26 | CRUISE NEWS
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Royal Caribbean’s New Beach Club Opens Marking a First for the Industry
ROYAL Caribbean’s Royal Beach Club Paradise Island is officially open. The first-of-its-kind beach club destination welcomed its first visitors on 23rd December, with the grand opening comes just a few days after the beach club’s official ribbon cutting celebration. Bahamian government officials, VIPs and community members joined Royal Caribbean executives to celebrate the opening for the first time since it first broke ground in April 2024. Royal Beach Club Paradise Island is where guests can
MSC Cruises Launches Expanded 2026 Fly & Cruise Packages with Aer Lingus
FOR Summer 2026, MSC Cruises will offer its largest- ever number of Fly and Cruise seats from Ireland making Mediterranean adventures easier than ever for Irish travellers. Travellers can enjoy stress-free seam less travel from the airport
to their cruise with direct flights available from Dublin to Rome, Venice or Barcelona. Antonio Paradiso, VP of International Sales at MSC Cruises,
said: “Demand from our Irish guests for Mediterranean sailings continues to grow rapidly, with bookings up over 12% year-on-year. “Thanks to our strengthened partnership with Aer Lingus, we
now offer more direct flights than ever from Ireland, giving our guests a seamless Fly and Cruise experience from start to finish.”
AFTER increased customer Amadeus
River
enjoy the turquoise waters of two pristine beaches and three pools, from party vibes at The Floating Flamingo – the world’s largest swim-up bar – to laidback energy at The Deep End pool and family time at The Shallow End pool. Guests can also enjoy unlimited bites at three beach
Amadeus River Cruises Launch New Luxury 5-Star Programme
demand, Cruises’ luxury
programme will delve into 30 new shore excursions on board a brand new luxury ship Rhine and Danube. The programme, launching in 2027 will
focus on 15 various schedules through France, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. They will
also be offering an excursions
programme that will allow guests to experience new cultural, culinary and active activities from
exploring the medieval town of Rothenburg to scenic guided hikes.
grills and 10 waterfront bars and immerse themselves in the local culture with live music, local artisan huts and more. Plus, everything needed for a day at the beach is included with umbrellas and lounge chairs, lockers and towels, Wi-Fi and roundtrip transportation on five water ferries. “Guests told us they were looking for more ways
to make the most of their vacations in The Bahamas, and that’s exactly what we’ve created with Royal Beach Club Paradise Island. Whether it’s a chill day on the island’s two pristine beaches or the ultimate beach party at the world’s largest swim-up bar, we’ve crafted a destination that caters to every mood,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean. “The opening of our first Royal Beach Club
introduces a bold new kind of beach experience, and it’s just the start of what’s to come in our growing destination portfolio.” Royal Beach Club Paradise Island joins Royal
Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas and is the first of upcoming destinations to open, including Royal Beach Club Cozumel and Royal Beach Club Santorini in 2026, Royal Beach Club Lelepa in early 2027 and Perfect Day Mexico in late 2027.
Swan Hellenic Encourage Guests to ‘Dive’ Right In to Its Newest Expeditions
Disney Goes Street- Style: Mr Brainwash Brings New Collection to P&O
P&O Cruises will feature Mr Brainwash’s latest collection, Dreams Come True, on board its ships. In collaboration with Clarendon fine art, the collection sees street artist Mr Brainwash (Thierry Guetta) reinterpret characters from Disney Mickey & Friends through the use of colour, optimism and street-art style.
Guests sailing with P&O Cruises will be able to
view and purchase pieces from the collection across the fleet, with artworks available on board while stocks last. The Dreams Come True collection comprises 14 limited-edition prints alongside sculptures and original works. Carnival UK & P&O Cruises President Paul Ludlow
said:
“P&O Cruises has a long tradition of bringing memorable
cultural experiences to life on
board our ships, and this collection is a wonderful example of that. Showcasing such an iconic and globally recognised collaboration gives our guests the chance to engage with contemporary art in a truly distinctive setting – and perhaps take home a piece of something incredibly special.” Helen Swaby, CEO at Clarendon Fine Art,
said: “The meeting of Disney’s timeless imagination and Mr Brainwash’s fearless creativity marks the beginning of a new creative era, defined by a body of work that feels both nostalgic and completely new. The collaboration is pure alchemy!” Mr Brainwash’s Dreams Come True collection launched globally on 1 December 2025.
SWAN Hellenic has just unveiled a series of SCUBA diving expeditions, enhancing four of its East Asia voyages onboard ship SH Minerva. Diving enthusiasts with PADI Advanced Open Water certification have a choice of two sailings in 2026 and a further two in 2027. Each of them offers multiple dive opportunities on custom adventure dive boats, accompanied by expert dive masters and concierge service. Complete quality equipment will be provided, from masks, fins and snorkels, to wetsuits, BCDs, regulators, weights and tanks. All permits are also organised, so that divers only need to provide their own dive computers, travel, medical and dive insurance.
All guests are offered accessible, fully-inclusive
snorkeling expeditions, including swimming with plankton-feeding whale sharks in the world-famous Cenderawasih Bay National Park. The dives in Palau Kri, Palau Fam, Palau Mansuar and Ayu Atoll are organised with private dive boats
Westerdam Back in Service Following Two Week Dry Dock
THE Holland America Line ship has returned to service after a two week refurbishment. This came ahead of it’s departure to Singapore on 18th January 2026 for a two week Far East Discovery journey, with a range of upgraded features. The ships capacity was raised with eleven ocean view staterooms being added, the Crow’s Nest now has a new bandstand stage and upgraded lighting and audio systems to accommodate performances and events on-board. The
ship’s Verandah staterooms received full
bathroom refurbishments, along with the redesign of their Effy Lounge – one of the ships shopping spaces – with a completely new layout. Their has been additional modernised updates across the ship with a full interior refresh.
that take the divers directly from the ship to each diving site. The first voyage in the dive series is Secrets of the
Coral Triangle: West Papua and Raja Ampat, departing from Sorong on April 18th, 2026, and returning on the 28th after 10 nights exploring the Coral Triangle. This is where West Papua and Raja Ampat host the world’s richest underwater biodiversity and is best reached by sea.
Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito commented: “It gives us great pleasure to extend our guest discovery beneath the waves on these four exceptional voyages.
They each bring a new dimension others don’t.” to
exploration of the most biodiverse marine paradise on Earth – and exciting new opportunities to see what
February 2026
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