The Cruise Lines section covers information on major global cruise lines, strategic updates, fleet movements, commercial developments, and regional deployments from cruise operators active in the Middle East market.
Oceania Cruises has floated out Oceania Sonata at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard, moving the first Sonata Class vessel to fitting-out ahead of its August 2027 debut and inaugural season spanning Europe, the Caribbean and Americas destinations.
Hurtigruten has launched Northern Delights, a six-day winter itinerary combining a Svalbard land programme with a coastal sailing from Tromsø to Kirkenes, with departures scheduled between December 2026 and March 2027 across the Arctic region.
MSC Cruises has completed installation of a 39-foot dragon sculpture aboard MSC World Asia, positioning the feature above the Outdoor World Promenade as construction continues ahead of the ship’s December 2026 Mediterranean debut.
SeaDream II will operate two seven-night wine voyages between Nice and Rome in 2027, with itineraries featuring French and Italian ports, onboard tastings and winemaker dinners.
Silversea’s Silver Cloud has departed Fremantle on a 77-day Grand South Pacific Expedition to Valparaiso, visiting 57 destinations across 11 countries, including the Kimberley, French Polynesia, Pitcairn Island and Easter Island.
MSC Cruises has revised its Winter 2027/2028 deployment, sending MSC World Asia to the South Caribbean while MSC World Europa remains in the Western Mediterranean instead of operating its previously scheduled Middle East sailings.
Viking reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $2.19 billion, up 16.5%, driven by higher capacity and revenue per passenger cruise day, while advance bookings increased and the company continued expanding its ocean and river fleet.
Disney Cruise Line has shared the first public look at a new three-ship class debuting from 2029, positioned between its classic and newer vessels as the fleet expands to 13 ships over coming years globally.
AROYA has docked in Taranto ahead of the 2026 Mediterranean Games, joining Romantika in the floating Mediterranean Village and providing accommodation and onboard services for athletes and delegations participating in the event this summer.
Havila Voyages has partnered with Ocean Bottle to offer a branded reusable bottle across its coastal fleet, with each purchase funding collection of 11.4kg of ocean-bound plastic and supporting the company’s single-use plastic reduction efforts.
