Cruise News Update: Floating Out, Chair Hogs, Cancellation, Upgrades
Cruise Hive’s weekly update is the best way to stay on top of all the big developments impacting the global cruise community. This week, we’re writing about Disney Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, and Princess Cruises.
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Disney Adventure Floats Out of Construction Bay
Disney Cruise Line marked a major milestone in the construction of its biggest ship to date, the 6,000-guest Disney Adventure, with the float-out of the massive vessel at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Wismar, Germany.
The 208,000-gross-ton ship touched water for the first time on April 19, 2025, signaling the completion of her hull. Now, the interior and exterior work continues as the ship prepares to enter service in December 2025.
Disney celebrities Captain Minnie and Captain Mickey attended the big event, as did cruise line officials and local dignitaries. Fireworks added to the celebratory mood as the ship moved out of her construction bay and into Wismar Harbor.
Still to come are sea trials, likely to be held in late summer or fall, and the final addition of onboard experiences such as waterslides and a roller coaster, among other thrilling activities.
The ship will cater to the Asia market when she launches later this year. Based in Singapore, Disney Adventure will offer 3- to 5-night getaway cruises to nowhere, meaning that voyages do not call at any ports.
Complaint Focuses on Cruise Line’s Bread Policy
It’s fun to have something to nosh on as you peruse a restaurant menu and sip a drink, and in lots of cruise ship dining rooms, this means a basket of fresh bread.
But it seems that Carnival Cruise Line has quietly altered its bread offerings, from providing the traditional basket of carb-rich delights to a serving of just two slices of bread per person.
That was the source of a guest’s complaint to cruise line brand ambassador John Heald, who interacts with cruisers on his popular Facebook page. Why, the guest wanted to know, is the cruise line now stingy with bread?
Heald assured the worried cruiser that there is no limit on bread, and all one has to do is request more from the wait staff and it will be served.
No official explanation was offered, but it seems likely that preventing the wasting of food might be at the core of the change. So feel free to ask for as much as you wish while sailing on a Carnival Cruise Line ship.
Chair Hogs Find No Sympathy From This Cruise Line
Chair hogging is no longer tolerated on Norwegian Cruise Line ships, where crew are now monitoring so-called “saved” chairs and removing personal items from them if the guest doesn’t occupy the chair within an hour of saving it.
The industry-wide practice of leaving a towel or personal item on a lounge chair in a prime poolside location and then disappearing for hours at a time has been a problem on cruise ships for years. Guests think that they can claim a chair but not use it until some time later, and that’s not fair to others.
On Norwegian Escape recently, guests noticed that crew were putting markers on saved chairs and then, after one hour, removing the personal items that had been left, thereby making the chair available to others.
The new policy is not designed to punish someone who leaves their personal items on a chair while visiting a restroom, or cooling off in the pool, or grabbing a cold drink from a nearby bar.
Rather, it is meant to discourage those who leave a claimed chair unattended for more than an hour. It’s hard to argue with that!
Oosterdam Debuts With Upgrades Following Dry Dock
New and refreshed spaces have emerged aboard Holland America Line’s Oosterdam following a dry dock renovation, and now the ship is set to begin her exciting summer season in the Mediterranean.
The spa onboard the 1,964-guest ship received several key upgrades aimed at tempting guests to spend time and money on various wellness activities.
Inside the popular Greenhouse Spa & Salon, the Thermal Suite was improved to include a new steam room, and now there’s a couple’s massage room and a new sauna.
Some staterooms were upgraded with new bathrooms and balcony furniture, and improvements were made to entertainment spaces, including the Rolling Stone Lounge, which has new furnishings and lighting.
Other public spaces were spruced up, too, such as the Sea View pool, now featuring new teak wood decks and hot tubs, and the casino, which was expanded.
Oosterdam will sail her first Europe cruise from Barcelona on May 3, 2025, and offer a full slate of summer itineraries of varying lengths. In November 2025, the ship will reposition to South America and begin a winter series of voyages that include Antarctica.
Guests Get One Day’s Notice of Cruise Cancellation
Imagine finding out that your cruise is cancelled — the day before departure. That was the case with P&O Cruises’ Aurora, which was due to sail a 3-night voyage from Southampton, UK, to Zeebrugge, Belgium, on April 21, 2025.
On April 20, 2025, booked guests received the bad news. The 25-year-old ship, which accommodates 1,950 guests, is in dry dock in Rotterdam undergoing maintenance, and apparently, some undisclosed repair could not be completed in time to operate the cruise.
The cancellation was announced on Easter Sunday, when it was likely that at least some booked guests were not glued to their phones and reading email, which is how the notice was issued.
In fact, the cruise line’s email noted that guests would be unable to contact the line since the office was closed for the Easter holiday. All guests will receive refunds of their cruise fare and any shore tours that were booked through the cruise line.
P&O Cruises also is giving each guest a future cruise credit valued at 20% of the cruise fare they paid. The credit can be used on any of the line’s voyages booked by April 20, 2027.
Disney Cruise Line Tests Expansion of Onboard App
Disney Cruise Line is testing an expansion of its Navigator app for guests who download the app to their mobile devices.
The test was offered to guests sailing on the April 21, 2025 departure of Disney Wish, which sailed a 4-night Bahamas cruise from Port Canaveral.
Using the app’s added experiences, parents could handle tasks such as registering their children for the line’s Oceaneer Club and signing up for the ship’s cake-decorating competition, for example.
Also, reservations for the AquaMouse water coaster could be made via the app, along with some Disney character meet-and-greet events.
Guests who wanted to participate in the test were told to download the latest version of Navigator, link their stateroom using the ship’s WiFi guest network, and register via the app’s “Onboard Fun” function.
Cruisers could try out the new app with or without having purchased an internet plan. It isn’t clear whether the expanded use of the app will become permanent and be offered fleetwide.
Guests who do not use their mobile devices onboard a Disney Cruise Line ship have no access to the Navigator app, which could put them at a disadvantage when it comes to signing up for activities.
Pullman Beds Not Always the Best Choice For Families
There can be drawbacks to squeezing four people into one cruise ship stateroom, especially when the cabin has two Pullman beds that drop down from the ceiling.
One family sailing aboard Princess Cruises’ Discovery Princess found that out the hard way, when their cabin steward broke the news that both Pullman beds would be accessible only at night.
This meant that the family of four — parents and two kids, had to share the remaining two single beds for nap times during the day, making for an uncomfortable rest. The beds had to remain closed, the steward said, for safety reasons.
However, the family, who shared their experience on social media, received comments from other cruisers who also booked cabins with Pullman beds on the same ship, and said they were made accessible all day long.
Others responded to the frustrated guests that there are more options, such as booking a room with a pull-out couch for the youngsters instead, or springing for two cabins rather than one.
More Cruise Headlines
Those were the top stories of the week, but Cruise Hive has many more cruise news stories you should know about. Check out our coverage of MSC Cruises cancelling a 2026 voyage due to a dry dock schedule; Holland America Line adding two grand voyages in 2027; Celebrity Cruises’ new-build entering service earlier than expected; another viral outbreak impacting a cruise ship, this time a Viking Cruises’ vessel; and Port Canaveral breaking yet another cruise record.
Cruise News Update: Floating Out, Chair Hogs, Cancellation, Upgrades