A 69-year-old guest was injured in a fall onboard Holland America Line’s Westerdam.
The ship rushed to Da Nang, Vietnam, where the guest was medically evacuated.
There are no known changes to the remainder of the 27-night itinerary because of this incident.
A 27-night sailing to the Far East onboard Holland America Line’s Westerdam has come to an abrupt end for a 69-year-old German passenger, who was seriously injured in an onboard accident.
The fall and subsequent rescue, which took place in the early morning hours on December 11, 2025, unfolded after the male passenger slipped and fell on a staircase. He was left with a splenic injury and suspected internal bleeding.
At the time of the accident, the 81,811-gross ton ship was sailing through some rough weatherabout 32 nautical miles northeast of the Son Tra Peninsula near Da Nang, Vietnam.
It seems likely that rough seas may have led to rockier conditions onboard, which contributed to the passenger’s fall.
A Speedy Rescue
The man was provided with first aid from the onboard medical team immediately, but it quickly became clear that he required more intensive care than the ship’s team could offer.
As his condition deteriorated, the ship’s captain called for urgent aid from Vietnam’s maritime agencies, which was expertly coordinated by the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (VMRCC).
The VMRCC instructed Westerdam to proceed to Da Nang at top speeds, wherelocal outlets report that the cruise ship rendezvoused with a pilot boat at 3:27 a.m. – only about an hour after the fall occurred at 2:18 a.m.
The 1,964-guest ship was already on track to visit Da Nang that morning, and was coming from Halong Bay, Vietnam.
Holland America Line’s Westerdam (Photo Credit: DLeng)
By 4:30 a.m., the Holland America Line ship had docked at Da Nang’s Tien Sa Port, where local rescue teams were ready and waiting to transfer the patient to a local hospital for further care.
The passenger’s prognosis is unknown, but the efficient action taken by all involved will give him the best possible chance at a full recovery.
Cruise Hive sends our best wishes to the patient and his loved ones as they go through this scary ordeal.
No Impact to the Itinerary
As of the time of publication, the medical evacuation has not caused any changes to the expansive Asian itinerary, which first set sail on November 23, 2025, in Singapore.
Not only was the rescue completed very quickly, but it simply brought the 2004-launched ship to its next port call about four hours early. She was already due to dock in Da Nang that day at around 8 a.m. local time.
Before returning to Singapore on December 20, Westerdam is also still scheduled to visit Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand; and Koh Samui Island in Thailand.
Utopia of the Seas‘ December 15 cruise will swap port days due to the departure delay.
Guests will still visit both ports, but Nassau will be on Thursday instead of Tuesday.
Shore tours will be adjusted automatically or refunded if necessary.
Following the preemptive delay to Utopia of the Seas‘ return to Port Canaveral planned after her weekend cruise, guests on the ship’s December 15, 2025 departure have been notified that not only is their embarkation delayed, but their 4-night itinerary has been changed as well.
As guests boarded the Oasis-class ship on Friday, they were alerted to the delay due to an incoming cold front in Florida late Sunday and early Monday, with high winds and swells that will make it unsafe for the ship to dock on schedule.
The situation was also explained to guests on the ship’s next cruise, so they are aware of the situation and how it will impact their sailing.
“Along with our Chief Meteorologist Craig Setzer, we are closely monitoring the approach of a strong cold front Sunday night into Port Canaveral. This system will bring high winds that will make our schedule arrival into the port challenging,”the email explained.
“With safety in mind, the ship is expected to be delayed in returning to the port by approximately six (6) hours, but the situation remains fluid.”
Royal Caribbean is reminding incoming guests that parking areas and the cruise terminal cannot accommodate new travelers until the guests debarking Utopia of the Seas have departed, so arrival windows for Monday will need to be adjusted.
While the exact times for the new cruise terminal arrival appointments have not been confirmed, the cruise line will reach out by 6 p.m. on Sunday evening, December 14, with updated times and any further instructions.
Itinerary Changed for Next Sailing
The delay to embarkation for the next cruise is not unexpected, but the itinerary change will help ensure everyone can enjoy plenty of time in port regardless.
Fortunately, the December 15 departure is a 4-night cruise that already has a day at sea built in to the schedule, so swapping port visits is possible.
Utopia of the Seas Letter
“Due to our anticipated late departure on Monday, we’ll need to swap our visit to Nassau on Tuesday with a day at sea,”the email said.
