A cruise can be a great way to celebrate all sorts of occasions, from graduations, weddings, and birthdays to a new job, a special anniversary, or a honeymoon. Cruise lines often help with celebrations through decorations or gifts, but not all celebrations can be accommodated.
This has been made very clear to one guest booked on Carnival Cruise Line who had a request that must absolutely be denied.
The request was sent to John Heald, the cruise line’s official brand ambassador. He frequently receives all sorts of requests and does his best to help whenever possible.
“I get so many requests for so many different things,”Heald explained.“I get wishes for birthdays and anniversaries and weddings and honeymoons, and different things. Yesterday, well, I got asked to do one of these gender reveal things.”
Gender reveals – when proud parents-to-be either first learn their baby’s gender or share it with others in a fun, surprising way – have become more and more popular in recent years.
From themed cakes to releasing balloons to confetti cannons, pinatas, silly string, or even scratch off tickets in shades of pink and blue, expectant parents enjoy all sorts of ways to spread the excitement of a baby girl or boy.
“This gender reveal request was absolutely brilliant,”Heald acknowledged.“They wanted me to arrange either blue or pink smoke to be blown out of – guess where – yes, the whale tail. They wanted to be standing on Lido with their group that they’re sailing with to do the gender reveal and everybody look up at the whale tail.”
While Heald did not disclose the date of the excited parents’ cruise, he did mention they were planning to sail aboard Carnival Horizon. The ship is homeported year-round from Miami, Florida, offering 6-night Western Caribbean and 8-night Southern Caribbean itineraries.
“Can you imagine me asking the Chief Engineer?”Heald noted with laughter.“Obviously, the answer is no, we can’t do it.”
He does say he will be sending something special to the happy couple to celebrate their bundle of joy, though he can’t assist with such an outrageous gender reveal request.
This is not the first time Carnival Cruise Line has declined gender reveal options. In December 2024, an expectant couple had their confetti cannons confiscated as they boarded Carnival Breeze. They had hoped to use them for a gender reveal onboard, but it was not permitted.
While Heald did not elaborate on why colored smoke couldn’t be managed for the couple’s exciting moment, undoubtedly it would present an engineering challenge and potential hazard for the ship’s exhaust systems.
Furthermore, the dyes to make colored smoke could be considered an environmental contaminant, a clear violation of the cruise line’s policies.
Gender Reveals Onboard a Cruise Ship
While Carnival Cruise Line is unable to honor some crazy requests for gender reveals onboard a ship, there are ways guests can make their own announcements.
Decorating their cabin door in appropriately themed colors can be fun, and they could even use a whiteboard for passersby to “vote” on their choice in the early days of a sailing.
Dressing in pink or blue attire for elegant evening could be another option, complete with photos to share the happy news with those back home.
Carnival Cruise Line also offers toys for sale in the Fun Shops, and purchasing “baby’s first cruise souvenir” in an appropriate color could be a fun choice.
Of course, Carnival guests can always bring along signs, quirky t-shirts, or other ways to announce their baby’s gender (subject to the prohibited items list, of course) and arrange for photos, either at the regular backdrops each evening or through a Dreams Photo Studio private session.
But be careful – guests planning a gender reveal during a cruise should make sure they are within the sailing guidelines and won’t be denied boarding due to a pregnancy.
Carnival Cruise Line requires that guests be no further than 24 weeks along in the pregnancy or else they will not be permitted to sail.
Any way it may be done, an onboard gender reveal is sure to be a special moment the new parents will treasure as they wait for their special bundle to arrive.
Carnival Miracle may be celebrating her twenty-first year in service, but she doesn’t look a day older than a brand new ship now that she’s fresh from her dry dock at the Navantia Shipyard in Cadiz, Spain.
Now, the ship is sporting new updates and features guests have wanted for years. Gary Blair, Carnival Miracle’s cruise director through mid-November, has shared the fantastic updates awaiting guests on the ship’s first post-dry dock sailing.
“You have asked… And we have delivered! Dive-In Movies now available on the Carnival Miracle!”Blair confirmed.“Just one of our many incredible Dry Dock additions!”
The new big screen (admittedly not as big as on some ships) is located midship on the Lido Deck, between the ever-popular Guy’s Burger Joint and the Blue Iguana Cantina. This is the perfect positioning not only for movies at sea, but to showcase deck parties and other fun.
Other updates to the popular Spirit class ship include total refreshment to the onboard nightclub – Dr. Frankenstein’s Lab Dance Club – as well as the Alchemy Bar, the casino, and the main theater.
