Cruise travelers often plan their oceangoing getaways a year or more in advance, looking forward to their carefully chosen itineraries and highly anticipated ports of call.
It can be frustrating, then, when guests receive notifications just days before sailing that their cruise has been altered and port visits changed. That is just what is now happening to guests booked aboard Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas for her June 22, 2025 departure.
The impacted sailing is a 7-night Alaska Inside Passage itinerary roundtrip from Vancouver, British Columbia. While most of the cruise remains unchanged, the final port visit – Ketchikan, Alaska – as well as scenic cruising has been adjusted.
“To prevent any potential delays and ensure a timely arrival to Vancouver, British Columbia, we’ll sail directly to Vancouver instead of having a second scenic cruising day,”the email notification explains.
The final two days of the cruise were to have been scenic cruising, but now the ship will instead head directly to Vancouver.
Furthermore, the arrival and departure in Ketchikan, a lovely rustic port destination with a world famous lumberjack show many cruise guests enjoy, is now changed as well.
“We’ll now arrive at 11:30 a.m. and we’ll depart at 6:00 p.m.,”the email confirmed about Ketchikan.“Not to worry, you’ll still have plenty of time to explore everything this beautiful destination has to offer!”
The original schedule had Serenade of the Seas arriving in Ketchikan at 1 p.m. and leaving at 8 p.m. The adjusted schedule reduces the ship’s time in port by 30 minutes and could impact guests who might have arranged private tours for their visit.
Any pre-paid shore tours booked through Royal Caribbean are being adjusted automatically. If the tours cannot operate on the revised schedule, they will be cancelled and guests will receive a full refund for those excursions.
The rest of the weeklong itinerary, including calls to Sitka, Juneau, and Skagway, as well as scenic cruising in the iconic Tracy Arm Fjord, is not changed.
Other Departure Dates Impacted
Multiple sailings for Serenade of the Seas are similarly impacted. Guests booked on the ship’s June 8, 2025 and August 10, 2025 departures have received similar notices, though the time in Ketchikan will now be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for both voyages.
The September 7, 2025 itinerary will visit Ketchikan from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
It is possible that other sailings for the 90,090-gross ton, Radiance class vessel may be impacted as well. The ship is homeported from Vancouver for the Alaska season through mid-September, and any booked guests should stay in close contact with Royal Caribbean about potential schedule changes.
Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas (Photo Credit: Dennis MacDonald)
Royal Caribbean has not offered details about why the schedule for Serenade of the Seas is being impacted, though such small changes are not of great concern to most travelers.
It is possible that a busy cruise port, port operational needs such as construction or maintenance, or even tidal schedules could all be factors in these minor changes.
There is no indication whatsoever that there is any mechanical trouble with Serenade of the Seas. Ships that develop engine problems or other propulsion difficulties often have similar schedule changes, but that is not the case for these adjustments.
Radiance of the Seas – sister ship to Serenade of the Seas – is also homeporting from Vancouver this summer, offering alternating northbound and southbound voyages. No changes have been reported for this vessel, and no other Royal Caribbean ships are homeported from Vancouver for the 2025 Alaska season.
Modern cruise ships are equipped with numerous pieces of safety equipment, including lifeboats and inflatable life rafts. While SOLAS and other safety regulations strictly control lifeboat capacities, the actual number of lifeboats on a cruise ship will not match the total number of passengers and crew members.
This guide will explain why lifeboats aren’t required for every person and what the lifeboats themselves are like.
Why Cruise Ships Don’t Need Lifeboats for Everyone
It’s a common misconception that cruise ships must have enough lifeboats for every person onboard.
In reality, international regulations, specifically the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, or SOLAS, mandate that all cruise ships carry lifeboats for at least 37.5% of the maximum number of passengers on each side of the vessel, which equals 75% of the total number of people on the ship (passengers and crew included) when factoring in both sides.
Lifeboats and Life rafts
The remaining 25% of the ship’s capacity is then met with inflatable life rafts, ensuring total coverage for all aboard. Most cruise ships reserve these inflatable life rafts for the crew, as they are more difficult to board, as well as less comfortable.
By carrying only enough hard-surface lifeboats for 75% of the ship’s maximum capacity, cruise ships can make more efficient use of space. This is simply because lifeboats take up a substantial amount of deck space, while inflatable life rafts can be stored in a far more compact and discreet way.
How Do Lifeboats and Inflatable Life Rafts Differ?
