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Cruise News Update: Loyal Backlash Continues, Captain Passes, Increases

Cruise News

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Jun 28, 2025

Cruise News Update: Loyal Backlash Continues, Captain Passes, Increases

Welcome to Cruise Hive’s newest weekly recap, where you’ll get caught up on the big developments across the industry. Highlights of this week’s update include details about the much-anticipated Celebration Key, Carnival Cruise Line’s new private destination, and new adult-only restaurant charges on Disney Cruise Line ships.

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.

Carnival Cruise Line President Addresses Guest Complaints

Carnival Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Adam McCullough)

Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy responded to the outrage that many guests expressed after the line announced plans to significantly alter its loyalty program and change the way cruisers earn benefits and perks.

The proposed changes, slated to become effective in 2026, include phasing out the Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) program and replacing it with Carnival Rewards.

The existing program offers benefits based on the number of days a guest cruises with the line while the new plan is based on the amount of money a cruiser spends on their fare and onboard purchases.

The reason for the change, Duffy said, is tied to the huge number of repeat guests who quickly reach higher levels in the program. For instance, the number of Platinum guests, meaning those who have sailed for a minimum of 75 nights, has more than doubled in recent years.

It’s unsustainable, the president explained, and has eroded the recognition program. Full details of the new Carnival Rewards plan are yet to be disclosed, and the line has said it is taking guests’ reactions into account as it moves forward with the new program.

Seabourn Says Farewell to Longtime Captain

Seabourn Captain Geir Arne Thue-Nilsen (Credits: Juvy Thue-Nilsen & Quang nguyen vinh)

A cherished mariner who served as captain for the luxury line Seabourn, Geir Arne Thue-Nilsen, known to colleagues and cruise guests as Captain GA, has passed away, leaving behind a stellar legacy.

Thue-Nilsen died on June 22, 2025, his wife, Juvy Thue-Nilsen, said in a social media post. Born in Norway he studied at the Master’s and Horten Engineer Academy and rose to the rank of captain in 1995, serving on Cunard and Seabourn ships.

Colleagues reacted to the news with warm memories of Captain GA. Strength, kindness, and calm were among the words used to describe him.

Sailing to all corners of the world, including Antarctica, Thue-Nilsen served as captain aboard Seabourn Pride, Seabourn Spirit, Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Encore, and Seabourn Quest.

Personable and admired by his guests, Captain GA often greeted cruisers and interacted with them during trivia games and other onboard activities. He most recently had served on the cruise line’s expedition ships, exploring remote destinations around the globe.

Images Show What Celebration Key Has in Store For Guests

Carnival Cruise Line released a set of photos from its new private destination, Celebration Key, set to open on July 19, 2025.

Industry watchers have been following the construction of the sun-and-fun development on Grand Bahama Island for about two years, eagerly awaiting the details.

Now, glimpses of the destination are revealed, showing Paradise Plaza, the entry area that sports information booths and way-finding stations, and Suncastle, a 10-story-high arch with two massive water slides.

Aerial views of two huge lagoons, Starfish and Calypso, were disclosed along with photos of the destination’s AquaBanas — 8-person floating cabanas that guests will be able to rent.

For kids, the photos show the Guppy Grotto Splash Pad, and for those seeking a luxury experience the cruise line shared images of its Over-the-Lagoon Super Villas, with accommodations for up to 10 people.

These are just some of the features guests will enjoy when the destination opens, but stay tuned since more sneak peeks are likely to be released in the next few weeks.

Cruise Line Changes Rule Tied to Free Bottle of Water

Carnival Sensation Atrium Bar (Photo Credit: Rob Bixby)

A free bottle of water is among the perks that loyalty club members at Carnival Cruise Line receive when they embark their ships, and now the rules about how to claim the water have been clarified.

Brand Ambassador John Heald has confirmed that a bottle of water found inside a stateroom can be claimed as the free bottle, meaning that guests no longer must visit a bar to claim the perk.

The confusion arose after one guest recently complained that he was mistakenly charged for using the in-cabin bottle, even though he was entitled to it. At the time, Heald explained that bottled water found inside a stateroom is not a perk — it is placed by the housekeeping staff and, if opened, generates a charge.

The irate guest had threatened to withhold crew gratuities if his charge was not reversed. Heald made sure that it was, so as not to deprive a room steward from receiving his hard-earned tip.

But going forward, all guests who are members of the line’s Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) loyalty program can consume the water found in their cabins without worrying they will be erroneously charged for it.

