Cruise industry news, in about seven minutes.
The cruise news that affects people with a booking
Every weekday the cruise industry produces more news than anyone has time to read, and most of it never reaches the people it actually affects. The Brief is the part that matters, in the time it takes to make a coffee.
Sourced on screen
Every story names its outlet while it runs and links it in the description. You can check any claim in the bulletin without taking our word for it.
Single sources are flagged
If only one outlet is reporting something, we say so on screen and word it as “reported by” rather than dressing it up as confirmed.
Corrections in the next bulletin
Errors get fixed on air the following morning, not quietly edited away. Comment on a video and we will pick it up.
Ships, fares, itineraries, ports
Trade press, cruise line announcements and port authorities, read every day so you do not have to.
- New ships, refits and deployments
- Fare, gratuity and onboard pricing changes
- Itinerary changes and cancellations
- Port rules, fees and access restrictions
- Bookings opening and closing
- Incidents and disruption, reported plainly
The Take
Thirty seconds at the end of every edition on one question: what does today's news mean if you have already booked?
Whether a gratuity change applies to a cruise you paid for last year. Whether a cancelled sailing gets you a refund or a credit. Whether a new port rule changes what you can do when you step off the ship.
It is written by a person every day, and it is the part you cannot get from a press release.
The latest bulletin
Presented by an AI anchor, written by a person
The Brief is read by April Harlow, an AI presenter. Every script is written, sourced and edited by a human being before it airs, and a person watches each bulletin end to end before it is published.
We are open about this because a daily news channel only works if you can trust how it is put together. The full detail — including our commercial relationships — is on the editorial policy page.
The Cruise Brief is a service of Cruises with Friends. Mia Cruise, an associated travel agency, sells cruises from lines we cover. Editorial decisions are made independently of that relationship, and we will tell you when a story touches it.