The Chef’s Table space – aft on Deck 1, Riviera Deck, conveniently adjacent to the galley – has also been refreshed and updated. Guests who book that exclusive dining experience are sure to enjoy the upgrade!
Other cosmetic updates such as carpeting, upholstery, deck refinishing, and painting have also been completed, and the ship is just as gorgeous as she was when she debuted in 2004.
In addition to the refurbishments to public spaces, Carnival Miracle has also gotten behind-the-scenes technical updates to ensure she is running as smoothly, safely, and efficiently as possible.
Her most recent previous update was in late 2022 at the Vigor Shipyard in Portland, Oregon. At that time, she first received the new red, white, and blue hull livery plus other technical updates and general maintenance.
One update Carnival Miracle has not received is free slippers for all guests – as the cruise line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, recently noted. That simply isn’t an update anywhere on the Carnival fleet.
Sailing Aboard the Refreshed Carnival Miracle
Clean, updated, and eager to welcome guests, Carnival Miracle will set sail from Lisbon, Portugal on Sunday, May 11, 2025 on a one-way trip to Dover, UK.
Along the way, these first guests on the refreshed ship will enjoy visits to La Coruna and Bilbao in Spain, as well as Le Verdon-sur-Mer and Le Havre (Paris), France, before arriving in Dover on Sunday, May 18.
Carnival Miracle will remain homeported from Dover through mid-August, offering longer (9-12 nights) itineraries with various routes, including the British Isles, Spain, Portugal, Iceland, northern Europe, and Scandinavia, depending on departure date and cruise length.
On August 10, the ship will depart on a 15-night one-way reposition to Civitavecchia (Rome), visiting amazing destinations in France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy along the way.
From Rome, Carnival Miracle will welcome guests to the second half of her European season with Greek Isles itineraries visiting amazing ports such as Istanbul, Mykonos, Athens, Ephesus, Katakolon, and more.
The ship will return to the US with a transatlantic cruise from Rome to Tampa departing on November 8, with stops in Spain, the Azores, and Nassau before arriving in the Sunshine State on November 22, ready for a winter in the Caribbean through April 2026, at which time she’ll head for Seattle and the Alaska season.
Regardless of where she is sailing, Carnival Miracle can welcome 2,124 guests aboard at double occupancy, with just over 900 crew members onboard to ensure outstanding service on every cruise.
Cruise guests often choose their vacations based on port destinations and overall itineraries, and a port cancellation can be a disappointment – especially when cruises are often booked months in advance.
Guests booked on select upcoming Royal Caribbean sailings will have that disappointment, however. The cruise line is now continuing to cancel visits to its private destination in Labadee, Haiti, well into the summer months.
For example, travelers booked on the July 20, 2025 departure of Oasis of the Seas – a 6-night Western Caribbean sailing from Fort Lauderdale – have been notified that they will not be visiting Labadee as originally planned.
“We have been monitoring the evolving situation in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and out of an abundance of caution, we’re swapping our visit to Labadee for a Sea Day, and we’ll now visit Nassau, Bahamas on Day 6 instead,”the email explained.
On the original itinerary, Oasis of the Seas was to have spent Day 6, the last day of the sailing, enjoying leisurely time at sea. Now, the ship will visit the capital of the Bahamas instead.
Furthermore, Oasis of the Seas‘ visit to Falmouth, Jamaica, on Day 4 (July 23) has also been tweaked to permit more time in port, giving guests extra time to enjoy that fantastic destination.
In recent weeks, Royal Caribbean has once again begun cancelling all calls to Labadee as gang violence and other criminal activity escalates in the country.
While the situation is not unprecedented (several months of visits were cancelled in 2024), because the cruise line is now adjusting itineraries months in advance, it appears unlikely that visits to the private destination will resume anytime soon.
Similarly, itineraries in July 2025 for Adventure of the Seas, homeported from Port Canaveral, as well as Liberty of the Seas from New Jersey, are also cancelling visits to Labadee.
Royal Caribbean is trying to offer alternative ports such as Nassau, Grand Cayman, or CocoCay whenever possible, but some itineraries must make do with an extra sea day when Labadee is removed.
Booked guests are notified with the exact changes to their itineraries as soon as such plans are confirmed.
Why Not Visit Haiti?
To be clear, the capital city of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, is located roughly 90 miles due south of Labadee. Because of the nation’s mountainous geography and meandering road systems, however, driving between the two can typically take 6-7 hours.
