You can sleep with the balcony door open. Just be considerate about it.
That’s the latest clarification from Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador John Heald, who recently addressed a frequent point of confusion among cruise passengers.
Some guests have written to Heald in complaint, saying that passengers sleeping with their balcony doors open are inconsiderate because it allegedly shuts off air conditioning for neighboring cabins.
According to Heald, that’s simply not true.
“Some people have said that passengers who leave the balcony door of their cabin open that it is selfish because it turns the air conditioning off for other cabins in that area,” Heald said in a social media post.
“That is not true. Regardless of those who say it is, I have confirmed with the highest level, the chief engineers on the ships, and they confirm it only turns off the air conditioning in your cabin and does not affect those around you.”
Heald acknowledged that many guests enjoy the sound of the ocean and choose to sleep with their balcony door open and says it’s “lovely.”
However, he also reminded guests who want to take in the salt air as they sleep to use caution.
Remember two things, he pleaded. Open balcony doors may slam shut due to wind and swells.
“Watch your hands and be careful,” is his first rule of thumb while the second is a reminder that the slamming door creates a noise that carries and actually is inconsiderate to nearby passengers.
He recommended placing an object in the opening to prevent the door from slamming and reminded guests that opening both the cabin and balcony doors can create a wind tunnel that could cause a disturbance.
“Please be gracious and think of others,” Heald added.
Balcony Behavior Has Limits
The open-door air conditioning debate isn’t the only balcony topic that draws strong opinions from cruise passengers. Heald also referred to a recent passenger who brought his mattress and bedding onto the balcony to sleep on it.
“That is not allowed for safety reasons, cleanliness reasons, for all sorts of reasons,” said Heald. “You cannot take your mattress and put it on your balcony. Don’t do it. Just don’t.”
Heald has fielded hundreds of questions over the years about what’s allowed, what’s frowned upon, and what could get passengers into trouble when it comes to balcony behavior.
Smoking remains one of the biggest points of contention.
While some guests assume it’s acceptable to smoke on their balcony, Heald has repeatedly clarified that Carnival’s smoking policy prohibits it outside of designated areas.
Carnival Cruise Line Balconies With Hanging Clothes
Violating that policy can result in a $500 cleaning fee or even disembarkation. Heald has emphasized that smoke can easily drift into neighboring cabins, posing both a comfort and fire safety concern.
Another common issue? Noise.
Not only do open balcony doors bang in the wind, especially at night, but many passengers have complained about neighboring guests listening to music or talking on their phones loudly on balconies.
Carnival Cruise Line has addressed this issue by implementing a ban on Bluetooth speakers, with Heald confirming this policy multiple times on his platform.
Initially banned from public areas and balconies, the cruise line did a fleet-wide ban in November 2024.
The company also reminds guests that they must use earphones when listening to music or watching shows, movies, and reels on their phones in an effort to preserve peace and ensure any public safety announcements can be heard.
Another no-no is hanging laundry or other items on balcony railings. Not only is it unsightly, it can pose fire hazards and can affect the environment if things get blown overboard.
Balconies may be a favorite cruise feature, but they come with boundaries for safety and common courtesy.
Many cruise travelers carefully select their cruise lines, individual ships, and departure dates for specific itineraries that best match their vacation dreams. It can be frustrating, then, to receive an email letting you know that your itinerary has been changed.
Guests aboard four Carnival cruise ships have received such notifications, but without any frustration at all – in fact, these are the best kind of itinerary changes, as their cruises will be starting earlier than planned!
Mardi Gras, Carnival Luminosa, Carnival Spirit, and Carnival Sunshine are the latest ships in the Carnival fleet to be impacted by adjusted departure times as they set sail on select itineraries.
Each ship will have their homeport departure time moved up by 30 minutes on select sailing dates as early as September 2025 and as far in the future as January 2027.
Mardi Gras
Just one sailing is impacted for Mardi Gras – her September 13, 2025 departure – will now set sail from Port Canaveral at 5:30 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. This 14-night sailing is a one-way transatlantic cruise to Barcelona ahead of a planned dry dock refreshment for the cruise line’s oldest Excel class vessel.