“The good news is we’ll still have a chance to visit Nassau on Thursday with updated call times. Not to worry, you’ll still have the same amount of time in port to enjoy everything this beautiful destination has to offer!”
Originally, Utopia of the Seas was to have visited the capital of the Bahamas from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday. With the updated itinerary, the ship will now be in port from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, while Tuesday will be a day at sea.
The visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay on Wednesday, December 17, remains from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. without any changes.
Shore Tours to Be Adjusted or Refunded
Royal Caribbean will automatically reschedule any pre-paid shore tours for Nassau booked through the cruise line according to the updated itinerary. If tours cannot be moved to Thursday, they will be cancelled and refunded to guests’ onboard accounts.
Any funds remaining at the end of the cruise will then be returned to the card on file after debarkation. Such refunds may take up to 14 days, depending on individual banking institutions’ policies.
In January 2025, a Princess Cruises guest was injured after the chair she sat in to watch an onboard show broke.
She is now suing the cruise line, which she says didn’t act appropriately to protect guests from using the defective chair.
This lawsuit comes just over a month after a different action was filed by another Princess guest who was injured using the stairs.
While cruise guests love to pick up souvenirs during their sailings, what they don’t want to come home with is injuries.
Unfortunately, one guest was injured while sailing with Princess Cruises earlier this year, and is now pursuing legal action against the Carnival-owned cruise line.
In December, Marie Cassano filed a lawsuit to seek compensation after her January 2025 sailing on a Princess cruise ship went wrong. The specific ship she was onboard has not been publicly named.
Cassano had sat down in the ship’s main theater to watch a show, when her “seat suddenly came apart and collapsed, causing her severe and permanent injuries.”
The specific injuries suffered by the cruiser have also not been publicly released at this time.
The Damaged Chair (Credit: TMZ)
A picture of the chair in question, which was first published by TMZ, shows the seat on the floor with a piece of yellow caution tape blocking other guests from attempting to sit there.
Cassano alleges that Princess Cruises either did or should have known that the chair was faulty and did not take proper steps to prevent guests from using the defective seat.
As of the time of this writing, Princess Cruises has not commented publicly on this situation.
Is Princess at Fault?
More recent guests of the cruise line have also noticed similar seating issues during their onboard experiences, which could be a coincidence or might point to a bigger issue.
“I had to look twice at the provided photo, because that same seat on the opposite side has been broken since we boarded the Royal on 11/29,” one recent Royal Princess guest said after learning about the lawsuit.
“There’s not even a “We’re on it!” sign on it (as there are many on board),” they continued.
As all the major cruise lines do, Princess Cruises is careful to maintain its cruise ships to the highest possible standards.
It’s important to remember that these ships are in service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – and sometimes things simply go wrong.
Most theaters on Princess ships can accommodate somewhere around 900 to 1,000 guests.
It would also be impractical for busy crew members to check each and every chair before every performance – especially if nothing was obviously wrong at a glance.
Assuming the guest reported her injuries to the crew members, she also would have been offered immediate medical attention and an incident report would have been filed to properly document the event.
Lawsuits are Unavoidable
For any company that works with the general public – such as the major cruise lines – lawsuits are simply inevitable.
With this in mind, the cruise lines have their own legal teams on standby, who are experts in maritime and injury law.
This also isn’t the first lawsuit that Princess has been slapped with, and it likely won’t be the last.
Just over a month ago on November 7, 2025, a separate injury lawsuit was filed against Princess in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida by Elizabeth Knigge.
This guest was sailing onboard Enchanted Princess in July of 2024, when she slipped and fell due to a greasy or oily food substance on the stairs while climbing from Deck 16 to Deck 18.
And to illustrate that adverse legal action isn’t only something that Princess faces, Royal Caribbean is currently dealing with a wrongful death suit that was also filed this month.
The suit claims that a passenger of Navigator of the Seas, named Michael Virgil,died in 2024 after allegedly being served too much alcohol.
In November, Carnival was also served with a lawsuit from two passengers over an alleged bedbug infestation.
Utopia of the Seas will be delayed several hours returning to Port Canaveral on Monday, December 15.
High winds and waves are forecast, which will make it unsafe for the ship to dock.
Boarding guests were given the option to leave the ship instead of setting sail if they preferred.
Typically, when a cruise ship has weather-related delays for debarkation, such delays aren’t confirmed until the day of debarkation or at best, the night before.