Some Disney Cruise Line Ships Raise Dining Up-Charges

Disney Cruise Line guests who indulge in the line’s Remy Champagne Brunch, featuring delectable dishes such as vegetable risotto, lobster cannelloni, and sea bass, are paying more for the privilege after a series of dining venue price hikes were implemented.

In fact, the up-charges at multiple adult-exclusive dining venues onboard Disney ships have risen or will soon rise by up to 10%.

In some cases, the price hikes impact only certain vessels. For example, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy are raising charges at Remy, for both the brunch and the prix-fixe dinner. The brunch rises by $5, to $85 per person, while dinner goes up $10, to $145 per person.

Fleetwide, guests dining at Palo will pay $5 more for the venue’s brunch and dinner, which will now cost $55 per person.

These and other changes were implemented on various dates in June, depending on the ship. However, Disney Fantasy will not begin charging the new costs until November 2025, after the ship completes a dry dock maintenance upgrade.

The last time Disney Cruise Line raised costs at its adults-only eateries was back in 2023.

Rough Seas Force World Cruise Itinerary Changes

Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess was temporarily sidelined by severe weather as the 3,080-guest ship was preparing to call at Cape Town, South Africa, during her world cruise.

The ship is sailing a 113-day world voyage roundtrip from Auckland, New Zealand, and departed the port on May 31, 2025. Slated to call at Cape Town on June 25, 2025, heavy rain and powerful winds forced an itinerary change that had the ship calling at Durban instead.

In fact, the ship spent June 23 and 24 sailing along the coast near Durban. The altered port call at Cape Town was set for June 28, with the ship slated to remain in port overnight, as originally planned.

After Cape Town, Crown Princess will visit Walvis Bay, Namibia, on July 1, 2025, rather than the originally planned June 28, 2025.

Since the weather delay will have a domino effect on the itinerary, further changes are expected and guests are being updated by ship officials.

The full voyage will take guests to the Western Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the British Isles, North and South America, and French Polynesia before ending in Auckland.

P&O Cruises Adds Kids’ Club Fee on One Ship

P&O Iona Docked in Southampton (Photo Credit: Kev Gregory)

Families planning to sail aboard P&O Cruises’ Iona now must pay for their children’s visits to The Reef, the supervised play area for youngsters under age 12.

The line, which caters to the UK market, announced that parents must pre-register their kids before they visit the facility and pay a fee of £4.95 (or $6.74 USD) for each daytime session and £8.95 (or $12.19 USD) for each evening visit.

Iona, an Excellence-class ship with capacity for 5,200 guests, is the only ship currently charging the fees. The cruise line has not revealed whether the fees will roll out on its other ships, which include Arvia, Britannia, Ventura, and Azura.

Two additional ships in the P&O Cruises’ fleet, Aurora and Arcadia, do not allow children under 18 to sail.

The cruise line is urging parents to make reservations in advance of their departure date, since space is expected to be limited.

Programs for older children, including the H20 Children’s Club and The Scene, both geared to teens ages 13 to 17, do not require advance registration and do not charge any fee.

More Cruise Headlines

Let’s keep going with even more news updates from Cruise Hive, including guests aboard a Silversea Cruises’ ship enduring a shore excursion stranding thanks to the falling tide; Carnival Corporation revealing stellar financial results from the second quarter; and Virgin Voyages experiencing a surge in bookings.

Also, a new TV show chronicling life aboard two Holland America Line ships, and a cruise guest getting arrested after posting selfies with stolen jewelry while onboard her ship.

Weather Conditions Cause More Itinerary Changes for Crown Princess

Princess Cruises News

Catie Kovelman

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Jun 28, 2025

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Weather Conditions Cause More Itinerary Changes for Crown Princess

Only a few days ago on June 24, 2025, guests onboard Crown Princess for her world cruise learned that inclement weather would be changing up the itinerary while sailing around South Africa.

Deciding to wait for more favorable conditions, the 3,090-guest ship added a port call on Durban, and pushed back the planned visits to Cape Town (South Africa) and Walvis Bay (Namibia).

The stop at Cape Town changed from June 25 to an overnight stay on June 28 and June 29. This meant that the planned call on Walvis Bay then had to be moved from June 28 to July 1.

However, continued poor weather and the domino effect of making these tweaks have now impacted more of the itinerary.

The cruise line sent a letter to passengers on June 26, 2025: “As you are aware, our call dates for Cape Town, South Africa and Walvis Bay, Namibia have been amended. After leaving Walvis Bay, we will no longer call to Mindelo, Cape Verde Islands on Sunday, 6 July, and will spend that day at sea.”

