Cruise News Update: Luggage Returned, Advisory, Unexpected Cruise
Stay on top of the major cruise news developments with Cruise Hive’s weekly recap. In this edition we have coverage from the Turks and Caicos, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
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Caribbean Nation Explains Elevated Level 2 Warning
Turks and Caicos, a popular cruise destination in the Eastern Caribbean, took steps to clarify the US Department of State’s recently elevated Level 2 warning. Level 2 calls for Americans to exercise increased caution in a foreign destination.
In the case of Turks and Caicos, the Ministry of Tourism pointed out that the island nation has been at a Level 2 warning since mid-2023 and that the “elevated” notice is directly tied to recent illegal firearms offenses.
The updated alert followed the arrest of a Royal Caribbean guest who was found carrying ammunition in a bag during a security checkpoint stop. The cruiser was jailed in the destination for three weeks and fined.
Rather than see the updated warning as a negative, the Ministry of Tourism said that it shows the destination’s strict firearms laws.
Many other countries currently have a Level 2 warning in place by the State Department, including the Bahamas, another major cruise destination, plus Costa Rica and Belize. In Europe, France, Germany, and the UK are among places where the warning exists.
Shipboard Clocks Spring Forward, But Not All of Them
When Daylight Saving Time took effect on March 9, 2025, all but two Carnival Cruise Line ships complied with the change and set onboard clocks forward by an hour.
Cruise directors made announcements the night before the change, reminding guests to move clocks ahead before turning in for the night on March 8, 2025.
Adhering to the change is particularly important to passengers who booked shore excursions for the next day and must meet up with their shore tour group at the next port of call. Ditto for cruisers whose sailings concluded on March 9, 2025, and are catching flights home.
Sounds simple enough, however, the time change can be a challenge for cruisers, especially when ships already are passing through various time zones.
The situation is quite different, though, for guests cruising in Australia. Two Carnival Cruise Line ships, Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Splendor, are seasonally based in Brisbane and Sydney, respectively, and Daylight Saving Time does not apply in Australia until April 6, 2025.
The Ins and Outs of Shared-Table Dining
The Shared Tables option offered with Carnival Cruise Line’s Your Time dining program is being requested less and less often, according to Brand Ambassador John Heald.
Responding to a guest comment on his popular Facebook page, where he interacts with past, present, and future guests, Heald explained that, even when a passenger requests a shared table, it is not always possible to oblige.
One guest complained that he had requested to share a dinner table in his ship’s main dining room on three nights during his recent voyage, and each time he ended up dining alone. It can be difficult, Heald noted, to pair up parties at the same table unless guests happen to arrive at the same time.
Choosing early or late seating, he added, increases the possibility that a shared table request can be accommodated.
Heald also told future guests that they can contact him five days before their departure date to request a shared table during either the early or late seating and he will make the arrangements for them.
Ship’s Smoke Plume Raises Alarm in Tortola
Cruise Ships Docked in Tortola (Credit: Environmental Health
Ministry)
Local environmental officials on Tortola, British Virgin Islands, became concerned when they saw a plume of white smoke coming from the 4,000-guest Norwegian Epic as the ship was docked for a port call.
The Norwegian Cruise Line ship was sailing a 7-night Caribbean voyage from Port Canaveral when the incident happened. Authorities from the destination’s Environmental Health Division (EHD) evaluated the plume to determine whether any hazardous chemicals were being emitted.
It turned out that no harmful chemicals were being released and that the plume was simply water vapor from the ship’s exhaust gas cleaning system, also known as scrubbers. In fact, the ship’s technology is designed to significantly reduce sulphur oxide emissions when in port.
However, the local EHD asked that the ship not use the scrubber technology while docked and instead switch to using a low-sulphur fuel.
Norwegian Epic’s environmental officer said he would consider the request and in the meantime the ship will use marine gas oil within an hour of docking at the island, reverting to traditional fuel after leaving the destination.
Happy Ending to Lost Luggage at PortMiami Terminal
Disembarkation day can be confusing, as cruise passengers hurry off their ship to catch flights home or make other travel connections. For one Royal Caribbean guest, the experience became even more challenging after she arrived at Miami International Airport and realized she left a suitcase at the PortMiami cruise terminal.
The guest immediately notified the cruise line and was told to expect a response in 7 to 10 days. So it was a very pleasant surprise when, just two days later, Royal Caribbean notified her that the lost bag had been recovered and would be returned to her in another two days’ time.
The suitcase arrived as promised, undamaged and with nothing missing. Pleased with the outcome, the guest posted on Reddit that the shipping fee of $73 was probably what she would have spent had she returned to the cruise terminal to search for the bag on debarkation day.
The key to her happy ending was not only Royal Caribbean’s fast action to locate the bag, but the presence of an Apple AirTag packed inside the bag. She advised others who find themselves in a similar situation to quickly fill out a lost-and-found document using the chargeback.com app.
No More Spring-Break Cruises For This Guest
A middle-aged Celebrity Cruises’ guest learned the hard way that a so-called College Party Cruise (CPC) is not ideal for cruisers looking to relax.
The disappointed guest, who had booked a 4-night getaway on the 3,000-guest Celebrity Silhouette from Fort Lauderdale to mark his 45th birthday, posted on Reddit that the $2,000 vacation turned out to be a waste of money.
Spring-break partiers, he said, made up half of the guests onboard, and were routinely noisy through the early hours of the mornings. The cruiser even upgraded his cabin to a balcony stateroom, hoping to put distance between himself and the college kids, but it was to no avail.
Commenters noted that March and April are prime times for students to book short cruises from Florida and that the guest should have known as much.
CPC vacations were launched in 2015 by graduates of the University of Central Florida, who sought an alternative to traditional, land-based spring break getaway options.
Cruise Line Takes Delivery of Norwegian Aqua
Italy’s Fincantieri shipyard has delivered Norwegian Cruise Line’s first Prima Plus-class ship, Norwegian Aqua.
The handover ceremony was held at the company’s Marghera, Italy, shipyard, with some 4,000 workers who helped build the vessel in attendance.
The new-build is about 10% larger than the line’s Prima-class ships, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, coming in at 156,300-gross tons with capacity for 3,571 guests in double occupancy.
Norwegian Aqua will sail her maiden voyage on March 28, 2025, a 7-night transatlantic crossing from Southampton to Boston.
The ship will deploy to PortMiami for her naming ceremony and two short cruises to the Caribbean and Bahamas before beginning a series of 7-night Caribbean voyages from Port Canaveral on April 26, 2025.
Actor Eric Stonestreet, known for his role as Cameron Tucker in the hit TV show “Modern Family,” will christen the ship at PortMiami on April 13, 2025.
Among the ship’s new features is the Aqua Slidecoaster, a rollercoaster/waterslide combo thrill ride with tracks on the top three decks, and the largest outdoor promenade area in the Norwegian fleet.
More Cruise Headlines
Hungry for more cruise news? Check out even more coverage from Cruise Hive including Carnival Cruise Line officially welcoming two former P&O Cruises Australia ships to its fleet; construction starting on a new cruise port in the Dominican Republic; Royal Caribbean taking steps to ease traffic around PortMiami; Virgin Voyages unveiling new entertainment options; and Oceania Cruises taking the wraps off of its 2027 world cruise.
Cruise News Update: Luggage Returned, Advisory, Unexpected Cruise