It’s time for another edition of Cruise Hive’s Cruise News Update, recapping the top cruise stories of the past week. This week we have coverage from Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Holland America Line, and the Port of Nassau.
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Carnival Explains Loss of Formal Service
There was a time, a few decades back, when cruise ships had formal wear shops onboard their ships, where men could rent tuxedos and various accessories for Formal Nights, and buy fresh flowers for their partners.
Cruisers don’t find those shops onboard anymore. Why? Well, Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald took a stroll down the Formal Night memory lane recently, when a guest posted a question on his popular Facebook page asking whether the line still has tux rental places.
The answer was no, because the spaces formerly used for formal night rentals have been transformed into more lucrative enterprises. In fact, on Carnival Cruise Line ships, those spaces are now Cherry on Top candy shops. Also, Formal Nights have been altered considerably in recent years, with attire suggestions much less strict.
Heald’s memories of those earlier times onboard cruise ships include the era when an outfit called Hong Kong Tailors occupied space on the line’s ships. It specialized in custom-made men’s suits, and Heald ordered one for himself. At $100 it was a bargain.
However, that enterprise disappeared, too, with the rise of “Hong Kong Sars” in the early 2000s. These days, anyone wanting to dress up in a tuxedo needs to bring his own.
New Arrivals Record For Port of Nassau
The Port of Nassau, Bahamas, continues to grow by leaps and bounds. With the 2024 cruise arrivals numbers tallied, the port welcomed 5.6 million cruise passengers.
That’s 1.2 million more than in 2023 and nearly 2.5 million more than in 2022.
The port can accommodate seven mega-ships at a time, and six of those berths can handle Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships, each of which has capacity for more than 5,500 guests, double occupancy, and up to 6,700 with all berths occupied.
The Nassau port on March 12, 2024 marked a milestone when it hosted a record seven ships and 20,000 guests in one day. The ships included Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas and Vision of the Seas; Sea Cloud’s Sea Cloud Spirit; Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Paradise, Carnival Liberty, and Carnival Elation; and Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wish.
Cruise guest arrivals add mightily to the revenue that ports and surrounding businesses enjoy. In Nassau, the 2024 annual tourism revenues reached $2.6 billion, with much of it trickling down to local tour operators, restaurants, and shops.
Following a $300 million upgrade in 2023, the Port of Nassau is planning to build a $35 million water park due to open in late 2025.
Carnival Conquest’s Speed Issue Prompts Late Arrival
A three-night getaway cruise aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Conquest, sailing out of PortMiami on January 3, 2025, turned into a slightly extended voyage due to a propulsion issue that slowed down the 23-year-old ship.
Carnival Conquest, with capacity for 2,900 guests, returned to her Miami dock at 10:30 a.m. on January 6, 2025, a few hours later than scheduled. A late arrival disrupts not only the forward-travel plans of guests onboard the ship, such as air flights home, but also the embarkation of the next batch of cruisers.
A notice to guests booked on the ship’s next sailing advised delaying their arrival at the cruise terminal by three hours.
The cruise had one port call, at Nassau, Bahamas, and it wasn’t immediately clear when the ship’s speed issue developed.
Carnival Conquest has not reported propulsion problems before this incident, but other ships in the fleet have had issues.
Carnival Liberty, a sister ship to Carnival Conquest, experienced a speed problem during a November 2024 cruise that caused a late return to her homeport in New Orleans.
Also, Carnival Vista cancelled a cruise in September 2024 due to speed problems and experienced delays in October 2024. All three ships are in the line’s Vista class.
Norwegian Epic Waves Bye-Bye to Corfu
For reasons unknown, Norwegian Cruise Line has cancelled Norwegian Epic’s scheduled port calls to the Greek island of Corfu in 2025. The ship was to have visited the island 17 times during its May to October deployment.
In place of Corfu, the ship will instead call at Katakolon. Additionally, Norwegian Epic guests were notified that other port calls were adjusted. A Santorini call, for instance, was changed from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. rather than the originally planned 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In that case, guests might enjoy the destination more, since they can remain in the destination into the evening hours, perhaps dining on local delicacies at an island restaurant as the sun slides below the Aegean Sea.
