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This week we’re highlighting coverage of key changes Carnival Cruise Line is making to its new rewards plan, the successful sea trials completed by Celebrity Cruises’ new ship, Celebrity Xcel, and an unfortunate fight aboard a Royal Caribbean ship that prompted a return to its homeport.
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Guest Complains Onboard Events Run Too Late
Carnival Cruise Line is known as the Fun Ship line, but is the fun lasting too late into the evening to permit a good night’s sleep?
One cruiser thought so, and posited his claim on brand ambassador John Heald’s Facebook page, explaining that dinner times, stage shows, and other activities should start two to three hours earlier than they typically do.
This guest suggested that 10 p.m. is his perfect bedtime, identifying himself as being in his early 40s. Heald didn’t directly respond, but he did publish a poll asking cruisers their opinions on the subject.
About 2,150 people agreed that activities should start earlier, but 9,200-plus guests checked the option stating: “I am not usually in bed on my cruise by 10 p.m.”
Like other cruise lines, Carnival does offer nightly events that run late, such as comedy shows, cabaret performances, and live music in scores of bars and lounges across the fleet. But typically, early and late stage shows are scheduled, just like early and late seatings in the dining rooms.
After Outcry, Carnival Tweaks New Rewards Plan
Three months after announcing it was restructuring its Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) program into a new plan called Carnival Rewards, Carnival Cruise Line has altered some aspects following criticism from loyalty club members.
The new rewards plan takes effect on June 1, 2026.
In a major concession to angry guests, the line now states that all VIFP guests with Diamond status, or who will earn that status by May 31, 2026, will maintain it on a permanent basis. To reach Diamond level, a guest must sail on a Carnival ship for 200 days.
Also, the lower-level Platinum VIFP guests will automatically receive 10,000 Carnival Rewards “stars” when the new program rolls out on June 1, 2026, and in every two-year earning cycle after that.
The cruise line added a rewards plan for children under 18, too. They cannot, by law, be enrolled in a rewards program, but they will be awarded the same status as the adult who is the responsible party on a cruise booking.
Children who reach Diamond or Platinum status before the new program begins will be able to join Carnival Rewards at that loyalty level when they turn 18.
Celebrity Cruises’ New Ship Aces Sea Trials
Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Xcel successfully completed her sea trials in the Bay of Biscay on September 13, 2025 and is expected to be delivered to the cruise line in a couple of weeks.
Sea trials are the last major hurdle in a cruise ship’s construction process, as all major systems are put to the test at sea. Technical systems such as navigation, propulsion, and emergency operations are evaluated in an open-ocean environment.
The 141,400-gross-ton ship is under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France, and is due to sail her maiden voyage on November 18, 2025 following her inaugural transatlantic crossing from Europe. The maiden cruise will be a 5-night Bahamas and Mexico itinerary calling at Cozumel and Bimini.
A 4-night preview cruise is scheduled for November 9, 2025 from her US homeport of Fort Lauderdale.
Now that sea trials are done, finishing touches will be made to the 3,260-guest ship, including new relaxation and activity spaces such as the Hydra Room, which will offer a massage pool and heated lounge chairs, and a lounge called Attic at The Club, offering games like darts and pool.
Following her maiden voyage, the ship will sail 7-night itineraries to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.
Two Injured in Fight Onboard Wonder of the Seas
An onboard altercation that resulted in injuries prompted Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas to turn back to PortMiami shortly after setting sail on September 15, 2025.
The 5,734-guest ship had just left port on a 4-night Bahamas itinerary when a fight erupted in a pool area near Splashaway Bay on Deck 15.
It wasn’t clear how many guests were involved, but the onboard medical team determined that two people would need treatment at a shoreside hospital.
While details of the altercation are sketchy, including why and how the fight began, Royal Caribbean confirmed that it was working with local officials and would fully investigate the incident.
The ship turned back to port, and two guests were debarked and taken to Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital for further treatment. The unscheduled route change did not impact the ship’s planned itinerary, which included calls at Nassau and at Perfect Day at CocoCay, the line’s private island destination.
Celebrity Cruises to Discontinue Two VIP Perks
Two perks that come with the purchase of Celebrity Cruises’ Premium Access Pass will be suspended starting on August 1, 2026.
Citing limited capacity, the cruise line will nix the exclusive lunch on embarkation day as well as reserved seating in the fleet’s theaters — two benefits that make guests feel like real VIPs.
The pass will continue to cover many valuable services, including WiFi for two devices, a premium drinks package, free room service, priority debarkation in tender ports, and express luggage service on debarkation day, among others.
The cost of the plan is between $15 to $40 per person per day — or $105 to $280 for a week-long cruise, depending on the sailing.
Even without the lost perks, the pass can still be considered a good value, considering that a Premium Drink Package bought on its own starts at about $105 per person, per day.
However, there is one drawback: the Premium Access Pass must be purchased for every guest sharing a stateroom who is over the age of 6. For a couple or family sharing a cabin, the pass adds hundreds to the cruise cost.
Carnival Ramps Up Departures to Aloha State in 2027-28
For the first time, Carnival Cruise Line is planning to offer a dedicated series of Hawaii voyages from the US West Coast between October 2027 and March 2028.
The Carnival Journeys cruises will be operated onboard the 2,100-guest Carnival Legend, which will sail 10 14-day Hawaii itineraries from Long Beach, California, the port for Los Angeles.
Through the 2026-27 season, the cruise line offers just one Hawaii sailing per month from November to April, so the 2027-28 deployment is seen as a major enhancement of its commitment to Hawaii.
The new Hawaii series was among other 2027-28 deployment plans the line announced in the past week. A notable change has Carnival basing Carnival Freedom in Norfolk, replacing Carnival Sunshine, on a year-round basis.
The 3,000-guest Carnival Freedom will sail to the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Bermuda from the Virginia port.
Meanwhile, in Baltimore, the line confirmed that the 2,134-guest Carnival Pride will remain based at the port, also offering voyages to the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Bermuda.
Cancellations Disappoint Guests on Two Voyages
Guests booked to sail aboard two P&O Cruises ships will have to make alternate plans now that the cruise line has cancelled their scheduled itineraries.
The first is a 4-night sailing aboard Ventura that was to depart on February 23, 2026. The Amsterdam cruise was roundtrip from Southampton, UK, and was to be the ship’s first voyage following a dry dock renovation.
While the line gave no reason for the cancellation, it is likely that the dry dock refit will take longer than expected. Guests are being refunded and will receive a £25 (about $34 USD) onboard credit if they rebook with the line.
The second impacted sailing is a 14-night Mediterranean voyage aboard Arvia, also sailing roundtrip from Southampton, with a scheduled departure on April 11, 2027. P&O Cruises is replacing that voyage with two 7-night cruises — one to Norway and the second to the Mediterranean.
Arvia guests are being refunded and will receive a £50 ($68 USD) onboard credit if they book a future sailing. Cruisers can choose from several other 14-night sailings with similar itineraries on various dates in 2027.
More Cruise Headlines
Looking for more cruise news? Check out all of our coverage on Cruise Hive, including a big storm in the Gulf of Alaska forcing several ships to alter itineraries, a residential cruise line unveiling a new monthly cabin rental option, and Princess Cruises revealing the deployment of two ships to Canada/New England in 2027.
Also, Royal Caribbean temporarily suspends use of its skydiving simulator on one ship so that it can undergo maintenance, and MSC Cruises introduces Texas-style entertainment aboard MSC Seascape, set to begin sailings from Galveston in November 2025.