Guests onboard Utopia of the Seas‘ December 12, 2025 departure, however, were informed of debarkation delays just as they boarded the ship and three days before those delays would play out.
According to guests on board, several announcements were made over the ship’s public address system during Friday’s embarkation, letting them know the ship would likely be delayed in her return to Port Canaveral.
Utopia of the Seas offers 3- and 4-night sailings, with “Ultimate Weekend” cruises departing on Fridays for three non-stop nights of fun until the ship returns on Monday morning.
This weekend, however, a strong cold front is expected to move through Florida on Sunday evening. This will be followed by gusty winds that would make it unsafe for the ship to dock on time on Monday morning.
According to Windy.com, winds near Port Canaveral are expected to be 30-25 miles per hour as the 236,500-gross-ton, Oasis-class ship would be maneuvering to dock. Gusts at that time could reach as high as 40-45 miles per hour.
Furthermore, the National Data Buoy Center’s marine forecast for East Central Florida indicates not only high winds, but extensive swells when Utopia of the Seas would be arriving. Swells may be up to 11 feet in the morning hours, which can be hazardous for pilot boats joining the ship as well as for docking operations.
Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas (Photo Credit: Justin Kozemchak)
Winds and waves are expected to die down later in the day, and guests have been informed that the ship should be able to dock at approximately 2 p.m. on Monday. At this time, however, this remains just an estimate and the time will not be confirmed until Monday.
There are no other changes to the ship’s itinerary yet. Utopia of the Seas should be visiting Nassau on Saturday, December 13 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by Perfect Day at CocoCay on Sunday, December 14 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If any further changes are necessary, announcements will be made onboard and guests will be informed when those adjustments are finalized.
Guests Had the Option to Leave
Because of the early delay notice, guests were given the option to debark and not go along on the cruise instead.
Despite the disappointment, this might be necessary for weekend vacationers who cannot miss work on Monday or who might not be able to change post-cruise travel plans with a hefty delay.
Guests who did want to debark the ship and not sail after all had to make their decision no later than 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon. This would permit enough time for the ship’s manifest to be properly updated before the vessel left as normal.
Embarkation to Be Delayed
Naturally, the significant delay on Monday morning will also push back embarkation for Utopia of the Seas‘ December 15 departure.
While times will not be confirmed until the day of embarkation, booked guests have been told the ship may be departing as late as 10 p.m.
Embarkation will begin several hours before that estimated departure time, but it will be necessary for the current guests to debark the ship and leave the cruise terminal and parking areas before arriving guests can be accommodated.
“That’s disappointing. I just got the email that we will not be leaving Port Canaveral until 10:00 pm. on Dec 15. 7 hours late. I hope we are reimbursed some funds or received some on board credit for the delay,” one guest who is booked on the following cruise commented.
Since Utopia of the Seas can welcome as many as 5,668 guests at double occupancy (and more than 6,200 when fully booked), more than 11,000 or 12,000 guests may be moving through the cruise terminal in just a few hours.
It will be important for all guests, whether they’re leaving the ship or waiting to board, be patient and adhere to updated cruise terminal arrival times for the smoothest possible experience in these unexpected circumstances.
Furthermore, three other ships may also be delayed at Port Canaveral on Monday, December 15. Disney Wish, Carnival Freedom, and Carnival Glory are also scheduled for turnaround days that day.
Booked guests will want to stay in close contact with either Disney Cruise Line or Carnival Cruise Line for updates on their sailings.
Every Carnival cruiser quickly becomes familiar with their voyage’s cruise director, who they come to know and love as the leader of the fun.
But what some cruise fans might not get to see is the small-but-mighty group of fleet cruise directors, who work to support the Fun Squads across all of Carnival’s ships.
Other cruise lines have similar positions, but Carnival Cruise Line has been the most public about what it really means to be a “fleet cruise director.”
Carnival Cruise Line introduced the role of “fleet cruise director” in 2022, with the role first filled by the popular Mike Pack.
All of the fleet cruise directors, at least so far, have been the best and the brightest of Carnival’s cruise directors.
While an individual cruise directoris responsible for coordinating and hosting the entertainment and activities onboard their assigned ship, fleet directors support, train, and encourage current cruise directors.
Nobody knows how to bring on the fun like they do, and they use their own unique experiences as cruise directors to help the next generation of Fun Squad leaders shine.
What Do Fleet Cruise Directors Do?
