Cruise News
by Cruise News
Cruise News brings you the latest headlines, ship updates, and insights from across the cruise industry. Each week, we cover what’s new in cruise travel, from ship launches and itinerary changes to environmental policy, innovation, and onboard trends. Whether you’re a frequent cruiser, travel professional, or just dreaming of your next voyage, Cruise News helps you stay informed without the fluff. Expect timely coverage of major cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, MSC, and Disney Cruise Line, along with interviews and analysis that explain what the headlines really mean for travelers. Join us for clear, credible updates on the business, destinations, and experiences shaping the world of cruising. Learn more at https://www.cruisenews.io
Episodes
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Norwegian Jewel Crew Member Charged Over Child Abuse Material
Today on Cruise News: A Department of Homeland Security operation has removed more than 120 crew members from cruise ships at Boston's Flynn Cruiseport with one criminal prosecution, a Norwegian Jewel crew member charged with transportation of child sexual abuse material, while a federal…
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Hurricane Trudy Reroutes Brilliant Lady's Mexican Riviera Cruise
Today on Cruise News: Virgin Voyages has cancelled all three Mexican Riviera calls on Brilliant Lady's October 17 departure from Los Angeles because of Hurricane Trudy, sending the ship to San Francisco, San Diego and Ensenada instead, the fourth consecutive Los Angeles sailing disrupted by...
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Riviera Travel Offers Seven-Day Refunds for Major Itinerary Changes
Today on Cruise News: Riviera Travel River Cruises' new Vacation Guarantee promises to process a full refund within seven days when significant itinerary changes are required before departure and guests choose to cancel; they can instead accept the revised trip with a goodwill gesture or postpone...
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Emerald Princess Fails CDC Inspection; Carnival Offers Free Transfers
Today on Cruise News: Emerald Princess received a failing draft score of 78 out of 100 after an October 16 CDC Vessel Sanitation Program inspection in Long Beach, California, where 86 is needed to pass. Inspectors cited food-temperature controls, storage and cross-contamination risks, dirty...
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Margaritaville at Sea Membership Limits Bookings to 30 Days Out
Today on Cruise News: Margaritaville at Sea's 2027 Annual Cruise Membership is on sale for $2,499 for two adults through November 3, covering unlimited eligible sailings of up to seven nights, but members can book only within 30 days of departure and hold one active reservation at a time. Viking...
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MSC Virtuosa to Leave Southampton for Brazil in November 2026
Today on Cruise News: MSC Virtuosa is finishing its summer season from Southampton ahead of a 25-night repositioning cruise to Santos departing November 7, 2026, where it will begin a Brazilian winter programme before spending the 2027 and 2028 European summers in the Western Mediterranean. Star...
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Freedom of the Seas Returns to Southampton for Summer 2028
Today on Cruise News: Royal Caribbean will base Freedom of the Seas in Southampton from May to October 2028, a second consecutive summer from the UK port, with sailings to the Norwegian fjords and calls at Copenhagen, Bilbao, Le Havre and Lisbon. Holland America Line has unveiled Bar 1873, a...
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Odyssey of the Seas Passenger Rescued After 20 Hours at Sea
Today on Cruise News: a 44-year-old passenger from Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas was rescued alive in the Ionian Sea off Greece on October 10 after about 20 hours in the water, found when the containership MSC Rossella III spotted the flashing light on her lifebuoy; the search led the…
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Costa Cruises Limits Missed-Port Credit to Two Guests per Cabin
Today on Cruise News: Costa Cruises is offering €100 in refundable onboard credit after Costa Favolosa cancelled calls at Leknes and Bodo on its Norwegian voyage because of forecast strong winds and rough seas, but only for two guests per stateroom, with a maximum of €200 per cabin; the revised...
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Bee Swarm Removed From Utopia of the Seas; Disney Imagination Named
Today on Cruise News: A swarm of bees was removed from the Deck 15 pool area of Royal Caribbean International's Utopia of the Seas in Port Canaveral on October 12, as passengers boarded a four-night Bahamas sailing, with no guests reported stung and no departure delay reported. Oriental Land Co....
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Odyssey of the Seas Passenger Rescued; Disney Tests Wristbands
Today on Cruise News: A passenger who went overboard from Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas in the Ionian Sea was recovered alive after approximately 20 hours in the water, after the containership MSC Rossella III spotted a flashing light on her lifebuoy; the search led to the cancellation of...
