When I took my first cruise as a college student in 2006, I sailed out of Tampa on a Carnival Cruise Line ship headed to Mexico. At that time, Tampa’s cruise ship options and itineraries were pretty limited.
As a Tampa resident, it’s been exciting for me to watch my local cruise port grow over the years and welcome new cruise lines like Margaritaville at Sea, which began sailing from Tampa in June.
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Port Tampa Bay now homeports eight cruise ships from five cruise lines offering four to 14-day itineraries. Expecting to break its all-time cruise passenger record in 2024, Port Tampa Bay is moving forward with plans to build a fourth cruise terminal.
Looking ahead to 2026, this week’s cruise news highlights more cruise options coming soon to Tampa, as well as Fort Lauderdale, Europe and more.
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Carnival Cruise Line opens bookings for 2026-2027 sailings from Tampa and Mobile
Sailing year-round from Tampa for 30 years, Carnival Cruise Line was the first cruise operator to recognize Tampa’s potential as a homeport. In 2026 and 2027, the cruise line will continue to offer a range of sailings from Tampa to the Western Caribbean, Bahamas, and Panama on two ships, Carnival Paradise based in Tampa year-round, and Carnival Legend sailing seasonally.
Carnival Cruise Line also shared that its Carnival Spirit ship will return to Mobile to resume its seasonal schedule of six to eight-day cruises to the Bahamas from October 2026 through March 2027.
Related: Carnival, Virgin, and Disney Cruise Line share Halloween plans
Oceania Cruises to sail from Tampa, include gratuities in its cruise fares
In more Tampa cruise news, Oceania Cruises, a Norwegian Cruise Line brand, will soon become the first ultra-premium cruise line to sail from the Florida Gulf Coast port. The culinary- and destination-focused cruise line will offer Caribbean and Panama Canal sailings departing from Port Tampa Bay on the 670-guest Insignia beginning in March 2026.
Oceania Cruises also shared that gratuities will be included in its cruise fares starting Oct. 1 for all new reservations on sailings departing on or after Jan. 1, 2025. As part of its new Your World Included brand value promise, Oceania Cruises will continue to provide its passengers with a number of always-included amenities including gourmet specialty dining, sodas, specialty coffees and teas, WiFi, and more.
A shore excursion credit and beverage package that are included with the cruise line’s current simply MORE offer will no longer be part of Oceania Cruises’ included amenities as of Sept 30, 2024.
Norwegian Cruise Line adds more Europe itineraries for 2026
Norwegian Cruise Line has added 225 new sailings to its 2026 spring/summer season featuring a variety of cruise lengths and 150 ports of call, including first-time NCL calls to Portree, Scotland, Leirvik (Stord), Norway, and Palamós, Spain.
Offering more options for cruisers who want port-immersive Europe cruises, NCL will sail eight ships across Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Greek Isles. Europe cruises will depart from 11 unique embarkation ports including Helsinki, a new homeport for NCL, and sail across 10 different European countries.
Disney Cruise Line releases Disney Destiny itineraries
Disney Cruise Line has unveiled itineraries for its new Disney Destiny ship that will sail its maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 20, 2025.
The Disney Destiny’s inaugural season features four- and five-night cruises to The Bahamas and Western Caribbean. Every sailing includes a visit to one of Disney Cruise Line’s private island destinations in the Bahamas, either Disney Castaway Cay or Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. Some itineraries will visit both.
Bookings for Disney Destiny sailings open Sept. 12.
Related: What to watch for on Disney Cruise Line's new private island
Carnival’s P&O Cruises makes a policy change
Carnival’s P&O Cruises recently updated its Mobility Scooter Policy in a way that limits the stateroom options for certain passengers planning to sail with the British cruise line. The updated policy says that, for safety reasons, any passenger who plans to bring a powered mobility device on board must be booked into a fully accessible cabin or selected suite or mini-suite.
Upon booking with P&O Cruises, passengers who use mobility devices must declare their device in the cruise line’s onboard needs questionnaire. If a passenger does not declare their mobility scooter prior to their cruise, they won’t be able to bring it on board.
Related: Get the best cruise tips, deals, and news on the ships from our expert cruiser