As the email states, the cruise line is making these scheduling decisions out of an abundance of caution. Not only does cancelling port visits keep cruise guests safe, but it also ensures that local port employees, tour operators, and other residents of Haiti are not at risk to service a visiting ship.
Cruise Passengers in Labadee, Haiti (Photo Credit: Mary Baratto)
“Since March 2024, Haiti has been under a State of Emergency. Crimes involving firearms are common in Haiti. They include robbery, carjackings, sexual assault, and kidnappings for ransom,”the advisory reads.“Kidnapping is widespread, and U.S. citizens have been victims and have been hurt or killed.”
As recently as Friday, May 2, 2025, a special alert was issued by the US Embassy about a gunfire incident on Rue Romain in downtown Port-au-Prince. Embassy employees and visitors were asked to avoid the area, not to be outside after dark, and to be prepared to shelter in place if necessary.
Personally, despite multiple Royal Caribbean cruises, I’ve never managed to make it to Labadee. Violence and tumult is not uncommon in Haiti, and on several itineraries the port has been dropped from our planned sailings.
While I have been disappointed to not yet visit what seems to be a lovely and unique destination, it’s hard to argue with safety first. I’d rather skip the port and be sure to have a safe and enjoyable cruise!
Even after more than a decade, few in the cruise community will ever forget the infamous “poop cruise” onboard Carnival Triumph – although the more than 4,000 passengers and crew members onboard likely wish that they could.
But this summer, cruise fans will get to go back in time to revisit the chaotic voyage as part of a new Netflix anthology, called “Trainwreck.”
Each of the eight episodes will be a standalone documentary that digs into some of the most bizarre – and sometimes disgusting – mishaps to make wavesaround the world.
The four-day sailing on the ship that is now known as Carnival Sunrise went massively viral in 2013 after an engine room fire cut power to the ship, leaving the vessel with no propulsion, no refrigeration, and perhaps most notably, no working (and overflowing) toilets.
The incident was so extreme that nearly a month of sailings had to be cancelled in the aftermath and an investigation was conducted by the Bahamas Maritime Authority, the United States Coast Guard, and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Unsurprisingly, the sailing has been heavily covered in the media – as the world tuned in live to watch how things would unfold. But the new “Poop Cruise” documentary, which is directed by James Ross, will offer a different perspective as the story will be told by the people who lived it.
“Behind the sensational coverage and sound bites are complex stories, essential questions, and real people who found themselves at the center of the chaos,” reads a press release from TUDUM, Netflix’s companion site.
“Told from their perspective, the Trainwreck series and films will explore everything from disastrous festivals, political scandals, and media hoaxes to cult-like corporations and reality TV disasters,” continued the release.
The episodes will begin airing weekly on Netflix on Tuesdays starting on June 10, 2025, with the “Poop Cruise” episode dropping on June 24, 2025.
In addition to the Carnival sailing, the series will also take an in depth look at topics like the Astroworld Tragedy from November 2021, the dark secrets behind the American Apparel fashion brand, and Nevada’s Area 51.
What Really Happened on the “Poop Cruise?”
This infamous voyage was supposed to be a four-day dream vacation to Cozumel, Mexico, that should have sailed round trip out of Galveston, Texas. But when Carnival Triumph embarked on February 7, 2013, she sailed into a nightmare.
In the early morning hours of February 10, 2013 – three days into the sailing – a fire broke out in the aft engine room, with the flames stemming from diesel generator No. 6.
Guests were woken up to the sound of fire alarms going off – and smoke even made it into some of the hallways – but the fire was automatically put out without any harm to the passengers and crew members.
Carnival Triumph (Photo Credit: William A. Morgan / Shutterstock)
However, the damage had been done – and thus five days of torture and uncertainty ensued for the people stuck onboard.
The damage from the fire ultimately left the 1999-launched ship without power or propulsion – effectively stranding the ship in the Gulf of Mexico.
Additionally, toilets couldn’t flush andsewage began backing up into passenger areas – which created a serious health hazard and gave the event the name of “Poop Cruise.”
The crew members and cruise line did their best to tend to guests’ needs throughout the incident – with Carnival Elation, Carnival Legend, and Carnival Conquest each stopping by to deliver food, water, and other essential supplies between February 10, 2013, and February 11, 2013.
Also on February 11, the ship regained some of her functions thanks to emergency electrical generators, which marginally helped the situation.
