WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.620 Welcome to Cruise News, your daily update on 00:00:02.620 --> 00:00:05.419 everything happening at sea. Visit cruisenews 00:00:05.419 --> 00:00:08.300 .io to see today's stories and sign up for email 00:00:08.300 --> 00:00:12.640 alerts. And a very warm welcome to this deep 00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:17.820 dive. It is Tuesday, January 20, 2026. I hope 00:00:17.820 --> 00:00:19.960 your week is off to a really good start. It is, 00:00:19.960 --> 00:00:22.620 yeah. We've got a stack of stories today that, 00:00:22.620 --> 00:00:25.739 um... On the surface, they look completely disconnected. 00:00:25.859 --> 00:00:28.160 We're talking new taxes in Hawaii. We're talking 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:31.300 shipbuilding in Chile and then a wine award in 00:00:31.300 --> 00:00:33.219 London. Right. But when you actually line them 00:00:33.219 --> 00:00:35.840 up, they tell a really specific story about where 00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:38.020 the cruise industry is headed. They really do. 00:00:38.259 --> 00:00:40.200 I was thinking about this and it feels like a 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:42.640 snapshot of the industry's evolution. It's all 00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:46.039 about. Intentionality. Intentionality. How so? 00:00:46.259 --> 00:00:47.460 Well, you have governments being intentional 00:00:47.460 --> 00:00:49.539 about who they tax and why. You have engineers 00:00:49.539 --> 00:00:51.340 being really intentional about how they power 00:00:51.340 --> 00:00:53.820 a ship. And then you have sommeliers being intentional 00:00:53.820 --> 00:00:56.219 about what they pour. I mean, the whole one size 00:00:56.219 --> 00:00:58.700 fits all model of cruising seems to be, you know, 00:00:58.700 --> 00:01:01.380 fading away. That is a perfect way to frame it. 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:03.240 So let's start with the one that's going to hit 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:06.180 people's wallets. Anyone thinking about a trip 00:01:06.180 --> 00:01:09.780 to the Aloha State in 2026? Well. The price just 00:01:09.780 --> 00:01:12.400 went up. Significantly, yeah. And this isn't 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:14.099 just a rumor. The notifications are actually 00:01:14.099 --> 00:01:16.719 going out to guests right now. We're talking 00:01:16.719 --> 00:01:18.920 about Norwegian Cruise Line. They've started 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:22.319 telling guests about a new tax. And usually, 00:01:22.420 --> 00:01:24.340 you know, when we talk taxes and fees, my eyes 00:01:24.340 --> 00:01:27.280 kind of glaze over a port fee here, a customs 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:32.159 fee there. Standard stuff. Exactly. But this 00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:34.739 feels different. This feels like a fundamental 00:01:34.739 --> 00:01:38.400 shift in how a state sees a cruise ship. It is. 00:01:38.420 --> 00:01:40.640 It's a huge shift. And to get it, you have to 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:43.099 understand this acronym TAT. Cat TAT, right. 00:01:43.159 --> 00:01:45.819 It stands for Transient Accommodations Tax. For 00:01:45.819 --> 00:01:49.019 years, if you flew to Honolulu and booked a hotel 00:01:49.019 --> 00:01:51.819 on Waikiki. You paid it. You paid the TAT. Or 00:01:51.819 --> 00:01:54.799 if you rented a condo on Maui. It's a lodging 00:01:54.799 --> 00:01:57.219 tax. The logic was always you're staying here. 