Oceania Cruises Announces 2026 World Voyages Aboard Vista – Porthole Cruise and Travel

Oceania Cruises is launching its newest ship,Vista,for a 180-day Around the World voyage in 2026. This voyage will visit 101 ports across 43 countries, setting a new standard for global exploration. Bookings will officially open on March 13, 2024!

After the remarkable success of our most recent world cruises, we have been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to present travelers with an even more extraordinary experience for our 2026 voyage, said Frank A. Del Rio, President of Oceania Cruises. With that, we are excited to announce thatVista, Oceania Cruises pinnacle of luxury and newest ship, will circumnavigate the globe artfully intertwining diverse continents, enriching cultures, and mouthwatering cuisines, creating an unforgettable tapestry of exploration for our guests. With this new voyage, we are excited to offer a rare chance to experience the world from an entirely new perspective and further forward the future of global cruising.

Vistawill depart from Miami on January 6, crossing three oceans and 18 seas to explore Southeast Asia, Australia, the South Pacific, Europe, and South America. The journey will include exploring continental coastlines, experiencing local cultures, trying new foods, and discovering natural wonders in off-the-beaten-path locations and popular cities.

Vistaoffers 11 onboard culinary venues, including the new Aquamar Kitchen, The Bakery at Baristas, and Ember. The ship, at 791 feet long and over 67,000 tons, maintains a high staffing ratio. Guests will enjoy gourmet experiences curated by Oceania Cruises Master Chefs of France, Alexis Quaretti and Eric Barale and opportunities for Culinary Discovery Tours and cooking classes. Vista provides a variety of onboard activities, such as bars, lounges, and entertainment venues like the Founders Bar, Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center, and Aquamar Spa Terrace.

The World Odyssey and Global Wanderlust voyages are available in addition to the 180-day Around the World cruise onVista. These cruises provide flexibility with a 120-day voyage from San Diego to Miami and a 197-day cruise from Los Angeles to Miami. Vistas luxurious ambiance and spacious staterooms offer guests a comfortable home at sea to relax and rejuvenate during their journey.

Head to their website for more information on Oceania Cruises 2026 Around the World journeys!

Oceania Cruises provides simply MORE, which includes all-inclusive features in the voyage fare, such as free roundtrip airfare, airport transfers, a shore excursion credit of up to $1,400 per stateroom, and a beverage package available during lunch and dinner.

Will you be sailing around the world with Oceania Cruises? Let us know in the comments!

See more here:

Oceania Cruises Announces 2026 World Voyages Aboard Vista - Porthole Cruise and Travel

New hacker group uses old attack methods to breach Asian gambling companies – The Record from Recorded Future News

Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown hacker group that uses simple and dated attack methods to target governments and businesses in the Asia-Pacific region.

Called GambleForce, the group has been active since September and has mainly targeted the gambling industry, according to the report by Singapore-based cybersecurity firm Group-IB.

GambleForce broadened its focus in recent months to include government, retail, and travel websites. As of now, it has 20 known victims in its portfolio, primarily located in Australia, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, South Korea, Thailand, and Brazil.

The attackers use a set of publicly available open-source tools designed for penetration-testing. They havent employed any unique modifications and keep almost all default settings on the tools.

They primarily infect their victims using SQL injections a type of cyberattack where an attacker manipulates a web application's database queries by injecting malicious SQL code. Researchers say this is one of the oldest attack methods, yet many companies are still susceptible to it.

SQL attacks persist because they are simple by nature, the researchers said. Companies remain susceptible to such attacks because they fail to address fundamental flaws.

The goal of GambleForces attacks is unclear. In some instances, the attackers stopped after performing reconnaissance, while in other cases, they successfully extracted user databases containing logins and hashed passwords, along with lists of tables from accessible databases, according to the researchers.

The threat actor attempts to exfiltrate any available piece of information within targeted databases, the report said. What the group does with the stolen data remains unknown so far.

