Princess Cruises announced on Wednesday that their newest cruise ship under construction Discovery Princess has completed her successful sea trials this month. After accomplishing the 5-day test, the vessel has returned to the shipyard to get the final touch and prepare for her debut in March, 2022. 

As a reaction to the recent situation with the COVID-19 and the fast spreading of the new Omicron variant, Royal Caribbean International has decided to voluntarily pause new bookings for all cruises scheduled through mid-January 2022. With this proactive effort, the cruise line limits the capacity onboard while still providing safe, enjoyable cruises to already booked passengers.

Watchstanders in New Orleans received an emergency call from Carnival Valor on Wednesday morning at 11:23. The ship was located south of the Southwest Pass, Louisiana, asking for a man to be airlifted because he was experiencing internal bleeding symptoms, similar to a stroke. According to the Coast Guard, the man they medevaced is 53 years old and is in stable condition, as reported.

A welcoming ceremony for the new Viking expedition vessel into the fleet was held on Wednesday at Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Soviknes, Norway. Viking Octantis is the company’s first purpose-built cruise ship, allowing the line transporting of the guests to all seven continents. 

All the cruise ship visits to the Cayman Islands have been cancelled until further notice. The Christmas cruise of Holland America’s MS Nieuw Statendam is one of them, scheduled to visit Grand Cayman on 28th of December, 2021. Officials have confirmed on Wednesday that the cruise stop will not happen because of the public anxiety over the expansion of COVID-19 cases on the cruise ships, especially with the new Omicron variant threat.

This holiday season Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings celebrated the big comeback and acknowledged crewmembers' crucial role and hard work in the company’s return to cruising with a holiday bonus. All crew members on board the NCL, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania Cruises ships received a $100 holiday cash bonus which will be deposited to their December account. 

Dozens of cruise ships with COVID-19 cases are under observation by the U.S. authorities during their cruises, and several of them are reportedly denied port in the Caribbean. Over 60 cruise ships are monitored after "reported cases of COVID-19 have met the threshold for CDC investigation," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. One of the denied, the Carnival Freedom, was turned away from the Caribbean island of Bonaire.

Carnival Cruise Line has decided to offer passengers a reschedule or cancellation of the booked cruises from this moment to 14th of January without paying cancellation fees and have a full refund. 

Those guests were notified through a letter from Carnival Cruise Line’s president Christine Duffy, which contains lots of details regarding current protocols and other pressing matters.

After updating the vaccine policies, Cunard and P&O have become the first cruise lines requiring mandatory vaccines against COVID-19 plus protection with booster shots, after the fast spreading of the omicron variant throughout the globe. All booked passengers intending to embark the Queen Mary 2 on 14th of January, were informed in a letter about the latest updates: "In order to travel on your voyage, all guests must be fully vaccinated with a booster vaccination at least seven days prior to tra

Lately, cruise ships often report passengers and crew with COVID infections aboard and they are monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some of them had passed the allowed threshold of 1% of active cases, they are denied port entry.  According to V.I. Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion, the Virgin Islands has turned away two cruise ships with COVID infections aboard.