Crystal Expedition Cruises has announced its newest ship, Crystal Endeavor, will feature a new itinerary in the Caribbean this October and November as part of its inaugural season.

The luxurious yacht will sail from Miami on Oct. 25 on a nine-night itinerary called "Expedition Yachting: Caribbean Mystique," visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico; Great Exuma, Man of War Bay and Inagua Island in the Bahamas; White Bay and Great Harbor on Jost Van Dyke; Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands; Gustavia, St. Barts; and Saba, Netherlands before returning to Puerto Rico.

It began its first season in Iceland, circumnavigating the island. It will begin sailing the Norwegian fjords this September before sailing on an itinerary from London to Lisbon, Portugal, at the end of September.

MSC Cruises marked its return to U.S. cruising with a four-night sailing out of Miami aboard MSC Meraviglia that departed Tuesday evening.

The ship will operate on three- and four-night itineraries from PortMiami. On Sept. 18, it will begin sailing on seven-night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

Four-night cruises will visit Nassau and MSC’s private island destination, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, for an overnight. Three-night itineraries make calls at Ocean Cay. Seven-night sailings will visit Ocean Cay, Nassau and Ocho Rios, Jamaica; the cruises will make a second call at Ocean Cay before returning to Miami.

Viking announced today the official restart of its popular river itineraries in France, marking the latest milestone as the company resumes operations in Europe. Guests are now embarking journeys on the Seine and Rhône rivers for the Paris & the Heart of Normandy, Lyon & Provence and France’s Finest itineraries. Viking’s voyage in Bordeaux, Chateaux, Rivers and Wine, will resume in August.

Along with restarting river operations in France, Viking has launched four new Viking Longships that are purpose-built specifically to navigate the Seine River. Hosting 168 guests in 84 staterooms, Viking Kari, Viking Radgrid, Viking Skaga and Viking Fjorgyn dock at Viking’s exclusive docking location in the center of Paris, just a short walking distance from the Eiffel Tower. 

Disney Cruise Line has announced its plans to return to sailings from the United States on Aug. 9.

Disney Dream is scheduled to usher in the cruise line’s long-awaited return to cruising from the U.S. with tropical voyages to the Bahamas departing from Port Canaveral, Florida, on three- or four-night cruises featuring a stop at DCL’s private island, Castaway Cay.

Disney Cruise Line officials said the company is working hard to get ready for the return of passengers by incorporating enhanced health and safety measures to promote wellness for guests and crew members. Disney is in a different position from other cruise lines in that children 12 and under — a prime target of the family-oriented cruise line — cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Viking Ocean Cruises today marked its first “Welcome Back” sailings in the Mediterranean — the latest milestone in the company’s return to service. Last week, guests embarked on the award-winning Viking Sea and the new Viking Venus in Valletta, Malta — a cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site — where the ships are homeporting this summer. 

Offered as part of Viking’s “Welcome Back” collection, exclusively available for vaccinated guests, both ships are sailing three new itineraries round trip from Valletta. The new voyages include the 11-day Malta & the Adriatic Jewels, the 11-day Malta & Greek Isles Discovery and the 21-day Malta, the Adriatic & Greece itineraries. 

Viking has also partnered with Lufthansa to offer non-stop flights from Newark Liberty International Airport to Malta exclusively for Viking guests, making the transatlantic journey to Europe easier. See Cruiseable's Malta travel guide for a first-hand introduction to the storied island nation.

Big-ship cruising is back in Alaska. Royal Caribbean International’s Serenade of the Seas departed Monday from Seattle on its first Alaska cruise since September 2019. Ninety-seven percent of the people on board are fully vaccinated, the cruise line announced. 

The sailing marks a celebratory moment for the cruise industry, local workforce, regional suppliers and Alaska’s communities that were significantly impacted by the absence of most cruise tourism. Cruising normally represents more than 60 percent of the state’s visitors and generates upward of $3 billion for its economy each year.

Serenade of the Seas visits Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point, Alaska, as well as Endicott Arm fjord and Dawes Glacier. The ship will be joined by Ovation of the Seas in Seattle starting Aug. 13.

“Cruising in Alaska is finally back, and we are excited to be the first to return. Alaska is one of the most popular destinations among our guests, especially families with young kids – children who are ineligible for the vaccine today,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “This is a return that is significantly felt by many, including those whose communities rely on cruise tourism.”

Carnival Cruise Line has announced that three more of its ships will resume service in September, with an additional four scheduled to reenter service in October.