Carnival Luminosa
For Carnival Luminosa, another epic repositioning cruise is impacted, as the ship’s September 18, 2025 departure from Seattle will leave at 5:30 p.m. instead of 6 p.m.
This 23-night transpacific cruise will move the ship from her Alaska season back to Sydney, Australia to rejoin her fleet mates Down Under.
Carnival Spirit
Five sailings from two homeports are impacted for Carnival Spirit. From Seattle, the ship’s October 11, 2025 and October 8, 2026 departures will leave at 4:30 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. Both of those sailings are at the end of Carnival Spirit‘s Alaska seasons as she returns to the Caribbean.
Three more cruises for Carnival Spirit have the same departure time change, but from Mobile, Alabama. These are the ship’s January 17, 2026; April 12, 2026; and January 17, 2027 sailings.
The two January cruises are 14-night Southern Caribbean Carnival Journeys cruises, while the April departure is the ship’s repositioning voyage from Mobile to Seattle ahead of her 2026 Alaska season.
Carnival Sunshine
Carnival Sunshine in Norfolk (Photo Credit: Carnival)
Finally, just one cruise is setting sail earlier for Carnival Sunshine. The ship will now set sail at 4:30 p.m. on June 14, 2026 instead of the originally scheduled 5 p.m.
The June 14 departure is a 9-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary from Norfolk with plans to visit Amber Cove, San Juan, and St. Thomas.
For all four ships and eight adjusted itineraries, no other port or time changes have been noted at this time. With several months to go before the first impacted departure, however, it is possible further changes may be made.
Carnival Conquest, Carnival Celebration, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Venezia, Carnival Miracle, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Dream, Carnival Pride, Carnival Legend, and Carnival Freedom have all had similar changes.
In some cases, select departures have also had other itinerary adjustments, including port swaps or visit date changes. Guests booked on any of these sailings should carefully check for the details of their specific cruise vacation.
Carnival Cruise Line has not given any specific reason for such changes. Part of the reason these ships can now set sail earlier is undoubtedly due to the implementation of facial recognition technology at different homeports, which allows embarking guests to be processed far more quickly than in the past.
On a recent cruise from Port Canaveral, for example, I was able to enter the cruise terminal, check in for my sailing, move through security screening, walk up the gangway and onto the ship in just 10 minutes – I timed it!
With that type of efficiency, it’s no surprise that cruises can set sail earlier, and every guest aboard can begin their vacation that much sooner.
Cruisers asked, and Royal Caribbean answered. The cruising community is looking for more non-smoking casino access, and their wish is the cruise line’s command.
On Royal Caribbean’s more modern cruise ships, the smoking and non-smoking sections of the casino are separate venues entirely. For many, this is a welcomed change from simply splitting two sides of the main Casino Royale into smoking and non-smoking sections – as the smell can travel.
However, the non-smoking casino on vessels like the 6,988-guest Wonder of the Seas has proven to be a bit too small for the demand – which means it’s time for an expansion.
However, space on a cruise ship – even if it happens to beonthe third largest in the world– is still finite. This means that other venues have to close at least temporarily for the expansion to take place.
“As of June 1, 2025, the casino onboard Wonder of the Seas is being expanded into the existing Crown Lounge on Deck 4,” Royal Caribbean announced.
For context, the Crown Lounge is an exclusive haunt onboard for Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Club members of the Crown and Anchor Society– which is Royal Caribbean’s loyalty program.
If you’ve never stepped inside the venue, it is known for offering light bites and drinks and is home to a private concierge for elite loyalty club members.
The Crown Lounge will be closed on June 22, 2025, before re-opening in a new location on Deck 16 on June 29, 2025.
“During the transition, the Crown Lounge will be closed June 22-28, then reopen on June 29 on Deck 16,” the cruise line confirmed.
The casino expansion for the 236,857-gross ton ship also follows a similar expansion that was undertaken onboard the2024-launched Utopia of the Seasearlier this year.
In this case, the Crown Lounge and the Attic Comedy Club were both transformed into additional non-smoking casino space. In turn, the comedy shows were then relocated to the main Royal Theater.