Instead of calling on Mindelo, the 113,561-gross ton ship will head toward Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which is replacing a now cancelled visit to Gran Canaria (Los Palmas) in the Canary Islands.

“We will proceed to Santa Cruz de Tenerife for a call on Thursday, 10 July, which has replaced our visit to Gran Canaria (Las Palmas), Canary Islands originally scheduled for 9 July,” the update continued.

Finally, the visit to Casablanca, Morocco, has been pushed back by one day. Unfortunately, this means that the Princess cruise ship will no longer be able to sail to Gibraltar, UK, on July 12.

“Additionally, our visit to Casablanca (for Marrakech), Morocco will take place on Saturday, 12 July rather than 11 July, and as a result, we will no longer call to Gibraltar,” the letter reads.

Guests who pre-booked tours through the cruise line at the now cancelled port calls will automatically receive refunds in their onboard accounts.

Meanwhile, passengers who booked tours in Casablanca will be able to use their existing tickets for their pre-reserved excursion on the new visit date.

Will Weather Continue to Impact the World Cruise?

Crown Princess really only recently embarked on her current 113-night sailing from Auckland, New Zealand, on May 31, 2025.

However, the first month of the voyage has been plagued by strong winds and stormy weather.

Just one week into the voyage on June 6, 2025, the 2006-launched ship encountered rough seas while sailing near the border of Victoria and South Australia.

The wind shifted unexpectedly from 45 knots on one side of the ship to 50 knots on the other, causing the vessel to list 7° and resulting in the Captain’s decision to turn the ship around.

Crown Princess in Vancouver (Photo Credit: Lenic)

While listing 6° to 7° is not necessarily considered unusual, the surprise tilting still did a fair amount of damage onboard.

Several glass displays shattered, merchandise in the stores was thrown to the floor, and many activities had to be cancelled or closed due to safety concerns.

Just one day before it was determined that Durban would be added to the massive itinerary (June 23), Crown Princess also found herself in an area that was under a level 4 damaging wave warning and gale-force wind alerts.

This is actually what led to Durban, which is on the east coast of Africa, being added to the itinerary. The Captain decided it was best to avoid the south coast of Africa until the weather passed.

Previously, the ship had also diverted south of Madagascar to bypass another storm.

It’s hard to say at this point if the remaining three months or so of the world cruise will be smoother sailing, as we don’t have a crystal ball to predict the future for us.

But rest assured with the knowledge that a cruise ship is one of the safest places to be during a storm and that the bridge team is constantly monitoring the forecasts to avoid the worst of the weather.

Two Independence of the Seas Cruises Affected by Maintenance Delays

Royal Caribbean News

Lissa Poirot

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Jun 27, 2025

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Two Independence of the Seas Cruises Affected by Maintenance Delays

Passengers sailing aboard Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas arrived later than planned in Amsterdam, Netherlands, today, June 25, 2025.

The delay was a result of onboard maintenance, according to the ship’s Captain, Iv Vidos.

The 154,407-passenger vessel departed Southampton, England, on June 21, 2025, and spent three beautiful days in ports along Northern Europe’s coastline earlier this week.

But while guests spent 8 hours in Oslo on June 23, 10 hours in Copenhagen on June 24, and 9 hours in Hamburg, Germany, they learned their visit to Amsterdam, via a call in neighboring Rotterdam, would be a bit less than they hoped for.

Aurora Yera-Rodriquez, assistant vice president of guest experience at Royal Caribbean, shared the news after the captain’s PA announcement.

“We’ve had to make some adjustments to the times we’ll visit Rotterdam, Netherlands, due to speed restrictions from ongoing maintenance onboard,” she shared in a letter to guests.

Although scheduled to arrive at 11 a.m. local time, the slower speeds forced the ship to pull into Rotterdam late, even later than Yera-Rodriquez had expected.

Instead of arriving around 1 p.m., the vessel made it to Rotterdam closer to 2 p.m.

Yera-Rodriquez was quick to mention that the maintenance wasn’t anything to fret over, adding, “Rest assured, all maintenance work is being conducted with the utmost safety.”

Unfortunately, Independence of the Seas couldn’t make up the difference to up to 3,634 disappointed guests, and kept its 7 p.m. departure time and shortened the call to less than 5 hours. The problem? Amsterdam is about an hour away by bus.

Independence of the Seas calls in Rotterdam instead of Amsterdam due to the city’s increase on tourist tax and environmental concerns and protests that has the port moving to capping the number of guests allowed to disembark.

As expected, the delay also forced Royal Caribbean to reschedule its excursions.