After discovering GambleForce's malicious activity, the researchers took down its command and control server. However, they believe that the hackers will most likely regroup and rebuild their infrastructure to launch new attacks.

Group-IB didnt attribute this group to a specific country but said that they found commands written in Chinese. This fact alone is not, however, enough to determine the groups origin, researchers said.

Recorded Future

Intelligence Cloud.

No previous article

No new articles

Daryna Antoniuk is a freelance reporter for Recorded Future News based in Ukraine. She writes about cybersecurity startups, cyberattacks in Eastern Europe and the state of the cyberwar between Ukraine and Russia. She previously was a tech reporter for Forbes Ukraine. Her work has also been published at Sifted, The Kyiv Independent and The Kyiv Post.

Read more here:

New hacker group uses old attack methods to breach Asian gambling companies - The Record from Recorded Future News

Anti-Cancer Pill Shows Promising Results in Human Experiment

A cancer-combating pill called divarasib could be a breakthrough in treating a specific form of bowel cancer.

In its latest round of early human trials, a drug called divarasib has shown promising results in treating a specific form of bowel cancer, outshining existing alternatives.

In a new study published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Australia found that when divarasib is combined with another cancer treatment called cetuximab, 62 percent of patients with tumors caused by a mutation in the KRAS gene experienced a positive outcome, which means that their tumors were either completely eradicated or reduced in size.

When used on its own, previous research found the pill yields a still impressive 35.9 percent positive response rate, notes NewAtlas, and is overall 20 times more effective than other treatments that also target the same cancer.

Despite the promising results, it's a very targeted drug that will only be effective for a small proportion of colon cancer patients. The mutation, KRAS G12C, affects a protein that controls cell division and occurs only in four percent of colon or rectal (colorectal) cancer cases, according to the researchers.

However, because KRAS G12C cancer is commonly tested for and has such a poor prognosis, doctors could quickly identify the patients that would benefit from divarasib, providing immediate — and potentially life-saving — relief.

"The median progression-free survival for patients in the study" — the amount of time during or after the treatment they were able to live without the cancer getting worse — "was just over eight months and the treatment was well tolerated with manageable side effects," said study lead author Jayesh Desai, a medical oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center, in a statement.

"While this is not a head-to-head trial, the response rates are better than what we have seen with other treatments that work on the KRAS G12C mutation pathway," he added, referring to trials that directly compare different therapies.

Existing treatments for KRAS G12C bowel cancer such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy provided only modest results. Their main drawback is that they're non-selective, targeting the whole body rather than homing in on the deadly tumors — a problem that divarasib seemingly promises to circumvent.

"We are very hopeful that this combination of divarasib with cetuximab will translate into better outcomes for our colorectal cancer patients," Desai said.

More on cancer: Scientists Intrigued by Clever Trick That Makes Cancer Cells Self-Destruct

The post Anti-Cancer Pill Shows Promising Results in Human Experiment appeared first on Futurism.

Link:
Anti-Cancer Pill Shows Promising Results in Human Experiment

6 things I loved and 3 things I hated about my Brilliance of the Seas cruise – Royal Caribbean Blog

Todays mega cruise ships are packed with the latest thrills, from zip lines to indoor skydiving, but what is it like sailing on one of Royal Caribbeans older cruise ships?

I recently cruised on Royal Caribbeans Brilliance of the Seas, a Radiance Class cruise ship built in 2002. During my exotic ten day sailing to the South Pacificmy longest cruise thus farI relished the opportunity to enjoy a more traditional cruising experience.

Although I love cruising on massive vessels with nearly endless activities to enjoy, theres something special about the relaxed, quieter ambiance of cruising on a smaller, older ship. For the most part, I loved everything about my time onboard, from the attentive service to the itinerary and friendly faces around the ship.

Nonetheless, there were, like any cruise, a few things I did not enjoy. Whether the lack of specialty dining restaurants or the thin walls in my cabin, my vacation was not entirely perfect.