Additional Venues Close Temporarily
Unsurprisingly, the non-smoking casino onboard the Oasis-class ship – known as the Golden Room – will need to close for the duration of construction. After all, guests can’t safely play the slots with a construction crew working around them!
The conference rooms that are located on Deck 3 of the ship below the casino on Deck 4 will also be temporarily unavailable.
“The Golden Room non-smoking Casino will close June 22 and reopen on July 13 as part of the expanded non-smoking casino space on Deck 4. During the construction period the conference centers will be unavailable for guests,” the announcement continued.
Social100 on Wonder of the Seas
Additionally, the Social100 space that is located on Decks 16 and 17 will also be closed until June 29 – which is the same day the new Crown Lounge will re-open on Deck 16.
The plans for the re-located Crown Lounge have not yet been unveiled, but it’s possible that it will become part of Social100 in some capacity.
As the main Casino Royale will remain open throughout construction – where smoking is allowed – no significant compensation is being provided for guests sailing during the transition.
The only exception is that elite Diamond and Diamond Plus guests will automatically get extra cappuccino credits loaded on their Seapass cards, which can be used to purchase a variety of specialty coffee and espresso drinks at Cafe Promenade.
Additionally, cocktail hour drinks that would normally be redeemed in the casino can be redeemed at any bar or lounge onboard during the expansion process.
But know that while this change may cause some mild annoyance, the bigger and better non-smoking casino will likely make up for any inconvenience.
A top management change is on the horizon at Royal Caribbean Group, as longtime chairman of the board Richard Fain, considered a pioneering visionary across the cruise industry, is due to step down from the post in late 2025.
Fain has held the top executive position since 1988, overseeing the Royal Caribbean brand and paving the way for the group to acquire Celebrity Cruises in 1997 and Silversea Cruises in 2020.
The company also holds a 50% stake in a joint venture that owns TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. All together, the five brands operate 67 cruise ships across the globe.
Fain will remain a member of the board of directors. Replacing him as chairman will be Jason Liberty, who has served as Royal Caribbean Group’s president and CEO since January 3, 2022.
While Fain’s leadership greatly expanded Royal Caribbean Group’s brands and scope of operations during the past three-plus decades, perhaps his greatest achievements lie in the innovative vision he had for the cruise vacation product.
It was under Fain’s management, for instance, that the industry-defining Oasis and Icon classes of ships were envisioned, designed, and launched for the Royal Caribbean brand, as was the Edge class that has elevated the Celebrity Cruises’ product.
“It is time to hand the wheel to the next generation of exceptional talent at RCG, and I am very confident that under Jason’s strong leadership, the Royal Caribbean Group will accelerate to even greater heights in the years ahead,” said Richard Fain, longtime chairman of Royal Caribbean Group.
Liberty, who was named group president and CEO in 2022, will step into the chairman’s role sometime during the fourth quarter of 2025, the company’s June 6, 2025 announcement stated.
“Richard’s leadership has been nothing short of transformative. Under his leadership, the Royal Caribbean Group has become the leading vacation company – with industry leading brands, ships, destinations and people,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group.
“I am honored and humbled to have been elected as Chairman and CEO and I look forward to continuing to create and deliver the ultimate vacation experience for our guests and delivering elevated long-term value for our shareholders,” Liberty added.
Liberty, who joined Royal Caribbean Group in 2005, previously worked in roles including executive vice president and chief financial officer.
Looking Back at Executive’s Major Accomplishments
By the time Richard Fain relinquishes his role as chairman of the board at Royal Caribbean Group in late 2025, he will have presided over the debut of Royal Caribbean’s second Icon-class ship, Star of the Seas.
The 5,600-guest ship, sister to Icon of the Seas, which launched in 2024, is set to enter service in August 2025. It will be the last new-build introduction during Fain’s chairmanship. Star of the Seas is nearly completed and will be christened at Port Canaveral in a gala ceremony with music icon Diana Ross serving as godmother.
Photo Courtesy: Royal Caribbean Group
Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class, a six-ship series that began with Oasis of the Seas in 2009 and continues to grow, is arguably the industry’s most innovative creation.
It introduced, for example, the notion of themed neighborhoods onboard cruise ships and represented the largest cruise ships ever built, at 226,838 gross tons.
