Key Aspects:

• Diana Ross has unexpectedly pulled out as Star of the Seas‘ godmother and will not appear at the ship’s naming ceremony.
• A new godmother will be selected, but no potential choices have been revealed.
• Star of the Seas will be named in an evening ceremony at Port Canaveral on Wednesday, August 20.

Star of the Seas is just days away from her official debut, but one crucial step remains – the ship’s naming ceremony. This tradition, conducted by the ship’s official godmother, bestows good fortune on a new vessel and all who sail on her.

Royal Caribbean announced in early June that the legendary Motown singer Diana Ross was to be Star of the Seas‘ godmother. Now, however, Ross has unexpectedly pulled out of the honor.

“We are disappointed that Diana Ross is unable to join us to be godmother of Star of the Seas,” a Royal Caribbean representative confirmed.

The singer has cancelled her appearance aboard the new ship at the naming ceremony, scheduled for Wednesday, August 20 in the ship’s iconic AquaDome neighborhood.

The 81-year-old performer was initially thrilled with the honorary title for the second Icon-class vessel.

“Having spent years of creating beautiful music and memories and bringing people together from all over the world, this feels like a perfect continuation of my journey as godmother of Star of the Seas,” said Ross.

The reasons behind Ross’s cancellation and withdrawal from the naming ceremony have not been released. She has just completed a UK arena tour, however, and is scheduled to begin her “Beautiful Love” US tour on August 16 in Saratoga, California.

It is possible that rescheduling tour dates may conflict with Ross’s commitment as the ship’s godmother, though the second published tour date isn’t until August 28 in St. Louis, Missouri.

The singer’s health and family commitments may also have created last-minute changes to her schedule, though no details have been confirmed.

Who Could Be Named as the New Godmother?

Who will do the honors now, with just a week to go before the christening?

“We look forward to announcing our new godmother soon,” Royal Caribbean said, confirming that no new godmother has been immediately chosen.

Still, there could be a fair few choices. Celebrities – actresses, singers, athletes, etc. – are often selected for the honor. Other recipients are often leaders in their respective fields, renowned for charitable work, or otherwise notable for their accomplishments.

And a “godmother” doesn’t necessarily have to be a woman. In recent years, several ships have had godfathers do the ceremonial naming honors instead.

In fact, Star of the Seas‘ sister ship, Icon of the Seas, was named by her godfather, top soccer player Lionel Messi of Inter Miami CF.

Given that Star of the Seas is also home to Sailor, the second Chief Dog Officer in the fleet, a godparent with a connection to dog rescues or animal welfare could be a very appropriate choice.

Or, and I’m just suggesting, I do live just a few minutes from Port Canaveral and would happily release that oversized bottle of champagne onto Star of the Seas‘ hull next week! (I mean, if they need a volunteer…)

Cruise Hive will be on hand at Star of the Seas‘ naming ceremony, so stay tuned for in-person updates and perspectives at the very momentous occasion for one of the world’s largest cruise ships.

Key Aspects:

• A landslide in the area around the Tracy Arm Fjord, which then triggered a tsunami, has made the area unsafe for cruising temporarily.
• Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas will be skipping the scenic cruising destination on August 13, 2025, and heading straight for Juneau.
• With several other ships expected to sail through Tracy Arm in the coming days, Alaska-bound cruisers should keep an eye out for possible updates.

Cruise guests looking forward to visiting Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska, will be disappointed to learn that Mother Nature had other plans.

Due to a landslide (and subsequent tsunami) that impacted Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm on August 10, 2025, Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas will have to skip her planned visit on August 13, 2025.

For context, both “Arms” are two separate (but close) waterways that branch off from Holkham Bay in Southeast Alaska.

Both destinations are also only visited for scenic cruising. Guests do not actually disembark.

“As previously announced by our Captain, there was a landslide that occurred near the Tracy Arm Fjords area yesterday, pushing an extensive amount of debris into the water,” the up to 2,490 guests onboard were notified.

Local reports show that tens of thousands of cubic meters of debris went careening into the ocean, which currently makes the area unsafe for cruise ships to navigate – and safety has to be the top priority for the cruise lines.

“The US Coast Guard has alerted us that the area still remains hazardous to navigate. As a result, we are unable to visit the Tracy Arm Fjords & Glacier,” the cruise line’s update continued.

On the bright side, the Radiance-class cruise ship’s planned call on Juneau, Alaska, which was scheduled as an afternoon call following the scenic cruising on August 13, will now be expanded to a full day in the popular city.

“We are proceeding to Juneau, Alaska, and we will now arrive at 9:00 AM instead of 2:00 PM,” Royal Caribbean confirmed.

The final port calls on Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan will also go ahead as planned before this 7-night itinerary concludes in Vancouver on August 17.

What Exactly Happened? 

