Key Aspects: Two different Carnival sailings on different ships are losing Platinum benefits just days after the Carnival Rewards program began. Both cruises are 8-night sailings departing on Saturday, September 5, 2026: Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Vista. Carnival Rewards was introduced partly to address this problem because perks cannot be offered to so many guests
Key Aspects: Royal Caribbean is seeking volunteers willing to change plans for Utopia of the Seas’ September 4, 2026 sailing from Port Canaveral. One confirmed option offers a full cruise fare refund, complimentary transfer to a later Utopia of the Seas sailing, and an upgrade to an Ocean View Balcony stateroom. The reason for the
Key Aspects: Royal Caribbean is cancelling guests’ reservations for Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in Nassau on January 23, 2027. The cancellations are due to a chartered sailing reserving the entire club for that day, with no additional capacity available. Allure of the Seas will be sailing the chartered 4-night Groove Cruise to Nassau that
Key Aspects: Carnival Cruise Line is alerting guests to traffic rerouting and congestion at the Port of Galveston for Saturday, September 5, 2026. Emails were sent to guests boarding Carnival Dream that day to notify them of a cruise terminal change for embarkation. Ongoing road construction at the Port of Galveston has caused increased congestion
Key Aspects: Norwegian Cruise Line has officially unveiled Great Tides Waterpark with a ribbon-cutting event and exclusive preview at Great Stirrup Cay in The Bahamas. Great Tides Waterpark will officially open to cruise guests on September 4, 2026, when Norwegian Luna visits. The nearly 6-acre waterpark features 19 waterslides, an over 800-foot Wandering River, cliff
Key Aspects: MSC Poesia will not visit Endicott Arm for her last three cruises of the Alaska season due to “seasonal operational considerations.” Instead of the scenic cruising, the ship will arrive in Juneau six hours ahead of schedule for an extended visit. No other port visits on MSC Poesia’s September 14 Alaska sailing is
Key Aspects: Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley has chosen Dolly as the name for the Chief Dog Officer on the upcoming Hero of the Seas. Dolly was not originally one of the finalist names but was added to the selection following the singer’s passing. Hero of the Seas is scheduled to debut in August 2027
Key Aspects: Captain Gennaro Arma has announced he is leaving Princess Cruises after 28 years with the cruise line. He has not announced a final departure date or what comes next, though he did not characterize his departure as a full retirement. Arma became widely known as captain of Diamond Princess during its COVID-19 quarantine
Key Aspects: Serenade of the Seas‘ August 30, 2026 departure is now completely cancelled and guests must debark the ship in Vancouver. While guests did board the ship on August 30, the vessel remained in Vancouver for repairs with the hope of a shortened itinerary. All guests will now receive a full refund and a
Key Aspects: A September 5 sailing on Carnival Encounter will no longer visit Cairns due to shallow channel depths. Airlie Beach will move forward a day to September 8 in place of Cairns, with a newly added Townsville call on September 9. The ship will return to Brisbane one hour later than scheduled and Cairns
Key Aspects: MSC Seashore will be leaving Port Canaveral 30 minutes earlier than scheduled on Sunday, September 6, 2026. The cruise line has alerted guests to the change and everyone must arrive at the terminal for check-in no later than 2:30 p.m. No other changes to the ship’s 7-night Western Caribbean and Bahamas itinerary have
Key Aspects: Carnival Breeze hit and scraped along the corner of the pier in Cozumel while docking on Monday morning, August 31, 2026. Video and photos posted online show scraped paint damage on the ship’s starboard hull, but no injuries have been reported. The ship departed Cozumel as planned and appears to be continuing her
