Archives for October 2024

Just days after Hurricane Helene closed cruise ports and disrupted itineraries across the Sunshine State, Tropical Storm Milton has formed in the western Gulf of Mexico and is poised to cause even more cancellations, closures, and alterations. Royal Caribbean’s Chief Meteorologist Craig Setzer is closely monitoring the storm’s development and how it will likely impact ships in the fleet. At the … [Read more...]

Cruise ships generally have a service life of 20-30 years or longer, but with thousands of guests aboard each week, they can begin to look worn and outdated after just a few years. This is why ships have dry docks for regular refreshment, and Carnival Radiance is certainly looking more radiant than ever after her recent refurbishment. The 101,509-gross-ton ship, formerly Carnival Victory, … [Read more...]

Not all news is bad news. In fact, some good news can bring tears to our eyes, such as when 12-year-old Aiden Parker reunited with Stephanie Weiss, MD, the Carnival Cruise Line senior physician who played a critical role in saving his life earlier this year. During a video call aired on Good Morning America on October 4, 2024, Aiden and his mother thanked Dr. Weiss. “I … [Read more...]

Since most cruise ships operate back-to-back sailings, where they disembark and re-embark on the same day, it’s quite common for disembarkation to begin early in the morning. But on Norwegian Gem’s upcoming voyage on December 2, 2024, the disembarkation process will essentially commence in the middle of the night.  The 19-ship cruise line wrote to guests to inform them that they would … [Read more...]

The Port of Vancouver, the largest port in Canada, is already breaking past records and the year isn’t even over.  On October 1, 2024, the port shared a mid-year update on cruise tourism, reporting that 554,546 passengers passed through the Canada Place cruise terminal between March 1 and June 30, 2024.  This marks a positive 13% increase over the record of 490,119 cruise guests … [Read more...]

The recent outbreak of gastrointestinal illness aboard Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas has been confirmed as salmonella, a relatively rare causative agent for cruise ship disease reporting. The outbreak occurred on the ship’s last sailing of the 2024 Alaska season, a 7-night voyage that departed Vancouver, Canada on Friday, September 20. During the week, the ship visited Sitka, Icy … [Read more...]

Cruise travelers often book sailings well in advance to get the best deals and the best selection of ships, itineraries, and staterooms. It can be disappointing, then, to have found the perfect cruise only to have it cancelled, no matter how far in advance that may be. Guests booked on two sailings of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Getaway have now been notified of just that situation as … [Read more...]

A preliminary vote count points to a decisive rejection of a citizen petition that would prevent large cruise ships from docking in Juneau, Alaska on Saturdays and on the July 4 holiday. Residents of Juneau, Alaska’s capital city and a major port call during the summer season, voted in a municipal election on October 1, 2024. One ballot measure asked whether cruise ships carrying more than 250 … [Read more...]

Norwegian Cruise Line has alerted guests booked on a November cruise to Japan that their ship’s itinerary has been tweaked, cutting out one overnight in port and altering arrival and departure times in five other destinations. Just six weeks before the November 15, 2024 departure, cruisers set to sail on Norwegian Spirit’s 11-day voyage from Incheon, South Korea, to Tokyo, Japan learned that … [Read more...]