New Brightline Train Station to Open in PortMiami

By Adam LeposaOct 29, 2019 02:31pm

Cruise Information Train Travel Brightline Florida Tourism

Brightline – soon to be Virgin Trains – has received approval for a new station at PortMiami. The Miami-Dade County Commission just approved the agreement to build the new station by 2020.

Brightline said that the new Virgin Trains PortMiami station will make it the only intercity rail system in the United States connecting an international airport – Orlando International Airport – directly to a major cruise port – PortMiami.

Free Virtual Event

Increase Your Commission Opportunities with Romance Travel

Tuesday, February 7th, 2023 | 1 PM EDT

In a written statement Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said that the public-private partnership will expand connectivity between PortMiami and central Florida.

Brightline, which was first launched in 2018, develops and operates privately funded high-speed intercity passenger rail systems. Current train service operates from downtown Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach with phase 2 construction underway to connect Orlando in 2022. Due to demand along the South Florida corridor, an additional station in Aventura is approved and Virgin Trains is working with the city of Boca Raton to add a station in 2020.

Last year PortMiami served more than 5.5 million travelers, more cruise passengers than any other port in the world, Brightline said. The port is currently home to 22 cruise lines and will welcome Virgin Voyages in 2020. New cruise terminals and office headquarters will soon be opening or in the pipeline for brands including Royal Caribbean Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises.

Norwegian Dawn to Homeport in South Africa in Winter 2024

By NewsdeskJan 26, 2023 12:01pm

Norwegian Cruise Line Cruise Information South Africa Namibia

(Norwegian Cruise Line)

The Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has successfully concluded its inaugural season sailing from Cape Town, South Africa. On December 21, 2022, Norwegian Jade became the first vessel in the line’s 18-ship fleet to homeport from the South African port, offering international and local guests 12-day "Extraordinary Journeys" along the coast of South Africa and Namibia with an overnight stay in Cape Town, South Africa and visits to Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) and Richard’s Bay, South Africa; and Luderitz and Walvis Bay, Namibia.

The international cruise line is building on its successful inaugural season in South Africa and has recently announced the deployment of Norwegian Dawn to the region in winter 2024. Homeporting from Cape Town, South Africa and Port Louis, Mauritius, the 2,340-passenger ship will offer a series of "Extraordinary Journey" voyages between January and March 2024.

Free Virtual Event

Increase Your Commission Opportunities with Romance Travel

Tuesday, February 7th, 2023 | 1 PM EDT

What's to come:

On January 3, 2024, Norwegian Dawn will embark on its 17-day repositioning cruise to the region, sailing for the first time in the company’s 56-year history from Doha, Qatar to Mauritius. The itinerary provides for a unique combination of calls to the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Seychelles, Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar.

On January 20, 2024, it will then cruise a 12-day itinerary from Port Louis, Mauritius, calling to Pointe des Galets, Réunion; Fort Dauphin (Toalagnaro), Madagascar; Pomene and Maputo, Mozambique; Richard’s Bay, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), Mossel Bay and Cape Town, South Africa.

On February 1 and March 8, 2024, Norwegian Dawn will complete 12-day roundtrip voyages through South Africa and Namibia with calls to Mossel Bay and Durban in South Africa, and Luderitz and Walvis Bay in Namibia, before embarking on its most extensive itinerary on March 20, sailing from Cape Town, South Africa to Barcelona, Spain. The 21-day voyage along Africa’s west coast will visit ports in Namibia, Angola, Sao Tome and Principe, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Senegal, Cape Verde, Canary Islands and Morocco.

For more information, visit www.ncl.com.