The Biggest Cruise News Stories of March 2025

Spring has officially sprung—and, with the changing of the seasons comes a slew of new developments from the cruise industry. From a major river cruise expo in Vienna to viral piracy warnings in Southeast Asia, these were some of the biggest cruise news stories of March 2025.

Record Number of Travel Advisors, Suppliers Attend ASTA River Cruise Expo

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) once again hosted its popular River Cruise Expo, with a record number of travel advisors and suppliers in attendance. TravelPulse’s Eric Bowman was in Vienna for the event and shares all the top news and notes. Next year, the expo will be returning to Amsterdam.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises To Debut New Ships in 2027

The Uniworld Boutique River Cruises fleet is growing: The line announced this month that it plans to launch three new-build Super Ships in 2027. The vessels will sail in Europe on waterways like the Rhine, Main, Danube and Douro rivers.

The company also revealed that it’s celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026 with a new riverboat, three new mystery cruises, a family-centric sailing and a 50-night world cruise.

Disney Destiny Reaches Key Construction Milestone

Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, Disney Destiny, is one step closer to launching. This month, the ship touched water for the first time at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. Crews filled the building dock with water from the Ems River during what’s known as a “float up.” The 4,000-passenger ship is on track to debut in November.

Seven Seas Navigator to Become Residential Cruise Ship

Regent Seven Seas Cruises made headlines this month for agreeing to a long-term lease with Crescent Seas, a new residential cruise line. Crescent Seas will renovate Seven Seas Navigator and turn it into a residential cruise ship, slated to debut in December 2026.

Avalon Waterways to Update European River Cruise Fleet

Over the next two years, Avalon Waterways will be completing top-to-bottom enhancements on nearly all of its ships sailing in Europe. The fleet-wide refresh is ongoing through 2026.

• 2024: Avalon Passion, Avalon Imagery II, Avalon Poetry II, Avalon Panorama, Avalon Vista
• 2025: Avalon Artistry II, Avalon Impression, Avalon Illumination, Avalon Tapestry II, Avalon Tranquility II
• 2026: Avalon Expression & Avalon Visionary

Norwegian Cruise Line Welcomes First Guests Onboard Norwegian Aqua

Norwegian Cruise Line has welcomed the first guests onboard its new ship, Norwegian Aqua. The 3,571-guest ship will be christened in Miami on April 13, with Eric Stonestreet as her godfather.

Passengers on Cunard Ship Warned of Pirates While Sailing in Southeast Asia

Cunard’s world cruise aboard Queen Anne went viral this month after passengers were told to take precautionary measures in a part of Southeast Asia known for piracy threats.

Variety Cruises to Bring Back Mystery Cruise This Summer

Variety Cruises will once again leave passengers in the dark as they sail to unknown destinations in Europe during a “mystery cruise.” 

Cunard's Queen Elizabeth Completes Refurbishment

Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth completed an extensive three-week transformation at Seatrium's Admiralty Yard in Singapore this month. The 2,000-guest ship will launch her first Alaska season from Seattle on June 12. Then, on October 16, Queen Elizabeth will embark on her first Caribbean voyage from Miami.

Celestyal Cruises Celebrates 10th Anniversary With New Promotions

Celestyal Cruises is celebrating 10 years on the water this month. To mark this significant milestone, the cruise line unveiled several new promotions—including a two-for-one offer on 88 sailings departing from April 2025 through March 2027.

Viking Sets New Booking and Revenue Records

It’s already shaping up to be a big year for Viking, which set new booking and revenue records during the first month of 2025. On January 31, the cruise line notched a new all-time high for revenue booked in a single day. The month of January, meanwhile, was the highest revenue booked in a month in Viking’s history.

Kate McCue Named Captain for New Four Seasons Yachts Vessel

Last month, internet-famous cruise ship captain Kate McCue announced that she would be leaving Celebrity Cruises. Then, this month, she revealed her next step: She’ll captain the new Four Seasons Yachts vessel, Four Seasons I, which is slated to debut in 2026.

MSC World America Passes Final Sea Trial Before April Debut

MSC Cruises’ newest ship, MSC World America, is getting closer to launch. The cruise line tapped actress Drew Barrymore to be the ship’s godmother and the ship passed its final sea trial before it debuts next month. 

Royal Caribbean CEO: Travelers Still Want to Cruise Amid Economic Uncertainty

New tariffs implemented by the Trump administration likely won’t affect Royal Caribbean, chief executive officer Jason Liberty. He’s also optimistic that travelers will still want to cruise amid the ongoing economic uncertainty. 

“One of the things that’s a great hedge for the consumer for the cruise industry, especially for Royal Caribbean, is we still trade at a 20, 25 percent discount to land-based vacation,” he told CNBC’s Jim Cramer. “So they’re still getting a lot of value out of that vacation experience.”

HX Debuts New Fleet Brand Colors

HX (formerly Hurtigruten Expeditions) has completed another phase of its rebrand. This month, the expedition cruise line unveiled new fleet brand colors.

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