October 20, 2026 – This Week in Cruising: Norwegian Bella Caps the Prima Class, Disney Believe Heads to Fort Lauderdale, and Carnival Adventure Comes to Alaska

This week, Norwegian Cruise Line named Norwegian Bella, the sixth and final Prima-class ship, debuting in May 2028 from Barcelona. Disney Believe will sail from Fort Lauderdale starting December 2027, and Carnival Adventure, the former Golden Princess, brings a Seattle Alaska season in 2028. There’s also new dining at sea, a wave of river ships, Silversea’s southernmost hotel and Danny’s answers to your live questions.

Updated October 21, 2026 · From Danny’s Weekly Cruise News livestream of October 20, 2026

Danny was back live after a week away, with 18 stories and nearly an hour of your questions. Here’s the recap. Watch the full replay above, and join us live on a Tuesday night to ask your own.

What Is Norwegian Bella?

Norwegian Bella is the sixth and final ship in Norwegian Cruise Line’s Prima Class, and the line calls her the grand finale. She’s about 170,000 gross tons and is being built at Fincantieri in Italy. Her inaugural season is mostly seven-night Mediterranean cruises roundtrip from Barcelona, starting in May 2028. Depending on the date, they call at Salerno, Civitavecchia (for Rome), Livorno, La Spezia, Marseille and Palma de Mallorca. Her hull art is by Australian artist George Rose, and she’s on sale now.

Danny pointed out how much the class has grown. Norwegian Prima and Viva were the starting point. Aqua and Luna got bigger, and Bella is bigger still. With each ship, NCL has fixed the pinch points guests noticed on the earlier ones. Bella’s four-deck Ocean Heights complex is a waterpark, ropes course and playground by day and a social spot with immersive lighting at night. The Haven has been redesigned with a more open lounge and a larger sundeck, and Ocean Boulevard, Infinity Beach and the food hall all return. Danny also expects Bella to come to the U.S. after her first European season.

Infinity Beach on Norwegian Aqua. Norwegian Bella brings back this Prima-class favorite. Photo: Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Aura moves up, too. Thanks to early delivery from the shipyard, NCL added two Mediterranean sailings ahead of her planned debut: a 10-day Trieste-to-Athens cruise departing May 2, 2027, and a nine-day Athens-to-Trieste cruise departing May 12, 2027. Fun coincidence: Aura’s first sailing is May 2, 2027, and Bella’s is May 2, 2028. Asked when to book an Owner’s Suite on Aura, Danny didn’t hesitate: now. The top suites go first.

Disney Believe Sails From Fort Lauderdale, and Disney Imagination Heads to Tokyo

Disney Believe, the fourth Wish-class ship, sets sail December 18, 2027, from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. She’ll sail four- and five-night Bahamas and Western Caribbean cruises with stops at Disney Castaway Cay and Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. New on board: the world’s first stage version of Encanto, a Moana-inspired Grand Hall, and Oaken’s Table, a Frozen family dining experience. Danny spent two weeks in the Tower Suite on Disney Treasure, and he loves how well the Wish-class staterooms work for families, especially the connecting rooms.

Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, one of two Disney island stops on Disney Believe.

Disney also named its first ship for Japan: Disney Imagination, sailing year-round from Tokyo starting in spring 2029, with Ariel and Sebastian on the stern. She’ll be run under license by Oriental Land Company, which operates Tokyo Disney Resort. North Americans can book her, but Danny notes the onboard experience will be designed mainly for guests from Japan and Asia. See our Disney Cruise Line page for more.

Carnival Adventure: A Former Golden Princess Comes to Alaska

Carnival Adventure makes her U.S. debut in 2028, sailing from Seattle from May through September. Her seven-day Alaska Inside Passage and Glacier cruises call at Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway, and she also offers a nine-day Alaska sailing. After the summer, she heads back to Australia.

She has quite a history. She entered service in 2001 as Princess Cruises’ Golden Princess, a Grand-class ship. In 2021 she moved to P&O Cruises Australia as Pacific Adventure, and when P&O Australia folded into Carnival in 2025, she became Carnival Adventure. Danny sailed her back in 2002 as Golden Princess, and he thinks she’ll be a phenomenal Alaska ship. He loves the climate-controlled atrium, the forward Sanctuary area and the aft “spoiler” deck. You ride an escalator up to a nightclub with wraparound views, and it’s a quiet spot to read during the day.

The tiered aft decks of Grand Princess, a Grand-class sister of the former Golden Princess. Photo: Princess Cruises

New Dining at Sea: Eataly on MSC World Asia and Le Gavroche on Queen Anne

Eataly is coming to MSC World Asia, MSC’s newest World Class ship. It’s the second MSC ship with the famous Italian food brand, with show cooking at a dedicated chef’s table and a terrace with ocean views. Danny loves Eataly. He ate there three times on MSC World America and still talks about the handmade pasta and the cheese.