Both lifeboats and inflatable life rafts serve the same basic function, but lifeboats are more sophisticated. Where life rafts are inflatable and usually just powered with telescopic oars contained within them, lifeboats are made from rigid materials, like carbon fiber, and they are often motorized.
Lifeboats also need to be lowered from the sides of the cruise ship carrying them, while life rafts are usually stored in pressurized heavy-duty canisters that are automatically inflated and ejected from the sides of the ship when required.
Given that inflatable cruise ship life rafts are deployed quickly rather than slowly lowered with passengers inside, cruise ships are almost always outfitted with a complex marine evacuation system.
This system includes additional inflatable spiral slides or chutes that can be rapidly deployed to allow guests and crew to travel safely down to inflated life rafts in the water below.
How Many Lifeboats Are on a Cruise Ship?
Muster Drill on Carnival Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: PIXAS)
Since lifeboat regulations dictate that cruise ships only have to carry enough lifeboats to carry at least 75% of the ship’s passenger and crew capacity, the exact number of lifeboats on a cruise ship will vary drastically depending on the ship’s size and design.
Most large cruise ships will carry between 15 and 20 lifeboats in total, with that number evenly split between the ship’s sides. Again, these numbers will vary, as will the actual size and capacity of the lifeboats themselves.
For example, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas is equipped with 18 CRV55 catamaran lifeboats, each capable of carrying up to 370 people on two levels.
When first introduced, these werethe largest lifeboats in the world, weighing roughly 97,000 pounds each when fully loaded with equipment and passengers.
For comparison, a smaller cruise ship, like Carnival Elation, is only equipped with 14 lifeboats, each with a capacity of roughly 150 people. It may sound strange, but one of the largest cruise ships ever built, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, only carries 17 lifeboats, but each can safely carry up to 450 people.
In addition to carrying lifeboats that at least meet the legal minimum passenger capacity, cruise lines also conduct regular lifeboat drills and monthly lifeboat inspections to ensure that all safety equipment can be deployed efficiently and is maintained properly.
What Do Cruise Ship Lifeboats Look Like?
Video Footage By: Unimedien (YouTube)
Modern lifeboats are a far cry from the basic rowboats you have probably seen in movies like James Cameron’s Titanic. Instead, they are fully enclosed vessels constructed from durable materials, like fiberglass.
Most are yellow watercraft with white highlights, which helps them be spotted against a blue backdrop if they are ever deployed. Some are also orange, but yellow and white is definitely the more popular color scheme.
As mentioned, they are motorized, with larger models equipped with powerful twin diesel engines that can propel the lifeboats to speeds as high as 6 knots. The lifeboats also feature windows, safety hatches, illuminated compasses, and searchlights, which help with navigation and visibility.
What Do They Look Like on the Inside?
Cruise Lifeboat Interior (Photo Credit: Ambiento)
Inside these lifeboats, you’ll find numerous rows of seating, which allow the small ships to maximize capacity. Larger lifeboats, like those found on Icon of the Seas, will even have two decks, allowing them to make even greater use of their size.
Since they are motorized, they also feature a steering area, which is located at the front of the lifeboat.
This area is occupied by trained members of the cruise ship’s crew, so the ship’s passengers simply have to sit in the main passenger area of the lifeboat when it is deployed. This is also where the lifeboat’s communication and navigation equipment can be found.
Some lifeboats also double as tender boats, ferrying passengers to shore during port of call visits. This allows the cruise ship to maximize deck space, as the lifeboats serve a dual purpose.
From my experience, lifeboat tenders offer a bit of a rougher ride, so you might want to bring some sort of motion sickness medication if you are sensitive to it.
With that said, they are fully enclosed, so you don’t have to worry about getting splashed, which is definitely a nice thing if you’re visiting a port on a cold or windy day!
What’s Inside a Lifeboat?
While the exact equipment a lifeboat carries will vary, depending on the size of the lifeboat and the cruise line that has outfitted it, most modern lifeboats are very well-equipped. Inside, you’ll find essential survival equipment for all passengers and crew members traveling inside it.
If the lifeboat was deployed during an evacuation procedure, it would contain the survival equipment the occupants would need until they were rescued by a larger vessel.
