Key Aspects: Quintana Roo recorded its strongest cruise tourism year in 2025, with more than 7.4 million cruise passengers. The Mexican state saw 1,874 ship calls across its ports, with Cozumel receiving 4.62 million passengers and Costa Maya adding 2.8 million guests. Officials are hoping new developments will help it set a new record in
Key Aspects: A guest who may have meningitis was evacuated from Costa Diadema on Monday, December 29. The ship diverted to Laguna, Brazil and used a lifeboat tender to bring the guest to shore for emergency care. No details about the guest or their condition have been released. A cruise guest suspected of having meningitis
Key Aspects: Royal Caribbean has won the title of Best Overall Cruise Line of 2025. This is the first time a brand besides Carnival Cruise Line has won this honor. Carnival is now in a close second place behind the newly crowned victor. Step aside, Carnival! There is a new “Best Overall Cruise Line” in
Key Aspects: Different efforts to free Coral Adventurer from a reef in Papua New Guinea have failed. Guests have been evacuated from the ship and will fly back to Cairns on chartered flights. There is no timeline for freeing the vessel but local authorities will conduct inspections to ensure her integrity. Despite multiple different efforts
Key Aspects: Norfolk, Virginia, completed a nearly full year of uninterrupted weekly cruising in 2025 with 338,959 passenger visits. The port reported a total of 47 ship calls from Carnival Cruise Line and an additional 15 port-of-call stops from other cruise operators. The city is preparing for continued growth in 2026 with its first-ever full
Key Aspects: With 22.4% of the vote, Star of the Seas won Best New Cruise Ship of 2025 as voted by Cruise Hive readers. MSC World America and Star Princess were second and third place, respectively. Star of the Seas is following in the wake of Icon of the Seas‘ win for the same category
Key Aspects: Celebrity Eclipse has replaced a port call for its April 19, 2026, sailing to Grand Cayman and the Bahamas. Instead of Nassau, Bahamas, the ship will instead visit Perfect Day at CocoCay. Recently booked guests may not have been officially notified of the change yet, leading to confusion. Some future guests of Celebrity
The Mobile Cruise Port is a favorite among travelers hoping for a more laid-back experience. It’s a modern and easily accessible port centrally located in the city’s downtown. It’s situated along the scenic Mobile River and serves nearly 200,000 cruise passengers annually. In my opinion, it’s one of the best ports to sail from due
Key Aspects: A young child fell between Carnival Sunrise and the dock in Celebration Key recently. The child’s mother jumped into the water as well, but the fast-acting crew quickly rescued both guests. No details on the guests’ names or ages have been released but they do not appear to have been injured. It was
Key Aspects: MSC World America has been named the best overall cruise ship of 2025. The 2025-launched vessel is known for both innovative dining and thrills at sea. Star of the Seas and Norwegian Aqua land in second and third place, respectively. There is no shortage of great cruise ships out there, but only one
Key Aspects: One parent has shared an incident and the consequences of their teen’s poor behavior aboard Carnival Dream. The teen and several friends damaged a machine in the ship’s arcade, and have been fined and will pay for the damage. The family is not banned but it is refreshing to see appropriate consequences from
Key Aspects: Norwegian Getaway became the first ship to dock at Great Stirrup Cay’s new pier on December 28, 2025. Previously, Norwegian Cruise Line’s private destination had only been a tender port. All Norwegian Cruise Line ships will benefit going forward, including sister brands like Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises. On December 28,