Spaghetti alla carbonara at Eataly on MSC World America. Photo: MSC Cruises

Le Gavroche at Sea returns to Cunard’s Queen Anne. With the London restaurant now closed, Michel Roux’s residency is the only way to experience Le Gavroche. It’s on seven-night Norway and Norwegian Fjords voyages in May, August and September 2027, plus two sailings in May and June 2028. Pair a culinary legend with fjord scenery, and you have a pretty special week. Learn more on our Cunard page.

Crystal’s 2028–2029 Voyages and MSC’s 119-Night World Cruise

Crystal opened new voyages from October 2028 through May 2029, bookable as of October 20. Crystal Symphony sails Japan, Asia and the South Pacific before her 2029 World Cruise, and Crystal Grace begins her first South America season, rounding Cape Horn in February 2029. Crystal Serenity cruises the Pacific and Asia. Danny reminded viewers that Crystal is now part of the A&K Travel Group, and A&K’s land expertise shows in the pre-cruise tours and private excursions, which sell out fast. His advice: luxury travelers plan about three years out, and the best suites go first.

MSC opened its 2029 World Cruise on MSC Magnifica: 119 nights in early 2029, with 45 destinations in 21 countries, nine overnight calls and 15 included shore excursions. Highlights include a rare circumnavigation of Australia and an extended visit to Indonesia. Danny thinks it’s one of the best values in world cruising.

Silversea’s Southernmost Hotel Makes Antarctica Easier

Silversea has opened The Cormorant at 55 South in Puerto Williams, Chile, billed as the southernmost hotel on Earth, with its official grand opening on November 5. It’s the gateway for Silversea’s Antarctica fly-cruises, which fly guests over the Drake Passage instead of sailing it. This season, Silver Endeavour, Silver Wind and Silver Cloud run 40 Antarctica voyages through March, and 29 of them are fly-cruises that include a stay at the hotel.

Danny explained why this matters. Getting to Antarctica usually means long flights, an early charter and few comfortable hotels at the jumping-off point. Silversea built this one for its own guests. Silversea invited Danny to film it, and he plans to visit early next year. Asked which ship is best in Antarctica, he named Silver Endeavour: “the best ship in Antarctica, hands down, not close.” Explore our Antarctica cruises page to start planning.

An expedition ship and Zodiacs near Detaille Island, Antarctica.

River Cruising Keeps Growing: Uniworld, Riverside and AmaWaterways

Uniworld is planning its biggest expansion yet. Three new ships arrive in 2027: S.S. Audrey and S.S. Marlene in Europe and S.S. São Rafael on Portugal’s Douro. Three more follow in 2028, including Mekong Mystique, for a fleet of 22. There are six new itineraries and the return of the Women-Only Cruise, plus two 2027 sailings on the expedition yacht Aqua Blu in Indonesia and Singapore. Danny calls CEO Ellen Bettridge a great partner and Uniworld’s service “butler-style.”

Riverside Luxury Cruises opened its 2028 season, which debuts Riverside Mahler, the former Crystal Mahler, on the Rhine, Main and Danube between Amsterdam and Basel. Sailings run from three-night getaways to 23-night journeys, so they’re easy to fit to your schedule. Danny calls Riverside the most luxurious line on Europe’s rivers, partly because it carries fewer guests on a standard river ship than most lines.

AmaWaterways is aiming for 50-plus ships by 2032. The headliner is AmaRudi, a double-width ship for 196 guests and the first Ama ship named for a man, co-founder Rudi Schreiner. She debuts on the Danube in 2027. Because she’s twice as wide, she stays on the Danube and puts the extra room into public spaces, including, as Danny pointed out, a pickleball court. AmaMaya (Mekong) and AmaFlora (Rhine) also arrive in 2027. Danny calls Ama the “Goldilocks” of river cruising, with a great balance of luxury, inclusions and value.

AmaVenita sailing the Rhine, with its Sun Deck in view. Photo: AmaWaterways

Holland America Unveils Bar 1873

Holland America’s new Bar 1873 debuts on Oosterdam as part of her “Evolution” transformation. The two-story atrium bar and music venue is built around a three-meter illuminated tulip, surrounded by more than 200 heritage objects tracing the line’s history, with live piano and vocalists in the evening. Danny likes that it turns a quiet corner of the atrium into a real gathering place. See our Holland America page for the fleet.