Digging deeper into the nitty-gritty, it becomes clear that Carnival’s fleet directors have a fun, but very demanding job.
Rather than being assigned to one ship, these entertainment experts are temporarily assigned to different vessels for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the assignment.
They typically work essentially non-stop for three months at a time, before getting a month of vacation time to reconnect with their loved ones and recuperate.
“As a team, we’ll be traveling around the fleet supporting both the cruise directors and the fun squad team members that are out there, helping to nurture future talent and support current talent,”Fleet Director Lee Mason explained in a YouTube video soon after being promoted.
While the role requires these former cruise directors to take a step back from the spotlight, they may also pick their microphones back up to cover sailings as needed or for special events, such as new ship inaugurations.
These professionals, Lee Mason included, also maintain an active social media presence in which they share sneak peeks of their travels and the behind-the-scenes of cultivating top-tier entertainment for Carnival’s ships.
In this way, they also function similarly to influencers, who help get potential future cruisers excited about booking a Carnival sailing.
Who Are Carnival Cruise Line’s Fleet Cruise Directors?
There is no set number for the amount of fleet cruise directors that Carnival can have at one time, but there only ever seems to be three or four fun leaders fulfilling the role at most.
Currently, four people are sharing this responsibility. None of them seems to outrank each other, but rather work together to support the fleet as a whole.
Everyone who has been selected has been a long-time veteran of Carnival’s entertainment team and among the most popular cruise directors.
He was tapped to join the fleet director ranks soon after the beloved Lee Mason, who was promoted in the fall of 2024.
Chris “Donkey” Salazar has also been in the role since 2023, and Erin Weigand made history as the first female fleet cruise director in 2024.
Former cruise-world celebrities like Mike Pack and Chris “The Flying Scotsman” Williams also previously filled the role, but have since retired.
How to Meet a Fleet Cruise Director?
Many cruise directors – and not just those that work for Carnival – develop a fanbase. Some passengers will even book sailings specifically to meet their favorite cruise personalities.
But because of the frequent travel this role requires, Fleet Cruise Directors are rarely in one place for too long and may not get a lot of advance notice for where they are going next.
Photo Courtesy: Carnival Cruise Line
If your dream is to meet one of these people, the best course of action is to watch their social media for updates about their next destinations or what special events they may appear at.
The Social Profiles for the Current Fleet Cruise Directors:
Other cruise lines do have people serving similar functions as Carnival’s fleet cruise directors, but these roles aren’t usually guest-facing personalities or cruise-world celebrities.
They are also usually identified as corporate or regional entertainment managers vs. a fleet cruise director.
Mike Pack (Photo Courtesy: Carnival Cruise Line)
Princess Cruises and MSC Cruises, for example, usually have a centralized entertainment team that oversees their fleets from brand headquarters.
Mike Pack, who you may remember as the first Carnival fleet cruise director, was appointed to the newly created role of national training and entertainment manager for Princess Cruises in November of 2025.
This is in Santa Clarita, California, for Princess Cruises and Geneva, Switzerland, for MSC Cruises.
As another example, Royal Caribbean employs entertainment directors and senior managers of entertainment at the corporate level, who are responsible for overseeing the cruise directors.
Finally, it’s not uncommon to see job listings from Norwegian Cruise Line for corporate cruise directors or entertainment operations managers who perform similar roles in a less public-facing way.
But no matter what they are called or how well-known these people may be, cruise fans across brands should appreciate the work these people do to make sure they have a great time during their vacations.
The US Coast Guard airlifted a guest from Celebrity Apex north of Puerto Rico.
The 65-year-old guest had medical conditions that required a higher level of care.
There is no impact to the ship’s itinerary and she is on her way back to Port Canaveral.
Nothing can be more frightening than a medical incident when far from home, and Celebrity Apex was far from her homeport when one guest urgently needed medical care beyond what the ship could offer.
Specifically, the ship was 24 nautical miles north of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, in the midst of an Eastern Caribbean itinerary during a day at sea – 1,100 miles from her home at Port Canaveral.
The emergency call came in just after 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 11, 2025 requesting a medical evacuation for a 65-year-old guest with multiple medical conditions onboard the cruise ship.
The situation was carefully evaluated and coordinated for sunrise, which would be just before 7 a.m. A US Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Borinquen met the ship with appropriate personnel to facilitate the operation.