Guests booked through Royal Caribbean were automatically rescheduled with notification letters and new tickets delivered to passenger staterooms.

Subsequent Cruise Affected

While Royal Caribbean makes it sound like routine maintenance is underway, another letter was sent to passengers on Independence of the Seas’ subsequent journey from Southampton.

With Rotterdam as the last call for Independence of the Seas’ 8-night “Northern City Escapes” cruise, the ship is currently returning to Southampton for its June 29, 2025, completion.

Expected to arrive by 5:30 a.m., the ship is scheduled to take its next group of passengers on a 7-night “Norwegian Fjords” cruise, departing at 5 p.m. on the same day.

Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas — Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas (Photo Credit: Rosemarie Mosteller)

But those passengers received a letter from Royal Caribbean saying the ongoing maintenance taking place on Independence of the Seas will force the vessel to miss its first call to Alesund on July 1, 2025.

Instead, the ship will spend two days at sea and sail into Molde, Norway, an hour earlier on July 2.

“Due to speed restrictions from ongoing maintenance onboard, we’ve had to make some adjustments,” the letter to passengers began again.

For skipping a port altogether, the cruise line is giving passengers an onboard credit to enjoy as “a token of our appreciation for your understanding.”

The onboard credit provides $150 for interior and oceanview cabins, $200 for balcony cabins, and $400 for suites. An additional $25 is being added for each third and fourth guest in each stateroom category.

All excursions purchased through Royal Caribbean were also cancelled and refunded. With two sailings affected, it’s likely the 16-year-old Independence of the Seas is working on repairing some propulsion issues.

Cruise Hive will report any additional itinerary changes that may come as a result.

Royal Caribbean Offers Incentives to Ditch Summer Sailing

Royal Caribbean News

Melissa Mayntz

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Jun 27, 2025

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Royal Caribbean Offers Incentives to Ditch Summer Sailing

It can be great to get away for a long weekend, but can it be even greater to take advantage of an enticing offer to move your vacation plans?

Select guests booked on the July 5, 2025 departure of Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas are needing to make such a decision, as the cruise line has now reached out with rebooking offers for the 5-night Bermuda cruise.

“We are looking to see if you and your travel party have flexible travel plans,” the email inquired. “If your plans are set in stone, please mark this email as ‘Read’ and gear up for your upcoming adventure – although, there are some pretty sweet options.”

The options include moving the sailing to select August, September, or October cruises still aboard Liberty of the Seas, or select sailings aboard Symphony of the Seas.

If guests do choose to rebook on the offered sailings, they will receive a 100% refund for their original booking, as well as be moved to the new cruise date.

Hello? Full refund and you STILL get to go on another cruise? You can bet I’d make every effort to be flexible for that kind of offer, particularly since one of the alternative sailings is a 9-night Bermuda and Eastern Caribbean itinerary that is nearly double the length of the original booking.

Other options for rebooking include identical 5-night Bermuda itineraries as well as 7-night Bahamas cruises. All available departures are still from New Jersey.

Granted, not everyone who receives this tempting offer would be able to make the change, depending on their work requirements or other commitments, such as whether or not the original booking is during a pre-planned vacation or special occasion.

Some guests, in fact, are worried that this might be an overbooking situation and they could be left at the embarkation port if they don’t take advantage of the offer.

“The ship must be overbooked. We have already had a cabin number assigned. I am now concerned that we’re going to get to the port and they tell us we can’t board as it’s overbooked. Am I overthinking it?” the original poster asked on Reddit.

Other commenters were quick to respond, however, noting that the notification email specifically called out the idea that if plans are “set in stone” then there’s no need to worry.

Even if the ship does happen to be overbooked, the offer is such a spectacular one that there’s little doubt other cruisers would take advantage of it and change their plans, freeing up space for guests who aren’t able to be flexible.

Why Do Cruise Ships Overbook?

Of course it is in a cruise line’s best interest to always sail with ships full to capacity, but why would they take the chance of overbooking altogether?

After years of offering oceangoing vacations, cruise lines are well aware that some percentage of travelers will always cancel at the last minute, leaving some staterooms unsold.

While it may seem like a gamble to sell more staterooms than are available onboard, most of the time, it works out well for the cruise line.

On the rare occasion when no one may have cancelled and the departure date is fast approaching, the line can offer these types of special deals to entice some travelers to move to another sailing.

Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas — Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas (Photo Credit: Wangkun Jia / Shutterstock)

This gives the cruise line flexibility with how to fulfill guaranteed cabin rates, as they can shuffle guests around without difficulty in the days before embarkation.

