October 6, 2026 – This Week in Cruising: Carnival Corp Reshuffles Its Fleet, Hero of the Seas Adds Preview Sailings, and Royal Rolls Out 2028 Alaska

A surprise fleet shuffle at Carnival Corporation led this week’s news, with new ships headed to both P&O Cruises and Holland America. We also have new venues on Regent’s Seven Seas Prestige, bigger suites on Crystal Serenity, a major makeover for Norwegian Escape, and early preview sailings on Hero of the Seas, which just got her signature musical. Let’s dig in.

Carnival Corporation is reshuffling ships across its brands. In 2029, after completing her world cruise, Cunard’s Queen Anne will move to P&O Cruises, giving P&O a very new ship. In turn, P&O’s Arcadia will join Holland America as its 12th ship. She is already built on the same platform as several Holland America ships, so she’s a natural fit. Carnival Corporation builds ships on shared platforms (the same hull design, engines, and core systems) and customizes them for each brand. That approach makes it easier to move ships to wherever the capacity is needed most. We’ve seen it before, too: Carnival Firenze started life as Costa Firenze. With no brand-new Holland America ships on the horizon right now, we think this is a smart move, especially for the U.S. market.

Holland America is celebrating 80 years in Alaska next season with six ships sailing from April to September: Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Westerdam, and Zaandam. Together, Holland America and Princess are the backbone of the Alaska market, and both are investing heavily in their Alaska lodges.

Regent Seven Seas revealed three more venues for Seven Seas Prestige: Galileo’s Bar, an Italian-inspired aperitivo concept; Azure; and the open-air Solmar Terrace. She’ll also debut signature Prestige cocktails made with Patrón tequila. Prestige debuts in Barcelona this December, just two months away. We’ll be on board three times next year, starting in February, and we’ll bring you a full tour.

Crystal Serenity is heading into another dry dock, her third in about four years. She’ll gain a new 1,722-square-foot Owner’s Suite, a category that will also feature on Crystal’s new ship, Crystal Grace, arriving in 2028. Several veranda suites will also become four new Junior Penthouse Premium suites. If you love luxury, outstanding food, and generous space, Crystal keeps getting better.

On the West Coast, Carnival Radiance is back in Long Beach after a 15-day dry dock. She now sports the new “Sea to Shining Sea” design being added across Carnival’s fleet. She’s returning to year-round four- and five-day Baja and Mexican Riviera cruises, plus select Hawaii round trips.

Quiet-season Mediterranean cruising keeps growing. Oceania is keeping Allura in Europe for winter 2027–28, joining Viking and Windstar in sailing the Med year-round. Winter in the Med feels a lot like Southern California in winter. You’ll want a jacket, but you’ll share Rome, Pompeii, and your favorite trattoria with a fraction of the summer crowds. (Pompeii in summer, with no shade and plenty of heat, is a very different experience.) Also on the Oceania front, we just received our save-the-date for the Oceania Sonata christening sailing next September.

Norwegian Escape is heading to Europe on a 16-night crossing from New York City to Barcelona, and she’ll come back with some big upgrades. As on Joy, Encore, and Bliss, Moderno Churrascaria is being replaced by a Cagney’s Steakhouse roughly double the size, indoors and out. Palomar replaces Bayamo, which is a big win. Its signature dish is a whole branzino baked in a salt crust with lemon and rosemary, then deboned tableside. Escape is also getting an enclosed smoking section in the casino. She returns to Port Canaveral in November for seven-night Eastern Caribbean sailings.

MSC’s Sandy Cay is officially underway and set to open in 2028 next door to Ocean Cay, serving MSC and Explora Journeys guests. Guests will reach it by ferry rather than a pier. MSC is also expanding the Ocean Cay pier to accommodate two full-size ships at once. Picture having two private islands side by side, and you get an idea of how special this could be.

Royal Caribbean’s 2028 Alaska deployment is live. Ovation and Voyager will sail round trip from Seattle, Anthem will sail one-way between Seward and Vancouver, and Serenade will sail round trip from Vancouver. Ovation, Anthem, and Serenade, with their glass-enclosed solariums and walls of windows, were practically built for Alaska.

Hero of the Seas has her signature musical: SpongeBob SquarePants! The roughly 250,800-gross-ton Icon-class ship was recently floated out at Meyer Turku and will sail seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from Miami, complete with a full ice skating show. Better yet, she’ll be ready early. Royal is adding two preview sailings – departing August 1 and August 8, 2027 – ahead of the official inaugural, which is great timing for families before school starts. Royal did the same with Icon and Star. Guests already booked on the inaugural get the first chance to move to the preview sailings with price protection, but this is opt-in, not automatic. The new sailings are now on sale. If you’d like to switch, email info@harrtravel.com or reach out to your Harr Travel advisor. You can also browse and book online!

A few quick hits: Carnival Festivale was floated out at Meyer Werft in Germany. She’s the second-to-last Excel-class ship, with Carnival Tropicale to follow.

Want to sail with us? We have three hosted sailings on Legend of the Seas and a New Year’s Eve sailing on Ovation of the Seas, with a group dinner in Cabo on January 1 (a few ocean-view cabins remain). In 2027, we’re hosting Celebrity Apex in the Norwegian fjords in May, Norwegian Encore in Alaska in June, Symphony of the Seas in the Caribbean, and an 11-night fall foliage sailing on Celebrity Silhouette from Boston in October. See all Hosted Journeys.

Looking for luxury? We have unadvertised fares right now, including some especially impressive Oceania rates. Questions on any of these itineraries? Reach out to Harr Travel or book online!