Cruise News Update: Ice Warning, Clash at Private Island, Cancellations
Stay on top of all the exciting cruise news right here at Cruise Hive, where our weekly recap brings you industrywide coverage. Top stories this week include a possible UFO sighting at a major Mexican cruise port, and an altercation between guests at Perfect Day at CocoCay.
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Sea Ice And Other Warnings For Greenland Voyage
Who knew there would still be sea ice drifting off Greenland in late May, possibly causing a cruise ship’s itinerary to change? The captain of Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Pride, that’s who.
Guests booked on the ship’s 14-night cruise to Greenland and Canada, which departed on a roundtrip cruise from Baltimore on May 25, 2025, were notified that sea ice is present in the area and might impact the ship’s routing.
It turns out that temperatures around Greenland in May typically average about 39 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, dipping to 27 degrees at night.
In addition to the sea ice warning, guests were also cautioned that anyone with mobility issues might have problems going ashore at ports where the ship cannot dock at a pier but rather uses tenders to ferry guests to land.
The first three port calls are tender ports — Nanortalik and Qaqortoq in Greenland, and Saint Anthony, in Newfoundland, Canada.
In the case of the tender ports, guests also were reminded that mobility devices must be foldable in order to be placed on a tender boat.
UFO Speculation as Ship Calls at Cozumel
Was it a bird, a plane, a drone, a ghost — or maybe even a UFO? Cruisers sailing onboard Margaritaville at Sea’s Islander caught sight of something strange as the ship was docked for a port call in Cozumel, Mexico, on May 18, 2025.
The unknown object was seen by guests and videotaped from a land-based webcam that was facing Cozumel’s International Pier, where the 2,600-guest ship was docked. The footage showed a dark, round metallic thing flying fast through the air.
The quality of the image wasn’t great, and it was impossible to tell what the object was, however, with the abundance of drones flying over destinations around the globe, it might be a good bet that’s what it was.
Cozumel is one of the busiest cruise ports in the Caribbean, sometimes hosting up to 10 ships at a time and well over 1,000 ship calls each year. So, if you are among those with a cruise itinerary that includes Cozumel, remember to look up.
How Close Is Too Close to a Private Cabana?
It wasn’t a perfect day for everyone at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in the Bahamas, on May 24, 2025.
One of the luxury experiences on the private island is renting over-water cabanas in the destination’s Chill Island area. Rentals can cost a few thousand dollars for the day, and for that price, guests expect an exclusive atmosphere.
However, on this day, guests using the nearby public swimming area apparently ventured too close to one cabana, prompting the cabana renters to start an altercation with the swimmers. This included a shouting match that led to profanities and the situation devolved into thrown punches — and we don’t mean rum punches!
Lifeguards had to intervene. The altercation was, of course, filmed and uploaded to social media. Royal Caribbean has not commented on the squabble, but it shows that not everyone chills out on Chill Island.
Carnival Ambassador Dismisses Adults-Only Rumor
It didn’t take long for the cruise community to spread rumors about Carnival Cruise Line becoming an adults-only line, or offering a steady stream of adult-only voyages.
The speculation started when the line, which draws mainly families, announced it would host special Casino Offer voyages on Carnival Magic in November 2025. Since the cruises will be centered on casino events and tournaments, only adults over 18 will be allowed to sail.
But Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, who interacts with guests on his popular Facebook page, has put the kibosh on the notion that the cruise line is changing into an adults-only brand.
It turns out that Carnival Magic was to have been in dry dock during most of November 2025, but the shipyard plan was postponed. The delay provided an opportunity for the line to schedule cruises during November after all, and it chose to plug in a few casino-themed voyages.
Casino Offer cruises typically are by invitation-only for guests in the Carnival Players Club casino loyalty program.
Star of the Seas Completes Trials, Adds Preview Cruises
Royal Caribbean’s soon-to-launch Star of the Seas, second in the Icon class, completed her sea trials with flying colors and returned to Finland’s Meyer Turku shipyard on May 27, 2025.
Sea trials are a key component of the construction process, as all onboard systems are put to the test, such as navigation, propulsion, and safety, before the final touches are put in place prior to delivery to the cruise line.
The 5,600-guest ship, sister to the line’s popular Icon of the Seas, was at sea for eight days while the trials were held. They finished in record time, enabling the shipyard to handover the vessel a bit early.
That means Royal Caribbean can introduce the new-build earlier than expected. In fact, it will enable the line to add three showcase sailings before the ship’s 7-night inaugural voyage from Port Canaveral on August 31, 2025.
The preview cruise schedule now includes a three-night cruise departing on August 20, 2025, followed by two four-night sailings. All of the preview sailings will make one port call, to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in the Bahamas.
Carnival Conquest Cancels Sailings Due to Dry Dock Change
Scheduling dry docks for its ships seems to be an ongoing challenge for Carnival Cruise Line. For the second time in recent weeks guests were informed that cruises have been cancelled due to the changing dates of shipyard maintenance. This time it’s Carnival Conquest.
Seven voyages aboard the 3,000-guest ship with departure dates in January 2026 no longer will operate, thanks to dry dock scheduling changes.
All impacted sailings were 3- and 4-night Bahamas cruises set to depart PortMiami between January 5, 2026 and January 26, 2026. Guests can rebook on a similar itinerary and get an onboard credit up to $100 per stateroom, or receive a full refund.
The cruise line also will reimburse up to $200 per guest for those having to pay non-refundable change fees for air travel (documentation required).
In mid-April, multiple voyages aboard Carnival Horizon and Carnival Magic were cancelled due to rescheduled dry docks. Ships usually undergo dry dock maintenance once every three to five years.
Virgin Voyages Nixes Three Cruises in Summer 2026
Guests booked on three Virgin Voyages cruises in 2026 received the disappointing news that their sailings aboard Valiant Lady have been cancelled.
One 10-night sailing departing from Barcelona on June 28, 2026, and two 14-night cruises, both roundtrip from Portsmouth, England, on July 8 and July 22, 2026, no longer are operating.
Cruisers were presented with a few options, including rebooking any sailing, with price protection and a $100 onboard credit per stateroom. A second alternative was to rebook on a choice of three Scarlet Lady itineraries, all departing in 2025. This option comes with a $300 onboard credit.
And finally, guests can opt for a full refund, which can be either repayment or a future cruise credit (FCC). Cruisers have 60 days to decide, after which their refund will be processed as an FCC.
Meanwhile, several new, shorter sailings were unveiled for June and July 2026, all from Barcelona. These voyages take place during the same timeframe as the cancelled sailings, and are 6- to 10-night cruises.
More Cruise Headlines
Ready for more news? Check out additional stories brought to you by Cruise Hive, including Holland America adding solar eclipse sailings in 2027, Tropical Storm Alvin forming in the eastern Pacific, and Juneau nearly doubling its cruise ship docking fees.
Also, MSC Cruises sailing from two Caribbean ports starting in 2026; and Celebrity Cruises upgrading its Solstice-class ships.
Cruise News Update: Ice Warning, Clash at Private Island, Cancellations