This is not the first time such intriguing offers have come from Royal Caribbean. In both April and May 2025, Allure of the Seas had similarly tempting offers for several sailings from Rome.

Such offers have often been made in previous years on other ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet. Most of the time, these offers are successful at clearing out any overbooking issues, but onboard Quantum of the Seas in November 2023, some guests were left behind without any available staterooms.

Hopefully, the current offers for Liberty of the Seas are impressive enough that everyone will be happy, whether they stay on the same cruise or take advantage of these very special circumstances.

Netflix Revisits Amy Bradley Cruise Ship Mystery

Royal Caribbean News

Melissa Mayntz

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Jun 27, 2025

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Netflix Revisits Amy Bradley Cruise Ship Mystery

Just days after popular streaming service Netflix debuted an episode of its disaster-oriented series Trainwreck covering the infamous “Poop Cruise” aboard Carnival Triumph, a new show will highlight another scary cruise experience.

The upcoming three-part true crime documentary miniseries “Amy Bradley Is Missing” will offer an in-depth look at the young woman’s disappearance from Rhapsody of the Seas in March 1998 and the nearly 30 years of investigative efforts that have so far come up empty.

The show will premiere on Netflix on July 16, 2025, exploring different leads, sightings, and efforts to find Amy Lynn Bradley, who was 23 when she vanished from a family cruise. Today, she would be 51, but her fate remains unknown.

Bradley was enjoying a 7-night Caribbean sailing in March 1998 with her parents when she disappeared. The ship had departed Puerto Rico and was planning to visit Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas.

In the early morning hours of March 24, however, Bradley vanished seemingly without a trace. She and her younger brother, Brad, had visited the ship’s nightclub and gotten back to their stateroom at about 3:30 a.m.

By 6 a.m. when the family was getting up to get ready for breakfast before their day in Curacao, she was gone.

Search efforts aboard what was then one of the newest Royal Caribbean ships were immediately initiated, but Amy was not located and guests were permitted to debark in Curacao. Local authorities were contacted and search efforts continued, in case she had gone overboard.

No evidence of her disappearance was ever found, either on the ship or in the water, and only a polo shirt and a pair of sandals remained.

The new documentary will feature interviews with FBI investigators, eyewitnesses aboard Rhapsody of the Seas, and the Bradley family through the years as search efforts have continued.

Unconfirmed sightings of Amy in the Caribbean – from a taxi driver in Curacao, in a store restroom in Barbados, and even in a brothel – have all been explored over the years.

These sightings and other unusual theories about her disappearance will also be discussed in the Netflix special in the hopes that new insights might lead to even more discoveries that could help solve this mystery.

This is not the first time new efforts have been used to attempt to locate Amy or determine what happened to her on what was supposed to have been a happy family vacation celebrating her college graduation.

In 2017, computer-aged photos of Amy were released to try and help find her, but it is difficult to determine what so much time and decades of life experiences would do to a person’s physical appearance.

In June 2024, just after her 50th birthday on May 12, 2024, interest was again renewed to try and find Amy, but no new evidence surfaced.

While officially Amy was declared legally deceased on March 24, 2010 – twelve years after her disappearance – the family has not given up hope.

Her case remains active with the FBI, and a reward of up to $25,000 is available for information that will solve her disappearance.

Cruises Popular on Television

While Amy’s case has been featured in a number of shows, including America’s Most Wanted in May 1999 and Disappeared in 2018, hers isn’t the only cruise-related event to be showcased in different broadcasts.

Of course, the recent release of the “Poop Cruise” episode of Trainwreck has been highlighted, but not all cruise-related shows are negative.

Carnival Triumph During "Poop Cruise" — Carnival Triumph During “Poop Cruise” (Photo Credit: Netflix)

A new UK show will take viewers behind the scenes of Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam, giving interesting insights about the Pinnacle-class vessels. Both guest experiences and crew insights are part of the new series.

Of course, fun bits of cruise vacations have been seen in episodes of innumerable shows, including the hit comedy Everybody Loves Raymond, British comedy Keeping Up Appearances, and even The Simpsons.

And no one can forget such popular cruise-centric options as The Love Boat, Mighty Cruise Ships, The Suite Life on Deck, and movies like the incomparable Titanic, Poseidon, and Speed 2: Cruise Control.

Cruise Selfies With $20,463 of Stolen Jewelry Lead to Jail Time

Cruise News

Catie Kovelman

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Jun 27, 2025

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Cruise Selfies With $20,463 of Stolen Jewelry Lead to Jail Time

Ideally, and as is the case most of the time, cruisers should be law-abiding citizens who aren’t actively committing crimes while onboard.