After multiple delays caused by strong winds and broken tug lines, the 101,509-gross ton ship was finally towed to safety by a team of four tugboats (with one additional tugboat on standby) – reaching the pier in Mobile, Alabama, by 9:20 p.m. on Valentine’s Day.
Following this disaster, Carnival invested $300 million on fleet-wide safety upgrades and fire prevention.
Carnival Triumph is also still in service today, but under a different name – perhaps as a way to distance the ship from her past. The name change coincided with a massive $200 million refurbishment that was completed in 2019.
We sure had a busy week of cruise news, so we’re here to ensure you’re fully updated, including stories from many of the major cruise lines and destinations. Some highlights are a pizza petition being started by a Carnival guest, soda being removed from Princess packages, and even taxes being a hot topic for passengers.
Make sure you stay well informed by signing up for Cruise Hive’s Daily Update, so the big cruise stories are delivered right to your inbox.
Canned Soda Nixed From Some Princess Packages
Drinks on Princess Cruises Ship (Photo Credit: Brian Logan Photography)
Princess Cruises has removed cans of soda from the inclusions in its Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages, although guests can still get fountain sodas through the plans.
The cruise line quietly altered the policy, but guests were quick to notice the change, and some reached out to Princess for an explanation. The line did not explain why soda cans were removed from the offerings but simply confirmed that the policy had been changed.
The cruise line noted that, originally, cans of soda were not covered in either plan. So, it’s actually a return to a previous policy.
It appears that once the change is fully rolled out, guests with the Plus and Premier plans will receive a 25% discount on canned soda, which currently costs $3 plus an 18% tip.
On the upside, two other drink plans offered by Princess still include cans of soda. These are the Classic Soda Package and the Zero-Alcohol Package.
Also, guests who love to drink soda are allowed to bring up to 12 unopened, sealed cans (12 ounces or less each) onboard Princess Cruises ships at embarkation.
Negotiation With Mexico Ends With Lower Tax on Cruisers
Cruise Ships Docked in Cozumel, Mexico (Photo Credit: Eric Glenn)
The Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) has managed to negotiate a big reduction in the proposed tourist tax that Mexico intended to levy on cruise guests visiting its ports.
The so-called non-resident fee was approved by the Mexican government at $42 per person, per cruise, which would have added a whopping $168 to the cost of a family of four sailing an itinerary that calls at a Mexican port.
The new fee is $5 per person and it takes effect on July 1, 2025. However, Mexico will raise the fee on a phased-in basis — to $10 in 2026 and $21 in 2027.
Under the agreement, cruise lines will collect the tax and pay the Mexican government. The non-resident tax is not new. It has been in effect since 1999 but did not apply to visitors spending less than seven days in the country.
In return for the lowered tax, the FCCA, which represents 23 cruise lines, vowed to increase the number of calls and guests to Mexican ports, and to support local infrastructure projects.
Pizza-Loving Guest Petitions Carnival Cruise Line
Miami Slice Pizza on Carnival Celebration (Photo Credit: Melissa Mayntz)
Some cruisers love pizza so much they’re willing to fight for it — not with fists but with a petition, asking Carnival Cruise Line to bring back late-night pizza.
Cruise line guest and pizza enthusiast Jonathan Hurrell created a petition on change.org seeking like-minded cruisers to sign on and pressure the cruise line to provide some free food options — especially pizza, onboard Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter.
Both ships are former P&O Cruises Australia ships that were recently transferred to the Carnival fleet when the brand was absorbed by Carnival, and both continue to sail itineraries Down Under. But some Aussies are frustrated by the cruise line’s policy to offer no free food choices after 9 p.m.
That’s not the case on other Carnival Cruise Line ships, they point out, where complimentary eateries are open well past midnight. More than 500 people have signed the petition so far.
Food is available on both ships 24/7, however, via room service, but it is not free. A pan pizza will cost a cruiser $6 on either of the ship. No word from Carnival Cruise Line on whether it will consider the petitioner’s request.
Royal Caribbean Makes Offers That Are Hard to Resist
Deck of Allure of the Seas (Photo Credit: Aleksandr Dyskin)
It says a lot about the health of the cruise industry that a 225,282-gross-ton ship accommodating up to 6,700 guests is overbooked for her May 15, 2025 Mediterranean cruise from Rome.
That’s the case with Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, and booked guests are being courted with some very lucrative offers if they agree to move to a smaller cabin or switch to a different ship.
The most astonishing offer is for a full refund of the cruise fare paid and a $200 onboard credit to those who will move to an interior stateroom. A second option is to transfer their booking to Odyssey of the Seas, leaving Rome three days later, and enjoy a Greek Islands itinerary.
