With fast-moving news across the cruise industry, it’s important to stay well informed, and a great way to do that is right here with Cruise Hive’s weekly recap.
Some of the stories we’re highlighting in this edition include Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas officially entering service, a dry dock delay forcing Carnival Cruise Line to nix four cruises, and the president of a major cruise brand surprising the industry by stepping down from his post.
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Two Drownings Reported at Carnival’s Celebration Key
Carnival Cruise Line’s Celebration Key, the private destination on Grand Bahama Island that opened just weeks ago, was the scene of not one but two tragic deaths on Friday, August 15, 2025.
Two guests, both elderly Americans, both drowned, one in a lagoon and one in the ocean. The cruise line confirmed that lifeguards and medical personnel responded to two separate incidents and that neither of the guests survived their ordeal.
While details are scarce and the identities of the guests unknown, it was determined that a 79-year-old man died while snorkeling off the beach while a 74-year-old woman drowned in one of the destination’s lagoons — either the Starfish Lagoon or the adult-only Oasis Lagoon.
Carnival’s Mardi Gras and Carnival Elation were calling at the destination on August 15, 2025, and the cruise line confirmed that one guest had been sailing on each vessel. It did not state which guest was on which ship.
Carnival Elation is homeported in Jacksonville, Florida, while Mardi Gras is based at Port Canaveral.
Star of the Seas Enters Service With Preview Cruise
Royal Caribbean’s new Star of the Seas departed on the first of four preview voyages on August 16, 2025.
It was a gala “sailabration” event at Port Canaveral, the 5,600-guest ship’s homeport, as hundreds of onlookers helped mark the occasion.
Officials from the port and the cruise line attended the launch, along with a DJ who entertained the crowds. Food trucks were on hand and children enjoyed a bubble machine as the second ship in the Icon class headed out to sea.
The 248,700-gross-ton ship called at Perfect Day at CocoCay and had two days at sea before returning to the port on August 20, 2025 — the day of her naming ceremony.
The ship’s honorary godmother, astronaut Kellie Gerardi, christened the vessel, standing in at the last minute for music icon Diana Ross, who had agreed to serve as godmother but cancelled unexpectedly.
The 5,600-guest ship will sail her first revenue cruise, a 7-night Western Caribbean voyage, on August 31, 2025. Star of the Seas will sail alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral.
Dry Dock Delay Prompts Cancellation of Four Voyages
Carnival Cruise Line has cancelled four Bahamas cruises slated to operate aboard Carnival Conquest in February 2026 due to a change in the ship’s dry dock schedule.
The 3,000-guest ship, based at PortMiami, was set to enter dry dock in January 2026, but the move was postponed one month, forcing the cancellation of two 3-night and two 4-night cruises. The affected sailings were due to depart on February 6 and 13, 2026, and February 9 and 16, 2026, respectively.
No reason was given for the change, but the line is offering compensation for guests’ disappointment.
Those who rebook on a comparable cruise will receive up to $100 in onboard credits if they make their new reservation by September 1, 2025. Full refunds are being offered to those who choose not to rebook.
Carnival Cruise Line will reimburse guests for non-refundable airfares and airline change fees, up to $200, if the guests provide proper documentation.
Carnival Conquest, which entered service in 2002, was last dry-docked in 2022. The ship’s 2026 dry dock had already been rescheduled once, before this latest change.
Residential Cruise Brand Sets New Rates Based on Age
In an industry first, a residential cruise brand is offering accommodation rates based on the ages of guests.
Villa Vie Residences unveiled a new lifetime cabin rental option called Golden Passport, with costs tied to eight specific age ranges. The older a guest is the less he or she will pay for the privilege of sailing continuous world voyages aboard Villa Vie Odyssey.
The lowest cost, $99,999 per person, applies to guests aged 90 and older who choose the least expensive stateroom category, which is a porthole cabin on Deck 2. Rates for oceanview cabins on higher decks cost more.