Princess Brings Back the Amazon

Princess’ 2028–2029 Americas season has more than 250 departures, and Amazon River cruising returns for the first time since 2014. Danny has sailed the Amazon and highly recommends it. (He also honeymooned on Coral Princess.) Read our full breakdown: Princess Cruises 2028–2029 Americas Season: The Amazon Returns.

Royal Caribbean Adds Year-Round Europe Cruises in 2028

For the first time, you can sail Europe any time of year on Royal Caribbean. Rhapsody of the Seas sails seven-night cruises from Athens, Barcelona and Lisbon from May to October 2028, including overnights in Alexandria, Egypt, and Istanbul. Starting November 2028, she switches to nine- to 12-night winter cruises to the Canary Islands, Portugal, Morocco, Cyprus, Malta and Greece. Danny is a big fan of the “quiet season” Med. It’s cooler and less crowded, and museums are easier to see. He visited Ephesus in the off-season and didn’t want to leave.

The rest of the lineup includes Odyssey, Liberty, Mariner, Jewel and Freedom of the Seas across the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Scandinavia. Danny noticed that no Oasis- or Icon-class ship is in the Europe lineup yet, and he wonders whether a new ship could debut there. That’s his guess, not an announcement. In Alaska for 2028, Ovation and Voyager sail from Seattle, Anthem sails between Seward and Vancouver, and Serenade sails from Vancouver.

Weather, Ports and Private Islands

Oasis of the Seas swapped the Bahamas for Canada. Severe weather off the East Coast canceled her October 18 sailing’s calls at Port Canaveral, Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau. Instead, she sailed north from Cape Liberty for an extended stay in Halifax, and Royal offered booked guests onboard credit and a future cruise credit. It’s a good reminder to pack flexibility (and travel insurance). When weather turns, a good advisor helps you sort out your options.

Vancouver had its busiest cruise season ever: a record 1.4 million passenger visits and 358 ship calls in 2026, up about 18% in passengers from 2025. Danny was there three times this summer and says the old terminal logjams are gone, with much faster embarkation and quick U.S. border clearance. Planning an Alaska cruise from Canada Place? Start with our Vancouver port guide.

Vancouver’s skyline and Canada Place at dusk.

Private islands keep getting better. Carnival’s Celebration Key, Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay, MSC’s Ocean Cay (with Sandy Cay on the way) and NCL’s Great Stirrup Cay, with its new pier, are all drawing big investment. Danny says CocoCay is Royal’s highest-rated destination, and private islands rank near the top for guest satisfaction. His predictions: Royal Beach Club Cozumel in late 2027 or early 2028, and Perfect Day Mexico around late 2028 or early 2029. “It is going to happen,” he says.

From the Live Q&A

Can you add another guest to an existing cruise reservation?

Yes, if the cabin can hold another person. Adding a guest can reprice the whole booking at current fares and promotions, though, so ask your Harr Travel advisor to check the numbers before you make the change.

How many cabins do you need for a group cruise?

Most lines, including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian and Princess, need about five to eight cabins (sometimes 10) for group status. Danny added that we can often place even a single cabin into one of our existing groups, so you still get group amenities.

Should you stick with one cruise line for loyalty perks?

Danny says to choose the right ship, itinerary and product first. Loyalty perks are nice, but they’ve been diluted across the industry. Match the line to the trip, like a Haven suite on Norwegian for the Mexican Riviera or Holland America or Princess for Hawaii.

What is Danny’s favorite Norwegian Cruise Line ship?

Norwegian Bliss. He has sailed her 13 or 14 times and loves the crew. His favorite Haven complexes in the NCL fleet are on Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Encore, and the Haven on Norwegian Escape is another all-time favorite.

Which cruise line does the Norwegian fjords best?

Danny likes Hurtigruten, which has sailed the Norwegian coast for more than 100 years on small ships, and Holland America, whose itineraries reach the Arctic Circle. Small luxury lines are excellent too. We’re hosting a Celebrity Apex group in the fjords next May, chosen because the itinerary includes Geirangerfjord.

Is 119 nights short for a world cruise?

Not at all. Danny says about 115 to 125 nights is typical for contemporary and premium world cruises, while luxury lines such as Viking and Oceania offer much longer world voyages.

Celebrity or Princess for a two-week Japan cruise?

Danny picks Celebrity. He rates it “a half-star to a star ahead” of Princess for included food, stateroom design and bedding, though Princess has deep experience in Japan and strong pricing.

Watch Live Next Week

For the next two Tuesdays, Danny goes live from aboard Explora Journeys, and after that from Legend of the Seas. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and tap the bell so you don’t miss it.

Have a question about any of this week’s stories? Reach out online or call us at 1-888-871-4233, and your Harr Travel advisor will help you find the right ship, sailing and stateroom.