But if you’re going to commit a crime, taking and sending photos that document your misdeeds isn’t exactly the smartest decision. However, this is exactly what Lucy Roberts did.

The Swanland, UK, resident had been the manager of a luxury jewelry shop called Daniella Draper Beverly until just before her sailing.

During her tenure at the fine jewelry establishment, the 39-year-old’s colleagues noticed that she had a suspicious habit of taking the merchandise with her when she left work, allegedly to sort stock from the comfort of her own home.

After about a year, Roberts resigned from the company and embarked on a cruiseon an unidentified ship.

But according to the police reports, approximately £14,895 (or $20,463 USD) went with her.

Roberts sent photos of herself clad in the stolen jewels and gems to her colleagues, thinking they wouldn’t recognize the pieces.

Of course, staff flagged the photos to management because they suspected that Roberts had not purchased them. The police were then contacted and a warrant for her arrest was issued.

“Roberts arrogantly posed on social media and sent pictures boasting to her ex-colleagues about the great time she was having on holiday, not thinking they would realise what she had been doing,” said Sgt. Krista Wilkinson, a detective with the Humberside Police Force, in a statement.

The stolen jewelry that came on the cruise were found with Roberts when she was arrested in London’s Heathrow Airport following disembarkation.

A search of her bedroom at home revealed an additional 269 stolen jewelry items worth around £107,965 (or $148,327 USD).

“From her bedroom 269 items worth a total value of £107,965 were recovered and when arrested at the airport, Roberts was wearing approximately £1,015 of stolen items, as well 22 item £13,880 worth of jewelry was located in her suitcase,” Sgt. Wilkinson continued.

Police estimate that she stole an estimated £124,675 (or $171,267) in jewelry and cash when all was said and done.

Jewelry Thieves on the High Seas

With the evidence stacked against her, Roberts entered a guilty plea when she appeared at the Grimsby Crown Court, where she was charged with theft by an employee.

Roberts had also completed several fraudulent return transactions and lied while conducting stock counts in an attempt to get away with her crime, which likely also factored into the consequences.

Worth Reading: Cruise Guests Who Stole $100,000 in Jewelry Avoid Jail Time

She was ultimately sentenced to 28 months in jail and she has begun serving her time.

“I am pleased she is now behind bars and I hope it will give her ample time to think about the crime she committed and how it has impacted not only the company, but the colleagues who considered her a friend and who were betrayed by her in such a trusted role,” Sgt. Wilkinson concluded.

Lucy Roberts (Photo Credit: Humberside Police)

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time this year that cruisers have gotten in trouble for a jewelry heist.

In May, an elderly couple sailing onboard Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Constellation was accused of allegedly stealing an expensive ring from a local shop in the Sicilian town of Messina.

Police say that the couple had asked to try on the ring, which was valued at around $1,100 USD, before walking out of the store with it.

By the time the clerk noticed the piece was missing, the ship was already sailing on to its next port of call, which was Naples, Italy.

The couple was searched by police upon arrival in Naples and the ring was indeed found in their possession. However, their case has not yet gone to trial, and they are presumed innocent for now.

School Bus Carrying Cruise Guests Collides With SUV in Alaska

Port News

Catie Kovelman

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Jun 27, 2025

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School Bus Carrying Cruise Guests Collides With SUV in Alaska

Dozens of cruise guests who were hoping for a pleasant day in Ketchikan, Alaska, did not get the experience they were hoping for.

On June 26, 2025, a school bus carrying 46 cruise passengers was involved in a serious collision with an SUV while driving on the Tongass Highway, causing the highway to close for around half an hour.

The crash occurred just after 9 a.m. local time, presumably while the passengers were on their way to a shore excursion that they never reached.

“The bus was traveling southbound when it collided with an SUV, which then struck a power pole,” the City of Ketchikan said in a press release.

Images from the crash show that the SUV came to rest against the pole with its hood smashed, while the school bus was run off the main road and into a ditch.

It’s unclear what caused the accident or which driver may be at fault, but an investigation is currently underway.

First responders hurried to the scene of the accident to assess the two drivers and the dozens of cruisers.

While ideally there would be no injuries at all, only two cruise guests and the driver of the SUV needed to be transferred to the hospital when it could have been much worse. No fatalities have been reported.

After being checked out by EMTs and paramedics, the cruise guests who were given a clean bill of health were transported back to their cruise ship by a new bus.

SUV Involved in Ketchikan Bus Crash (Photo Credit: Ketchikan Fire Department)

“The school bus was carrying 46 cruise passengers and a single driver when the accident occurred. The passengers and drivers were examined by EMTs and paramedics from the responding fire departments,” the city statement said.

