Key Aspects: US Customs and Border Protection arrested 11 foreign national crew members at the Port of Boston on allegations of child exploitation crimes. The crew members were aboard Holland America Line’s Volendam as well as Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway. All arrested crew members will likely be returned to their home countries: 9 to
Key Aspects: A guest was reported missing from Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition on Friday morning, August 21, 2026. No overboard alert was raised at the time, but a full ship-wide search was conducted when the ship docked in Dundee, Scotland. Turnaround operations were briefly delayed, as was embarkation for the next cruise, but no itinerary
Key Aspects: MSC Cruises is making major changes to its winter 2027-2028 deployments, affecting three ships. The cruise line has shifted MSC World Europa to the Western Mediterranean instead of the planned Middle East deployment. Meanwhile, MSC World Asia will move from the Mediterranean to the Southern Caribbean, while MSC Meraviglia is now listed for
Key Aspects: Viking and Fincantieri have signed a contract for two new cruise ship builds for delivery in 2032. The two ships will be built at the Ancona shipyard in Italy, each with a gross tonnage of 54,300 and a passenger capacity of 998. Modern safety systems and the best environmental and navigational technology will
Key Aspects: A Costa Cruises guest was mistaken for a man who was wanted on drug charges during a Mediterranean cruise. The passenger was arrested and held in custody for seven hours before his identity was verified. He is seeking compensation from Costa Cruises for the trauma that he and his family endured because of
Key Aspects: Norwegian Sun will remain in Copenhagen for two extra nights for required maintenance during her September 23, 2026 sailing. The ship’s safety is not impacted but it is not confirmed if this maintenance is related to propulsion repairs a few weeks earlier. The visit to Oslo and a sea day are now changed
Key Aspects: Renovations are underway at Terminal A, which is Royal Caribbean’s usual cruise terminal in PortMiami. While the work is underway, guests will embark at Terminal AA, which is MSC Cruises’ state-of-the-art cruise terminal that opened in 2025. Wonder of the Seas, Icon of the Seas, and Freedom of the Seas will collectively visit
Key Aspects: Port Canaveral celebrated the topping off of a new 13-story parking garage on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. This marks the exterior completion of the $93 million facility adjacent to Cruise Terminal 6. When complete in fall 2026, the new garage will add more than 3,700 new parking spaces to the busy cruise port.
Key Aspects: Carnival Cruise Line has extended the booking deadline for four October and November 2026 21+ adults-only cruises to August 30. The four cruises are all aboard Carnival Firenze from Long Beach and range from 7-14 nights along the Mexican Riviera. John Heald, the cruise line’s brand ambassador, will be aboard the October 12
Key Aspects: Norwegian Cruise Line has announced two new dining experiences and an expanded spa for Norwegian Aura, debuting in May 2027. The Indian specialty restaurant Tamara is a first for NCL, while The Panorama Room is an immersive complimentary dining room. The Mandara Spa’s Thermal Suite will include an industry-first Sensory Rain Pool with
Key Aspects: A passenger aboard Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas was medically evacuated by helicopter off the coast of British Columbia on August 8. Canadian rescue crews airlifted the passenger and their spouse from the ship before transporting them to a hospital in Victoria. The evacuation occurred early in a 7-night Alaska cruise from
Key Aspects: Virgin Voyages recorded the biggest revenue day in company history on August 13, surpassing its previous Black Friday 2025 record. More than half of the day’s revenue came from newly released 2028 Northern Europe cruises aboard Valiant Lady. The record follows Virgin Voyages’ recent growth trend and expansion into new markets. Virgin Voyages
