Carnival Cruise Line adds two ships, Royal ship heads to drydock
Carnival has also returned luggage to an exasperated family.
Cruise lines sometimes find interesting ways to expand their fleets.
During the Covid pandemic, some growing cruise lines were able to buy ships that came to market when rivals were forced to sell them. Royal Caribbean even added a ship to its high-end Silversea line when it acquired the former Crystal Endeavour for $275 million.
That was a huge savings over a new build and allowed the cruise line to retire an older ship.
Related: U.S. government issues new travel warning for 23 countries
Carnival Cruise Line has found an interesting way to grow its fleet without paying for new builds. Over the past few years, it has moved multiple ships from its Costa line to its namesake brand (after doing some work to add some classic Carnival features).
Now, it's closing the P&O brand in Australia and transferring those ships to Carnival Cruise Line.
Doug Parker has that story and more in the March 11 edition of Cruise News Today.
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Carnival Cruise Line adds new ships
Transcript:
This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker. Good morning.
Here's your cruise news for Tuesday, March 11th.
Carnival is getting two more ships this month after 92 years P&O Cruises Australia is officially ceasing operations this week. Pacific Adventure sailed out of Sydney Harbor yesterday for its final voyage with P&O Australia.
The ship will return to Sydney on the 14th where it'll begin its transition into Carnival Adventure.
Meanwhile, Pacific Encounter ended its cruise today. Both ships will undergo a two-week wet dock in Melbourne before joining the Carnival Cruises Australia fleet this spring.
P&O's website is officially offline and now redirects to carnival.com.
Carnival returns luggage; Ships enter drydock
And a couple celebrating their 26th anniversary aboard Carnival Magic had their luggage returned weeks after their sailing only to find several items missing.
Jason and Tammy Merritt from Oklahoma tracked the bag's location with their Apple AirPods and repeatedly informed Carnival staff, but their claims were dismissed. Now, the suitcase was eventually found on board missing about 39 items, including an iPad, prescription glasses, and a CPAP machine.
Carnival later told them that another passenger had stolen the bag, but they allowed them to leave without consequences.
The Merritts' plan to take legal action, saying that the cruise line's compensation offer was inadequate. They hope to win this case.
And several cruise ships are undergoing dry docks this month for refurbishments, maintenance, and brand convergence.
A report compiled by Cruise Industry News details Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas in Spain for upgrades, including new dining venues and a revamped pool deck.
Meanwhile, Cunard's Queen Elizabeth is in Singapore for routine maintenance and venue updates. The Star Voyager, formerly Pacific Explorer, is also in Singapore preparing for its debut under the Star Cruises brand.
Meanwhile, Majestic Princess is in Italy for scheduled maintenance before resuming service next month.
If you have a lead on a story, let us know.
Tips@cruiseradio.net. Have yourself a great Tuesday. I'm Doug Parker with Cruise News Today.
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