Key Aspects: Margaritaville at Sea Islander has swapped two port days for her September 5, 2026 departure from Port Tampa Bay. The ship will still be visiting all the planned destinations, but the days and times for Aruba and Curacao have been changed. The other two ports on the itinerary, Grand Cayman and Jamaica, are
Key Aspects: Carnival’s booking system will undergo planned maintenance on Sunday, August 16, 2026. Guests will be unable to book new sailings or modify existing reservations between the hours of 4 a.m. and 12 p.m. ET. Neither the HUB App nor Carnival’s customer service team can be used to modify reservations during this time. If
Key Aspects: MSC Cruises has installed a massive illuminated Dragon aboard MSC World Asia. The cruise line shared a video of the installation ahead of the ship’s December 2026 debut. The 39-foot sculpture features 680 mirrors, 400 meters of strip lighting, and more than 3,000 LED lights. As MSC World Asia nears completion, one of
Key Aspects: Pride of America is making a beeline back to Honolulu, Hawaii, to safely wait out Tropical Storm Lala. In order to make it to her homeport before possible port closures begin, the NCL ship cut its overnight visit to Kauai short. The ship will ride out the worst of the storm outside of
Key Aspects: Norwegian Spirit is not visiting Hilo or Kona as planned on her current sailing, but instead has arrived at Honolulu early. The itinerary change and early arrival to the debarkation port is due to Tropical Storm Lala moving toward Hawaii. Guests have been permitted to debark early if they wish, but the ship
Key Aspects: Carnival Cruise Line is launching a new initiative to recycle shoes left behind on cruises. Shoes left behind or donated will be reused or recycled through a partnership with Miami-based company Sneaker Impact. Carnival estimates the new program could give a second life to roughly 50,000 pairs of shoes. Carnival Cruise Line is
Key Aspects: Royal Caribbean is cancelling multiple Ovation of the Seas cruises due to the ship’s redeployment to Australia in 2027-2028. Guests are being offered rebooking options and change fee waivers, but without price protection and for different sailing dates. Not all guests are pleased with the changes because of the impact to holiday sailings.
Key Aspects: Royal Caribbean has cancelled Navigator of the Seas‘ May 2027 transpacific cruise from Japan to California. The change is due to the ship’s first season homeported from Singapore, beginning in October 2026, being extended. Booked guests are being offered three different rebooking and cancellation options for their changed plans. Royal Caribbean guests booked
Key Aspects: Royal Caribbean is expanding its Asia-Pacific season for 2027-2028 with a total of four ships. Anthem, Ovation, Voyager, and Navigator of the Seas will all offer cruises from various Australian and Asian homeports. Sailings range from 2-13 nights depending on ship and sailing date, giving guests plenty of options to choose from. The
Key Aspects: Carnival Cruise Line’s first-ever solar eclipse cruise offered guests aboard Carnival Legend prime views of the rare celestial event on August 12, 2026. Guests and crew members celebrated the historic milestone with themed entertainment and special beverages. The cruise line will offer three more eclipse sailings in 2027 onboard Carnival Firenze, Carnival Sunshine,
Key Aspects: Mexico’s tourism tax rose from $5 to $10 per person on August 1, 2026. More increases are planned for the next two years, with the fee reaching $21 by August 1, 2028. This is not the only destination to levy a cruise tax, with Hawaii, Greece, and Amsterdam taking similar steps. Cruises to
Key Aspects: Princess Cruises has opened its extensive 2028 Alaska summer season for booking. The season includes 8 ships, 5 departure cities, and 16 destinations across 185 total sailings. Itineraries range from 4-16 days and can be extended further with exclusive cruisetours on land. Every cruise guest who dreams of sailing to Alaska knows these