The full refund applies to this alternative, too, but guests would have to pay taxes, port fees, and crew tips — still a bargain.
And finally, guests can cancel their Allure of the Seas booking, get a full refund, and receive a future cruise credit equal to 100% of the value of the original booking.
When it comes to sweet deals, Royal Caribbean takes the cake with these choices.
MSC Cruises’ Guest Arrested on Murder Charge
MSC Virtuosa Cruise Ship in Southampton, UK (Photo Credit: P.Cartwright)
A getaway cruise sailing from the UK took a tragic turn when a 60-year-old guest died following a fight onboard an MSC Cruises ship.
It’s now a murder investigation, and a suspect is under arrest. The altercation happened on MSC Virtuoso’s weekend sailing from Southampton to Bruges, Belgium, on May 3, 2025. Less than three hours after departure, a fight between two men left one dead.
The cruise continued on its scheduled itinerary, and when the 4,800-guest ship returned to Southampton on May 5, 2025, a 57-year-old suspect was taken into custody.
Details of the incident are unknown, including whether the victim and suspect knew each other, how the fight started, and how the man died. Police asked guests with information, or who may have witnessed the fight, to come forward.
Some social media posts described the sailing as a booze cruise, with lots of parties going on. Apparently the death was not made known to the ship’s population at large, as online posts showed guests having a good time, seemingly oblivious to the incident.
Both the suspect and victim were said to be UK residents.
Carnival Corporation, the conglomerate behind major cruise brands including Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Cunard, Costa Cruises, and others, is planning to build a massive — up to 700,000-square-foot — corporate headquarters in Miami.
The company is already based in Miami, but the new, bigger corporate campus will bring together staff from all brands into one giant building.
Slated for completion in 2028, the site will house not only office space for 2,000 employees but also training spaces for the lines’ entertainment projects and other initiatives.
It means that staff now located at smaller offices around the US — Princess is based in Santa Clarita, California, and Holland America in Seattle, for instance, all will relocate to Miami. Carnival Corporation will build the campus on property it has purchased in Miami’s Waterford Business District.
Some industry insiders saw the move coming, since Carnival Corporation in April 2024 put its current office space up for sale.
Hawaii Legislature Passes First Cruise Tax
Royal Caribbean Ship Docked in Honolulu, Hawaii (Photo Credit: Gimas)
For the first time, Hawaii lawmakers agreed to expand the state’s transient accommodations tax to include cruise passengers who visit ports across the islands.
Effective on January 1, 2026, the state will levy an 11% tax on cruise fares, prorated based on the number of days a ship is docked at a Hawaii port.
For example, if a cruise guest visits three Hawaii ports on three days of an itinerary, the tax will reflect 11% of the cruise fare for each of those days.
Hawaii typically welcomes about 1 million cruise guests each year, and is a destination frequently included on world cruises and on sailings from the US and Canadian west coasts. Just one ship, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America, sails inter-island voyages year-round from Honolulu.
The tax, which must be signed into law by the state governor, is expected to generate $100 million annually, and be invested in environmental protection projects.
More Cruise Headlines
Don’t stop here! Cruise Hive has even more stories for cruise enthusiasts. Check out our coverage of Carnival Cruise Line selling a limited edition of Jack Daniel’s bourbon onboard its ships; and MSC World Americarescuing people stranded on a boat off Mexico.
While all cruises have excursions, these experiences come at an extra cost and are not every cruiser’s favorite way to explore ports.
One soon-to-be first-time cruiser took to Reddit to seek advice about excursions, wondering if it would be worth it to book any for an upcoming MSC Cruise.
“We booked a 7-day MSC cruise for a nice price to the Caribbean in the fall,” the poster said, adding,“but looking into the MSC app, all ports have some excursions that look fun but are not in our budget. Are the excursions necessary for a good time?
The Redditor also asked if it was possible to simply just walk around the ports, seeking out unique adventures and taking up the opportunity to explore more of the local cultures and cuisines.
At the end of the post, it was shared that the cruise would be calling on ports in Nassau and Ocean Cay in the Bahamas, Cozumel in Mexico, and Roatan in Honduras.
Seasoned cruisers were quick to reply to the post, but the feedback was extremely mixed on how worthwhile excursions were.
“What ports? Some yes, some no,”one person commented, adding,“that being said, the best time to enjoy the ship is when it’s in port. No lines, no crowds.”