Here are six things I loved and three I hated about my Brilliance of the Seas cruise.

My cruising mantra is to always select itineraries that visit at least one destination I havent been to before. Whether a new island in the Caribbean or a new port in Alaska, exploring breathtaking destinations is a major reason why I book cruises.

When the opportunity arose to book a cruise from Australia, I began searching for Royal Caribbeans most unique itinerary in the region during the month of November. I decided upon a 10-night South Pacific cruise that visited five islands in the French territory of New Caledonia and the Pacific nation of Vanuatu.

Related: 15 countries you didnt know you could cruise to on Royal Caribbean

You can find South Pacific itineraries on new ships like Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas, which also sail from Australia, but they typically only visit two or three islands on each itinerary.

Sailing on an older ship like Brilliance of the Seas gave me the chance to make the most of my long journey across the world to Australia. I absolutely loved visiting five diverse, breathtaking islands during my cruise, and I was happy I chose the most unique itinerary available.

Ive recently reached the Diamond Plus tier in Royal Caribbeans Crown & Anchor Society, and one of the new perks I receive with this status is a buy one, get one free dinner at a specialty restaurant.

I thoroughly enjoy eating at Royal Caribbeans specialty restaurants, as I love the calmer atmosphere and wider variety of cuisines. Because of this, the BOGO deal was the perk I was most looking forward to trying on Brilliance of the Seas.

Unfortunately, though, older Royal Caribbean cruise ships often have limited specialty restaurant options, and Brilliance of the Seas was no exception. The ship only features four specialty restaurants: Chops Grille, Giovannis Table, Izumi Sushi, and Chefs Table.

Only two of these restaurants, Chops Grille and Giovannis Table, allow guests to use the BOGO discount. I would have loved to dine at Izumimy favorite of Royal Caribbeans restaurantsbut I was told this was not, unfortunately, covered with the discount.

Even though the food offered at Chops Grille and Giovannis Table is of great quality, Ive been to these restaurants many times before on other ships, and eating the same meal over and over can get a bit boring.

Having limited specialty restaurant options was one of the few times I wished I were sailing on a bigger cruise ship.

Despite the lack of specialty dining options, I found myself pleased with my experience in the Main Dining Room on Brilliance of the Seas.

With fewer options onboard for meals, youre likely to find yourself eating in the Main Dining Room more often on smaller ships compared to on Royal Caribbeans largest vessels. On my Brilliance of the Seas cruise, I ate in the Main Dining Room nearly every evening along with lunch on sea days and several breakfasts.

Related: 21 Tips for the Best Cruise Ship Main Dining Room Experience

Although I frequently eat in the Main Dining Room on other Royal Caribbean cruises, the over-the-top service I experienced on Brilliance of the Seas was on a different level. My waiters, Stefan and Stephen, were beyond attentive, regularly bringing me surprise menu items to try and delivering food in record speed.

I felt so attached to them by the end of the cruise that I couldnt even fathom eating dinner anywhere else! As a plus, the food quality and flavors were excellent as well.

Whenever I sail on new ships like Wonder of the Seas, I prioritize attending entertainment shows. I just cant pass up the entertainment offered onboard, from AquaTheater shows to ice skating shows and Broadway productions.

On smaller ships I tend to avoid theater shows. Although I can appreciate the talent of the cast on any ship, Im never as thrilled with entertainment on old cruise ships. Whether the smaller budget or lack of a storyline, I would usually much rather spend my evening doing something else instead.

Regardless, during my time on Brilliance of the Seas, I figured I should at least try to attend one production show, so I attended a performance of Tango: Buenos Aires.

I grabbed a front row seat by showing up a half hour early, and I was quickly left impressed by the professional tango dancers and live music of the production. It was one of the more unique production shows Ive seen on an older Royal Caribbean ship.

