Since embarking on an anniversary cruise onboard Carnival Magic on February 8, 2025, Jason and Tammy Merritt have been fighting to locate their missing suitcase. 

But as of March 1, 2025, the Merritt family updated their growing group of followers that the suitcase had been located in the stateroom of another guest – finally signaling an end to the saga after more than 20 days of searching and waiting. 

“THEY FOUND MY LUGGAGE!!!!!! And there is a back to back to back thief!!! They found it in a [lady’s] cabin a ‘couple doors down’ from our cabin! The assumption is she liked my bag so she took it,” Jason shared on social media.

While luggage going missing isn’t overly uncommon, what made this case particularly unique is that the suitcase – which belongs to Jason – was lost onboard the Dream-class ship and then seemingly disappeared. 

Thanks to a pair of Apple AirPods inside the bag, the family was able to track the suitcase to the ship using the “Find My iPhone” App – it was just a question of where.

They then watched from home as the tiny headphones kept sailing the Caribbean in the weeks since the couple disembarked without their suitcase on February 16, 2025.

In fact, the adventures of the AirPods – which the family refers to as Daddy-O’s – now even have their own dedicated Facebook page, which will remain active at least until the suitcase is reunited with its owner. 

Eventually, one of Carnival Magic’s 1,367 crew members recognized the suitcase – but it was those very same AirPods that confirmed that the bag really did belong to Mr. Merritt. 

“They were able to confirm it was mine by…wait for it…the serial number on my AirPods!!!!!!!,” Jason said.

“It is my understanding that her room had been checked and she said it was her bag. It wasn’t until a crew member saw a pic of my bag that he remembered seeing one like it and went back to check the room again. This time they searched it and found my stuff,” he continued. 

The cruise line has promised to ship the suitcase home on Monday, March 3, 2025. 

What Happens Next? 

The unidentified woman who stole Jason’s suitcase not only allegedly took something that wasn’t hers, but lied about it. 

Once the bag’s true identity was confirmed, she was placed under “house arrest” – meaning she was confined to her cabin for the remainder of her sailing – which disembarked on March 2, 2025, in Miami, Florida. 

Frankly, she was lucky not to be sent to the brig – which is also known as the onboard jail cell.

“She was put under house arrest and has been banned from all future sailings, is what I’m told,” Jason confirmed.

In addition to being banned from all Carnival ships, it’s also likely that she was banned from all Carnival-owned brands – which includes popular cruise lines like Princess Cruises and Holland America Line.

Cruise Hive Discussion Boards: Lost Luggage On a Cruise

Jason will also have to eventually decide if he wants to press charges against the cruiser. Per his latest update, he is waiting to receive an inventory list from Carnival to see if the guest took anything. 

In an earlier post from Tammy, she estimated that the contents of the suitcase – which included things like medication, a CPAP machine, and electronics – was valued at around $1,000. 

“We’ll know more in the coming days and then I need to decide if I want to press charges. If nothing is missing then I’m not really sure it’s worth the hassle. If something is missing then I’m dang sure pressing charges,” the recent Carnival guest continued.

But until they know more, the Merritt family is happy that their belongings were finally found and that there may be a light at the end of this tunnel. 

That said, they will continue tracking the AirPods until the suitcase is back in their possession.

Carnival Jubilee’s current sailing just started with a bang – literally.

The 7-night Western Caribbean Cruise kicked off from the port of Galveston, Texas, on Saturday, March 1, 2025. 

But while the newest ship in Carnival’s fleet was still docked, a small boat accidentally collided with the side of it – scratching the 182,800-gross ton vessel near her bow. 

It’s unclear why the small boat hit the ship, but witnesses said that it seemed like the smaller vessel seemed to sail directly into the side of the largest Carnival Cruise ship.

“Honestly though, how do you hit that?” an onlooker asked in a video showing the aftermath of the collision. 

“I don’t know. He went, like, straight into it…I think he went, like, curved, and went, like, straight into it,” someone else replied.

As local reports showed the forecast in Galveston to be sunny with low winds – and even the video showed sunshine with only small waves on the water’s surface – this likely wasn’t a situation where the conditions caused the sailors to lose control. 

It’s more likely that something would have gone wrong onboard the smaller craft that led to the collision – such as a piece of equipment malfunctioning – but the reason is currently unknown.

After the crash, the smaller boat’s mast seemed to get temporarily stuck under Carnival Jubilee’s bow. 

But with the help of experts onboard a pilot boat, the smaller vessel was able to maneuver away from the cruise ship. Thankfully, early reports indicate that no one was injured in the incident. 

It’s unclear what damage the privately owned boat may have sustained – but it was still upright in the witness recorded videos and the collision seemed to occur at low speeds. 

Cruise Hive reached out to Carnival Cruise Line for comment, and will update this article when we receive their statement. 

Is the Itinerary Impacted?

Aside from a scratch – which appears to just be cosmetic – Carnival Jubilee seems to have made it back to sea mostly unscathed. 

According to cruise tracking data, the 2023-launched ship departed the Galveston Cruise Port on time on March 1 – setting sail at approximately 4 p.m. CST. 

