Environment

There’s a new mayor in Miami-Dade County, home to PortMiami, and she wants to shut cruise ships down…but in a good way.

In most ports, when ships arrive, they keep at least one of their engines running to power onboard infrastructure, from lights and computers, to plumbing systems and cooking equipment.  This practice leads to excess air-pollution, and with pre-pandemic PortMiami playing host to eight cruise ships several days a week, it adds up...  read more

Carnival is a force to be reckoned with in the cruise industry, with many passionate fans.  Like any brand with a loyal following, changes can cause waves - sometimes because people don't like the changes, other times because people fear what else is changing next.  Today, Carnival Cruises' Senior Cruise Director and Brand Ambassador John Heald published a letter about a number of recent changes, explaining the importance the company places on the environment.  The full letter... read more

As cruise lines and other parts of the tourism industry continue to take steps to be better environmental stewards, one of the simplest things that ships and ports can do is to connect to shore side power while in port - and now Germany is making that an even easier decision for cruise lines and shipping companies... read more

If you're visiting South Florida for your upcoming cruise you should probably know about red tide.  This algae can cause health issues and sometimes closes beaches - but doesn't mean you can't enjoy your pre or post-cruise stay.  In the past several weeks there has been an occurrence of red tide, first on the Florida's west coast, and now on the east coast.  We'll review the basic information, especially as it pertains to those about to cruise. read more

For decades, Hawaii has been a popular destination for cruisers and non-cruisers alike.  Norwegian Cruise Lines even has a ship there all year-round, the Pride of America.  What you soon won't find however are thousands of sunscreens with chemicals known to harm coral reefs.  Joining the ranks of various resorts throughout the world, many parks in Mexico (including XelHa, Xcaret, Chankanaab, and others), and part of the Cayman Islands, Hawaii is taking steps to reduce the negative impact to their ecosystem caused by some sunscreens... read more

Continuing to build momentum in a quickly changing world of alternative-fueled ships, Carnival Cruise Line has signed another in a series of agreements today with Shell to be their supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for North America's first fully LNG powered cruise ships. The ships will be largest for the cruise line, at 180,000 gross tons, and due to sail in 2020 and 2022.  They'll be fueled through Shell's LNG Bunker Barge (LBB).  The LBB was recently announced as part of a plan to develop a global LNG bunkering network (bunkering is a nautical term referring to fueling-up ships) to support the growing number of LNG-powered ships being constructed, allowing them to refuel along the south-eastern US coast... read more

MSC Cruises, a Swiss-based Italian line, and the largest privately owned cruise line in the world, had several big pieces of news this week.  From details of their 200,000 gross ton "World" class of ships, to Cirque du Soleil on Meraviglia, to taking delivery of their latest ship, there is a lot to unpack.  Take a look at details on the innovative design, new technology, and exciting entertainment options...

To keep things from getting confusing, it should be noted that the name of this class of ships is "World", so when I say World Class I mean "World" class, not the world-class. Not confusing at all, right? read more