“After being examined and cleared medically, 44 cruise passengers were transported back to their ship at Ward Cove via bus,” it continued.

It’s not clear which ship the cruisers were passengers from, as the Ketchikan Cruise Port was at capacity.

Per cruise tracking data, Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Bliss, and Holland America Line’s Eurodam all arrived in the port early that morning.

Sapphire Princess and Koningsdam also were present, but did not sail into the port until after the accident had already occurred.

Is History Repeating Itself?

Almost a year ago, there was another major tour bus accident that took place in Skagway, Alaska, on September 6, 2024.

In this case, a tour bus carrying 24 cruise guests overturned while driving on the South Klondike Highway after the driver suffered from a sudden medical emergency.

As the accident occurred in a remote area around 35 miles outside of Skagway, rescue was made more difficult by the distance and because cell service is virtually non-existent.

In fact, two other tour buses actually arrived at the scene and rendered aid before first responders could get there.

Cruise Visitors in Skagway, Alaska (Photo Credit: EWY Media)

When all was said and done, a total of 12 passengers were injured and were transported to local hospitals for appropriate treatment. The driver also received care and was expected to recover.

If you’re thinking about booking a cruise ship tour, don’t let these accidents scare you.

When you consider the fact that hundreds to thousands of tours take place every year without a hitch, it’s easy to see that accidents like these are quite rare.

In the unlikely event that an accident does occur, booking your excursion through the cruise line does come with some extra protections.

Most notably, the cruise lines will do everything in their power to wait for delayed passengers who are participating in one of their tours, while late comers from independent tours may be left behind.

If an emergency takes place on a tour sold by the cruise company, there is no doubt that the cruise line will be immediately notified and that every effort will be made to assist guests in the aftermath.

But more likely than not, your cruise tour will run normally and you’ll return to the port with a new appreciation for the destination you just explored.

New TV Show Goes Behind the Scenes on Two Holland America Ships

Holland America Line News

Donna Tunney

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Jun 26, 2025

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New TV Show Goes Behind the Scenes on Two Holland America Ships

A UK film crew is putting the finishing touches on a new television series that promises to take viewers behind the scenes onboard two Holland America Line ships as they sail three voyages in various parts of the world.

The “Secrets of Supercruisers” project is a partnership between Crackit TV, an independent production studio based in Manchester, England, and the UK’s Channel 4, a public service broadcaster.

Filmed aboard Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam, both Pinnacle-class ships that accommodate 2,600 guests in double occupancy, the 8-part series details the onboard and shoreside experiences guests enjoy while sailing in the Caribbean, South America, North Africa, and the Canary Islands.

The name of the series might imply that the show focuses on guests who spend all or most of their time living on cruise ships, but that is not the case. Rather, the ships themselves are the “supercruisers.”

They are also labeled as luxury cruise ships, although in industry parlance, Holland America Line is a premium line, not a luxury line.

It isn’t just the guest experience that is highlighted in the hour-long episodes but also the hard work of crew members as they strive to deliver first-rate service to passengers.

“Crackit TV have brilliantly captured the life and activities on board a supercruiser. The series will take viewers on a journey to some of the world’s most beautiful places but also giving them insight into all the hard work it takes to deliver the holiday of a lifetime to thousands of guests,” said Deborah Dunnett, Commissioning Editor at Channel 4.

It was not revealed when the series, which is scheduled to air sometime in summer 2025, was filmed since Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam are currently sailing British Isles and Northern Europe itineraries.

Nieuw Statendam, which launched in 2017, is operating cruises of varying lengths roundtrip from Dover, England, and Rotterdam, Netherlands. Rotterdam, which entered service in 2020, is sailing 7- and 14-night cruises roundtrip from Rotterdam and between Rotterdam and Reykjavik, Iceland.

Along with the onboard experience, the series showcases some of the land tours and activities guests were offered, such as horseback riding in the Bahamas and rum tasting in the Dominican Republic, for instance.

“If you think you know cruising, then prepare to be dazzled by the next-level experiences these sensational supercruises have to offer,” said Elaine Hackett, CEO of Crackit TV.

Channel 4 is accessible to viewers in the UK and Ireland. Cruise enthusiasts in other parts of the world might be able to watch the show if it is streamed on the channel’s website, Channel4.com, or if it becomes available on other streaming platforms.

Cruise Films Can Be a Help — or a Hindrance

There is no shortage of TV shows focused on cruising. On YouTube alone, viewers can watch hundreds of cruise ship-based films and videos that depict life onboard, including reviews by amateur travel influencers and professional industry journalists.