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:00.060 You're using our infrastructure. You pay. But 00:02:00.060 --> 00:02:01.939 if I was sleeping on the cruise ship docked right 00:02:01.939 --> 00:02:04.879 there, I didn't pay it. Exactly. The ship was 00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:08.020 seen as what? Transportation. Yeah. A self -contained 00:02:08.020 --> 00:02:11.000 bubble. But Hawaii has just flipped that logic. 00:02:11.219 --> 00:02:14.659 As of January 1st, 2026, they're saying a cruise 00:02:14.659 --> 00:02:18.860 passenger is effectively a transient guest. Just 00:02:18.860 --> 00:02:21.500 like the person in the hotel. And they want their 00:02:21.500 --> 00:02:23.919 cut. They want their cut. So let's get into the 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:25.900 numbers because this isn't some small fee. I 00:02:25.900 --> 00:02:27.479 was looking at the breakdown and it's not like. 00:02:27.740 --> 00:02:30.639 $10 a day. It's a percentage, right? It is, yeah. 00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:33.680 It's an assessment of approximately 14 % of the 00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:36.620 cruise fare. 14%. That's massive. If you're in 00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:39.400 a suite that costs thousands, that is a huge 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:41.479 chunk of change. It's huge. And the breakdown 00:02:41.479 --> 00:02:43.780 is fascinating. You've got the base state tax. 00:02:43.900 --> 00:02:47.199 That's 10 .25%. And then on top of that, there's 00:02:47.199 --> 00:02:50.520 a 0 .75 % green tax. Okay. I want to pause on 00:02:50.520 --> 00:02:52.300 that green tax. That's not just a buzzword they 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:54.439 threw in there, is it? Not at all. Governor Josh 00:02:54.439 --> 00:02:56.740 Green has been very clear about this. He's linking 00:02:56.740 --> 00:02:58.750 this. money directly to climate resilience. And 00:02:58.750 --> 00:03:01.330 he's specifically referencing the, you know, 00:03:01.330 --> 00:03:04.169 the awful Maui wildfires in 2023. For a specific 00:03:04.169 --> 00:03:07.039 purpose. A very specific one. They think that 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:10.979 little slice alone, the 0 .75%, is going to generate 00:03:10.979 --> 00:03:14.479 $100 million a year. Wow. So this is for protecting 00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:18.060 the islands. Okay, so state tax, green tax, but 00:03:18.060 --> 00:03:20.599 you said 14%. There's another layer. There is. 00:03:20.659 --> 00:03:23.300 The individual counties in Hawaii can add their 00:03:23.300 --> 00:03:26.539 own surcharge of up to 3%. So you stack all three 00:03:26.539 --> 00:03:28.979 of those, and yeah, you're hitting that 14 % 00:03:28.979 --> 00:03:31.199 mark. Okay, here's the part that I found really 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:34.780 confusing. The reports say the tax is... Pro 00:03:34.780 --> 00:03:37.520 -rated. How do you pro -rate a cruise fare? Do 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:41.159 they just slap 14 % on my whole $2 ,000 ticket? 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:43.599 That's the million -dollar question for the cruise 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:45.659 line accountants right now. And no, they don't 00:03:45.659 --> 00:03:47.740 tax the whole ticket. They only tax the portion 00:03:47.740 --> 00:03:49.919 of the fare that corresponds to the time the 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:52.159 ship is physically in Hawaiian ports. Okay, so 00:03:52.159 --> 00:03:54.900 let's walk through that. If my cruise is from 00:03:54.900 --> 00:03:57.120 Vancouver to Tokyo and we stop in Honolulu for, 00:03:57.219 --> 00:03:59.990 what, eight hours? Right. I'm not paying 14 % 00:03:59.990 --> 00:04:01.949 on that whole two -week vacation cost. Correct. 