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Norwegian Cuts Fares Early; Disney Believe's First Gigablock Floats
Today on Cruise News: Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is applying its pricing reset to selected 2027 departures and sailings open for 2028, offering more competitive prices earlier in the booking cycle after a second quarter in which net yield declined 2.6%. Meyer Werft has floated the first of...
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MSC and Royal Caribbean Secure 30-Year Berth Priority at Naha
Today on Cruise News: Royal Caribbean Group and MSC Cruises are set to receive preferential berth access at Naha Port for up to 250 days a year over a period of up to 30 years, tied to a new turnaround terminal at Shinminato Wharf targeted to open in March 2028. Port Samana at Arroyo Barril on…
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Alaska Plans and Luxury Sticker Shock
Today on Cruise News: Royal Caribbean has opened bookings for its 2028 Alaska season, with Voyager, Ovation, Anthem and Serenade of the Seas sailing seven-night cruises from Seattle, Seward and Vancouver, and Seward passengers using a new terminal developed by Royal Caribbean Group and the Alaska...
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Miami Growth, Cruises to Nowhere, Green Claims
Today on Cruise News: PortMiami has announced a 16-ship arrival lineup spanning 12 cruise brands for the 2026-27 season, opening with Ponant Explorations' L'Austral and Explora III in October 2026 and closing with Royal Caribbean's Hero of the Seas in August 2027; the port handled 8,564,151…
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Margaritaville at Sea Adds Costa Rica and Panama Calls for 2028
Today on Cruise News: Margaritaville at Sea has opened bookings for its 2028 season, including the line's first visits to Limón, Costa Rica, and Colón, Panama, on eight-night cruises from Tampa aboard Islander, while Beachcomber, being converted from Costa Fortuna, is scheduled to start Galveston...
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Norwegian Aura's Debut Moves Up; Carnival Freedom Gets a New Funnel
Today on Cruise News: Norwegian Cruise Line has brought Norwegian Aura's debut forward by 19 days to May 2, adding a 10-day opening sailing from Trieste to Piraeus and a nine-day return voyage, while the advertised May 21, 2027 maiden voyage still goes ahead. Carnival Freedom resumed service from...
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New Ships, Fresh Shows, Familiar Ports
Today on Cruise News: Disney Cruise Line opens general bookings for Disney Believe on October 19, ahead of the 4,000-passenger ship's maiden voyage from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on December 18, 2027, with what Disney describes as the world's first stage adaptation of "Encanto" and a new...
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Toilets, Fares and Seaweed
Today on Cruise News: Royal Caribbean warned guests aboard Oasis of the Seas that toilets in affected areas would be unavailable during two two-hour maintenance periods on September 30 while the ship was docked in Nassau, after an identical notice during a July 29 call there. Carnival is already...
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Storm Delays, Crew Removals, and Japan’s Return
Today on Cruise News: Royal Caribbean has canceled Oasis of the Seas' September 29 call at Port Canaveral after a nor'easter delayed the ship's return to Cape Liberty by 10 hours, replacing the Florida visit with a sea day and moving the Nassau call three hours earlier. U.S. Customs and Border...
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New Ports, Longer Cruises, Bermuda Questions
Today on Cruise News: Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has withdrawn from evaluating Daniel's Head, an 18-acre site in Bermuda's Sandys Parish, as a day-tourism destination, though its planned Bermuda calls, including five Norwegian ships at Royal Naval Dockyard in 2027, are unaffected. P&O…
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Storms, Crowds, and AI Cruise Ads
Today on Cruise News: Hurricane Polo, classified as a Category 5 storm, forces Royal Caribbean to drop Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas from Navigator of the Seas' September 25 Mexican Riviera sailing from Los Angeles, adding Puerto Vallarta instead, while Carnival Panorama's Long Beach departure also...
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Safety, Sandals, and Secret Ports
Today on Cruise News: Royal Caribbean has settled the federal lawsuit over the death of Michael Virgil aboard Navigator of the Seas in December 2024, with the payment going to his son and the amount undisclosed, while the coroner's findings on the shipboard restraint remain central to the safety...
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Denied Boarding, Muster Drills, and Floating Hotels
Today on Cruise News: Australian gambler Mark Timothy Grant has won an appeal allowing his $22,000 compensation claim against Royal Caribbean over five casino-reward cruises to proceed before the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, while the cruise line's card-counting allegations…
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Diversions, Surcharges, and Disney’s Next Ship
Carnival Encounter cuts its overnight Cairns call to a single day and adds Townsville as Ports North accelerates dredging in Trinity Inlet, making it the third Carnival itinerary affected by Cairns channel depths in September. Nicko Cruises adds a €10 per person, per night fuel surcharge to every...