The newest in the class is Utopia of the Seas, which entered service in 2024.
Today, the brand’s Icon class represents the industry’s largest ships, at 248,663 gross tons and able to accommodate 7,600 guests with all berths occupied.
Some of the themed neighborhoods from Oasis class are also featured on Icon class ships, such as Central Park and Royal Promenade, while new ones have been added.
Under Fain’s leadership, Celebrity Cruises launched the first of four Edge-class ships in 2018, and since the 2020 acquisition of luxury line Silversea Cruises, the parent group has facilitated four new ships for the fleet, including three new-builds and one purchase.
While it is inevitable that cruises will be affected by hurricanes every year, Carnival Cruise Line is offering great insights about how ships are kept safe and informed when storms are brewing.
Meteorologist Amy Sweezey, weather contributor to Carnival Cruise Line, shared details of how the cruise line coordinates with different experts and the latest updates to ensure ships remain safe in any type of foul weather, even if it may not be an official hurricane.
“The best thing about cruising during hurricane season is that your cruise vacation is a resort that floats,”said Sweezey.“That allows captains to sail into the safest water.”
All cruisers who have sailed during hurricane season are familiar with how itinerary changes may be handled when a storm threatens. This might include port cancellations, alternative port visits, or even complete itinerary reversals – changing from Eastern Caribbean to Western Caribbean, for example – to avoid dangerous regions.
“Carnival teams are working 24/7 both at the Fleet Operations Center in Miami and also across the fleet – they are all coordinating with each other,”Sweezey noted.
“If an itinerary does need to change because of weather, whether it’s a hurricane or any other sort of weather event, that information would be communicated immediately to you, the guest.”
Guests onboard would be alerted to changes via public address announcements from the ship’s captain and cruise director. Letters might also be delivered to guests’ staterooms confirming changes and explaining other safety measures.
For guests who have not yet embarked on cruises likely to be impacted by storm-related changes, Carnival Cruise Line would send email updates and text alerts for any confirmed changes.
Travelers should note that even though storm tracking might begin a week or two before a hurricane officially strengthens or directly impacts cruise ships, Carnival and other cruise lines strive to keep their scheduled sailing routes and itineraries.
This means that changes might seem last minute, but this is also the safest course of action. Because storms can intensify rapidly or may change direction unexpectedly, changes that are made too early could actually put cruise ships into more dangerous positions.
How Carnival Ships Prepare for Hurricane Season
Sweezey also notes that every Carnival cruise ship undergoes thorough inspections ahead of hurricane season to ensure that all safety systems are functioning properly.
“Each ship undergoes a very strict inspection by the US Coast Guard and is equipped with the latest technology, along of course with officers and crew who undergo comprehensive emergency training just for hurricanes,”she explained.
The technology onboard each ship is updated during dry dock renovations, ensuring that the very latest state-of-the-art equipment is available onboard.
Carnival’s Fleet Operations Center, Miami
This can include radar and other weather tracking technology, communications equipment to stay in contact with the Fleet Operations Center, and safety features onboard in case the ship encounters rough weather.
At the Fleet Operations Center, which Carnival Cruise Line unveiled in 2018 as the largest and most technologically advanced facility of its kind in the cruise industry, round-the-clock monitoring of weather is just one step the cruise line takes to keep everyone safe.
Data analysis, ship logistics, environmental compliance, and other factors are all combined for the most updated and thorough decision making.
“The FOC brings together real-time information for decision making. Integrated shoreside teams support our shipboard officers to act quickly and decisively while significantly increasing the operational efficiency of our ships,”said Gus Antorcha, Carnival Cruise Line’s chief operating officer when the center opened.
Have you had a cruise impacted by a hurricane? Share your experiences and tips on the Cruise Hive boards!
On June 6, 2025, just a week into a 113-day world cruise, Crown Princess experienced some less-than-ideal weather off the southern coast of Australia.
While en route from Sydney to Adelaide, the ship was already encountering rough seas when sailing near the border of Victoria and South Australia.
Unexpectedly, the wind shifted from 45 knots on one side of the ship to 50 knots on the other, causing it to list 7°.
