Key Aspects: Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas has completed six weeks in dry dock in Cadiz, Spain. During this time, the ship received several new dining venues and bars and nearly 100 new staterooms. The ship will resume service in Barcelona on May 21, 2026, with a 4-night sailing. Harmony of the Seas is
Key Aspects: Government leaders in Mexico have rejected Royal Caribbean’s plans to develop Perfect Day Mexico, leading to the project’s cancellation. The project could not overcome significant ecological concerns and has been controversial from the very beginning. While Royal Caribbean is not happy about this, it respects the decision made by the Mexican authorities. In
Key Aspects: Carnival Cruise Line is reminding all guests not to wear camouflage in certain ports of call where it is prohibited. The reminder comes after a 12-year-old guest was escorted back to Carnival Horizon due to camouflage attire. Such restrictions are set by individual countries and ports and are not under the cruise line’s
Key Aspects: Carnival Cabins include most amenities guests may need during their time onboard, but they do not have digital alarm clocks. One guest wrote to Brand Ambassador John Heald to ask that digital alarm clocks be added to cruise cabins. The cruise line has no plans to supply digital clocks at this time, and
Key Aspects: Barcelona’s mayor plans to double tourist taxes on cruise guests in the coming months. The fee increase on day visits was already approved but was to have taken effect gradually over several years. Guests embarking or debarking in Barcelona are not subject to the tax increase. Barcelona can be a phenomenal destination for
Key Aspects: Princess Cruises is removing Istanbul embarkations from multiple 2027 Mediterranean sailings. Guests are sharing notices of schedule changes taking place on Enchanted Princess and Sun Princess. New embarkation ports are Trieste, Italy, and Athens, Greece. A planned overnight stay in Istanbul is disappearing from multiple 2027 Princess Cruises sailings, leaving some booked guests rethinking long-planned Mediterranean
Key Aspects: David Rush was a guest aboard Disney Wonder when he set a world record for breaking toothpicks in February 2025. The attempt has not yet been verified due to a submission backlog, but is a significant leap over the previous record. Rush seeks to break a different world record every week, even when
Key Aspects: A Virgin Voyages passenger tipped a crew member $5,000. The crew member was visibly emotional in the widely shared video. The video has sparked new discussions of the importance of tipping on cruises. A routine conversation between a cruise passenger and a member of the housekeeping crew aboard a Virgin Voyages ship turned
Key Aspects: A German tourist has successfully sued his tour company for chair hogs at a resort in Greece. While a cruise line was not involved in this lawsuit, this could be a precedent for similar legal action. Most cruise lines have policies limiting lounger reservations, but enforcement is inconsistent. Lounging by the pool is
Key Aspects: Due to the findings of a recent inspection, Seward’s revitalized cruise terminal needs a little more time before opening. The opening date has been pushed back from May 14, 2026, to May 22, 2026. During the delay, cruise ships bound for Seward are being rerouted to the nearby Whittier, Alaska. Seward’s revitalized cruise
Key Aspects: Carnival’s Mardi Gras came to the aid of a disabled boat near Sebastian’s Inlet. Nine people were successfully rescued and brought onboard, and their boat was later retrieved by the US Coast Guard. The refugees were handed over to Bahamian authorities in Nassau the morning after the rescue. Carnival Cruise Line to the
Key Aspects: Radiance of the Seas temporarily lost power after departing Cozumel on May 16, 2026. Guests reported the ship went dark and drifted for a period before propulsion was restored. Passengers also reported the ship had returned to Cozumel before the outage to deal with a medical emergency. Passengers aboard Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas experienced