Read Also: What Are the Best Cruise Lines for Families?

Sometimes a cruise film brings unwelcome publicity. Most recently, Netflix aired its unflattering documentary, “The Poop Cruise,” which is one episode in the network’s “Trainwreck” anthology.

The film recounts the aftermath of an engine room fire aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Triumph in 2013, when the ship lost power and drifted for days in the Gulf of Mexico. Without power, toilets didn’t work and the sailing became known as “The Poop Cruise.”

Following the airing of the film on June 24, 2025, Carnival Cruise Line issued a statement noting that it has invested millions in fire protection and suppression systems since the unfortunate voyage. Also, since then, the name of the ship was changed to Carnival Sunrise.

For some cruise lines, having social media influencers onboard their ships can be a good thing. Take Royal Caribbean as an example. It operated the Ultimate World Cruise aboard Serenade of the Seas in 2023-24, which was chronicled by multiple guests on TikTok and attracted huge numbers of viewers.

Cruise Ship Guests Stranded by Rapid Tide on Remote Island

Cruise News

Lissa Poirot

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Jun 26, 2025

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Cruise Ship Guests Stranded by Rapid Tide on Remote Island

When they promise an expedition cruise, Silversea delivers.

But what started as a remote island excursion on June 26, 2025, turned unexpectedly tense for dozens of Silversea cruise guests when a fast-moving tide stranded a group off the northern coast of Western Australia on Thursday.

About 70 passengers and 10 guides from the cruise line’s 254-passenger Silver Cloud expedition ship were caught off guard while exploring Adele Island, roughly 60 miles north of the mainland.

The group was taking part in a guided zodiac boat tour when shifting tides grounded several vessels and left guests knee-deep in water, unable to return to the ship.

According to one passenger, who shared details of the mishap on social media, the incident escalated quickly.

“What started as a fabulous trip across to Adele Island ended with all 100 odd passengers and staff getting caught by the rapid tide going out and stranding us on the wrong side of the deeper part of the water to get our zodiacs back to the ship,” he shared.

With the zodiacs stranded in shallow water, those passengers were forced to wade through roughly 547 yards – more than five football fields – across coral beds to reach deeper water.

There, they were met by other zodiacs dispatched from Silver Cloud to complete the rescue.

Most of the group was brought back aboard the ship by sunset, where the medical crew treated guests for minor scrapes and twisted ankles.

At around 8 p.m. local time, the ship’s captain announced that 10 passengers and some crew were still waiting for the tide to turn and could not yet be retrieved.

At press time, nearly 4 hours later, Cruise Hive’s Ship Tracker indicated the vessel was still maneuvering near Adele Island, awaiting high tide. Tide forecasts reported that a second high tide of the day would occur by 11:59 p.m. local time, bringing the water levels up by more than 20 feet.

The forecasts also show that a low tide occurred at 5:48 p.m. local time, with water levels dipping to -0.62 feet, raising questions about how expedition timing and tidal movements were assessed.

Silver Cloud stranded passengers — Silversea’s Silver Cloud passengers wade through low tide after being stranded on Adele Island. (Photo Credit: Mark David Reid)

Thankfully, weather reports indicate 80-degree highs and 74-degree lows, but zodiacs are not equipped with food and beverages to sustain stranded passengers for that duration.

Several guests described the scene as chaotic, with photos shared by passengers showing the group walking through knee- to thigh-deep water, assisted by Silversea crew.

Although some passengers maintained a sense of humor about the ordeal, joking that it was an expedition cruise, others noted it was unusual for Silversea’s experienced expedition team to be caught off guard by environmental conditions.

Silversea has not yet released an official statement about the incident.

Sailing the Kimberley

The 16,800-gross-ton Silver Cloud, which features 20 zodiacs used almost daily, is on a 10-day, round-trip voyage from Darwin, Australia.

Read Also: What is an Expedition Cruise?

Known for its polar voyages, the luxury cruise line’s Kimberley Coast expedition cruises visit islands only available by sea. It calls “the Kimberley” a “wild and remote region,” the size of France, and “untouched by humans other than the ancient Indigenous engravings you’ll find on the walls of the caves.”

The vessel visited the Ashmore Islands via zodiacs on June 25, 2025, without incident, and is now stuck in Adele Island.

The delayed voyage will continue to the Buccaneer Archipelago on June 27, Yawajaba-Montgomery Island, Jar Island, and more remote islands along Australia’s Western coast before returning to Darwin on July 2.