Key Aspects: Specialty dining venues Makoto Ocean and Crown Grill were added to Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess. Diamond Princess is based year-round in East Asia, with most guests hailing from the region. Makoto Grill was formed in partnership with celebrity chef Makoto Okuwa. The number of specialty dining venues aboard Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess has
Key Aspects: A medical emergency unfolded onboard Freedom of the Seas. The Royal Caribbean ship made an early return to PortMiami to disembark the ailing guest on January 26, 2026. Because of the diversion, the planned call to Grand Turk is no longer possible and has been replaced. A medical emergency onboard Freedom of the
Key Aspects: MSC Cruises has opened its 130,000-square-foot North American headquarters in Miami. The new office will be home to more than 400 team members. The cruise line remains committed to expanding North American operations with more ships. The largest cruise line in Europe and third-largest in the world, MSC Cruises, has officially opened its
Key Aspects: Norwegian Cruise Line’s NCL Air program now requires guests to fly to their homeport at least one day ahead of sailing. The change takes effect from January 26, 2026 and applies to all new bookings or existing reservations that are repriced. Guests will be responsible for their own hotel reservations unless using the
Key Aspects: The Pearl has been lifted into place on the fourth Icon-class ship, a key construction milestone. The spherical structure is an architectural marvel and a guest favorite selfie spot onboard the Icon-class ships. Construction progress continues on the vessel, and she should debut in 2027. At the same time that the Meyer Turku
Key Aspects: Carnival Pride will be arriving in Baltimore one day late because of Winter Storm Fern. Embarkation will not be able to take place until the late afternoon on January 26 due to snowy conditions. Aside from skipping Bimini on January 28, no additional itinerary changes are expected. Thanks to the historic Winter Storm
Key Aspects: Odyssey of the Seas will be a day late returning to Cape Liberty, New Jersey, due to the winter storm. This automatically shortens the next sailing by a day and two port visits are now cancelled. The remainder of the itinerary remains unchanged and Odyssey of the Seas is in no danger. Winter
Key Aspects: Two cruise ships have been severely impacted by Winter Storm Fern with itinerary adjustments and delays. Three additional ships have been on alert for possible changes due to inclement weather. Flight cancellations and hazardous driving conditions can cause travel problems for thousands of cruise guests. Winter Storm Fern is ravaging much of the
Key Aspects: Winter Storm Fern is expected to drop up to 12 inches of snow in parts of New York, along with sleet and freezing rain. This will not impact MSC Meraviglia’s arrival at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal on January 25, 2026. Guests embarking on the ship that day should take extra precautions when making
Key Aspects: Anthem of the Seas has developed technical issues and will late returning to Sydney on Tuesday, January 27. The next cruise has already been cancelled so full repairs can be made. Royal Caribbean is offering compensation to guests on both sailings to assist with change fees and travel plans. Anthem of the Seas‘
What’s the best way to stay on top of news and developments in the cruise industry? Read the stories on Cruise Hive, of course! In this week’s news round-up, we have coverage of Royal Caribbean starting construction of its fifth Icon-class ship, thousands of local residents signing a petition to stop a new cruise terminal
Key Aspects: Carnival Cruise Line has alerted guests for two more ships about the possible impact of the weekend’s winter storm. The ships now on alert are Carnival Jubilee from Galveston and Carnival Sunshine from Norfolk. There are not yet any changes to either ship, but delays or itinerary adjustments may still be necessary. Following
