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MSC Cruises To Show Summer 2026 Football Matches Across Fleet
MSC Cruises have announced plans to show Summer 2026 Football Championship across their entire fleet. A total of forty-eight teams are set to compete in this year’s
Football Championship. Jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, the tournament marks the first-ever tri-nation Football Championship. Matches will be broadcast live across all of MSC Cruises’ ships between 11 June to 19 July 2026. MSC Cruises guests will be able to watch the matches in a wide variety of onboard venues for every type of fan, including the lively sports bars, casino bars, poolside LED screens and designated lounges and theatres – creating a vibrant atmosphere for fans from around the world.
Beyond the live matches, guests can also enjoy a programme
of tournament-themed activities for all ages including interactive games, quizzes and family-friendly fun.
P&O Cruises has revealed details of its airline partners for the winter 2026/27 season of fly-cruises to the Caribbean. Airlines confirmed for P&O’S 2026/27
GALLERY: First Look Inside Emerald Cruises New Ship
Season are TUI Airways, Norse Atlantic Airways and Virgin Atlantic. Carnival UK & P&O Cruises president
Paul Ludlow said: “For our fly-cruise guests, their holiday begins at the airport, so getting the flight experience right really matters to us. That’s why we’re delighted to
be
EMERALD Cruise & Tours has revealed first look at their new river ship, Emerald Astra, ahead of it's launch in May 2026. Taking inspiration from their fleet of luxury yachts,
Emerald Astra will
feature art installations in partnership with top European galleries, along with collaborations with luxury design houses including Missoni and Freifrau. Other features include a reimagined Sun Deck with upgraded furniture outdoor spaces and complimentary guest laundry facilities. The ship will offer a range of European
river itineraries including, ‘Rhine Castles & Moselle Vineyards’,
continuing our long-standing
relationships with TUI, Norse Atlantic, and Virgin Atlantic. Together, these partnerships mean our guests can enjoy consistently high-quality journeys, with
‘Jewels of the
Rhine’, ‘Splendours of Europe’ and ‘The Majestic Rhine’. Dominic Keely, head of marketing Rivers & Land at Emerald Cruises, said: “Emerald Astra represents a bold new chapter for river cruising, blending the intimacy of Europe’s great waterways with the design of a luxury yacht. With innovative new guest amenities and a striking contemporary style, the ship is designed to elevate the river cruise experience from the moment guests step on board.”
Celebrity River Cruises To Bolster its Fleet
Capacity to 20 Ships by 2031
CELEBRITY River Cruises have announced a commitment for 10 new ships that will ex- pand its European river cruise fleet to 20 vessels by 2031. The announcement marks the start of construction, with the first steel cut for Celebrity Compass – the line’s debut river ship. To celebrate these milestones, Celebrity River
Cruises has opened its highly anticipated 2028 season for booking – offering more than 160 sailings to over 50 destinations across Europe. “Guest demand for Celebrity River Cruises has
exceeded our expectations, and expanding the fleet allows us to bring this highly anticipated experience to even more travelers,” said Jason Liberty, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group, parent company of Celebrity Cruises. Liberty
continued, “Whether guests already
love the Celebrity experience or are discovering it for the first time, they now have new ways to enjoy it along some of Europe’s most iconic rivers. With Celebrity’s expansion into river, we’re
strengthening our connected vacation ecosystem, offering more choice, more access, and more reasons for guests to stay with us — turning the vacation of a lifetime into a lifetime of vacations.” “Our inaugural 2027 Celebrity River Cruises season sold out in under six minutes – a testament
to how much guests value the unmatched hospitality and service Celebrity delivers,” said Laura Hodges Bethge, president of Celebrity Cruises. “To meet this extraordinary demand, we’re thrilled to open 2028 sailings featuring 80% more European destinations,
five ships, and more than 160 itineraries.”
A & K Celebrate Significant Milestone in Second Nile New-Build Riverboat
A&K has celebrated a
significant milestone with the keel laying ceremony for its second new-build luxury riverboat on the Nile. The ceremony took place at The Arab Contractors shipyard in Egypt, formally commencing construction of the sister vessel to Nile Seray, An A&K Sanctuary. The keel laying ceremony, a centuries-old maritime tradition marking the joining of a vessel’s first structural components, signals the beginning of construction for the as-yet-unnamed riverboat, scheduled to launch in 2028. The vessel will mirror the sophisticated design and spacious accommodations of Nile Seray, featuring 32 elegant suites for just 64 guests. Like its sister ship, the new
vessel will offer suites with a minimum of 33 square metres, floor-to-ceiling windows and waterside Juliet balconies as
standard. Two magnificent suites will boast full private balconies with outdoor spa pools overlooking the ancient river. The vessel will feature two restaurants helmed by world-class chefs, a spa with two treatment rooms, a well-equipped gymnasium, and a stunning top deck with canopied daybeds, swimming pool, and outdoor bar with wraparound views of the Nile valley. “Celebrating this keel laying
represents another important step in our commitment to Egypt,” said Cristina Levis, CEO of AKTG. “The construction of this second vessel reflects both the tremendous interest we’ve seen from travellers and our confidence in Egypt’s enduring appeal as a destination. Working with The Arab Contractors demonstrates our dedication to Egyptian craftsmanship and supporting the local economy.” Nile Seray is scheduled for
delivery in late 2026, with its sister ship to follow in 2028.
the comfort and care they know and love from P&O Cruises, right from take-off.”. TUI Airways will operate Friday and
Saturday flights to Barbados from London Gatwick, Birmingham, and Manchester. TUI Airways will also offer regional flights from Belfast, Bournemouth, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, and Newcastle on selected departure dates. Virgin Atlantic will operate an Airbus
A330 whole plane charter from Manchester every 14 days for Arvia’s guests joining in Barbados on a Friday. Between October 2026 and March 2027
Norse Atlantic will operate Saturday flights from Manchester and London Gatwick to Antigua on selected departure dates.
March 2026
P&O Cruises Confirm Airline Partners For Winter 2026/27 Caribbean Season
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