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New Ships, Egypt Cruises, and Tender Ports
Royal Caribbean has named retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Lori J. Robinson godmother of Legend of the Seas, with the naming ceremony set for Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale ahead of the ship's first Caribbean season. Aroya Cruises is adding Alexandria as a second embarkation gateway…
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Storms, Overnights, and Nile Comebacks
Silversea has delayed Silver Moon's departure from Tokyo by two days as Typhoon Dujuan approaches Japan, dropping the ship's Hiroshima call, cutting Osaka from an overnight stay to a day call and moving Kochi back by one day on the 14-night voyage. Busan is courting more overnight cruise calls…
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Cruise Delays, San Diego Growth, Arctic Wine
Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas turned back to Nassau to evacuate two critically ill passengers, including a 7-year-old child, delaying its return to Cape Liberty in Bayonne by about eight hours, cancelling the next sailing's Port Canaveral call, and triggering flight reimbursements and…
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Whales, Clean Ships, and MSC’s Next Giant
NOAA Fisheries is assessing the death of an endangered fin whale found on the bow of Norwegian Joy as the ship approached Sitka, Alaska, on Sept. 17, delaying the port call by about three hours. It is the second time since June that a cruise ship has arrived at an Alaska port with a dead fin…
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Missed Ports, World Cruises, Greener Ships
Oceania Cruises' Riviera left Haines, Alaska, without docking after strong winds repeatedly pushed the 1,250-passenger ship out of position during berthing attempts, and anchoring was ruled out over the risk of a dragging anchor near the town's wastewater outfall and an undersea electrical cable....
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Fees, Fire, and San Diego’s Cruise Boom
Fuel surcharge clauses are back in focus for passengers sailing from Port Canaveral, where Carnival Cruise Line retains contractual authority to add up to $9 per person per day and Royal Caribbean up to $12, including on some fully paid bookings, while Disney Cruise Line's published U.S. terms…
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Safety, Rivers, and More Icon Ships
Today's brief covers three stories. Royal Caribbean laid the keel for its fifth Icon-class ship, NB-1408, at the Meyer Turku yard in Finland on September 14; the roughly 250,000-gross-ton vessel is scheduled to enter service in 2028. Celebrity Cruises completed the float out of Celebrity Compass…
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Itinerary Changes, Exclusive Nights, Classic Ships
Margaritaville at Sea Islander makes its first call at Willemstad, Curacao, arriving September 10 on a 10-night Southern and Western Caribbean sailing from Port Tampa Bay after the line reversed the voyage's Aruba and Curacao port days. Windstar Cruises takes its Destination Discovery Events...
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Mega Ships, Port Fights, and Tall Sails
MSC Cruises' MSC World Asia has completed final sea trials off western France ahead of delivery by Chantiers de l'Atlantique on November 25, 2026. The 216,638-gross-ton ship measures 333.3 metres and carries up to 6,764 passengers in 2,614 cabins, with a naming ceremony set for Le Havre on…
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Cruise Safety Takes Center Stage
Norwegian Cruise Line has closed all public hot tubs and private balcony whirlpools aboard Norwegian Prima after three Legionnaires' disease diagnoses involving passengers on May and July 2026 sailings, with water testing underway across showers, faucets and hot tubs, all results negative so far,...
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Mega-Ships, Istanbul Sailings, and Hydrogen Cruising
Royal Caribbean is pushing for growth in Türkiye as Icon-class hardware reshapes its Mediterranean deployment: Legend of the Seas, at roughly 250,000 gross tons and 5,610 guests at double occupancy, began sailing July 4, 2026 and stays in the Mediterranean for 2027, while Odyssey of the Seas…
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Cruise Rewards, Firefighters, and Wild Alaska
JetBlue's travel subsidiary Paisly has added Viking, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours and Emerald Cruises to JetBlue Vacations, bringing river itineraries to the platform for the first time and letting travelers earn JetBlue TrueBlue points while remaining eligible for cruise-line rewards, with…
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Safety, Super Cruises, and MSC’s New Bars
Today's Cruise News covers three stories from across the industry. Minnesota pastor Stephen Junker, 58, died Sept. 4 after suffering a severe spinal cord injury in a pool aboard Sun Princess off Italy in August, where he had traveled for his son's onboard wedding; he underwent emergency spinal...