00:04:02.009 --> 00:04:04.210 Your tax would be tiny because your time in port 00:04:04.210 --> 00:04:06.949 is minimal. Yeah. And this is where a Norwegian 00:04:06.949 --> 00:04:08.750 cruise line gets hit so hard. And think about 00:04:08.750 --> 00:04:12.710 the pride of America. Ah, right. The only big 00:04:12.710 --> 00:04:15.490 U .S.-flagged ship that stays in Hawaii all year 00:04:15.490 --> 00:04:18.329 round. Exactly. Its entire business is sailing 00:04:18.329 --> 00:04:20.910 between the islands. It's almost always in Hawaiian 00:04:20.910 --> 00:04:24.029 waters. So for that ship, the proration captures 00:04:24.029 --> 00:04:28.310 nearly the entire fare. That is so ironic. The 00:04:28.310 --> 00:04:30.290 one ship that's contributing the most to the 00:04:30.290 --> 00:04:32.910 local economy year -round is the one that gets 00:04:32.910 --> 00:04:35.430 hit the hardest, tax -wise. That's the irony. 00:04:35.490 --> 00:04:37.910 And the numbers, they're just staggering. The 00:04:37.910 --> 00:04:40.870 reports show that guests on a normal seven -night 00:04:40.870 --> 00:04:44.889 Norwegian sailing are seeing an extra $250 to 00:04:44.889 --> 00:04:49.149 $500 added per person. Wait, wait. Up to $500 00:04:49.149 --> 00:04:51.769 per person? Per person? For a family of four, 00:04:51.829 --> 00:04:54.350 that's $2 ,000? That's another vacation right 00:04:54.350 --> 00:04:56.949 there. It's a serious line item. It totally changes 00:04:56.949 --> 00:04:59.189 the value calculation. You compare that to a 00:04:59.189 --> 00:05:01.149 repositioning cruise like the Norwegian Spirit 00:05:01.149 --> 00:05:04.350 from Tahiti. The tax on that is maybe 60 or 70 00:05:04.350 --> 00:05:06.550 bucks. So the whole system kind of discourages 00:05:06.550 --> 00:05:09.509 the really immersive local itineraries. It definitely 00:05:09.509 --> 00:05:11.389 puts financial pressure on that model. And just 00:05:11.389 --> 00:05:13.269 to be clear for everyone listening, this tax 00:05:13.269 --> 00:05:15.089 is on the fare. It doesn't apply to your onboard 00:05:15.089 --> 00:05:17.329 spending. Oh, well, that's a small mercy, I guess. 00:05:17.430 --> 00:05:20.329 Your spa treatment, your dinner, those are safe. 00:05:20.670 --> 00:05:23.230 But surely Norwegian isn't just taking this lying 00:05:23.230 --> 00:05:27.370 down. Oh, no. Their lawyers are very busy. Norwegian, 00:05:27.410 --> 00:05:29.769 along with CLIA, the Cruise Lines International 00:05:29.769 --> 00:05:32.509 Association, they're challenging it in court. 00:05:32.569 --> 00:05:35.009 They're calling it unconstitutional. What's their 00:05:35.009 --> 00:05:36.829 main argument? It's basically about jurisdiction. 00:05:37.129 --> 00:05:40.310 They argue you can't tax a moving ship that's 00:05:40.310 --> 00:05:42.430 involved in interstate commerce the same way 00:05:42.430 --> 00:05:44.750 you tax a fixed building on land. They're saying 00:05:44.750 --> 00:05:47.629 we are not a hotel. But in the meantime, the 00:05:47.629 --> 00:05:50.800 passengers are paying. Yep. It's a collect now, 00:05:51.060 --> 00:05:53.980 maybe refund later strategy. They're charging 00:05:53.980 --> 00:05:56.720 it to be safe, but they've said if the law changes, 00:05:56.920 --> 00:05:59.199 they'll issue adjustments. And it's not just 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:01.660 them. Disney Cruise Line has also started sending 00:06:01.660 --> 00:06:04.000 out notices. It really feels like a turning point. 00:06:04.420 --> 00:06:06.620 Instead of just limiting ships, Hawaii is saying 00:06:06.620 --> 00:06:09.339 you can come, but you have to pay for the upkeep 00:06:09.339 --> 00:06:12.240 of Paradise. It's changing the narrative from 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:15.259 tourism as a gift to tourism as a transaction. 