At the time of this writing, she is sailing at standard speeds – of around 16 knots (or 18 miles per hour) – as she heads toward her first port of call. 

For context, her average speed is 17 knots, but she can sail at speeds of up to 23 knots per hour. The sailing will first visit Roatan, Honduras, before calling on Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico. 

Per posts from Cruise Director Kyndall “Fire” Magyar, who is onboard for her final sailing before going on break from March 8 – May 17, 2025, it’s business as usual for the up to 5,374 guests. 

On the same day as the collision, she shared footage of her final sailaway party (for now) – which appeared just as lively and entertaining as ever. 

While it may be a coincidence, the caption of the video might be a nod to the events of the day. 

“It’s almost Vacation Time! One last cruise and we are gonna go out with a BANG!,” she wrote with the clip.

Read Also: From Mishaps to Maydays – Cruise Ship Accidents

At the end of the day, it’s good news that no people were injured and the damage is minimal – allowing the fun to continue onboard the Fun Ship without interruption. But while collisions like this are rare, they do happen from time to time. 

Most recently, a small yacht crashed into Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas while the Oasis-class ship was docked in Nassau, Bahamas, in December of 2024. 

According to guests who were onboard the 6,780-guest ship at the time, the unidentified yacht lost power and drifted into the ship’s stern – thankfully at a low speed.

While the mega-ship left the incident unharmed, the yacht couldn’t say the same – with the crash resulting in a broken mast.

Guy’s Burger Joint is a must-visit eatery for many Carnival cruisers. Now, guests have one more reason to head up for a freshly grilled smash burger, as Carnival Cruise Line and Guy Fieri have introduced a special “featured burger” in celebration of none other than Celebration Key.

The new BBQ Rum Runner burger has been added to the menu of every Guy’s Burger Joint in the fleet, bringing a new tropical twist for guests to enjoy.

“Here is that brilliant new burger from the Burger King himself, Guy Fieri,” John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, announced.

The burger starts with the classic beef patty topped with the signature “S.M.C.” – super melty cheese. The layers of the new burger are tangy jalapeno-pineapple salsa, sweetly savory rum barbecue pulled pork, a cooling blast of coleslaw, a crunch of shaved onion, a juicy layer of pickle, and the flavorful finish of “Donkey sauce.”

Donkey sauce, by the way, is a smooth blend of mayonnaise, roasted garlic, yellow mustard, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. A smear of this brings extra seasoning and distinction to every Guy’s Burger – though you can certainly order your burgers without the sauce, if preferred. (I’m a Plain Jane girl myself.)

The new BBQ Rum Runner burger has all the tropical flair of the Caribbean and is the perfect bite to fuel up before hitting Celebration Key, which is how the new menu item is being featured. The introduction sign of the new burger also highlights Celebration Key’s colorful logo – another hint of tropical flair.

The burger has already been unveiled onboard various ships, including Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Magic, and Carnival Venezia. It is getting rave reviews from guests who note that not only is it tasty and unique, but also quite filling and a great new addition to the menu.

The BBQ Rum Runner will be available onboard all Carnival ships that have a Guy’s Burger Joint restaurant. At the moment, this includes all vessels except for Carnival Luminosa.

While the two former P&O Cruises Australia ships, Adventure and Encounter, are being renovated as Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter, it is not yet confirmed whether or not they will have Guy’s Burger Joint added to their eatery lineups.

Can You Get the New Burger at Celebration Key?

Ironically, even though the burger has been announced as the “Featured Burger” of Celebration Key, it is unlikely that the tasty tidbit (okay, more than a tidbit) will be found ashore at the new destination on Grand Bahama island.

Carnival Cruise Line has not announced any plans for a Guy’s Burger Joint at the private port of call, though Celebration Key will have a wide range of dining venues for guests to enjoy.

Four full-service restaurants, nine food trucks, five “snack shacks” for quick bites, and two counter-service food kiosks are all part of the lineup.

“Great food and beverage options are essential to the Carnival experience,” said Christine Duffy, Carnival Cruise Line President. “We’ve designed Celebration Key with an array of dining opportunities, whether our guests want a casual snack, a quick meal, or a full dining experience.”

Bahamian classics like fried fish and conch fritters will be available at Mingo’s Tropical Bar & Kitchen, while Surf ‘N Sauce BBQ & Brews will feature slow-cooked meats and local craft beers.

For guests craving a burger, several venues will offer the grab-and-go beach fare, including Mingo’s Express food truck and the Captain’s Galley Food Hall.

Read Also: Free Carnival Cruise Dining Options You’ll Want to Know (With Menus!)

Of course, Guy’s Burger Joint onboard each Carnival ship visiting Celebration Key will still likely be open for lunch hours even while the ship is in port. Guests can still grab a BBQ Rum Rummer before heading out to explore the destination or after getting back from an early visit to the beach.

Celebration Key will welcome its first ship, Carnival Vista, on the ship’s July 12, 2025 departure, an 8-night Southern Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral. The ship will arrive at Celebration Key on Saturday, July 19.

Bookings to Celebration Key are now open from multiple US homeports with more than a dozen ships planning to pay visits to the new, fun-themed private destination.