Key Aspects: Star Princess has arrived at the Port of Seattle for the very first time. The arrival marks the beginning of her inaugural Alaska season. Seattle’s 2026 Alaska season is expected to be the biggest ever. Just after making her debut in Los Angeles, Star Princess arrived at the Port of Seattle for the
Key Aspects: Carnival Corporation breaks ground on its new Miami headquarters. The new offices will house all North America cruise brands and open in 2028. 2,000 shoreside tem members will be working from there. Here at Cruise Hive, we often report on what’s going on across the cruise fleets owned by Carnival Corporation. We all
Key Aspects: An 83-year-old American man has died on NCL’s Great Stirrup Cay private island. The tragic incident occurred on Sunday, May 3, while he was snorkeling. The only cruise ship visiting that day was the Norwegian Getaway. According to Eyewitness News Bahamas, an 83-year-old man from the United States has died at Norwegian Cruise
Key Aspects: Three cruise guests from Ocean Expedition’s MV Hondius have died, with one confirmed death from hantavirus. The World Health Organization is conducting tests and monitoring the situation, which includes three additional ill guests. There are several types of hantavirus with different symptoms and severities, depending on overall health conditions. Any death on a
Key Aspects: Spirit Airlines ceased operations and cancelled all flights as of Saturday, May 2, 2026. Travelers booked on Spirit flights may find discounts and assistance from other major airlines. Cruise lines generally do not provide any refunds if guests cannot reach their sailing due to cancelled flights. With Spirit Airlines abruptly ceasing operations as
It has been a tough week in the cruise world. Two lives were lost at sea, a charter organizer is facing charges over hundreds of thousands in unpaid refunds, and Carnival’s most loyal guests just found out their perks won’t mean much on one very popular Alaska sailing. But it wasn’t all bad news. Royal
Key Aspects: Royal Caribbean revised the itinerary for Legend of the Seas’ July 25, 2026, departure. Notably, the visit to Alicante, Spain, has been replaced with a call at La Spezia, Italy. The rest of the itinerary has been reordered, and the time in certain ports has been adjusted. Legend of the Seas hasn’t entered
Key Aspects: Goldbelt Tram, a popular attraction enjoyed by cruise guests in Juneau, is temporarily closed following an accident. The cruise lines have not commented publicly on the incident, but will likely automatically refund Goldbelt Tram shore excursions for the time being. More than a dozen cruise ships are expected in Juneau over the next
Key Aspects: Only 700 individuals survived the sinking of the Titanic, and it’s estimated that less than 100 of those were rescued directly from the water. Hypothermia is now considered a major cause of death for Titanic passengers, superseding drowning, which was the originally recorded cause. Hypothermia can occur at any point where the body loses heat faster than it
Key Aspects: The Free at Sea drink gratuities are increasing by $3.50 per person, per day, but only on cruises from 2-5 nights. This makes the drink gratuity rate $32 per person, per day instead of the previous daily rate of $28.50. No other gratuities, including the daily service charge, are changed at this time.
Key Aspects: Norfolk, Virginia, is hosting a Spring Wine Festival during the weekend of May 2-3, 2026. The event will bring road closures and heavy traffic to the Waterfront in Downtown Norfolk. Guests embarking on Carnival Sunshine on May 2 should allow extra time to reach the cruise port. Thousands of cruisers are surely looking
Key Aspects: Several guests of Celebrity Summit’s previous sailing experienced gastrointestinal illness. Out of an abundance of caution, the ship was deep cleaned and sanitized before guests were allowed to embark on April 30. Passengers were told not to arrive at the cruise port before 11:30 a.m. or before their scheduled appointment time. Embarkation for
