On June 6, 2025, just a week into a 113-day world cruise, Crown Princess experienced some less-than-ideal weather off the southern coast of Australia. While en route from Sydney to Adelaide, the ship was already encountering rough seas when sailing near the border of Victoria and South Australia. Unexpectedly, the wind shifted from 45 knots
With the Atlantic Hurricane Season now underway and seasonal predictions for an above-normal number of storms, cruisers may be understandably nervous about how their oceangoing vacations may be impacted. While it is inevitable that cruises will be affected by hurricanes every year, Carnival Cruise Line is offering great insights about how ships are kept safe
A top management change is on the horizon at Royal Caribbean Group, as longtime chairman of the board Richard Fain, considered a pioneering visionary across the cruise industry, is due to step down from the post in late 2025. Fain has held the top executive position since 1988, overseeing the Royal Caribbean brand and paving
Cruisers asked, and Royal Caribbean answered. The cruising community is looking for more non-smoking casino access, and their wish is the cruise line’s command. On Royal Caribbean’s more modern cruise ships, the smoking and non-smoking sections of the casino are separate venues entirely. For many, this is a welcomed change from simply splitting two sides
Many cruise travelers carefully select their cruise lines, individual ships, and departure dates for specific itineraries that best match their vacation dreams. It can be frustrating, then, to receive an email letting you know that your itinerary has been changed. Guests aboard four Carnival cruise ships have received such notifications, but without any frustration at
You can sleep with the balcony door open. Just be considerate about it. That’s the latest clarification from Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador John Heald, who recently addressed a frequent point of confusion among cruise passengers. Some guests have written to Heald in complaint, saying that passengers sleeping with their balcony doors open are inconsiderate
Two Mexico destinations are getting a big boost in cruise arrivals thanks to Royal Caribbean’s first-time deployment of Ovation of the Seas to the Port of Los Angeles. The Quantum-class ship is the first in that class to seasonally homeport in the City of Angels. With capacity for 4,100 guests, Ovation of the Seas joins
Diana Ross, the “queen of Motown Records” whose talent as lead vocalist for The Supremes catapulted her to stardom in the 1960s, will serve as godmother to Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, the second ship in the line’s pioneering Icon class. Royal Caribbean announced the selection of Ross to the honorary post on June
An Alaskan cruise can be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure for travelers and is certainly a bucket-list sailing even for experienced guests. Thousands of guests booked to visit the Last Frontier in 2026, however, are now learning that they won’t be going to one of the state’s most important and historically significant cities. Royal Caribbean guests booked
The very first Carnival cruise ship was the Mardi Gras. The ship started sailing for Carnival in 1972, and the “Fun Ships” have kept coming ever since! Mardi Gras was 27,200 gross tons, a huge difference from the new 183,521 gross ton Excel-class vessels we see today. As of December 4, 2023, the newest new-build
From embarkation check-in at the terminal to lunchtime at the buffet to waiting to enter a show before the evening’s entertainment, there are a lot of lines on any cruise vacation. But who wants to waste precious hours of a getaway standing in lines? Savvy cruisers have plenty of tricks to shorten those waits without
Virgin Voyages has just notified guests three days ahead of their upcoming cruise on Valiant Lady of some important itinerary changes that are taking place as a result of engine maintenance. “We have made an itinerary update to your Dominican Daze voyage, sailing on June 6, 2025,” the email notification read. This letter was sent
