriving in Florida, the vessel offers a 14-night “Canada and Colonial America” itinerary that sails between Quebec City and Port Everglades.

The open-jaw itinerary includes visits to Saguenay, Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax, Boston, New York City, Newport and Norfolk.

As part of its 2025-26 winter season, the Royal-class ship offers six- to eight-night cruises from Fort Lauderdale to destinations in the Western, Southern and Eastern Caribbean.

Originally designed for service in China and Asia, the Majestic Princess was built at the Fincantieri shipyard in 2017.

Before kicking off its maiden season in the Mediterranean earlier this year, the 3,600-guest ship underwent a major refurbishment at a shipyard in Italy.

As part of the modernisation project, the vessel debuted new venues, reimagined spaces and refined touches, including the addition of O’Malley’s Irish Pub and Bellini’s Cocktail Bar.

The Majestic Princess also got new dining options, such as the Ocean Terrace Sushi Bar, Alfredo’s Slice and The Salty Dog Grill.

American Queen repositions due to Mississippi River flooding

By Michelle Baran

The American Queen Steamboat Co. (AQSC) is moving its 436-passenger paddle wheeler American Queen to the Ohio River for the remainder of July due to high water levels on the Upper Mississippi River.

Torrential downpours in recent weeks in the Midwest have resulted in flooding along stretches of the Mississippi River.

Consequently, the American Queen is moving to the Ohio River for its next three sailings, which will impact the originally scheduled July 9 sailing between Cincinnati and St. Louis and the July 15 and 23 sailings between St. Louis and St. Paul, Minn.

"Sometimes river conditions are outside our control," AQSC President and COO Ted Sykes said in a statement. "We recognize the need to cruise on the Ohio River for our July 2014 itineraries and will then return to our regularly scheduled itineraries."

The new itineraries will sail between Cincinnati and Paducah, Ky., calling on Cave-In-Rock, Ill.; Henderson, Ky.; Louisville, Ky.; Madison, Ind.; and Augusta, Ky. Guests on the July 9 voyage will travel by motorcoach from Paducah to St. Louis at the conclusion of the sailing and resume their return home as scheduled. The July 15 pre-cruise hotel stay in St. Louis remains, and guests will be transferred to Paducah to join the American Queen.

The July 23 voyage will now depart Cincinnati, replacing St. Paul, and details on that itinerary will be available shortly.

Guests booked on the July 9 or 15 itineraries have the option to stay on their deviated voyage and receive a $100 onboard credit, per person, and a $500 future cruise credit per stateroom. Guests preferring to book an Upper Mississippi River voyage in late 2014 may roll forward their booking with a one stateroom category upgrade (subject to availability), noted AQSC.

The Mississippi River continued to gradually rise on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, but overnight rainfall wasn't as severe as predicted. 

Quantum of the Seas headed to China after inaugural season

By Tom Stieghorst

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will take the unprecedented step of putting its newest ship in China, following a 2015 winter season of cruising from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, N.J.

Starting in May 2015, Quantum of the Seas will be repositioned to Shanghai, where it will offer a series of three- to eight-day cruises to Korea and Japan.

“Every trend we are seeing in China tells us we can achieve real long-term competitive advantage and appealing returns on our investments in this fast-growing market by accelerating our presence there,” said RCCL President Adam Goldstein. “We will have to be nimble, but the ability to move fast is one of our strengths.”

Quantum will join Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas, increasing capacity in the region by 66%.

To fill the void left by Quantum’s departure from New Jersey, Royal Caribbean will move Liberty of the Seas to Cape Liberty for the 2015 summer schedule of sailings to Bermuda, the Caribbean and Canada/New England.

Quantum’s sister ship, Anthem of the Seas, will reposition to New Jersey after an inaugural summer season sailing from Southampton, England. It will begin cruises from Cape Liberty in November 2015.

Goldstein said that consumers in China have grown to expect the best the world has to offer, and Quantum of the Seas meets that standard.

“We are ready to accelerate the growth of this vital market with a ship that will capture the imagination of travelers looking for a one-of-a-kind vacation experience,” he said.