By October, 15 ships, representing about half of the line’s fleet, will have resumed service.

Carnival Glory will resume service from New Orleans, Carnival Pride from Baltimore on Sept. 12 and Carnival Dream from Galveston on Sept. 19.

Carnival Conquest resumes service from Miami on Oct. 8, Carnival Freedom from Miami on Oct. 9, Carnival Elation from Port Canaveral on Oct. 11 and Carnival Sensation from Mobile, Ala., on Oct. 21.

Cunard has announced it's offering a range of “Grand Escape Voyages” starting in October through May 22, 2022.

The 40 new cruises range from two to 40 nights, visiting 49 destinations by flagship Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria. Sales open July 21.

“We are thrilled to announce our new ‘Grand Escape Voyages,’ as we celebrate Cunard’s full return to sailing,” said Jamie Paiko, vice president of sales for Cunard North America.

The Queen Mary 2’s “Grand Escape Voyages” will operate 29 new itineraries that call at 15 ports in 14 countries. The transatlantic crossings will be complemented with brief cruises in Western Europe, and the liner also will spend time in the Caribbean, sailing roundtrip from New York, Fort Lauderdale, Hamburg or Southampton.

Stralsund, Germany, July 12, 2021 – Crystal Endeavor, the first “Made in Germany” Polar Class 6 (PC6) luxury expedition yacht, cruised out of MV WERFTEN shipyard in Stralsund this past weekend where she was designed and built. The yacht is now bound for Iceland and her inaugural voyages in the Land of Fire and Ice.

A pier-side sail away celebration was held Saturday at MV WERFTEN for employees and family members who offered a heartfelt sendoff of waving and wishes of “gute reise” and “bon voyage” to the intrepid new expedition yacht. Crystal Endeavor sailed from Stralsund with a full vaccinated crew and is scheduled to arrive in Reykjavík, Iceland, on Thursday.

The ship will depart Reykjavík on its inaugural voyage Saturday after an overnight in the city on the first in a series of five 10-night voyages circumnavigating Iceland.

Jack Anderson, president of Crystal, described the new state-of-the-art expedition yacht as “the most spacious, most powerful and most luxurious expedition ship in the industry.” He said Crystal Endeavor would offer guests “incredible adventures to the far reaches of the globe, with the highest standards of safety and sustainable features that demonstrate extreme care for our guests and the world’s oceans and the destinations we visit.”

Lindblad Expeditions has announced that its new polar expedition ship, National Geographic Endurance, will depart on its maiden voyage on July 21, 2021, from Reykjavik, Iceland.

The first new polar ship built in the line’s history, the 126-guest ship was named in honor of legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton. Originally set to launch in April 2020, National Geographic Endurance sat out the pandemic in Norway.

The 19-day inaugural voyage will begin and end in Reykjavik and will explore Iceland and then sail off the east coast of Greenland, home to polar bears, walruses, and whales. If Greenland’s border opens for visitors, the ship will make landings and explore ashore.

Rates begin at $22,190 per person, based on double occupancy in a category 1 cabin.

Over the past week, four major cruise lines returned to the high seas — two of them sailing from U.S. ports — for the first time in more than a year.

Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Crystal and Seabourn resumed sailings after the pandemic shut down the industry for more than a year. 

Carnival President Christine Duffy, Carnival Vista Captain Andrea Catalani and local officials led a “Back to Fun” ribbon-cutting ceremony in Galveston, Texas, last weekend to celebrate Carnival Cruise Line’s resumption of guest cruises from the U.S.

“Seeing our guests board the ship for the first time in over 15 months was a welcome and emotional sight,” Duffy said in a statement. “The excitement our guests have for Carnival cruising knows no bounds and it’s great to be able to have them enjoy our unique vacation experience and of course see our amazing crew once again.”

Silversea Cruises shared details this week about the conversion of Silver Wind into a luxury ice-class ship that will be the company’s fourth expedition vessel.

Silver Wind is undergoing refurbishments at a shipyard in Gdansk, Poland. The redesign includes an ice-strengthened hull for cruising in polar waters and state-of-the-art technology upgrades. Silver Wind will be outfitted with a new advanced wastewater treatment plant, new food waste treatment facilities and new fuel-saving boilers.

The upgraded Silver Wind will embark on its maiden voyage Nov. 20, 2021, a 22-day journey to Antarctica, in time for a prime viewing position on the White Continent for a solar eclipse on Dec. 4, 2021.