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Private Islands, Passenger Rights, and Royal’s Next Giant
Princess Cruises has removed Princess Cays from published itineraries for six ships beginning in November 2026, ending 34 years of scheduled calls at the Eleuthera beach destination since 1992; the October 17, 2026 departure of Regal Princess is the last published Princess itinerary to include…
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Alaska, Sea Days, and Cruise Perks
Silversea returns to Alaska in 2027 with 29 voyages aboard Silver Moon and Silver Whisper, running from May 27 into early September and calling at 14 ports including Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Sitka, Metlakatla and Klawock, with Seward's new Dale R. and Carol Ann Lindsey Alaska Railroad Terminal...
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Cruising Beyond the Usual Vacation
Japan will use Costa Cruises' Costa Serena to house about 4,000 people at Nagoya Port during the 2026 Asian Games, which open September 19 and run through October 4, after organizers dropped plans for a conventional athletes' village on cost grounds. In Maine, Celebrity Silhouette opened…
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Port Limits, Shipwrecks, and Cycling Cruises
A Maine judge has dismissed Golden Anchor's declaratory judgment action against Bar Harbor, ruling that the company's pending Rule 80B appeal is its exclusive avenue for challenging the town's cruise disembarkation limits under Chapter 52, the ordinance adopted in June 2024 and in effect since…
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Holiday Cruises, Wellness Spas, and Winter Istanbul
Disney Cruise Line has set dates for its 2027 Halloween on the High Seas and Very Merrytime sailings across seven ships, with general bookings opening September 8, 2026, and the Disney Wish returning to New York for Bermuda, Canada and New England cruises. Regent Seven Seas Cruises detailed the...
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Cruise Safety, Ship Dogs, and Big Refurbs
The U.S. Coast Guard evacuated two cruise ship passengers about 12 miles south of Marathon in the Florida Keys on September 4, 2026, with a boat crew from Station Marathon bringing a 78-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman ashore to local emergency medical personnel; both were reported in stable...
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Crowds, Waterparks, and Cruise Deals
Juneau's Assembly has delayed a proposed five-ship daily cruise limit after the city attorney warned that litigation is unavoidable and legal defense could cost between $1 million and $4 million, with the measure sent back to the Visitor Industry Task Force for recommendations this fall.…
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Egypt Returns, Solo Deals, Greener Ships
Celestyal Cruises has opened bookings on a winter 2027-28 Eastern Mediterranean program aboard Celestyal Journey that returns Egypt to the schedule with an overnight call at Alexandria, alongside four seven-night Athens-Istanbul cruises and three 14-night Three Continents Explorer voyages, with...
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Loyalty Changes, Canceled Calls, Australia Cruising
Carnival Cruise Line has retired the VIFP Club in favor of Carnival Rewards, a spending-based program that launched September 1, 2026 and grants three redeemable points and three qualifying stars for every eligible dollar across Red, Gold, Platinum and Diamond tiers, with members who reached...
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Emergencies, New Zealand, and Cruise Deals
Three stories from across the cruise industry. HM Coastguard airlifted a passenger from Carnival Legend on the morning of August 29, after a medical evacuation request came in at 9:40 a.m. with the ship about eight nautical miles south of Lizard Point, Cornwall; the passenger was flown ashore and...
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Cruise Emergencies, New York Sailings, and Smarter Sea Days
Carnival Firenze reshuffled the back half of a four-night Long Beach sailing after a critically ill guest was evacuated near the Long Beach Sea Buoy on August 25, with Long Beach Fire Department Marine Safety crews taking the patient ashore for hospital treatment; the ship's Catalina Island and...
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Rescues, Safety, and a New Ship
Carnival Conquest interrupted a 14-day Caribbean voyage out of Miami to rescue a lone mariner whose sailboat had been disabled at sea for ten days, taking him aboard before continuing on to Grenada. Also on today's brief: the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered a new trial in a…
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About this show
Cruise News brings you the latest headlines, ship updates, and insights from across the cruise industry. Each week, we cover what’s new in cruise travel, from ship launches and itinerary changes to environmental policy, innovation, and onboard trends.
Whether you’re a frequent cruiser, travel professional, or just dreaming of your next voyage, Cruise News helps you stay informed without the fluff. Expect timely coverage of major cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, MSC, and Disney Cruise Line, along with interviews and analysis that explain what the headlines really mean for travelers.
Join us for clear, credible updates on the business, destinations, and experiences shaping the world of cruising.
Learn more at https://www.cruisenews.io
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