Again, the exact contents inside a lifeboat will vary, but most contain the following:
Enough life jackets for every person
Six 500ml water packets for each passenger
Food rations (usually high-calorie biscuits or bars stored in multi-pack boxes)
Fishing tackle and fishing line
Flashlights with an extra battery
First-aid kits (first aid supplies include seasickness tablets and seasickness bags)
Smoke signals, hand flares, and whistles
Oars and anchors in case the engines fail
Toilet facilities that consist of disposable bags and composting toilets
Thermal protective blankets and microfiber towels
Fire extinguishers
Extra equipment (a can opener, saw, rope, rolled-up rope ladder, illuminated compass)
For the most part, these supplies are stored beneath the passengers’ feet in the main area of the lifeboat. To access all of these supplies and pieces of safety equipment, the passengers would have to move around and lift large floorboards, so this is only done in real survival and evacuation scenarios rather than during basic drills.
How Safe Are They Really?
Carnival Dream Lifeboat Damage
The sinking of the Titanic triggered a complete overhaul of lifeboat and life raft requirements on passenger ships. In response to this tragedy and the fact that the famous ocean liner wasn’t carrying enough lifeboats, the International Maritime Organization established SOLAS in 1914, setting stringent safety regulations for all types of seafaring passenger vessels.
These safety requirements have been continuously enhanced and improved over the more than 100 years that have followed.
Even more modern incidents, like the Costa Concordia disaster in 2012, have led to improved safety standards, with all cruise lines now having to work with certified lifeboat technicians to ensure all maintenance and inspections are carried out by trained professionals.
Today, all cruise ships must undergo monthly inspections of their lifeboats and life rafts, not only to ensure they have a combined passenger capacity to carry every single person on the cruise ship, but also that they are well-maintained and safe to use.
Photo Credit: Zhukov Oleg / Shutterstock
Load tests using water weights are also conducted to simulate the full weight of passengers and ensure the lifeboats are buoyant and free from cracks, hatch leaks, and more.
Mandatory lifeboat drills must also be conducted to ensure the crew’s readiness during emergencies. Muster drills are also used to make it clear to passengers where to go in an emergency.
The actual design of the lifeboats has also been revolutionized, with bright color schemes ensuring they can be spotted by a rescue vessel and flame-retardant materials reducing the risk of fires.
They are also made from extremely durable materials that can withstand long-term exposure to rough seas. On top of all that, the lifeboats also carry essential supplies, including adequate fresh water pouches and food rations for all occupants.
Conclusion
Photo Credit: Vladimir Arndt / Shutterstock
Embarking on a cruise is one of my favorite things in the world. While it may not be the most exciting part of the trip, it is encouraging to know that the cruise lines and their highly trained crews have all the safety measures and equipment in place to ensure my trip will be perfectly safe, even in the extremely unlikely scenario where I need to board a lifeboat.
With state-of-the-art lifeboats capable of carrying at least 75% of the cruise ship’s maximum capacity, and quick-deploy life rafts able to carry any remaining passengers and crew, you can rest assured that your cruise vacation will be as safe as it is enjoyable!
Don’t feel like lingering at the dinner table on your cruise? You’re not alone. And for that reason, Carnival Cruise Line is testing a new “Express Dining” option that could get passengers in and out of the dining room in under 45 minutes.
The new service is undergoing a test run only aboard the 3,934-passenger Carnival Vista and is designed for guests who want a faster-paced meal.
It’s an opt-in option available to passengers using the Your Time Dining plan and not part of specialty dining options aboard the ship.
Instead of a full menu, guests choose from a streamlined selection of starters, entrees, and desserts, all served quickly in a specific section of the Horizon dining room.
“This is only a test,”said Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald in his Monday social media post on June 9, 2025. “We are not announcing it; this is a Test with a capital T.”
That said, Heald admitted he’s already heard from guests who have had a chance to try it. Many enjoy it and wonder when it will be available on other ships.
Heald shared that the program was created in response to passenger feedback from cruisers who feel that dinner service in the main dining room takes too long.
One guest wrote in and said, “I don’t know of anyone in real life who wants to spend one-and-a-half hours in the dining room.”
The initiative may appeal to cruisers with busy evening schedules or families with young children. However, Heald also acknowledged some hesitation about the shift in dining.
“Personally, I think it’s a little sad that people don’t want to sit and talk with their family and friends. It’s part of tradition in cruising but I guess things change,” he said.
The cruise line will monitor how the test performs before deciding whether to roll it out on additional ships in the fleet.
How Express Dining Works
Passengers who select the Express Dining option will be seated in a specific area of the Horizon dining room on Carnival Vista, which is currently sailing 6- and 8-night itineraries to the Eastern and Southern Caribbean from its Port Canaveral, Florida, homeport.
Service is designed to be immediate and streamlined, with minimal wait times between courses, unlike the traditional dining, which includes “Showtime.”