Captain Christopher Lye shared an announcement on the public PA system to all guests onboard shortly after the tilting had concluded.
“Apologies for the inconvenience, it is Captain speaking from the bridge,”Lye said.“As you may have felt, we encountered a strong change and sudden shift of the wind.”
He went on to share that the increasing wind on one side of the ship was the reason it began to list.
“We listed approximately 6° to 7°, which is not unusual,”explained Lye, who has been working on ships for over 46 years.
“We are now turning the ship around to make sure we are ok with our sailing onboard,” the Captain noted at the end of the announcement.
The turn was executed off the coast of Nora Creina, Australia — and the ship resumed sailing towards Adelaide shortly after, where it will arrive on June 7, 2025.
Unfortunately, even though the tilt was not more than 7°, it did its fair share of damage and caused multiple onboard cancellations.
As a result of the tilting on June 6, 2025, in the onboard shops, purses and other items, such as bottles, were thrown to the floor, and several glass displays shattered as well.
Crown Princess Shop During Rough Weather (Credit: Gill Carragher)
Beyond that, most of the activities had to be cancelled or closed due to safety concerns. This included all shops, theater performances, the silent disco, all band performances, and even the use of the casino.
However, the bars did remain open, so at the very least, guests could try to take the edge off by enjoying a cocktail.
Weather reports for June 6 and June 7 included multiple wind warnings, including gale warnings in Investigator Strait, Adelaide Metropolitan Waters, and Gulf St Vincent — all of which are on Crown Princess’ path to Adelaide.
The vessel is currently sailing a 113-day World Cruise, which started out of Auckland, New Zealand on May 31, 2025. This is just one segment of that huge voyage, and the cruise line has, so far, not announced any delay with its arrival at Adelaide, Australia on June 7.
Does Tilting Cause Damage?
While most modern cruise ships will always do their best to take routes that will be the most comfortable for guests, they do not have full control over Mother Nature.
Sudden wind shifts, like what happened on the 113,561 gross-ton Crown Princess, are not unheard of.
In fact, Crown Princess has only been at its new homeport in Sydney since October of 2024, but has already had a tilting incident in the time since then.
Crown Princess in Vancouver (Photo Credit: Lenic)
On February 24, 2025, while entering Milford Sound in New Zealand, the ship listed 14°, causing 13 people and three crew to sustain minor injuries.
It was also an occurrence of unexpected wind, which is not unusual in Milford Sound — but it was extreme enough to cause the ship to tilt.
This ship also tilted just a month after launching in 2006, but that incident was due to human error, which is usually unheard of.
That being said, most tilting accidents happen at sea and as a result of unpredictable weather, like what happened on June 6 and February 24, 2025.
At the end of the day, listing is extremely uncommon, as stabilizers help to reduce up to 90% of tilting. What happened on Crown Princess was unfortunate, but there have been no reported injuries so far.
Do not stress too much — chances are, most cruisers will never experience this!
You’ve come to the right place to keep up with all of the big cruise news stories of the week. Highlights of Cruise Hive’s latest recap include coverage of high winds impacting ships from Sicily to Alaska, a fire onboard an MSC Cruises ship, and Diana Ross being named godmother of Star of the Seas.
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.
Windy Weather Causes Mishaps on Three Ships
MSC Seascape Breaks From Moorings (Credit: Fit_Indication5709)
Erratic weather seems to be impacting cruise ships quite a bit lately. On three separate occasions on three ships, high winds caused the vessels’ gangways to collapse after their mooring lines snapped.
The most serious incident happened on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic while the ship was docked in Catania, Sicily, on May 30, 2025. Strong winds caused the ship to move, breaking mooring lines and sending the gangway tumbling down — along with one female passenger who was on the gangway and fell into the water.
Her husband jumped in after her and the two were quickly rescued and taken to a local hospital. No serious injuries were reported. Wind gusts at the time were recorded at about 57 MPH.
The incident caused delays in passengers returning to the ship from shore excursions.
On the same day, Holland America Line’s Westerdam was calling at Ketchikan, Alaska, when high winds — with gusts reported up to 70 MPH, snapped the mooring lines and caused the gangway to become separated from the pier. No one was injured.