Following the performance, I wished I had attended more production shows during my time onboard, but Ill definitely try to attend more shows next time I sail on an older ship.

I cruise with Royal Caribbean relatively often, and I find myself getting into a certain routine while onboard. While Ill attend a trivia session or two during the day and listen to live music in the evening, I have realized I dont try enough new activities to keep things interesting.

Determined to change this and try something new, I participated in the Royal Mystery puzzle game while onboard. The purpose of this complimentary activity is to "solve" the mystery of a museum heist during which important artwork was stolen.

Through a series of clues found throughout the room and in a folder of papers given to participants, each team is supposed to determine which character committed the crime.

While the concept of the game was intriguing, I found it to be exceptionally difficult. Of the hundred or so people playing the game, almost everyone appeared confused. Not only were the clues unclear, but there were so many steps to the game that only one team even got close to solving the mystery.

Im glad I went out of my comfort zone to try a new activity, but I wish it would have been a little easier. Most passengers are not professional detectives, after all!

Prior to my Brilliance of the Seas cruise, which was ten nights, I had never booked a cruise over seven nights in length. The main difference I found when cruising on a longer itinerary, particularly on a smaller ship, was the community that formed while onboard.

Being on a smaller cruise ship for ten days meant I saw the same guests again and again during my sailing. By the end of the cruise I had formed friendships with several passengers, and we spent our days attending activities together, playing cards at Schooner Bar, and sharing meals in the dining room.

Sure, its possible to form friendships on bigger cruise ships, but its a lot easier on the smallest Royal Caribbean cruise ships as youre more likely to see the same passengers around throughout the sailing.

The internet speed on Royal Caribbean cruise ships has significantly improved since the launch of Starlink internet in 2022, but nothing could have prepared me for the insanely quick speeds on Brilliance of the Seas.

As someone who frequently works remotely from cruise ships, I rely on Royal Caribbeans internet to complete tasks like uploading videos to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube channel. In the past, uploading content could take hours, which was certainly not ideal for productivity.

Related: Can you work remotely from a cruise ship? I put it to the test

While on Brilliance of the Seas, I encountered the most responsive internet connection Ive ever experienced on a cruise ship. I was streaming Netflix with no issues, uploading large video files in under twenty minutes, and video chatting with friends and family back home without any connection delay.

Due to my ships remote itinerary in the South Pacific and the fact I was sailing on one of Royal Caribbeans older vessels, I expected slow, frustrating internet speeds, but this was (thankfully!) not the case whatsoever.

One downside Ive noticed when cruising on older ships are the thin walls in the cabins. Whether on Rhapsody of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas, or Brilliance of the Seas, Ive always been able to hear sounds from guests in the rooms adjacent to my own.

From alarm clocks to conversations and televisions, its not ideal being able to hear what is going on outside of your cabin. Although these sounds are somewhat muffled, I missed the thicker walls of cabins on newer cruise ships during my recent cruise.

When its time to grab a drink on a Royal Caribbean cruise, one of my preferred bars is Schooner Bar. Royal Caribbeans nautical themed bar is found on every ship in the fleet, and its a popular spot for activities like trivia and live piano music.

In September 2023, Royal Caribbean revamped its drink menu at Schooner Bar, crafting cocktails such as the Peanut Butter Tropic, Parrot Punch, and Southern Belle.

Related: Royal Caribbean revamps its nautical themed bar with new menu

Because I cruise with Royal Caribbean often, I cant pass up the opportunity to try a new drink menu. During my cruise I tried several new drinks at Schooner Bar, my favorite of which was the Desert Pear Margarita, which combines tequila, desert pear syrup, and lime juice for a distinct fruity flavor.

If anything, the new drink menu at Schooner Bar made me even more excited to try cocktails at one of the new bars on my Icon of the Seas cruise this January!

Read more here:

6 things I loved and 3 things I hated about my Brilliance of the Seas cruise - Royal Caribbean Blog