The residential cruise brand is currently operating its first 3.5-year world voyage aboard Villa Vie Odyssey, which is a 32-year-old ship that most recently sailed under the name Braemar for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.
Under the new age-tiered rate plan, the cost of the porthole cabin rises as guests’ ages decrease. For instance, guests aged 55 to 59 pay $299,999 per person, falling to $129,999 for those aged 85 to 89.
In the oceanview category, guests aged 55 to 59 pay $399,999 per person, while a guest over age 90 would pay $199,999, for example.
Golden Passport is one of several lifetime, seasonal, and try-before-you-buy plans offered by the cruise line.
Norwegian Cruise Line President Unexpectedly Steps Down
It isn’t everyday that a cruise line president steps down after serving in the post for just over two years — it takes longer than that just to build a cruise ship — but that’s what has unfolded at Norwegian Cruise Line.
Effective on August 20, 2025, David J. Herrera is out as president and Harry Sommer, former president and now CEO and president of parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is in, at least on an interim basis.
Herrera was a dedicated member of the leadership team, Sommer said in a statement, but an executive search team is already on the case to find a replacement.
Herrera, in fact, had been employed by Norwegian since 2012 and held several top posts in finance and strategy for both the brand and the parent company.
The change in leadership comes as the launch of Norwegian Luna nears and as the company’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay, is poised for a major expansion — both happening in 2026.
Will a new president be onboard by then? Keep checking Cruise Hive to find out!
Crew Member Overboard Sun Princess
Tragedy struck Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess on August 20, 2025, when a crew member went overboard from the 4,300-passenger ship as it sailed toward Istanbul.
Although the ship began search operations and coordinated with local maritime officials, the crew member was not located.
No information about the crew member was released, but the cruise line’s family assistance team is providing support to family members.
Sun Princess, a Sphere-class ship that launched in 2024, is operating a 14-night Mediterranean with Greek Isles, France & Turkey cruise that departed Barcelona on August 9, 2025 and will conclude in Athens on August 23, 2025.
During the search, local officials asked that Sun Princess remain anchored off Tekrdag, a city in northwest Turkey about 90 miles from Istanbul, while the investigation continued.
That delay forced the cancellation of the ship’s port call to Mykonos, set for noon to 9 p.m. on August 22, 2025, and altered her port call arrival and departure times in Istanbul on August 21, 2025.
Before the overboard emergency, the ship had already called at Gibraltar, UK, Marseille, France, Genoa, La Spezia, Rome, and Naples, Italy, and Chania, Crete.
Storm Rocks Carnival Panorama on Mexican Riviera
The Gulf of California conjures images of clear blue skies against deep blue ocean, but the region can surprise with sudden and violent storms.
That was the case on August 20, 2025, when Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Panorama ran into such a storm during her 8-night Mexican Riviera itinerary that departed from Long Beach, California.
The 4,000-guest ship was sailing between Mazatlan and La Paz, Mexico, when the storm hit, causing damage in several areas and some flooding on the vessel.
It was around 8:15 p.m. when a gust of wind estimated at 60 mph caused the ship to list for about 30 seconds, guests wrote on social media.
Video posted by guests showed broken glass, flooding, and water leaks, and various other types of damage. There were no major injuries reported, although several passengers sought assistance from the ship’s medical team.
There were two passengers scheduled to be transported to a local hospital in the next port of call of La Paz on August 21, 2025.
The ship’s itinerary was not impacted. Carnival Panorama is slated to return as planned to Long Beach on August 24, 2025.
More Cruise Headlines
And there is more! Cruise Hive has plenty more news stories you should know about, such as Celebrity River Cruises offering Priority Booking Access for its first set of river cruises in Europe, Florida’s Port Canaveral mulling a big hike in parking fees, and Virgin Voyages making its app available for both iPhones and Androids.
Also, a forklift at the port of Corfu came loose and struck a docked cruise ship, and Margaritaville at Sea is bringing back its Unlimited Paradise Pass.