Finally, on May 31, 2025, MSC Cruises’ MSC Seascape was calling at the line’s private island MSC Ocean Cay when winds caused the ship to break from its mooring lines. Reports indicated that the gangway fell into the water but again, there were no reported injuries.
Carnival’s Preemptive Strike Against Unwelcome Behavior
Now that the busy summer season is (almost) officially here, families and groups of friends traveling together will climb aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Fun Ships by the thousands, but the line has an important message for all guests via its “Have Fun. Be Safe” set of guidelines.
Guests embarking ships on June 1, 2025, received a letter from the line, reminding them of specific rules designed to keep all passengers safe.
Among them is the curfew that applies to all guests under age 17: They must vacate all public areas by 1 a.m. unless they have an adult over age 21 with them.
Noise is another area of concern for the line. In an effort to keep the noise down in stateroom corridors, guests were told there is no shouting allowed, nor is running along corridors.
Speakers and radios are banned, and anyone listening to music on personal devices must use earphones. The cruise line also warned guests not to attempt to bring illegal narcotics onboard, and reminded them that smoking and vaping are allowed only in designated outdoor areas.
Violations of the cruise line’s policies will be met with severe penalties, which can include fines and forced debarkation from the ship.
Lucrative Deals From Oversold Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship
Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas (Photo Credit: SNEHIT PHOTO)
Another overbooked Royal Caribbean voyage, this time affecting Adventure of the Seas’ 6-night Western Caribbean cruise departing Port Canaveral on June 7, 2025, has led to some very lucrative offers to guests willing to ditch the sailing.
Guests were invited to swap the cruise with another select voyage — the line offered four choices, and enjoy a 50% refund of the fare they paid plus a $300 onboard credit.
Another option allows booked guests to cancel, then receive a full refund and a 100% Future Cruise Credit of the amount they paid for the overbooked cruise. The credit can be applied to another sailing that departs on or before June 7, 2026.
Guests who cannot change their travel plans can hold onto their booking, since these generous offers typically result in easing the situation.
There have been several instances in recent weeks of ships being overbooked, including on Allure of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, and Liberty of the Seas. In such cases, the cruise line offers enticing deals and perks in a bid to tempt cruisers onto another ship.
Carnival Cruise Line has prohibited hand-held fans from being brought into nightclubs and other indoor dance venues onboard its ships. It’s part of the line’s “Have Fun. Be Safe” rules, but some guests were puzzled by the policy.
They turned to brand ambassador John Heald’s Facebook page, where he answered guest questions and clarified policy. People wanted to know what kind of fan was banned — was the line referring to hand-held electric fans that are held close to your face on hot days, for instance?
No, Heald said. The line is not allowing so-called clack fans — the old-fashioned folded fans one might see in a movie about Victorian England. The reason behind the rule is related to a popular new dance, the “Boots on the Ground” line dance that is all the rage in nightclubs and dance clubs these days.
Some of the dance moves call for snapping a fan open and closed in time with the music. It’s quite a lively little dance, and if you haven’t seen it yet, take a look online. You definitely will not see this dance in a movie about Victorian England.
Fire, Power Outage Impacts MSC Orchestra Itinerary
MSC Orchestra Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Gabriel S Fernandes)
MSC Cruises’ MSC Orchestralost power and was adrift for several hours in the Mediterranean after an engine room fire affected the ship’s electrical switchboard.
The ship was sailing a 7-night cruise roundtrip from Sardinia when the fire broke out on June 2, 2025, the second day of the sailing. The ship had called at Rome and was on its way to Genoa when the blaze erupted.
Guests posted on social media that the fire was quickly put out, but the ship was left without power as it drifted near Corsica. Some said that crew members emerged from the impacted area of the ship with blackened faces, but no injuries were reported.
The 3,200-guest MSC Orchestra eventually regained power and arrived in Genoa, where she was set to overnight while repairs were made. The ship was scheduled to embark guests in Genoa, and at the next port call, Marseille on June 4, 2025, but those embarkations were cancelled.