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:17.680 And other places are watching this very, very 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:21.180 closely. I bet they are. If Hawaii wins this, 00:06:21.339 --> 00:06:23.779 you can expect to see these kinds of taxes everywhere. 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:26.079 Absolutely. All right, let's leave the accounts 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:27.519 for a minute and talk about where that money 00:06:27.519 --> 00:06:29.220 is supposed to go protecting the environment. 00:06:30.139 --> 00:06:33.139 Because down in Chile, a new ship is trying to 00:06:33.139 --> 00:06:35.600 solve that problem with engineering instead of 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:38.220 taxes. Yeah, this is a much more hopeful story. 00:06:38.300 --> 00:06:40.779 We're heading down to Valdivia, Chile. This is 00:06:40.779 --> 00:06:43.819 the Magellan Discoverer. And the big news is 00:06:43.819 --> 00:06:47.300 that it has officially floated out. Now, for 00:06:47.300 --> 00:06:49.800 anyone who isn't a ship nerd, explain what a 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:52.680 float -out actually is. It's a huge milestone. 00:06:52.980 --> 00:06:55.800 It's the moment they flood the dry dock and the 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:58.079 ship touches water for the very first time. So 00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:00.300 it's a test, really. It's a giant stress test. 00:07:00.519 --> 00:07:03.660 It proves the hull is watertight. It means all 00:07:03.660 --> 00:07:06.060 the heavy steel work is about 90 % complete. 00:07:06.439 --> 00:07:09.540 From here on, it's all about outfitting the wires, 00:07:09.779 --> 00:07:12.060 the furniture, the tech. And this ship is for 00:07:12.060 --> 00:07:14.319 a company called Antarctica 21. The first thing 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:17.139 that struck me was the size. It's only 94 meters 00:07:17.139 --> 00:07:19.699 long. I think that's tiny. It's tiny. Maximum 00:07:19.699 --> 00:07:22.540 capacity is just 96 passengers. But then the 00:07:22.540 --> 00:07:25.889 notes say they only sell 76 spots. Why would 00:07:25.889 --> 00:07:28.470 you build a ship for 96 people and then not sell 00:07:28.470 --> 00:07:31.290 20 of the tickets? It sounds a little counterintuitive, 00:07:31.370 --> 00:07:34.430 but it's actually a brilliant solution to a very 00:07:34.430 --> 00:07:37.850 specific problem. Antarctica 21 does these fly 00:07:37.850 --> 00:07:39.790 cruises. Right, for people who want to skip the 00:07:39.790 --> 00:07:41.970 Drake Passage. Exactly. They fly you over the 00:07:41.970 --> 00:07:44.689 Drake Shake, that notoriously rough water, and 00:07:44.689 --> 00:07:46.889 you land on an island in Antarctica where the 00:07:46.889 --> 00:07:49.470 ship is waiting for you. Ah, so the bottleneck 00:07:49.470 --> 00:07:52.470 isn't the ship, it's the plane. Precisely. The 00:07:52.470 --> 00:07:55.180 plane they use to land on that... gravel runway 00:07:55.180 --> 00:07:58.699 has a strict passenger limit. So the ship's capacity 00:07:58.699 --> 00:08:01.180 is actually dictated by the aircraft. That is 00:08:01.180 --> 00:08:04.100 fascinating. An air -sea bridge. So what about 00:08:04.100 --> 00:08:06.040 the ship itself? What's under the hood? This 00:08:06.040 --> 00:08:08.459 is where it gets really cool. It's a hybrid electric 00:08:08.459 --> 00:08:11.540 propulsion system. It uses M engines with something 00:08:11.540 --> 00:08:14.540 called ABB azipods. Okay, break that down. What's 00:08:14.540 --> 00:08:17.220 an azipod? So a normal ship has a propeller out 00:08:17.220 --> 00:08:20.620 back and a rudder to steer. An azipod is an electric 00:08:20.620 --> 00:08:23.079 motor in a pod that hangs under the ship. The 00:08:23.079 --> 00:08:27.079 whole pod can rotate 360 degrees. It pulls the 00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:29.300 ship instead of pushing it. It's way more efficient 00:08:29.300 --> 00:08:31.379 and makes the ship... incredibly maneuverable, 00:08:31.399 --> 00:08:33.480 which you really need in the ice. And the hybrid 00:08:33.480 --> 00:08:35.899 part means batteries, I'm guessing. Big ones. 