I was fortunate to be invited by Norwegian Cruise Line to sail on Norwegian Getaway with my wife and son to the media event for the new Great Tides Waterpark on August 2nd. These are all my own opinions and thoughts. It’s the largest enhancement Norwegian Cruise Line has ever added to Great Stirrup Cay, which
Key Aspects: MSC World Atlantic has floated out at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard, touching water for the first time. The fourth World Class ship will remain at the shipyard for interior, public-space, and technical work before delivery in 2027. It will debut from Port Canaveral in November 2027 with 7- and 14-night Caribbean cruises.
Key Aspects: Virgin Voyages is alerting guests that the October 3, 2026 sailing of Brilliant Lady may need to reroute due to Hurricane Rachel. The 7-night cruise is scheduled for three Mexican Riviera ports, but guests are advised to pack for cooler temperatures just in case. No official itinerary change has been confirmed, but the
Key Aspects: Toilets in affected areas of Oasis of the Seas will be unable to flush during two 2-hour intervals on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The ship’s vacuum system, which is necessary for flushing operations, must be temporarily shut off for essential maintenance. Oasis of the Seas will be docked in Nassau, Bahamas, at the time
Key Aspects: A total of 87 cruise ship crew members have been removed from ships at the Port of Boston since mid-August 2026 for association with child sexual exploitation or abuse materials. The removals have been part of Operation Tidal Wave, which also removed crew members from ships in San Diego in April and San
Key Aspects: A suspected broken line aboard Harmony of the Seas sent water pooling through a passenger corridor shortly before 7:00 a.m. on September 29. One passenger who filmed the incident believes only two staterooms were actually flooded and praised Royal Caribbean crew members for responding quickly. Less than two hours later, affected carpeting had
Key Aspects: Carnival Festivale has officially floated out at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, marking a major milestone in the construction of Carnival Cruise Line’s next new ship. In May 2027, the ship will debut with a 15-day transatlantic voyage from Southampton before beginning year-round cruises from Port Canaveral. The 182,015-gross-ton vessel is Carnival’s
Key Aspects: A 29-year-old woman, Nathalie Belizaire, allegedly left her four young children home alone while she went on a Carnival Conquest cruise that departed on Friday, September 25, 2026. The father of one of the children, a 2-month-old infant, grew concerned about the children’s well-being and discovered they were home alone without any adult
Key Aspects: Princess Cruises is increasing the daily prices of Princess Plus and Princess Premier by $5 for voyages departing October 13, 2026 onward. Standalone WiFi pricing will also change, with Princess introducing a two-device option and adjusting its one-device rates. The standalone four-device WiFi plan will be discontinued, although four-device access will remain included
Key Aspects: Royal Caribbean is simplifying its cancellation penalty structure for new deployment bookings and will roll out the changes to all new bookings from October 11, 2026. The cruise length tiers for cancellation are being adjusted to 1-4 nights, 5-9 nights, and 10 nights or longer instead of the current structure of 1-4 nights,
Key Aspects: Longtime Carnival Cruise Line Captain Francesco “Ciccio” La Farina died on September 26 following a battle with cancer. La Farina’s friend, Jorge Solano, announced his passing on social media. Former colleagues and crew members are remembering La Farina as a humble and respected captain. On September 26, 2026, longtime Carnival Cruise Line Captain
Key Aspects: Photos of a coordinated shirt prank are circulating on social media after more than 100 men fell for the fun on Star of the Seas. The shirt meetup was on Caribbean night during the ship’s June 14, 2026 sailing and involved identical red Hawaiian shirts. Such pranks are arranged all in good fun