In fact, the ship’s scheduled call to Marseille was cancelled, so it was not clear whether any of the remaining itinerary will go forward.
Cunard Begins Charging For Some Room Service Orders
(Photo Credit: BAZA Production)
Guests booking Cunard’s lowest-priced accommodation categories, Britannia and Britannia Club, are now being charged for items ordered from the room service menu after 10 a.m.
Prices range from $2.50 to $6.50, depending on the items ordered from the ships’ Day Menu or Late-Night Menu. Breakfasts ordered before 10 a.m. remain included in the cruise fare.
Also, a cover charge will be incurred by guests ordering brunch and afternoon tea items via room service. Previously, all room service orders were covered by the cruise fare.
None of the new fees apply to the two higher-level accommodations categories — Princess Grill and Queens Grill.
Each of the accommodation categories has designated main dining rooms, and in the dining room for Britannia and Britannia Club guests, all meals are complimentary, as is the buffet area.
Cunard operates four ships: Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, and its newest, Queen Anne.
Diana Ross Will Christen New Icon-Class Ship
Diana Ross, Star of the Seas Godmother
With just over two months to go before Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas enters service, we now know who will be godmother to the Icon-class ship — superstar Diana Ross.
The line announced that the award-winning singer and lead vocalist for The Supremes back in the 1960s will name its new-build, the second in the popular Icon class, in August 2025.
Star of the Seas, with a capacity for 5,600 guests, will be based at Port Canaveral after making her way across the Atlantic Ocean from her shipyard in Finland.
The date of the christening has not been confirmed but is likely to be on or around August 31, 2025, the departure date of the ship’s inaugural voyage to the Western Caribbean. Four preview cruises are set to begin on August 16, 2025.
Star of the Seas follows the first vessel in the class, Icon of the Seas, which debuted in 2024.
Following her maiden voyage from Port Canaveral Star of the Seas will offer Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises, all calling at Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
More Cruise Headlines
Don’t stop now! Cruise Hive has plenty more stories you won’t want to miss, including Oceania Cruises revealing its new Sonata class, Celebrity Cruises announcing its 2026 Presidents Cruise, and Holland America Line adding a third ship to Northern Europe in 2027.
Also, check out the news about Cunard unveiling nearly 200 new voyages, and the Port of Los Angeles welcomes its first Quantum-class ship.
Table seating at Carnival Cruise Line’s Lido Marketplace can be a nightmare with crowds, saved tables, long lines, and more. But would a table flag system help alleviate some of these common issues?
One guest suggested the use of colored flags to Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, as a way to indicate open seats and a willingness to welcome new table companions.
“Can you have a flag system for lido tables. A green flag if you would like to invite other people to sit with you and a red flag if you do not want that,”the guest explained.
While Heald did not respond to the suggestion directly, he did include it in his daily poll for his more than 615,000 followers. The suggestion did not get the response the original poster may have been expecting, however.
More than 51,000 votes were cast in the June 6, 2025 poll, with just 2% – approximately 1,035 votes – agreeing that this would be a good idea.
At the same time, 27% of voters – roughly 14,000 votes – do not agree that it is a good idea. This is where my vote goes, honestly, as our family prefers to dine independently at the Lido Marketplace.
If we want to meet others, the Main Dining Room at an assigned dining time with a shared table is a much nicer experience.
The intention behind such a system is admirable, as using a flag could show others that seats are available. For example, if a couple found an empty table with four seats, they could use a green flag to indicate that the remaining two seats are still open for other guests.
This could help alleviate some of the long lines and crowds at the Lido Marketplace. This would be particularly true for the wildly hectic embarkation lunch or breakfast on port days, when the venue can be remarkably crowded and seats difficult to find.
Interestingly, additional votes were very evenly matched between those guests who would use the green flag to invite others and those who would use the red flag so no one would sit with them.
Both options garnered 7% of votes – approximately 3,600 each.
How Else Could Lido Marketplace Use Seat Indicators?
If the flags were used in another way, they might get more universal acceptance and widespread use.
Red and green flags could be used as signals to the dining servers whether or not tables need to be cleared. A red flag could be a great way to indicate if diners are simply grabbing drinks, going back for a second course, or picking out their dessert and aren’t quite finished with their meal.