The original poster replied with the ports, to which the commenter replied that those particular destinations were mostly bars, shops, and restaurants — but if one were seeking to go on an excursion, it would be cheaper to book one through a local company rather than through the cruise line.
However, the theme of actually staying on the ship while at port became a common one throughout the replies to the post.
“I cruise for the ship and not the ports. I usually don’t get off, if I do, only once,”added one person.
“My family and I did our first cruise in January. We could barely afford the cruise, let alone the excursions, so we didn’t do any. It was fun just exploring the ship, relaxing, trying all the food, and wandering the ports,”replied another.
One of the other commenters shared that when cruising in Alaska, their family booked their own excursions — but in doing so had to make sure they had enough time to get back to the ship, which was stressful but saved them a lot of money.
The general consensus was that excursions could add to the fun at some of the more lackluster ports, such as Nassau, but that they did not need to be through the cruise line and were not necessary to enjoy the cruise.
What it all comes down to is both the cost and the comfort level, as not booking through the cruise line can create more anxiety but also more freedom.
Self-Planned and Independently Booked Excursions Can Lead to the Dreaded Pier Run
When planning excursions separately from the cruise line, the biggest thing to be aware of is giving yourself enough time to get back to the ship before it departs.
Recently, TikToker Ali Smithshared her experience when she almost missed the departure time while cruising on the 4,905-passenger Anthem of the Seas.
In the now viral video, Ali could be seen taking a full-day self-planned excursion around Ho Chi Minh City, but her lack of planning led her to become a pier runner, just narrowly avoiding missing the ship.
Taxis Lined up in Cozumel, Mexico (Photo Credit: Yingna Cai)
However, self-planned excursions are not always to blame, as a family onboard the 4,004-passenger Norwegian Encorelearned the hard wayin 2024.
The Gaults were on a cruise to celebrate a family reunion when, while on an excursion, their local tour operator caused them to miss the ship, leaving all nine of them stranded in Ketchikan, Alaska.
The family was ultimately left with a $9,000 bill that took some time to rectify with the cruise line, as the tour operator was ultimately at fault for the situation.
While situations as severe as the Gaults are not common, ones like Ali’s happen all the time — and are an excellent reminder that planning excursions requires excellent time management.
Take it from someone who has watched the cruise ship sail away from the dock without them, timing is everything.
To book excursions or not to book excursions, that is the question. The answer is simple: do what feels comfortable and will make your cruise the best one possible.
The shoes you pack for a cruise vacation could depend on your fashionable style, the destinations you plan to visit, if you enjoy beach breaks, will you be hiking on shore, are you dressing up for formal night, and more.
But should a pair of slippers be on your cruise packing list? One upcoming Carnival guest was hoping the cruise line would provide that casual footwear.
For clarification, they reached out to Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, with the somewhat unusual question.
“I am fine tuning my packing list for my Miracle cruise from Dover. Normally for travel I would pack a pair of light sliders to wear back and forth to pool deck. These are not for the room,”the guest explained.
“Nobody wants to walk around cruise ship rooms bare-footed. Are slippers provided for us? We are both at the platinum level just so you know, John.”
All cruise guests can certainly understand the wish to “fine tune” one’s packing list. I’m a chronic over-packer myself, and it would be nice to have less luggage to tote for embarkation and debarkation.
This would be especially true for me for any sailing from Dover, which would also involve flying to the homeport, airport transfers, and other hassles. While the original poster does not indicate if they are local to Dover, smart packing is a great idea for any cruise.
Carnival Miracle is spending the summer homeported from Dover, UK with 9- and 12-night itineraries. The shorter cruises include both Northern Europe as well as British Isles itineraries. The longer sailings are either Iceland and British Isles cruises or Scandinavia Baltic routes.
The ship’s last departure from Dover this year will be August 10 for a 15-night one-way trip to Civitavecchia (Rome), where she will homeport through early November before returning to Tampa and Caribbean cruises.
Nevertheless, regardless of the cruise length or itinerary, free slippers will not be available.
“The rooms are fully cleaned [and] vacuumed daily so please do not even give that a second thought,”Heald noted.“As for slippers, well, unless you are in a spa cabin or suite, we do not provide slippers.”
Heald goes on to note that the spa and suite slippers aren’t necessarily the most luxurious.
“I could say to those guests staying in one of these cabins ‘enjoy your slippers’ but that’s hardly the right word for sliding your feet onto two clown sized, wafer-thin strips of cardboard tipped by a flappy foam thingy that make you shuffle walking around the ship like someone who has seven glasses of prune juice (still complimentary) and now urgently needs the bathroom,”he joked.