First, a rescue swimmer was deployed to board the ship, then the evacuation litter was sent down to the deck. The patient was smoothly hoisted up to the helicopter, along with his wife.
The two guests were transported first to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan then on to the Centro Medico Hospital for further care.
“I’m proud of the teamwork that resulted in a successful patient transport from the Celebrity Apex to a higher level of care,”said Lieutenant Alberto Raymond, Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk aircraft co-pilot for the case.
“Thank you to the crews of the Celebrity Apex, our team in San Juan, and Air Station Borinquen. All our training is for moments like this, and I’m grateful we could help save a life.”
You can watch footage of the airlift below:
To preserve the guests’ privacy, neither their names nor the nature of the patient’s medical condition have been released.
Cruise Continued Without Delay
At the time of the evacuation, Celebrity Apex had finished her last port visit on the current sailing. The ship departed Port Canaveral on Saturday, December 6 for the 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary.
After visiting Amber Cove and San Juan earlier in the sailing, the ship called at Basseterre, St. Kitts from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, December 10.
Both Thursday and Friday are full days at sea as the 130,818-gross-ton ship makes her way back to Port Canaveral for debarkation on Saturday, December 13.
Despite the slight pause for the at-sea evacuation, there are no delays to Celebrity Apex‘s course and the ship should arrive on time back in Florida, with no impact to the next sailing.
Coast Guard Celebrity Apex Airlift
Celebrity Apex only recently arrived to Port Canaveral, setting sail from the her new homeport for the first time on November 1, 2025.
“We’re thrilled to welcome home the stunning Celebrity Apex to our Port,”said Capt. John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO.“We have a great partnership with Celebrity Cruises and very proud of their success here that continues to contribute economic value to our Port community and beyond.”
This was also the first time the Edge-class ship had ever visited Port Canaveral, which was commemorated with a traditional plaque exchange ceremony.
Celebrity Apex will remain homeported from the Space Coast until the end of April 2026, at which time she’ll return to Europe for the summer. The ship will be back home at Port Canaveral at the end of October.
Rescue Crews Always Stand Ready
This is not the first time USCG crews have facilitated cruise ship rescues, nor will it be the last.
There is no distinction made between guests or crew members, ages, cruise lines, or the nature of medical conditions when rescues are necessary. Rescue crews will battle through rough weather, travel great distances, or otherwise handle challenging conditions to render assistance when needed.
While no cruise guest ever wants to experience this unique way to debark a cruise ship, every traveler should be grateful that such dedicated crews are available just in case.
Norwegian Cruise Line has significantly altered Norwegian Gem’s April 9, 2026 transatlantic cruise.
The repositioning voyage sails from New York to Barcelona in advance of the ship’s summer series in Europe.
Another day at sea was added and several port calls were changed.
At least one guest who is booked to sail a Norwegian Cruise Line transatlantic voyage in spring 2026 is up in arms about several major itinerary revisions that added an extra sea day and replaced multiple port calls.
The 15-night New York-to-Barcelona voyage on Norwegian Gem departs on April 9, 2026 and arrives in the Spanish city on April 24, 2026, setting up the ship for her summer series of cruises to Eastern and Western Mediterranean destinations.
Making matters worse, the cruise line announced the itinerary changes just one day before its cancellation penalties take effect: Anyone who cancels 119 days or before departure will forfeit 25% of their cruise fare.
The financial penalty grows as departure nears. For example, those who cancel between 61 and 90 days before departure will forfeit 50% of their fare.
Under Norwegian’s policy, full refunds are provided if the request is made at least 120 days before embarkation.
“I received an email yesterday, day 120 before cruise, where you could get 100% refunds. NCL has completely changed the cruise,” a frustrated guest posted on social media.
“There will be 6 days at SEA! Let alone no Nova Scotia, Azores, Lisbon or Cartagena. Today is day 119, looks like I will lose 25% of 7k if I cancel today,” the guest wrote.
The disappointed guest called the cruise line about its policy, and it confirmed that he would lose 25% of his total fare, since his inquiry was made 119 days before departure.
The guest noted that he paid $7,000 for the voyage, so if he were to cancel he stands to lose $1,750.
Some commenters were sympathetic, but not all.
“It’s a transatlantic. There are going to be a lot of sea days. 4 is really no different than 6. If you don’t like sea days, then don’t book transatlantic,” one post reads.
