Let’s dig into the top cruise news stories of the past week with Cruise Hive’s exciting weekly recap. In this edition we have coverage on Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
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A David and Goliath Collision at Galveston Port
Is it possible to not see a 182,800-gross ton cruise ship docked at the Port of Galveston? Apparently, yes, it is.
A small sailboat collided with Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Jubilee’s bow as the mega-ship was preparing to depart on a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise from the Texas Gulf Coast port on March 1, 2025.
The small craft scratched the cruise ship and its mast seemed to be stuck under Carnival Jubilee’s bow. It could be that something malfunctioned onboard the sailboat and caused it to hit the cruise ship, but it is unclear why the small craft was so close to the mega-ship in the first place.
The weather at the port was not a factor, with low winds and sunny skies. With the assistance of a harbor pilot boat, the small craft was able to be moved away from the Fun Ship.
Carnival Jubilee left the port on schedule, with her itinerary taking guests to Roatan, Honduras, and Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico. Thankfully, no one was injured in the mishap.
Luggage Lost and Found Aboard Carnival Magic
For more than a month, a couple who sailed on Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Magic has been searching for their missing suitcase.
The luggage made it onboard the ship but was never delivered to their cabin. Instead, it somehow ended up in another guest’s stateroom, and that guest never alerted a crew member to the misplaced bag.
A pair of Apple AirPods stowed inside the bag enabled the couple to track the luggage using the “Find My iPhone” app and confirm it was somewhere on the ship, but its exact location was not known. Fast forward several weeks and Carnival Cruise Line notified the guests that their suitcase was discovered.
It turned out that the bag appeared to have been taken by the guest in whose room it was located, and that guest apparently has been barred from sailing with the line again.
Carnival Cruise Line told the theft victims that their suitcase would be delivered to their home. In this case, several key items were in the bag, including needed medications and a CPAP machine, plus other electronics — all valued at about $1,000.
Lesson Learned: Always Count Your Suitcases
A Royal Caribbean guest learned the hard way that it pays to double-check you’ve claimed all your checked luggage at the cruise terminal before heading to the airport for a flight home.
The guest forgot one piece of her luggage as she disembarked her cruise at PortMiami, and then went on to enjoy an excursion before being dropped off at Miami International Airport. That’s when she realized a suitcase was missing.
By then, it was too late to go back to the cruise terminal to look for it. The guest was able to track the bag using AirTags packed inside, and learned that the suitcase was no longer in the terminal but being transported somewhere — probably to a lost luggage facility.
She contacted Royal Caribbean and was told to complete an online form detailing key information, such as the date it was lost and where it was last seen. The cruise line’s lost item policy says it will make every effort to locate the bag and ship it to the guest, at her expense.
The guest’s predicament, detailed on a social media site, elicited sympathetic comments from others.
Loyalty Club Member Seeks a Special Luggage Perk
It’s always a relief to unpack on the first day of a cruise and stow your bags under the bed, knowing that your vacation at sea is just beginning. But what happens if your luggage is too large to fit under the bed?
Unless you’ve booked a spacious suite, it can get cramped if suitcases have to be accommodated inside a standard stateroom. That’s what a Diamond-level loyalty club member complained about to Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald.
They took to his popular Facebook page to ask why the line doesn’t provide storage space for large pieces of luggage — for Diamond members.
Readers commenting on the guest’s post acknowledged his sense of entitlement, but some had helpful suggestions, such as sending some clothing out to be laundered, since Diamond members receive that perk for free. That way, some said, they wouldn’t have to pack as many clothes.
They also could stack them in a closet, or leave them on the cabin’s couch, among other options.
For his part, Heald replied that, no, the cruise line will not be providing luggage storage space to any guests, regardless of their loyalty status, although he thanked them for being Diamond members.
Drew Barrymore to Christen MSC World America
American actor Drew Barrymore, best known for her roles in “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “50 First Dates,” and “The Wedding Singer,” among other accomplishments, will be godmother to MSC Cruises’ MSC World America when the ship is christened at PortMiami on April 9, 2025.
The 6,762-guest ship will soon leave the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France, where she is being constructed, and be delivered to the cruise line on March 27, 2025.
Barrymore, along with actor Orlando Bloom, appeared in a Super Bowl ad showcasing MSC Cruises and the upcoming ship, so it wasn’t a complete surprise that she had been tapped to serve as godmother.
Following what is sure to be a gala naming ceremony, MSC World America will sail a maiden Caribbean voyage and then begin a series of alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages.
The ship, built for the North American market, has 19 dining venues, 18 bars and lounges, and several pools and thrill rides — all contained within seven distinct zones.
Music Nostalgia Shows Take the Stage on Multiple NCL Ships
Nine Norwegian Cruise Line ships are in the process of debuting four music nostalgia productions geared to cruisers from varying generations.
The shows are “Red, White, & British,” “Bring Back the 90s,” “ICONS: The Bands,” and “Ignite the Night,” with each one touting a specific musical era or genre.
Guests sailing aboard Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Joy, and Norwegian Prima will be the first to enjoy the live performances before they are introduced fleet-wide over time.
“Red, White, & British” highlights, you guessed it, Britain’s iconic performers; “ICONS: The Bands” looks back at the world’s most legendary rock bands; “Bring Back the 90s” touts the hits of the decade, and “Ignite the Night” is a celebrity-inspired look at Hollywood’s award shows and red carpet extravaganzas.
The 90’s show and “Ignite the Night” have already opened on some ships, while the other performances will be introduced in the coming weeks.
Carnival Cruise Line Revises Itineraries of 4 Ships
Carnival Cruise Line altered, to varying degrees, upcoming sailings on Carnival Venezia, Mardi Gras, Carnival Horizon, and Carnival Sunrise on departures from 2025 through 2027.
No reasons were provided to guests, but some likely causes could be port congestion or ship maintenance. The itinerary revisions include slightly altered departure times and length of time in various ports, for example.
On Carnival Venezia, sailing from Port Canaveral and New York, four itineraries in 2025 were modified with minor changes to departure times, and one change alters the time in port at Grand Turk. On Mardi Gras, one sailing’s departure from Port Canaveral in 2025 was pushed back by a half-hour.
On a Carnival Horizon cruise from PortMiami in 2025, a planned call to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, was swapped out for Cozumel, Mexico; and on Carnival Sunrise, also sailing from PortMiami, six itineraries were revised to call at Nassau, Bahamas, on a different date than originally scheduled.
Four of the impacted cruises on Carnival Sunrise have 2026 departure dates and two have 2027 departure dates. Booked guests have been notified of the changes.
More Cruise Headlines
Cruise Hive has plenty more news stories to keep you up to date. Check out our coverage on Alaska approving a new cruise terminal in Seward; MSC Cruises unveiling winter deployments for 2026-27; Holland America Line adding new Mexican Riviera and Pacific Coast voyages; a tropical cyclone impacting voyages off the Australia coast; and Virgin Voyages simplifying the group booking process.
