The temperatures are starting to heat up¡ªand so is the cruise industry. From a return to pre-pandemic passenger numbers to a slew of new ships, these were the biggest cruise news stories of April 2024.

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Their story made headlines around the world: Eight travelers were late getting back to their cruise ship, the Norwegian Dawn, so they were left behind in the African island nation of S?o Tom¨¦ and Pr¨ªncipe. They spent the next few days trying to catch up with the ship and eventually did so in Dakar, Senegal. The cruise line later agreed to reimburse the travelers for some of the costs they incurred while trying to meet back up with the ship.

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Viking is going public and, this month, the cruise company shared more details about its forthcoming initial public offering. The price per share is expected to be between $21 and $25, and Viking will offer 44 million ordinary shares¡ªfor total IPO proceeds of up to $1.1 billion. The company will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol VIK.

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After American Queen Voyages shut down in February, one big question remained: What would happen to the cruise line¡¯s ships? Now, we know their fate. American Cruise Lines bought four vessels from the now-shuttered company: American Duchess, American Countess, American Express and American Queen. American Cruise Lines also bought some of American Queen Voyages¡¯ other assets, including its business records, website domain names and trademarks.

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Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) unveiled its 2024 State of the Industry report, which revealed that 31.7 million travelers sailed aboard cruise ships in 2023¡ªsurpassing pre-pandemic levels.

April was a big month for new ship announcements. Windstar Cruises will be adding two ships to its fleet, Ponant is adding a new catamaran and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings plans to add eight new ships across its various brands. Scenic Group is adding a new yacht to the Emerald Cruises fleet (and making updates to its existing ships). Abercromie & Kent will unveil a new Peruvian riverboat. And, in addition to acquiring vessels from American Queen Voyages, American Cruise Lines is building two new ships.

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Many under-construction ships reached key milestones this month, including MSC World America, MSC World Asia and Norwegian Aqua. Cunard took delivery of Queen Anne, and Viking announced that its newest Nile River ship, Viking Sobek, will be ready five months early. Royal Caribbean International also broke ground on its first Royal Beach Club in The Bahamas.

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April was a busy month for cruise ship christenings: Carnival Cruise Line christened Carnival Firenze in Long Beach, Princes Cruises christened Sun Princess in Barcelona, and Avalon Waterways christened Avalon Alegria in Pinh?o, Portugal.

The total solar eclipse on April 8 wowed umbraphiles in North America. Hoping to capitalize on the buzz, Cunard announced three eclipse viewing opportunities for 2026.

Cruise lines typically choose celebrities, pro athletes or travel industry professionals to serve as the godmother or godfather of a new ship. But, this month, Seabourn took a unique approach: The luxury line selected Australia¡¯s Wunambal Gaambera Traditional Owners as godparents of Seabourn Pursuit. Seabourn is now the first cruise line to choose Traditional Owners to be godparents of a vessel.

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Princess Cruises has been plagued with delays. Earlier this year, it was forced to postpone the launch of Sun Princess. And, this month, it announced a delayed delivery for Star Princess.?

CLIA hosted its annual Cruise360 conference in Fort Lauderdale, where travel advisors gathered to learn from cruise line leaders and from each other. At the event, held at the Broward County Convention Center, CLIA also announced its 2024 Hall of Fame winners: Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, and John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Group, were both awarded lifetime achievement awards.

In early April, industry leaders convened at the Seatrade Cruise Global conference in Miami Beach. There, they discussed a wide range of important topics, including environmental challenges and the unprecedented demand for cruising.

As temperatures begin to rise in the Northern Hemisphere, cruise season is now officially underway in Seattle and Quebec, as well as on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

Princess Cruises is the latest cruise line to add a ¡°ship-within-a-ship¡± experience to its offerings. The new Sanctuary Collection will debut on the just-launched Sun Princess and the forthcoming Star Princess.

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