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:39.320 A Corvus energy storage system. Basically huge 00:08:39.320 --> 00:08:42.519 marine grade lithium batteries. So it can run 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:45.539 silently like an electric car. For short periods, 00:08:45.659 --> 00:08:48.179 yes. But the main benefit is something called 00:08:48.179 --> 00:08:50.899 peak shaving. So if the ship needs a burst of 00:08:50.899 --> 00:08:53.519 power to get through some ice, instead of firing 00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:56.460 up another diesel engine, it just draws from 00:08:56.460 --> 00:08:58.580 the battery. It smooths out the power usage. 00:08:58.820 --> 00:09:01.820 Exactly. And that makes it drastically quieter. 00:09:02.019 --> 00:09:04.720 And in Antarctica, that really matters. You're 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:06.639 trying not to disturb the whales and the penguins. 00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:08.919 It's about being a polite guest. This is the 00:09:08.919 --> 00:09:11.100 second ship Asanoff has built for them, right? 00:09:11.220 --> 00:09:13.940 It seems like this small, high -tech, Chilean 00:09:13.940 --> 00:09:16.100 -built model is really working for them. It is. 00:09:16.100 --> 00:09:18.019 It proves you don't need the massive European 00:09:18.019 --> 00:09:20.919 shipyards to build these world class expedition 00:09:20.919 --> 00:09:22.860 ships. You know, speaking of high tech, I have 00:09:22.860 --> 00:09:25.080 to ask about this other ship in our notes, the 00:09:25.080 --> 00:09:26.879 Captain Arctic. Sounds like something from a 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:29.000 movie. It really does. It's being built for a 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:33.120 2027 launch. And if the Magellan Discoverer is 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:36.899 like a hybrid car, the Captain Arctic is, I don't 00:09:36.899 --> 00:09:39.799 know, a futuristic sailboat. It has sails. It 00:09:39.799 --> 00:09:43.519 has five rigid aluminum sails with solar panels 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:46.419 built right into them. Solar sails. That's amazing. 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:49.220 They're aiming for a 90 percent CO2 reduction. 00:09:49.480 --> 00:09:52.980 And get this. It uses recycled wooden waste pellets 00:09:52.980 --> 00:09:55.460 for its boiler. So it's running on sun, wind 00:09:55.460 --> 00:09:58.980 and recycled wood. It feels like a new kind of 00:09:58.980 --> 00:10:01.460 space race. But instead of the moon, everyone's 00:10:01.460 --> 00:10:03.240 racing to get to the poles with the smallest 00:10:03.240 --> 00:10:05.539 possible footprint. That's the new currency in 00:10:05.539 --> 00:10:07.519 expedition cruising. It's not just I went to 00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:10.070 Antarctica. I went and I didn't mess it up. The 00:10:10.070 --> 00:10:12.389 luxury is the clean conscience. Well, speaking 00:10:12.389 --> 00:10:15.190 of luxury, let's pivot from the icy ends of the 00:10:15.190 --> 00:10:18.009 earth to the absolute pinnacle of comfort. Let's 00:10:18.009 --> 00:10:22.330 talk about the world. Ah, yes. The world. The 00:10:22.330 --> 00:10:24.570 floating city. For anyone who doesn't know, this 00:10:24.570 --> 00:10:26.389 is the ship where people actually own their apartments. 