Shore excursions booked for Corfu are being automatically cancelled and refunded, and any shore tours impacted by the changes in port arrival and departure times also are being altered.
The Greek government approved a new set of fees it will charge to cruise guests, as cruise tourism to the islands has soared in recent years. Corfu welcomed 815,000 cruise guests in 2024, setting a record, and the government fee to visit that island is now €5 per person.
It is doubtful, however, that the new tax is the reason why Norwegian Cruise Line scrapped the port.
Princess Cruises Nixes 2026 Caribbean Sailing
Guests who booked a September 2026 Southern Caribbean cruise aboard Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess will have to make new plans. The cruise line has cancelled the 14-night voyage that was to have sailed roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale.
The ship was set to depart on September 5, 2026 and call at Curacao, Aruba, Grenada, Barbados, Dominica, St. Maarten, and Puerto Rico.
Princess Cruises told booked guests that changes in its deployment program was the cause of the cancellation. Since the ship’s previous cruise, a 7-night Eastern Caribbean voyage, and her next scheduled voyage, a 7-night Western Caribbean, are unaffected, it is possible that the cruise line is taking advantage of a 14-day charter opportunity.
The cruise cancellation also could be due to a maintenance schedule. The 3,560-guest ship has had recent bouts of engine problems that needed repair.
All reservations were cancelled and the cruise line suggested other sailing options for impacted guests. The 3,560-guest Majestic Princess will operate a 12-day Southern Caribbean voyage from New York to Fort Lauderdale on November 7, 2026. The cruise will call at St. Maarten, Curacao, Aruba, St. Kitts, and St. Lucia.
Another choice is a 14-night Caribbean cruise onboard Caribbean Princess, departing from Port Canaveral on September 6, 2026. The 3,100-guest ship sails a 7-day Western Caribbean itinerary, returns to Port Canaveral, then embarks on an Eastern Caribbean voyage.
Bumpy Roll-Out For Norwegian Cruise Line App
The Norwegian Cruise Line App that rolled out in August 2024 has officially replaced its older app, which was shut down on January 1, 2025. But since the transition, some cruise guests have complained that the new app is not as good as the former one.
The app is designed to enable guests to check in online, book dining and entertainment reservations, access their cabins, buy shore excursions, and handle other onboard lifestyle tasks.
Up until the new year, guests could access both the old and the new apps, and now, some say the old one was better. The new app was reviewed by users on the App Store and Google Play, and others posted their opinions on social media. Among the frustrations was a long load time, they said.
The cruise line acknowledged there had been a technical issue with the new app but said it has been resolved.
Overall, reviews are mixed, with some guests reporting problems with selecting and saving activities into a personal calendar while others say the new app functions better than the old one.
Two Virus Outbreaks Hit Cruise Ships in Early 2025
Cruise watchers know that 2024 was a bad year for virus outbreaks, such as norovirus, on cruise ships, and it looks like 2025 is continuing the unhappy trend.
Since the new year turned, two outbreaks already have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one onboard a Holland America Line ship and another on an Oceania Cruises’ ship.
At Holland America Line, Eurodam set sail on a New Year’s cruise on December 30, 2024 from Fort Lauderdale. She returned on schedule on January 8, 2025 after 86 guests and eight crew members came down with norovirus.
Symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, and fever. The 2,139-guest ship had called at Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.
Oceania Cruises’ 639-guest Nautica reported a gastrointestinal illness outbreak on January 3, 2025. The ship had departed from PortMiami on December 23, 2024 on a holiday cruise to Los Angeles.
The vessel arrived on time on January 8, 2025 after visiting destinations in the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Central America.
The line reported that 15 guests and 16 crew members had taken ill. Following an intense cleaning, Nautica departed on January 8, 2025 for her 180-day world cruise from Los Angeles.
More Cruise Headlines
Cruise Hive has plenty more important cruise news stories you won’t want to miss, including Azamara Cruises’ new 188-day World Cruise in 2027; the merger of two cruise lines in Europe; record-breaking cruise arrivals in USVI; luxury line Cunard returning to Alaska in 2026; and Holland America Line unveiling its Asia program for 2026-27.
