Viking’s much-anticipated Mississippi River program took a step closer to reality on this week when the new 386-guest Viking Mississippi touched water for the first time in Louisiana.

Set to debut in June 2022, Viking Mississippi will sail on the Lower and Upper Mississippi River between New Orleans and St. Paul.

“It is a proud moment that this new ship has met an American waterway for the first time,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking. “Our guests have long wanted to sail the Mississippi River with Viking, and we very much look forward to welcoming them on board this summer. We are grateful to our American partner, Edison Chouest Offshore, who has helped bring to life our vision of exploring the Mississippi in the ‘Viking way.’”

Princess Cruises has announced its new production show, Spotlight Bar, which will debut in April on board the cruise line’s newest ship, Discovery Princess.

The live experience will transport Princess passengers to a vibrant bar atmosphere where they will meet and connect with local storytellers who share tales of their lives through song.

Since its inception in 1994, Silversea has been a game changer in the cruise industry. Innovative and continually raising the luxury bar, the little line continues to impress. Its latest venture is the upcoming launch of the 728-passenger Silver Nova — a fuel-efficient, sustainable ship.

Although Silver Nova doesn’t launch until January 2024, the company has already released details of its 71-day Grand Voyage to Central and South America. 

The luxurious odyssey will allow passengers to delve deeply into 38 destination in 18 countries. Fares will include round-trip business class air.

Crystal Cruises, the ocean, river and high-end expedition cruise line, announced it wuld cease sailings on a temporary basis following the bankruptcy of Malaysia-based parent company Genting Group.  However, as of yesterday, Feb. 8, the cruise line let most of its on land and ship staffs go.  Crystal's Miami Headquarters are shut down while its two ocean liners, Symphony and Serenity sit under arrest in the Bahamas.

Coupled with a global pandemic that is still wreaking havoc on the financial health of the travel and cruise sectors, the money woes at Genting Group became unsustainable, leading to the shocking closure. Genting appears to have overplayed its hand, with its fingers in many pots from ship building to jet planes and cruises.

Naturally all cruises on  Crystal Symphony and Serenity and expedition ship Crystal Endeavor are cancelled, most likely forever. It  has also  suspended operation of its river ships.  Crystal's European river cruise fleet has not been operating — the European river cruise season typically begins in March.

Passengers on its ocean ships were asked to disembark and were ticketed to be flown home from Miami, Aruba, and Ushuaia, Argentina.​ The company says passengers will receive full cruise fare refunds.

In the wake of outbreaks of COVID19 on several cruise ships combined with cancellations of dozens of voyages, Princess Cruises is extending its Book with Confidence program along with a renewal of its health and safety protocols.

These are rocky seas for cruise lovers. Norwegian Cruise Line aborted a 10-day Caribbean cruise on the Norwegian Gem  midway through the cruise, leaving passengers stuck at sea without ports. The line cited COVID concerns but didn’t clarify to the press or passengers what these were. The ship was due to dock in New York, where the sailing originated, on Jan. 19. But so far no word on its fate.

With January the first month of Wave Season in the travel industry, passengers are expected to begin taking advantage of special sales and greater opportunities to save money on this year’s travel experiences.

“Wave Season” is typically the first quarter of the year and is aptly named for the new wave of clients that travel advisors get during this time period.

Jordan Bradshaw, Vice President of Northcutt Travel Agency, said, “January seems like a fresh new beginning in all facets of life and that goes for travel as well. Air begins to open up for those family holiday vacations and planning in advance allows you to budget accordingly. The earlier you plan, the more availability there will be.”

Besides availability, new access to flights and greater opportunities to budget for travel throughout the year, Wave Season also offers some of the greatest deals of the year.

If you’ve been to a Jimmy Buffett  Margaritaville, you know the (welcome) routine: Celebrate with a big beach party featuring lots of tequila and other adult beverages. And come April you’ll be able to experience the fun on a floating island-like cruise aboard the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise.

It’s the brand’s first cruise ship — and it floats out on  April 30, 2022 from the port of Palm Beach, Florida. Like its landside counterparts, it will offer decadent delights from which to escape the woes of the world.

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise features 10 passenger decks and 658 cabins. It will make two-day, three-night trips to Grand Bahama, where passengers can extend their stay for four to six nights.

Viking today announced it has taken delivery of Viking Octantis, the company’s first of two new purpose-built expedition cruise ships. The delivery ceremony took place this morning at Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Søviknes, Norway. 

Viking Octantis hosts 378 guests and sets sail tomorrow toward South America to welcome guests in January 2022 for Viking’s first voyages to Antarctica. Viking Octantis will be officially named in April 2022 in New York City by her ceremonial godmother, Liv Arnesen, the famed explorer and educator. The ship then makes her way to the Great Lakes, for a series of voyages during spring and summer. A second, identical sister ship, Viking Polaris, joins the fleet in August 2022 for journeys to the Arctic and Antarctica.

MSC Seashore is the first ship in MSC's Seaside EVO Class, which stems from the cruise line's original Seaside Class. Seaside-class ships were the first purpose-built by MSC for the American market. Seashore is the first of two enriched Seaside EVO-class ships and is outfitted with advanced environmental technology to increase energy efficiency.

While the MSC Seashore was designed for the U.S. traveler, it has a distinctly European flair. For example, dinners are long and the staff is understated rather than overly outgoing.

For travelers sailing on MSC Seashore will find an elegant vibe and an outstanding variety of dining and entertainment venues that offer an immersive experience without being overdone. Some spots could be called kitschy, but instead of feeling cheap, they feel fun.

Nothing kicks off the start of a vacation like stepping onboard to a "wow" moment, and that is just what happens when guests set foot onboard and see the four-deck atrium with changing screens, sparkling chrome mirrors and adorned on either side with Swarovski crystal staircases. It's also the perfect spot for a concert with stages for musicians on three levels.

Crystal Cruises is offering additional holiday cheer to solo travelers with its new Zero Single Supplement promotion, which is available for the first time on its ocean vessels applicable with 15 Crystal Symphony voyages to the Caribbean and Mediterranean in 2022.

Solo travelers typically need to pay a single supplement on most cruise ships. With the exclusive promotion, all-inclusive fares start at just $2,299 per person with savings up to $4,000 per person for an ocean view stateroom. The Zero Single Supplement allows solo guests to enjoy all of Crystal Symphony’s luxury six-star amenities at double occupancy rates without the supplemental fee typically charged to solo travelers.

SeaDream Yacht Club is offering $1,000 savings per stateroom booked for its Sail-Away Event, with 14 itineraries in 2022 eligible for the sale.

The yacht cruises offer personalized service, all oceanview staterooms and suites and offer beautiful ports of call.

There are currently eight 2022 voyages on sale for the Caribbean, from January, March and December. The Bridgetown, Barbados round-trip itinerary sails from Jan. 3-9, 2022, visiting Man-O-War Bay in Trinidad and Tobago; St. George’s, Grenada; Mayreau, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and three other ports.

This year, resorts around the world continue to offer stellar deals during the Black Friday, Cyber Monday sale season. Many offers give guests the chance to receive over 50 percent off rooms or extra perks such as resort credits, free spa treatments and more. 

Below are this year's top international hotel and resort deals:

Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino

For stays November 26, 2021, to January 31, 2022, save up to 30 percent on four nights; save up to 35 percent on five nights or more. For reservations from February 1-October 31, 2022, save up to 25 percent on four nights or more.

Book between November 26 and November 30, 2021, for travel November 26, 2021 - October 31, 2022. Use promo code L9Z.