Carnival Cruise Line Lido Buffet
Similarly, the green flag would then indicate that the party has finished their meal and departed, and the table might be able to be cleared more quickly so others can use it.
Many commenters noted that they’d welcome such a “I’m done, thanks!” system, especially if they happen to be solo cruisers or dining alone.
Carnival crew members can be so efficient that one’s dinner might be taken away if you leave a plate unattended to go get a glass of lemonade or to nick that favorite dessert. During busy times, other diners might already have taken over the table before you can return.
Many people do note that a flag system might be confusing for some, and likely wouldn’t always be used as intended or even used at all.
Others liken such a flag system to speed dating and find it unnecessary. There are plenty of other easy ways to meet people on a Carnival cruise, such as joining in activities or visiting the numerous bars onboard to have a drink and a chat with a new friend.
There was commotion in Souda-Chania, Crete (Greece), as a crew member found herself in a potentially life or death situation.
On the afternoon of June 3, 2025, while passengers were busy exploring the Mediterranean cruise port, a crew member went overboard in the Port of Souda under mysterious circumstances. But thankfully, she was quickly saved and is expected to be okay.
She has her fellow crew members to thank, as her colleagues acted quickly to follow the appropriate emergency protocols – including keeping the 30-year-old woman in sight, throwing her a life jacket, and contacting the local Coast Guard.
Meanwhile, the Hellenic Coast Guard urgently responded with multiple patrol units and a rescue boat – where they were able to locate the crew member and ensure she received a medical evaluation.
“The Chania Port Authority was informed of the fall of a woman into the sea, in the port of Souda. Immediately, LS-EL.AKT patrol vehicles went to the scene, while with the assistance of a launch and a cruise ship (C/Z), flagged in the Bahamas, from which a life jacket was thrown, the woman was retrieved conscious,” the Chania Port Authority said in a translated statement.
“She is a 30-year-old foreigner (Tunisian citizen) sailor (specialty of assistant), a crew member of the above C/Z. The 30-year-old, after examination by the C/Z’s doctor, was diagnosed as being in good health,” the statement continued.
In fact, it likely improved her odds that the fall took place in the cruise port – as it’s harder to rescue people while at sea because it takes time for the cruise ship to turn around and stop, by which pointthe currents could have carried the person to a new location.
The specific vessel the crew member fell from has not been confirmed, but according to cruise tracking data, the only cruise ship in port during the incident was Costa Cruises’ Costa Deliziosa.
The cruise ship is a more medium-sized vesselwith a capacity for 934 crew members and 2,826 passengers.
She is currently operating 7 and 14-night sailings simultaneously to cruise ports throughout Greece, Italy, and Croatia.
How Common is Falling Overboard?
Thankfully, man-overboard situations are not common – so the typical employee or cruise guests likely has nothing to worry about in this regard.
Cruise ships are designed with safety features in place– such as high railings – to make it difficult to go overboard unless someone was behaving recklessly or sadly attempting to jump.
At this time, it’s not clear why the unidentified crew member went overboard in Crete, but an investigation is already underway to determine what may have led to the fall.
According to data from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), only 212 people went overboard between 2009 to 2019 – which is a small number considering millions of crew members and guests take to the high seas each year.
Costa Deliziosa Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Mario Hagen)
But unfortunately, only 48 of those people, which translates to just over 28%, were rescued successfully.
Between strong currents, the time it takes for a cruise ship to turn around and return to the location of the splash, weather conditions, and injuries from the fall, these events are unfortunately often fatal.
And contrary to one incorrect myth, spending more time on a cruise ship – as crew members do – does not significantly increase their likelihood of finding themselves in the sea.
The most recent man-overboard incident involving a crew member was just under a year ago in August of 2024, in which a Carnival Dream employee fell overboardabout 82 nautical miles northeast of Rio Lagartos, Mexico, and was sadly never found.
Before that, a crew member went overboard from AIDA Cruises’ AIDAperla on October 22, 2023, while sailing in the unforgiving English Channel.
Given the frigid water temperatures, they were also presumed lost at sea after a host of search and rescue teams were not able to locate the worker.
