Key Aspects: The Great Life Lagoon and Vibe Shore Club are among the new spaces now open at Norwegian Cruise Line’s Great Stirrup Cay. The enhancements are part of an island-wide refresh that includes a new dock for two ships. Another major upgrade, Great Tides Waterpark, is set to open in summer 2026. New features
Key Aspects: Oceania Cruises will transition to an adults-only cruise line across its entire fleet. All existing reservations booked before January 7, 2026, will be honored, including those with kids. Reservations made on or after January 7, 2026, will be restricted to guests aged 18 and older. There are only a handful of adults-only cruise
Key Aspects: It is not the Cruise Director but the dance manager who determines if a show can be performed. Rough seas, illness, and technical problems are the top reasons why shows might be adjusted. Carnival Cruise Line is developing new Playlist Production shows that will be released soon onto various ships. Entertainment can be
Key Aspects: Some staterooms have been recategorized for Legend of the Seas, which is launching this summer. This means that some guests have been upgraded to new staterooms, which not everyone is happy about. Those that were moved were switched from Surfside Family View Balconies to Ocean View Balconies. With Legend of the Seas’ maiden
Key Aspects: Police in Nassau County, New York, arrested a woman accused of running a travel agency scam. Tavia Thomas allegedly collected tens of thousands of dollars for cruises and trip that were never booked. Nine people who paid nearly $36,000 for a Royal Caribbean cruise discovered their fraudulent booking on embarkation day. A woman
Key Aspects: Carnival Cruise Line has replaced Lyre’s non-alcoholic spirits with Ritual Zero Proof across its fleet. The new brand is now being used in zero-proof cocktails included with the Cheers Zero Proof beverage package. The cruise line is expected to announce expanded availability for the beverage package beyond first-quarter sailings. Carnival Cruise Line has
Key Aspects: One Carnival guest has requested crew members launder their personal tablecloth for every dinner service. John Heald has confirmed this service is not possible, even though the elderly guest is a Platinum cruiser. Other guests overwhelmingly agree that Carnival should not offer such a service, which could lead to a slippery slope. It
Key Aspects: Princess Cruises will operate an expanded Northern Europe program in summer 2027. There will be 48 voyages to 54 destinations across 18 countries from April through August. Regal Princess, Majestic Princess, Sky Princess, and Caribbean Princess will sail from multiple homeports. As Mediterranean ports grow increasingly crowded in peak summer, more cruise itineraries are shifting north
Key Aspects: Antigua celebrated a robust cruise day on January 4, 2026, when 12,000 guests visited. The island destination is expecting its 2025 cruise arrivals number to reach 900,000. A new cruise terminal in St. John’s is under construction and slated to open in summer 2026. The new year got off to a strong start
Key Aspects: It’s been a busy start to the year at PortMiami, Florida. Carnival warned guests embarking on January 4-5 of increased congestion at the cruise port. 10 ships were present on January 4, with nine more ships in the port on January 5. As one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, it’s
Key Aspects: MSC Sinfonia arrived in Santos around 10 hours late on January 5, 2026. The ship was delayed leaving her previous port due to poor weather conditions. Aside from moving back disembarkation and embarkation, no additional itinerary changes have been announced. MSC Cruises’ MSC Sinfonia finally made it to Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, on
Key Aspects: A routine border exit check at the Bremerhaven cruise terminal in Germany led to the arrest of a cruise ship crew member. The man was subject to two different arrest warrants by two German courts. The warrants included robbery-related theft and a probation violation following an assault conviction. A routine departure check at
