Key Aspects: Previously, Amsterdam imposed limits on ship calls and made plans to relocate the cruise terminal. But now, the local government is making plans to ban ocean-faring cruise ships entirely by 2035. This is being done in an effort to mitigate overtourism and pollution in the city. After announcing limitations for cruise ships just
Key Aspects: Margaritaville at Sea announces an expanded lineup of bars, lounges, and music venues for its new ship, Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber. The lineup includes a mix of new concepts and returning venues. A Zac Brown-curated live music space will be the centerpiece. Guests sailing aboard Margaritaville at Sea’s new Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber will have no
Key Aspects: The Port of New Orleans welcomed more than one million cruise passengers in 2025. This is the ninth year in a row (disregarding the pandemic) that the port has hosted more than one million guests. More and larger ships homeported from the Big Easy will help the record-breaking trend continue in 2026 and
Key Aspects: MSC Cruises’ MSC Opera is set to deploy year-round to the Dominican Republic. The ship will begin sailing from La Romana in November 2026. The cruise line previously offered only seasonal voyages in the Southern Caribbean. MSC Cruises is gearing up to deploy its MSC Opera to the Southern Caribbean on a year-round
Key Aspects: A new round of sailings for Spectrum of the Seas are being adjusted to remove port visits to Japan. In some cases, sailings are being shortened, while other cruises simply have substitute ports. Royal Caribbean is offering compensation only for the most dramatically changed cruises. Guests sailing on Spectrum of the Seas from
Key Aspects: Several suites in Norwegian Luna’s The Haven were mistakenly listed as having three bedrooms when they only have two. The cruise line is offering a $500 onboard credit as compensation for the description error. There is no change to the amenities and overall size of the staterooms, just the number of bedrooms. With
Key Aspects: Silver Muse has spent at least one extra night in Valletta, Malta, to wait out Cyclone Harry. The scheduled calls to La Goulette-Tunis, Tunisia, and Cagliari, Italy, had to be cancelled as a result. The luxury ship is still intending to make its final port call of the sailing as scheduled in Valencia
Key Aspects: Cyclone Harry is stirring up trouble in the Mediterranean, bringing heavy winds, intense rains, and high swells. This dangerous weather has forced MSC World Europa to skip its calls to Messina, Italy, and Valletta, Malta. Not only does this impact current passengers, but also ruins the embarkation and disembarkation planned for Messina. Due
Key Aspects: A Change.com petition has been started against the new cruise port proposal on Florida’s west coast. In just four days, more than 6,000 signatures have been added to the rapidly growing petition. The new port is just a proposed idea at this point and no development has yet been confirmed. While cruise travelers
Key Aspects: A male guest jumped overboard Star Breeze reportedly following a marital dispute on January 19. The luxury cruise ship did conduct a search and local authorities are also involved. The guest has not yet been found but the investigation into the incident is ongoing. An upset guest took the drastic step of jumping
Key Aspects: All ships in the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) fleet will offer live broadcasts of the FIFA matches. Two channels will enable guests to watch more than one match at a time. The games will be held between June 11 and July 19, 2026. Add another cruise line to the growing list of brands
Key Aspects: Meyer Turku shipbuilders officially began construction on Royal Caribbean’s fifth Icon Class ship. The steel-cutting ceremony took place on January 19, 2026, with representatives from Royal Caribbean Group on hand. The initial steel cutting signals the first production phase of the vessel, scheduled for delivery in summer 2028. Royal Caribbean’s fifth Icon ship