00:10:26.450 --> 00:10:28.309 They live on it full time as it sails the globe. 00:10:28.409 --> 00:10:31.129 And apparently they are very thirsty. Frogs chuckles. 00:10:31.370 --> 00:10:34.519 Let's say they have very refined palates. The 00:10:34.519 --> 00:10:38.000 world just won Best Ship Wine List from the World 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:40.340 of Fine Wine magazine. And this isn't a new thing 00:10:40.340 --> 00:10:43.299 for them, is it? No, this is their 11th consecutive 00:10:43.299 --> 00:10:47.259 year winning this award for over a decade. 11th 00:10:47.259 --> 00:10:50.409 year. What does it take to win that award? 11 00:10:50.409 --> 00:10:53.049 times in a row. It can't just be having a few 00:10:53.049 --> 00:10:55.230 good bottles on board. It's about the scale, 00:10:55.309 --> 00:10:58.149 first of all. The ship has a cellar with a 15 00:10:58.149 --> 00:11:01.929 ,000 bottle capacity. 15 ,000. That is a serious 00:11:01.929 --> 00:11:05.029 cellar. It is. Over 1 ,200 different labels from 00:11:05.029 --> 00:11:08.450 22 countries, plus sakes, plus spirits. But the 00:11:08.450 --> 00:11:10.850 real wow factor isn't just the size of the collection, 00:11:11.009 --> 00:11:13.129 it's how they source it. What do you mean? Well, 00:11:13.190 --> 00:11:15.230 most cruise lines stock up from a giant warehouse 00:11:15.230 --> 00:11:18.210 in Miami. They load the same wine on every ship. 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:20.799 But the world is always moving, so they source 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:23.360 locally. Ah, so if they're sailing around Japan. 00:11:23.700 --> 00:11:25.820 The beverage manager is on the ground, buying 00:11:25.820 --> 00:11:28.580 rare sakes directly from the brewers. If they're 00:11:28.580 --> 00:11:30.379 in the Mediterranean, they're picking up local 00:11:30.379 --> 00:11:33.100 vintages you'll never find anywhere else. The 00:11:33.100 --> 00:11:35.679 wine list literally changes with the map. It's 00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:38.279 a living document. The ultimate souvenir. You 00:11:38.279 --> 00:11:40.340 get to drink the place you're visiting. But they're 00:11:40.340 --> 00:11:42.659 taking it even further now. I read about the 00:11:42.659 --> 00:11:44.830 World Barrel Program. They're not just buying 00:11:44.830 --> 00:11:47.289 wine anymore. They're making it. They are. This 00:11:47.289 --> 00:11:49.690 is that trend of vertical integration hitting 00:11:49.690 --> 00:11:52.789 the luxury space. Their first vintage is called 00:11:52.789 --> 00:11:57.250 The Journey. Very appropriate. It's a 2022 Bordeaux 00:11:57.250 --> 00:11:59.549 blend. And they didn't just whip this up themselves. 00:11:59.870 --> 00:12:03.009 They partnered with Venuef. And who are they? 00:12:03.149 --> 00:12:05.429 They're owned by the Cazais family. If you know 00:12:05.429 --> 00:12:08.070 wine, you know that name. They own Chateau Lynch 00:12:08.070 --> 00:12:11.860 Bages. This is serious. Blue chip winemaking. 00:12:11.980 --> 00:12:13.799 It's incredible. It's not about the money. It's 00:12:13.799 --> 00:12:15.460 about having access to something nobody else 00:12:15.460 --> 00:12:18.720 has. I'm drinking a winemade just for my home. 00:12:18.860 --> 00:12:21.019 That's exactly. And they just hired a new beverage 00:12:21.019 --> 00:12:23.779 manager, Lubo Stoyanov, who used to be the head 00:12:23.779 --> 00:12:26.440 sommelier for all of Oceania. The pedigree is 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:28.659 just off the charts. There was one other detail 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:31.879 I found really interesting. Even on this ultralux 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:33.899 ship, what they're drinking is changing. You 