Here’s How the Itinerary Changed
Norwegian Gem’s itinerary originally featured six days at sea, but the revised route increases that to seven. A port call on day 3 of the sailing, at Halifax, Nova Scotia, was cancelled, meaning there are no ports between New York and Portugal.
A scheduled call on April 16, at Ponta Delgada, Portugal, was changed to Funchal, Portugal, and the time in port was altered, too, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
After another sea day, the 2,394-guest ship will now call at Gibraltar instead of Lisbon, Portugal, on April 18. The time of that call is changed as well, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Port calls on April 20 and 21 also are changed, from Malaga, Spain, to Motril, Spain, and Cartagena, Spain, to Ibiza, Spain, respectively. The call to Ibiza will now be from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. rather than the original 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Then, on April 22, a planned visit to Palma De Majorca, Spain, remains on the schedule but with a different departure time. Rather than depart at 1:30 p.m. the ship will depart at 3 p.m.
Finally, on April 24, the port call to Cannes, France, was changed to Marseille, France. Guests will gain some time in port on this visit, since the ship will depart at 6 p.m. rather than 3:30 p.m. Arrival time remains at 9 a.m.
Shore Excursions in Cancelled Ports Will Be Refunded
The cruise line is taking steps to align it scheduled shore excursions with the port times, and is cancelling tours in ports removed from the itinerary.
“If you booked a shore excursion through NCL for Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Ponta Delgada or Lisbon, Portugal, Málaga (Granada) or Cartagena, Spain; or Cannes, France, no worries, we’ve got it handled,” the cruise line wrote to booked guests.
“Those tours will be automatically cancelled, and a full refund will be automatically credited directly to the original payment method used at the time of reservation,” the line added.
Also, Norwegian is working to reschedule excursions to align with the port call time changes. Any that cannot be rescheduled will be cancelled.
The cruise line promised that new shore excursions to the added port call destinations would be available to book in about three weeks. Norwegian Cruise Line, with a current fleet of 20 ships, offered no reasons for the revised itinerary.
The seasonal port of Ilhabela enjoyed two unexpected ship visits in two days due to the weather.
Both Costa Favolosa and MSC Sinfonia diverted to the Brazilian port this week.
Weather-related changes aren’t unusual and Ilhabela is more sheltered than other destinations.
Two cruise ships in two days have unexpectedly visited Ilhabela on the coast of Brazil, 150 miles west-southwest of Rio de Janeiro. While the calls weren’t scheduled, poor weather along the coast cancelled the ships’ plans to visit other ports and they rerouted to Ilhabela instead.
According to Radar Litoral, the impacted ships were Costa Favolosa and MSC Sinfonia, both of which were sailing short itineraries.
The 114,500-gross-ton Costa Favolosa visited “Beautiful Island” (the translation of the Portuguese Ilhabela) from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, December 9, bringing roughly 3,800 passengers to the island.
MSC Sinfonia arrived the next day, spending from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in port. The 58,200-gross-ton ship brought approximately 2,500 guests to Ilhabela.
“Cruise ship stops are very important for our main industry, which is tourism,”commented Toninho Colucci, mayor of Ilhabela.“In addition to bringing visitors and boosting the local economy, the ships also contribute to the promotion of our destination, fostering the economic development of Ilhabela.”
Because the island’s cruise pier is on the western coast, it is relatively sheltered from poor weather and easy for even larger cruise ships to dock when other ports may not be available.
Costa Favolosa Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Leif Ingvarson)
Upon arrival, guests onboard the two ships found a beautiful island indeed, with spectacular beaches and amazing watersports to enjoy, including sailing, diving, snorkeling, fishing, surfing, and more.
Hiking trails lead to outstanding waterfalls, while craft boutiques, delicious restaurants, bars, and other shopping are huge draws in the port area.
Ilhabela is located just off the mainland coast of southern Brazil, approximately 75 miles from Sao Paulo. For ships with full day visits, guests can enjoy longer tours and opportunities to dive even deeper into Brazilian culture, history, and art in the most populous city in the country.
Weather Changes Not Unusual
It is not uncommon for cruise ships to cancel ports of call based on poor weather. In some cases, it may seem like the perfect vacation day for guests onboard, but conditions at piers or for the use of tenders may be unsuitable and unsafe, leading to a port cancellation.
Whenever possible, cruise lines attempt to arrange alternative ports to give guests more opportunities to enjoy visits in unique destinations. Substitute ports are not always available, however, depending on berth numbers, itinerary schedules, port staffing, and other factors.
