Get up to date on all of the major cruise news developments from the past week with the latest edition of Cruise Hive’s weekly recap. We have stories from Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, and MSC Cruises.
Make sure you stay well informed by signing up for Cruise Hive’s Daily Update, so the big cruise stories are delivered right to your inbox.
Allure of the Seas’ Guests Enjoy a Birds-Eye View
Allure of the Seas Owl (Photo Credits: Darryl Brooks & GameSyns)
There are more than 12,000 plants in the Central Park neighborhood onboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, and the leafy area recently attracted three stowaways of the avian variety — two burrowing owls and a warbler.
Their presence was made known after the Oasis-class ship departed PortMiami on February 10, 2025, as she began a 12-night transatlantic voyage to Barcelona. Guests and crew members watched the critters, exploring other parts of the ship, such as the mini-golf course and the ship’s solarium.
According to social media posts, one owl has been captured and is being taken care of by the ship’s crew, while the second owl was temporarily captured but then escaped. The tiny warbler remained at large. The plan was to capture the two birds and debark all three at the ship’s first call in Cartagena, Spain.
Regardless of the outcome, the transatlantic voyage guests will have a unique story to tell their friends and families about a unique experience with birds at sea.
Allure of the Seas is due to arrive in Barcelona on February 22, 2025 and begin a series of seasonal Western Mediterranean cruises roundtrip from Barcelona and between that port and Rome.
Third Icon-Class Ship to Be Named Legend of the Seas
Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas
Royal Caribbean revealed that the third ship in its popular Icon class will be named Legend of the Seas. The decision resurrects the name of a Vision-class vessel that sailed for the cruise line from its launch in 1995 to its sale in 2017.
That ship is still sailing, as Marella Discover 2, operated by Marella Cruises in Europe. The new Legend of the Seas is under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland and is scheduled to enter service in July 2026.
The first in the Icon class was, of course, Icon of the Seas, the largest cruise ship sailing today, and the second, Star of the Seas, will debut in August 2025 and be based at Port Canaveral. Icon of the Seas homeports in Miami.
The Icon-class mega-ships have a guest capacity for 5,600 at double occupancy and about 7,600 with all berths occupied.
Legend of the Seas will debut in Europe and spend her first summer season there before deploying to Port Everglades in November 2026.
Name Change Incurs Hefty Fee for Rebooking
Icon of the Seas in Miami (Photo Credit: Ceri Breeze / Shutterstock)
Sometimes, something as simple as a name change can wreak havoc on a travel reservation. That’s what happened to one couple, who booked their Royal Caribbean cruise before they were married, and so used the wife’s maiden name on the booking form.
Fast forward to post-wedding, and the couple’s travel agent attempts to update the booking with his client’s new, married name, which is already on her new passport. Across the travel industry, it’s common practice for suppliers to require that a guest’s reservation exactly match his or her identification.
In this case, the couple had also booked their airfare through Royal Caribbean’s Air2Sea program, and airlines all require that names on a person’s booking and ID match exactly.
The cruise line made the travel agent rebook the guest under her new name, and that came with a $200-plus fee, the agent complained on social media.
Apparently, it was the air ticket that caused the problem. For cruise-only bookings, updating a guest’s name normally is free, however, once the air fare has been booked with a specific airline the fee comes into play.
Golden Pup to Call Star of the Seas Home
Sailor, Star of the Seas Dog
Meet Sailor, the golden retriever pup who will eventually call Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas home.
Like Rover, the cruise line’s golden retriever who sails aboard Icon of the Seas, Sailor hails from Eagleridge Goldens, a champion line golden retriever breeder in Polk City, Florida. Both Rover and Sailor are known as their respective ships’ Chief Dog Officer, even though guests are not allowed to bring canines onboard.
Star of the Seas, the second in the Icon class after Icon of the Seas, is due to launch in August 2025. Before then, little Sailor will remain with her mom for a few months, then be handed over to a trainer.
After that, Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean, says the pup will spend some time with him before a temporary assignment aboard Icon of the Seas, for further training with Rover.
Finally in August, Sailor will board Star of the Seas and serve as the family dog of the new ship, which will be based at Port Canaveral.
Ex-fiancee Nearly Ruins Couple’s Vacation at Sea
Carnival Horizon in Miami, Florida (Photo Credit: Ceri Breeze)
Treachery on the high seas ended on a happy note for one couple who had booked a Carnival Cruise Line sailing aboard Carnival Horizon.
The unusual situation unfolded when the couple noticed a full refund of their cruise fare had been applied to their credit card, but neither had cancelled the booking.
The couple had made the booking in early January and was looking forward to the June 2025 vacation. Following the surprise refund, the puzzled guests called the cruise line and found out that it wasn’t the cruise line that initiated the cancellation — it was someone known to the couple.
In fact it was the husband’s ex-fiancee who had accessed the booking and nixed it. Apparently, she had sailed with him on an earlier cruise and was still listed as the emergency contact. How she got into the booking isn’t clear.
The couple rebooked the cruise but had to settle for an interior cabin, since the fare for the cabin category originally booked had increased. However, after some back-and-forth discussions, a Carnival customer service representative helped them out with a room upgrade and a $300 onboard credit.
Video Provides Sneak Peek Into Celebration Key
Behind the Scenes at Celebration Key (Photo Courtesy: Carnival Cruise Line)
Curious about the look and feel of Celebration Key, the new private destination from Carnival Cruise Line set to open on Grand Bahama Island in summer 2025?
Take a look at a new two-minute video just out from the line that shows the retreat being constructed.
Up to now, the destination’s five portals were depicted in renderings, but in the video those renderings are compared to what the themed areas actually look like while being built. Viewers can see the Calypso Lagoon being filled with water, for instance, and the retail shops at Lokono Cove being constructed.
Some 500 workers and 28 Bahamian companies have been involved in the creation of Celebration Key, which will sport a Bahamas lifestyle theme.
Carnival Vista will be the first ship to call at Celebration Key during the July 12, 2025 departure of an 8-night Southern Caribbean cruise. The ship will visit the new destination on July 19, 2025.
The new destination is on the itineraries of Carnival Cruise Line ships from 10 US homeports.
MSC World America Completes Her Sea Trials
MSC World America Completes Sea Trials
In just over a month, MSC Cruises is slated to take delivery of MSC World America, the second ship in the line’s celebrated World class, and now that the vessel has successfully completed her sea trials, it looks like smooth sailing from here.
The sea trials, which concluded on February 19, 2025, tested the ship’s engine performance, maneuverability, safety systems, propulsion and speed, and navigation equipment.
With those evaluations behind her, the 6,700-guest MSC World America is undergoing her final outfitting at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint Nazaire, France.
The handover of the ship to MSC Cruises is set for March 27, 2025. With 19 dining venues, 18 bars and lounges, nearly 20 stateroom and suite categories, and multiple recreation and relaxation areas, the ship is sure to please guests of all ages.
Following delivery to the cruise line, MSC World America will be christened at PortMiami on April 9, 2025, and operate her maiden voyage from North America on April 12, 2025. The ship will sail 7- and 14-night Caribbean itineraries from Miami.
More Cruise Headlines
Those were some big stories this week, but there are plenty more cruise news stories on Cruise Hive. Check out our coverage about new and refreshed spaces debuting on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore; a Comic-Con cruise set for 2026 on a Celebrity Cruises’ ship; the iconic SS United States headed for a new home; Virgin Voyages alerting guests to a possible scam; and a popular Alaska cruise port gets funding for a new dock and terminal.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