00:12:33.899 --> 00:12:36.600 saw the wellness angle. I did. Non -alcoholic 00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:39.190 wines. On the world. The wellness trend comes 00:12:39.190 --> 00:12:42.169 for us all. They brought in a whole curated list 00:12:42.169 --> 00:12:45.169 of non -alcoholic wines, plus a lot of biodynamic 00:12:45.169 --> 00:12:48.549 and organic options. I think even the super rich 00:12:48.549 --> 00:12:51.049 want to live longer. They want the fine dining 00:12:51.049 --> 00:12:53.210 ritual, maybe without the hangover. You know, 00:12:53.230 --> 00:12:54.629 it actually connects all the way back to the 00:12:54.629 --> 00:12:56.970 Magellan discoverer. How do you figure? Well, 00:12:57.049 --> 00:12:59.149 whether it's the fuel going into the engine or 00:12:59.149 --> 00:13:01.509 the wine going into the glass, the trend is cleaner. 00:13:02.259 --> 00:13:04.940 It's about removing the impurities, whether that's 00:13:04.940 --> 00:13:07.379 sulfur in the wine or noise pollution in the 00:13:07.379 --> 00:13:09.440 ocean. That's a brilliant connection. And if 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:11.960 you layer the Hawaii story on top, it's about 00:13:11.960 --> 00:13:14.759 paying the true cost of that purity. Cleaner 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:17.539 fuel costs more, better wine costs more, and 00:13:17.539 --> 00:13:19.980 maintaining a pristine island costs tax dollars. 00:13:20.100 --> 00:13:22.539 That feels like the big takeaway for 2026 so 00:13:22.539 --> 00:13:24.759 far. Cruising is maturing, it's getting more 00:13:24.759 --> 00:13:27.740 specialized, more responsible, and yeah, more 00:13:27.740 --> 00:13:31.039 expensive. The cheap... Generic vacation might 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:34.059 be fading in favor of these very curated, very 00:13:34.059 --> 00:13:35.899 intentional experiences. I think you're right. 00:13:35.980 --> 00:13:37.659 It's becoming about the privilege of access. 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:40.200 And that privilege now has a very clear price 00:13:40.200 --> 00:13:42.440 tag attached. I want to leave our listeners with 00:13:42.440 --> 00:13:45.840 a thought on that Hawaii tax. We talked about 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:49.179 how it's prorated based on time and port. If 00:13:49.179 --> 00:13:52.200 other places start doing that, taxing ships based 00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:55.559 on how long they stick around, could we see a 00:13:55.559 --> 00:13:58.210 really weird incentive created? What do you mean? 00:13:58.409 --> 00:14:00.850 Could we see cruise lines designing itineraries 00:14:00.850 --> 00:14:03.929 to actively avoid land? That's a very provocative 00:14:03.929 --> 00:14:06.889 thought. Like, if it costs you $100 ,000 in tax 00:14:06.889 --> 00:14:09.889 to dock for two days, but zero to just stay at 00:14:09.889 --> 00:14:12.269 sea just outside their waters. The ships could 00:14:12.269 --> 00:14:14.389 just become these floating resorts that barely 00:14:14.389 --> 00:14:16.610 touch the destinations they're supposedly visiting. 00:14:16.750 --> 00:14:18.830 And then the local shops and restaurants lose 00:14:18.830 --> 00:14:21.649 out on all that business anyway. The law of unintended 00:14:21.649 --> 00:14:24.860 consequences. It's a delicate balance for sure. 00:14:24.940 --> 00:14:26.879 We will definitely be watching to see how the 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:28.940 itineraries start to shift. We certainly will. 00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:32.460 Thanks for listening to Cruise News. Visit cruisenews 00:14:32.460 --> 00:14:35.100 .io to catch up on the latest updates and sign 00:14:35.100 --> 00:14:36.360 up for free email alerts.