Cruising to Ilhabela
The cruise season in Ilhabela generally runs from November to March or April, depending on exact schedules.
In the coming months, additional ships from Costa Cruises and MSC Cruises will both visit the port, including MSC Fantasia, MSC Armonia, and additional calls from MSC Sinfonia.
From Costa Cruises, visits are planned for Costa Diadema as well as Costa Favolosa.
Other cruise lines that visit the charming port include Azamara, AIDA Cruises, Silversea, Fred Olsen, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, with various ships visiting on both short getaways as well as longer sailings.
In March 2026, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Equinox will also call on the destination.
In total, more than 50 ship visits are planned for Ilhabela during the 2025-2026 cruise season, with the last visit scheduled on April 13, 2026, for Costa Diadema.
MSC Cruises’ MSC Musica is expected to open the 2026-2027 season for the port on November 19, 2026.
Norwegian Escape’s September 5, 2026 sailing is changing every port visit.
One port has been cancelled and two new ports added to the itinerary.
Shore tours booked through the cruise line will be adjusted automatically.
A fall foliage cruise in New England and eastern Canada can be a breathtaking experience, but guests aboard one sailing of Norwegian Escape in September 2026 might be holding their breath over a dramatically changed itinerary.
While the impacted sailing is not departing for nearly nine months, it is still startling that every single port on the itinerary has been adjusted in some way, with one port dropped entirely and two new ones added.
The affected cruise is the Norwegian Escape‘s September 5, 2026 sailing, a 7-night voyage roundtrip from New York.
While the departure on Saturday, September 5 and the return on Saturday, September 12 are not changed, nearly every other day on the cruise is now adjusted.
“As part of our commitment to delivering a seamless and enriching experience, we’ve made an itinerary adjustment due to newly updated port availability,”the notification email explains.
The email admits that circumstances can change and despite every effort to lock in itineraries in advance, port plans change and those adjustments can be out of the cruise line’s control.
“As a result, we will no longer be visiting Saint John, Bay of Fundy, Canada, and instead we’re pleased to welcome Sydney, Nova Scotia, to your itinerary,”the email confirmed.“In addition, we’ve replaced a day at sea with a call to Newport, RI.”
This changes all but one full day on the planned itinerary, with updates as follows:
Saturday, September 5 – Depart New York at 4 p.m.
Sunday, September 6 – Day at sea
Monday, September 7 – Sydney, Nova Scotia, from 12-6 p.m. (formerly Boston)
Tuesday, September 8 – Halifax, Nova Scotia, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (formerly Portland)
Wednesday, September 9 – Portland, Maine, from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. (formerly Saint John)
Thursday, September 10 – Boston, Massachusetts, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (formerly Halifax)
Friday, September 11 – Newport, Rhode Island, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (formerly at sea)
Saturday, September 12 – Arrive in New York at 7 a.m.
The updated itinerary has exactly the same number of hours in port for the week, 39.5, though spread across five ports of call instead of just four.
This gives guests even more opportunity to explore the rich maritime heritage of the region, enjoy phenomenal seafood, delve into amazing history, and gawk at the beauty of the northeastern autumn.
Why the Changes?
Norwegian Cruise Line has not clarified exactly which “port availability” has caused so many changes to the itinerary. It would be easy to assume that Saint John is the culprit since that is the cancelled destination, but it is also possible that available berths at other ports required rearranging.
Norwegian Escape in New York (Photo Credit: quiggyt4)
Because the 165,000-gross-ton Norwegian Escape is one of the largest vessels in Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet, extra care must be taken to ensure proper space for the ship as well as port personnel to accommodate the more than 4,250 guests who may be onboard.
Port maintenance, changes in local regulations, dredging schedules, and other operations can all impact port availability for cruise ships. Unfortunately, those plans are not always known when cruise lines plan their itineraries.
Shore Tours Handled Automatically
Any shore tours booked through Norwegian Cruise Line for Saint John will be automatically cancelled and refunded to the original form of payment.
If guests have tours booked for other ports, those will also be adjusted to the new visit dates and times as necessary. If rescheduling is not possible, the tours will be cancelled and refunded.
Guests who may have already made independent arrangements will need to reach out to their tour operators for rescheduling or cancellations.
Tours for the new destinations, Sydney and Newport, will be available to book in approximately three weeks, giving guests plenty of time to plan their perfect port adventures and look forward to what is sure to be an amazing escape.