Granted, there is a lot of imagery there that I didn’t necessarily need. But what no one needs is the allegations and entitlement exhibited by the original poster, either.
The idea that “nobody wants to walk around cruise ship rooms bare-footed” raises the question – have they spoken to the thousands of guests who set sail every week about their in-cabin footwear preferences?
Personally, I’m always barefoot in the stateroom. After a long shore tour or time spent exploring a port area, it’s nice to kick off the shoes – no matter what type they are. Furthermore, removing footwear right as soon as one enters a stateroom ensures you’re not tracking any sand or dirt over the carpet.
Everyone has their own footwear preferences, of course, and some guests do undoubtedly prefer slippers or socks in their staterooms, but Carnival is not obligated to provide any.
That the original poster stuck in “We are both at the platinum level just so you know” is especially grating. While cruise line loyalty programs can be great and offer some highly coveted benefits, guests who tend to expect those benefits spread an attitude of entitlement that creates a bad reputation for all frequent cruisers.
I am a “platinum level” cruiser with Carnival Cruise Line myself, and would never expect (or demand!) slippers. Instead, I pack whatever footwear I might need and don’t expect the cruise line to provide such items.
What Footwear Do Carnival Cruisers Prefer?
Heald followed up on the slipper topic by asking his followers what type of footwear they bring along on their cruise vacations. His options included slippers to wear in the cabin, flip flops for the open decks or Lido, sliders or sandals for around the ship, or just crocs to wear everywhere.
More than 5,000 commenters responded and all types of footwear certainly ended up in the luggage, as well as many other varieties Heald didn’t name.
Sneakers or tennis shoes for shore tours or winter sailings, fancy or dressy shoes for dinner, travel shoes for getting to and from the cruise port, and water shoes for the beach were all popular choices.
Some shore tours or activities, such as the popular Behind the Fun tour, do require guests to wear close-toed shoes, so guests should pack accordingly if they want to participate.
On Carnival’s largest ships, guests might also do more walking than they expect. Whatever type of shoes you pack along, be sure they’re comfortable and broken in so you don’t suffer with blisters or sore feet!
Fans of Costa Cruises, the Carnival Corporation brand that caters mainly to the Italian market, have seen the cruise line’s fleet get smaller in recent years, and that trend will continue in 2026, when yet another ship will depart the line.
In a Strategic Path update issued on May 9, 2025, Costa Cruises confirmed that the 2,700-guest Costa Fortuna, which the line notes is its longest-serving ship, will be transferred to a new, unnamed, owner in September 2026.
Costa Fortuna, a Destiny-class ship that entered service in 2003, will operate her scheduled cruises in the Mediterranean through the summer/fall 2025, with departures from Barcelona, Marseille, and Savona.
In December 2025, the ship will deploy to Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, for a winter series of island voyages. In April 2026, Costa Fortuna will return to the Mediterranean and sail cruises featuring port calls in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.
Before her transfer out of the fleet, the ship is scheduled to sail Greece and Turkey cruises from Athens and Istanbul in summer 2026.
Costa Cruises provided no reason for the ship’s planned departure from the fleet, which has decreased by three vessels in the last three years.
The cruise line, a sister brand to Carnival Cruise Line, saw the former Costa Luminosa, Costa Venezia, and Costa Firenze all transferred to the sister line.
Each of the three ships are now known as Carnival Luminosa, Carnival Venezia, and Carnival Firenze, with the latter two operating as the line’s Fun Italian Style ships. They joined the Carnival fleet in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively.
Since 2001, Costa Cruises has invested some 200 million euros ($225 million USD) in upgrades to its fleet as part of the five-year Strategic Path, which will conclude in November 2025 with the renovation of Costa Serena.
The 3,700-guest Concordia-class ship, launched in 2007, will undergo substantial improvements, including renovated suites, redesigned pools, lounges, and main dining rooms, and a new food court with eateries such as Pizzeria Pummid’Oro, and Sushino@Costa.
Following her dry-dock, Costa Serena will sail a world cruise from Tokyo to Buenos Aires in 2026, positioning the ship for South American cruises in winter 2027. The ship will offer Mediterranean voyages in the spring of that year.
“Our goal is to provide unmatched experiences for our guests while embracing innovation, sustainability, and exceptional value for money,” said Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Cruises.
“We are also investing in our fleet to enhance onboard experience and introducing new itineraries, including Costa Serena new deployment for 2026-2027. The strategy path that we started a few years ago is strengthening our offer in our key markets with a portfolio of unique vacations,” Zanetti added.
