February 24, 2026

MSC Cruises Unveils High-Tech Shows, AI Robots and Big-Stage Shows for 2026

February 24, 2026

From AI-powered robot dogs to fleetwide game shows and reimagined theme parties, MSC Cruises is doubling down on entertainment at sea in 2026.

If cruising once meant Broadway-style revues and the occasional themed party, MSC Cruises is pushing the concept much further for 2026.

The Geneva-based line is rolling out a fleetwide refresh of its entertainment program, blending live music, interactive game shows and high-tech experiences designed to pull guests into the action. The buzziest addition: AI-powered robotic dogs — a cruise industry first — currently being piloted aboard MSC Bellissima in Asia, with plans to appear on additional sailings, including a segment of the 2026 World Cruise on MSC Magnifica.

These aren’t static props. Guests can expect meet-and-greets, robot-themed parades and interactive workshops for children aged seven and up, introducing them to robotics and future technologies in a hands-on way. The robots will even make dance-floor appearances during the line’s Doremix Family Disco. It’s a playful but telling shift — cruise entertainment is increasingly about immersion rather than observation.

Not everything is futuristic. Some of MSC Cruises’ most popular events are returning, just reimagined. The fleetwide ’70s Party has been fully refreshed with updated music, upgraded costumes and more interactive elements.

On MSC Poesia, 20 new Big Band performances will debut alongside Dirty Dancing: In Concert. MSC Seaview and MSC Grandiosa are unveiling refreshed main production shows, while the flamenco favourite Paz returns to MSC Meraviglia. On MSC Seascape, guests can expect Dueling Pianos and a new American Country Band experience designed for country music fans. The emphasis is on variety — from Latin rhythms to retro nostalgia to live band energy.

Game shows are also getting an upgrade. Two original productions launch in 2026: Chart Toppers, a high-energy music competition celebrating hits from the 1970s to today, and Quiz O’Clock: The Battle, a competitive twist on the line’s classic quiz format. Both are designed to encourage participation, tapping into the same appetite that fuels live TV competitions and audience-driven entertainment on land.

Families remain central to the strategy. Following a successful pilot, the Professional Coaches Programme — covering sports, wellness and arts and crafts — will expand to 15 ships, offering structured ways to stay active or try something new while at sea.

MSC’s partnerships are also growing. The LEGO Parade, which brings seven LEGO mascots together with the cruise line’s own character, Doremi, will expand from seven ships to 14. A refreshed MasterChef at Sea will introduce new formats tailored to adults, kids and teens. And after a strong debut aboard MSC World America, a digital-first LEGO Family Game Show will roll out fleetwide, culminating in a creative, high-energy final round designed for parents and children to tackle together.

There’s also a new educational component: Ocean Day by the MSC Foundation, an interactive program aimed at inspiring younger guests through play and learning, will be introduced across the fleet.

Taken together, the 2026 lineup signals how cruise entertainment is evolving. The days of simply taking a seat for the evening show aren’t disappearing — but they’re being complemented by tech-driven experiences, participatory game formats and multigenerational programming that keeps the energy high from afternoon workshops to late-night dance parties.

Belmond’s British Pullman Unveils a Baz Luhrmann-Designed Private Dining Car

February 24, 2026

Celia, a lavish new carriage imagined by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, brings cinematic glamour to one of England’s most storied trains.

There’s something inherently glamorous about stepping onto the British Pullman. The art deco details. The crisp table linens. The feeling that you should probably be wearing red lipstick and pearls, even if it’s only noon.

Now, Belmond has dialled that glamour all the way up. Celia is a brand-new private dining and events carriage for the British Pullman, dreamed up by filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and designer Catherine Martin. Yes, that Baz Luhrmann — the mind behind Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby. Which should tell you everything you need to know about the opulence.

This isn’t a quiet, minimalist addition. Celia is lush, velvet-upholstered. Rich with saturated greens, yellows, reds and purples. Floral motifs inspired by British flora are woven through the oak marquetry and furnishings. Heavy theatre-style curtains divide the space. Even the powder room gets the full treatment, with a mosaic and hand-painted ceiling wrapped in florals.

It feels less like boarding a train carriage and more like stepping onto a film set — one that just happens to glide through the English countryside.

Unlike the British Pullman’s other carriages, many of which date back to the 1920s and ’30s and have been painstakingly restored, Celia is entirely new. But instead of breaking from tradition, it leans right into the golden age of travel — just interpreted through a maximalist, cinematic lens. The carriage seats up to 22 guests, making it one of the most intimate spaces on board. It’s designed for private dining and special events like milestone birthdays or small weddings.

