Cruise News

Carnival's shares took a beating Monday after the company lowered its forecast for the full year. Executives pointed out the reason was a hit from fuel and currency, not a lack of demand. That said, they (and the rest of the travel industry) could really use a quiet hurricane season this year.

Buying Silversea will certainly improve Royal Caribbean's offering in the luxury and expedition sectors. Will it be happy as a majority shareholder, as it says now, or will it eventually want complete control?

Luxury cruisers have some well-known options, but the new Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection believes it can win over both fans of cruising and non-cruisers alike. Will newcomers abandon land to check out how Ritz-Carlton translates to sea?

No one doubts that Cuba will continue to grow as a cruise destination. The question is how that growth will be managed — and whether the island can cope with the influx of additional daily visitors.

As we've said repeatedly: Everyone wants a piece of tours and activities, but not everyone can be successful. Royal Caribbean Cruises tried something different for a cruise company with GoBe, but the space was crowded.

Cruise lines are constantly trying to come out with more impressive bells and whistles, even when the type of ship has been around for years. Consumers appear to be responding, so don't expect the game to change.

Like other cruise operators, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is seeing strong business for 2018 and even 2019. Two words — hurricane season — could interfere, but with so many bookings already made, even a stormy summer shouldn't ruin the year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises has a lot of new ships coming, which will let the cruise operator charge higher prices and attract fresh interest. But as the global cruise industry continues to add capacity, analysts wonder if demand can keep up with the building boom.

More people are visiting hard-to-reach destinations, and the travel companies that take them there are reckoning with the impact of the higher volume of tourists. How much growth is too much? We'll probably find out in the coming years.

China has been full of ups and downs as the cruise industry has grown its presence in the market. Identifying the cause of the downs — and taking steps to manage the factors that can be controlled — should help operators find stability.