Costa Cruises to Operate With Eight Ships Starting 2026
Costa Cruises has no new ship orders pending, making it likely that the brand will operate with eight ships for some time — unless another goes up for sale.
In addition to Costa Serena, those vessels are Costa Toscana, Costa Smeralda, Costa Deliziosa, Costa Diadema, Costa Fascinosa, Costa Favolosa, and Costa Pacifica.
Photo Courtesy: Carnival Cruise Line
The ships sail global itineraries and attract mostly Italians and other Western Europeans. However, the three ships that were transferred to the Carnival Cruise Line fleet all sailed from US ports, giving North American cruisers a taste of Italian themes and designs in shipboard decor.
The 4,000-guest Carnival Venezia, whose design is inspired by the city of Venice, will soon reposition from Port Canaveral to New York and sail summer season Bermuda and Caribbean cruises from the Big Apple.
Carnival Firenze, with decor modeled on the city of Florence, is based in Los Angeles, where the 4,100-guest ship sails Mexican Riviera and California coastal cruises.
Carnival Luminosa is not operating as a Fun Italian-style ship. The 2,260-guest vessel is currently deployed to Seattle for a summer series of Alaska voyages.
While nobody is perfect, the captain of Silversea Cruises’ Silver Ray has just made a rather costly mistake.
On May 3, 2025, while the newest addition to the fleet was operating an 11-night sailing from Barcelona, Spain, to Rome, Italy, the small ship sailed into the protected waters surrounding the famous Faraglioni of Capri.
The 801-foot long vessel came within 500 meters (or 1,640 feet) of the iconic rocks, which puts the marine ecosystem, the landmark, and the ship itself in danger.
“Last Saturday, the Silver Ray, a luxury 244-meter cruise ship, sailed through the waters, passing at close range from the coast of Marina Piccola and, above all, from the iconic Faraglioni,” reads a translated statement on the instagram of GreenMe, an Italian news outlet.
“A “bow” that was perhaps suggestive for the tourists on board, but potentially dangerous for one of the most fragile marine ecosystems in the Mediterranean (where a rare monk seal was recently spotted),”continues the statement.
Smartphone video captured the 728-guest ship sailing within the off-limits waters, and was quickly sent to the Italian Coast Guard by an environmental association, called Legambiente.
This led to an investigation, in which the coast guard used Automatic Identification System transmissions and a monitoring platform to check the luxury ship’s path – and ultimately determined that she came too close to the Faraglioni.
According to Italian news outlet “GreenMe”, the cruise line was fined €1,032 (or $1,158.24 USD) for the transgression. The captain also received a formal, written warning from the Campanian Maritime authority.
While this fine might not seem like a lot to a luxury cruise line that brings in millions of dollars in revenue every year, it does send a clear message about respecting Italy’s protected waters.
Why It Matters
Maritime officials aren’t just establishing protected regions for fun. These rules are put in place for the safety of the passengers aboard these ships and to protect the marine ecosystems and wildlife.
Capri’s Faraglioni rocks could easilydamage or sink a ship in the right conditions – as they are quite large at an average height of 328 feet and have no shortage of sharp edges.
Even though nothing went wrong when Silver Ray sailed by and there have been no documented shipwrecks in these rocks, they aren’t far from where the famous Costa Concordia capsized and sanknear the Italian island of Giglio in 2012.
Cruise Ship Tipped Over (Photo Credit: MZeta / Shutterstock)
Activists have already been comparing Silver Ray’s actions to the “salute maneuver” made by former Captain Francesco Schettino onboard the ill-fated ship.
It was that act that caused Costa Concordia to collide with the rocks, and ultimately created one of the worst modern cruise ship tragedies – in which 32 people lost their lives.
While nothing happened this time, this tragedy can help contextualize why sailing too close to the Faraglioni of Capri was a big (and unnecessary) risk to take.
However, the risk of harm isn’t just to the cruise ship and the passengers onboard, but also to the iconic landmark and the wildlife that live there.
In light of this event, Legambiente’s Capri chapter has begun rallying the troops to designate the waters surrounding the island of Capri as a Marine protected area.
Of notable importance, the water around Capri is home to several species of coral that are considered threatened or endangered.
A variety of fish, small mammals, and the blue lizard (a subspecies of the Italian wall lizard) all make this area their home. Additionally, sightings of the rare and highly endangered Mediterranean monk seal have also been reported nearby.