At about 5:30 a.m. local time on August 10, a landslide sent debris tumbling into the ocean. This was followed by localized tsunami waves that averaged at around 10 to 15 feet high.

Read Also: Cruise Ship Navigates Through Space Debris Warning Zone

“We received reports this morning from the Endicott Arm area of Southeast Alaska of a local tsunami that rolled through the area just after 5:30 AM,” the Alaska Earthquake Center shared on social media shortly after the event.

“…At this point, all evidence suggests that this set of reported 10- to 15-foot high waves was set in motion by a landslide of several tens of millions of cubic meters of rock striking the water. We are working to confirm the exact location,” the post continued.

It’s also not the first time a landslide has thrown a wrench into cruising plans. Ketchikan experienced its own landslide on August 25, 2024, just about a year ago.

About a month earlier on July 23, 2024, Alaska cruisers who set off to tour the Yukon during a day in Skagway were stranded in Canada due to a major landslide.

Read Also: From Mishaps to Maydays – Cruise Ship Accidents

In this case, it’s unclear how long it will be before cruise ships can safely sail through the Tracy Arm Fjord.

With dozens of ships planning to take their own scenic tours before August ends, cruisers bound for Alaska in the near future should be keeping an eye out for updates from their cruise line.

Princess Cruises’ Discovery Princess and Holland America Line’s Westerdam are expected most immediately in Tracy Arm on August 13, but it’s unclear if they, too, will be altering course.

Key Aspects:

• Vision of the Seas will not be visiting Bermuda on her August 14 sailing in order to avoid Tropical Storm Erin.
• Instead, the ship will spend a day at Port Canaveral and have a longer visit in Nassau.
• Tropical Storm Erin should intensify into a hurricane in the next couple of days, but there is still great uncertainty in her track later in the week.

Royal Caribbean is wasting no time in ensuring the safety of its ships, or at least one ship, that would likely be directly in the path of Tropical Storm Erin.

The cruise line has contacted guests due to board Vision of the Seas on Thursday, August 14, 2025 to alert them to an itinerary change that will now skip Bermuda entirely.

The ship is homeported from Baltimore, Maryland and her August 14 departure is a 9-night Bermuda and Perfect Day cruise.

To ensure a more perfect vacation than sailing into what will likely be a hurricane, Vision of the Seas will now head south instead of aiming for Bermuda.

“Along with our Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, our Captain has been monitoring Tropical Storm Erin and its expected track that will take it near Bermuda during our sailing,” the email reads. “In the interest of safety, we have decided to avoid the storm and head south.”

Vision of the Seas was scheduled to visit Bermuda overnight on Saturday and Sunday, August 16-17. While the storm isn’t likely to reach Bermuda until early next week, the ship would have had to pass through the storm’s path to continue on to the Bahamas.

Now, the ship will keep much further west and well away from the roughest waters churned up by what may be a major hurricane at the time.

Instead of visiting Bermuda, Vision of the Seas will visit Port Canaveral (Orlando) on Sunday, August 17. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy iconic Cocoa Beach, explore the stars at Kennedy Space Center, or experience outstanding theme parks.

This change will also permit Vision of the Seas to reach Nassau several hours earlier than originally planned. Instead of being in port from 1-8 p.m. on Tuesday, August 19, the ship will now reach the Bahamian capital at 7 a.m.

Guests can take advantage of earlier shore tours, spend the morning hours exploring on their own, or enjoy more leisurely time onboard while others are already off the ship.

Of course, pre-booked tours for the cancelled Bermuda visit will be automatically refunded to the original form of payment.

The ship’s visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay and her return to Baltimore are not expected to be impacted.

Ultimately, of course, the safety of the ship is the foremost concern. Should further itinerary changes be necessary, Royal Caribbean will notify guests as soon as possible.

Update on Tropical Storm Erin

Though still located more than 1,600 miles east of the easternmost Caribbean ports, Tropical Storm Erin continues to move west and is forecast to become a hurricane by late Thursday or early Friday.

Currently, the storm’s maximum sustained winds are 45 miles per hour, well below the 75 mph threshold to be classified as a hurricane. The National Hurricane Center notes that intensification is expected by late Wednesday, August 13.

At this time, no warnings have yet been issued for the storm, but there is still a lot of uncertainty over the next few days.

“Erin could move close enough to the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico over the weekend to produce some impacts on those islands,” the 5 p.m. Tuesday forecast discussion notes. “However, the magnitude of those impacts is still not known.”

Undoubtedly, Vision of the Seas will only be the first of several ships to adjust itineraries in order to offer smooth, comfortable, and most of all, safe sailing to guests.

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Any travelers with cruises booked to the Eastern Caribbean, Bahamas, or Bermuda in the next 7-10 days should stay alert to possible adjustments.

Staying in close contact with one’s cruise line is the best way to ensure prompt notification of such updates.