Belmond’s British Pullman has long traded in nostalgia. Sister train to the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, it offers day journeys through the English countryside with fine dining, themed departures and serious old-world charm. Each carriage typically has its own name and story. Celia fits into that tradition — but it also signals something new. Luxury rail travel is having a moment again. Travellers are craving slower, more tactile experiences — linen tablecloths, polished brass, long lunches as fields roll by outside the window. But they also want story. They want immersion. They want something that feels different from another tasting menu in a beautifully beige dining room.

In a travel landscape that often defaults to pared-back minimalism, Celia does the opposite. It embraces ornament. It leans into romance. It invites you to dress up, order another glass of champagne and pretend — even just for a few hours — that you’re the main character in your own period drama.

New Hotels Worth Planning a Trip Around in 2026

February 24, 2026

If you’re mapping out this year’s journeys, consider this a short list of hotels worth building a trip around.

Each year brings a wave of new hotel openings, but not all of them shift the conversation. The most compelling new hotels of 2026 are less about spectacle and more about genuine sense of place. From a fjord-side retreat in Norway to a rewilding estate in the Scottish Highlands, these addresses are already shaping where discerning travellers will want to stay in 2026.

Ytri — Årdal, Norway

Opening Date: April 2026

On a quiet stretch of shoreline in western Norway, Ytri feels almost elemental. The small retreat in Årdal occupies a former farmstead overlooking the Sognefjord, where mountains drop straight into steel-blue water. The architecture is restrained — timber, glass and dark metal — designed not to compete with the landscape but to frame it.

What makes Ytri particularly compelling is its devotion to seasonality. In colder months, when daylight is fleeting and snow softens the hills, the experience turns inward: wood-fired saunas beside the fjord, bracing cold plunges, and long dinners shaped by what the region yields — lamb, preserved root vegetables, cured fish, wild herbs. The kitchen works closely with nearby producers, leaning into fermentation and preservation traditions that make sense in this climate. It feels less like a hotel imposed on nature and more like a considered extension of it.

Conrad Corfu — Corfu, Greece

Opening Date: June 2026

Corfu’s history is layered — Venetian fortresses, French arcades, British cricket pitches — and its food reflects that mix. The newly built Conrad Corfu, set along the Ionian coast, taps into that complexity rather than flattening it into generic Mediterranean gloss. Terraced toward the sea and framed by olive groves, the property feels contemporary but grounded in place.

Dining anchors the experience. Expect Corfiot staples such as slow-braised sofrito, citrus-forward seafood and island olive oils, alongside broader Mediterranean influences. Local wines, fresh catch and wild greens feature prominently. The design — pale stone, linen textures, wide-open terraces — keeps the focus on the light and the water. Visiting outside peak summer reveals a more contemplative island, and the hotel seems designed for that gentler rhythm.

OKU Bodrum — Bodrum Peninsula, Turkey

Opening Date: May 2026

The Bodrum Peninsula has matured into one of the Aegean’s most polished enclaves, and OKU Bodrum arrives with quiet confidence. Adults-only and carved into a hillside facing the sea, the hotel is all low lines, textured stone and open-air spaces that blur the boundary between indoors and out.

Food plays a central role. OKU’s signature approach — Aegean ingredients meeting Japanese technique — shows up in grilled seafood with bright herbs, sashimi alongside mezze, seasonal produce handled with restraint. It’s less about fusion than conversation between cuisines shaped by coastal living. Days unfold unhurriedly here: mornings in the water, afternoons shaded from the sun, evenings that stretch well past sunset. For travellers emerging from winter, Bodrum in late spring offers warmth without the height-of-summer frenzy.

NIHI Rote — Rote Island, Indonesia

Opening Date: May 2026

Rote Island lies at Indonesia’s southern edge, closer to Australia than Bali, and NIHI Rote builds on the philosophy established by its sister property in Sumba: low-impact design, strong ties to local communities and a deep respect for land and sea.

Villas open toward empty beaches and consistent surf breaks, with architecture that favours natural materials and cross-breezes over excess. The culinary programme centres on Indonesian flavours — grilled fish with sambal, fragrant rice dishes, tropical fruit — alongside produce grown on-site or sourced from nearby villages. The remoteness is deliberate. Getting to Rote requires effort, but the payoff is a coastline that still feels largely unclaimed and a pace that encourages genuine disconnection.

Hope WildLand Lodge — Scottish Highlands

Opening Date: May 2026

In the far north of Scotland, Hope WildLand sits within a large-scale rewilding initiative aimed at restoring native woodland and biodiversity across a sweeping Highland estate. Accommodation is deliberately minimal — a lodge and cottages positioned to immerse guests in the surrounding terrain rather than distract from it.

The kitchen reflects that same ethos. Menus draw on Scottish seafood, venison, hardy vegetables suited to the climate and herbs gathered from the estate. Meals feel rooted rather than performative. Days might include guided walks through recovering forest, discussions about habitat restoration or simply watching weather roll across open moorland. The hotel’s ambition extends beyond comfort; it’s part of a longer environmental story unfolding across the Highlands.