The current test menu includes a limited selection of three courses. For example, a recent menu offered appetizer choices of roasted duck rolls, shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, or tomato soup.
Entrée options included Szechuan shrimp, Cornish game hen, braised short rib, or sirloin steak. For dessert, guests could pick from cheesecake, a naval orange cake, or Carnival’s signature chocolate melting cake.
Unlike the typical multi-course dinner service that may stretch past 90 minutes, Express Dining is designed to be more efficient and is meant to wrap up in 45 minutes.
The program is not available fleetwide and is currently only offered to Your Time Dining guests. No reservations are required beyond the standard Your Time Dining procedure, but guests must request Express Dining at check-in to be seated in the correct station.
While Carnival Cruise Line hasn’t committed to bringing the Express Dining concept to additional ships, it is watching closely to see how guests respond.
If demand proves strong on the 133,500-gross-ton Carnival Vista, it may become a more permanent offering across the fleet.
Passengers aboard Carnival Panorama are still on track to visit every scheduled destination on their 8-night Mexican Riviera cruise, just not in the original order.
Carnival Cruise Line announced it is altering the itinerary for the 4,008-guest ship that departed from Long Beach, California, on June 7, 2025.
The reason? The brand-new formation of Hurricane Barbara and two developing storm systems in the Pacific Ocean.
“In partnership with our fleet center in Miami, we are actively monitoring [then] Tropical Storm Barbara and another tropical system that have developed in the Pacific,”Captain Carlo Queirolo wrote in a letter to passengers aboard the 133,500-gross-ton ship.
“Given the track of both storms, we must modify our itinerary to remain a safe distance away,”he continued.
Despite the need to adjust course, the ship will maintain its original schedule to visit Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It will now be in reverse order.
Carnival Panorama will sail first to Cabo San Lucas instead of Puerto Vallarta, arriving on Monday, June 9. It will then journey to La Laz on June 10, Mazatlán on June 13, and Puerto Vallarta on June 14 before returning to Los Angeles on June 15, 2025, following two sea days.
“We will continue to monitor weather forecasts and provide updates,”said Captain Queirolo.
This marks the second weather-related adjustment for Carnival Cruise Line since the start of the Pacific hurricane season on May 15, 2025.
The cruise line’s Carnival Firenze, carrying up to 4,126 passengers, faced inclement weather during its late May sailing to Cabo San Lucas brought on by Tropical Storm Alvin.
Thankfully, the storm didn’t build enough strength to become a hurricane.
Pacific Coast Storms
Tropical Storm Barbara formed in the eastern Pacific on June 8, 2025, and became the first hurricane of the season at 8 a.m. MST on Monday, June 9, 2025.
Located about 155 miles southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, at press time, Hurricane Barbara is producing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour and moving northwest at 10 miles per hour.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said it is possible the storm will strengthen today, “but a weakening trend is forecast to begin on Tuesday.”
“Gusty winds are likely along coastal areas of southwestern Mexico during the next day or so,” said NHC. “Swells generated by Barbara will affect portions of the coast of southwestern Mexico during the next few days.”
Hurricane Barbara
The swells could cause “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
A second tropical storm, Cosme, has also developed nearby and is moving at 6 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour.
The NHC says there is a 60 percent likelihood of a third storm developing in the area by the end of the week.
The Baha Peninsula of Mexico is a popular cruise destination for several cruise lines operating out of California homeports.
Besides Carnival Panorama, Carnival Firenze will be in the region later in the week, as well as Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Mariner and Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas.
Cruise ships are faster than tropical storms and can position themselves safely out of harms’ way. Despite the strong start to the storm season, forecasters predict the Eastern Pacific will have a relatively quiet season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) anticipates 1 to 4 tropical cyclones this season, which is a near- or below-normal year.
Passengers aboard Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas experienced a frightening moment while sailing on June 8, 2025, when a large window at the ship’s Coastal Kitchen shattered without warning.
The incident happened while the ship was turning to dock at its first scheduled call in Port Canaveral, Florida, during a 7-night roundtrip voyage from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey.
Guest accounts say the incident could have been worse if it were not for the quick actions of Symphony of the Seas’ waiter Nitin Kumar, who noticed cracks forming in the restaurant’s glass wall and rushed to warn passengers lounging below on the pool deck.
About “15 seconds later,” the glass broke.
“We were three windows over,” one passenger posted online. “The waiter, Nitin, saw it cracking and sprinted down to the pool deck and told the people in deck chairs to move. Dude saved some lives for sure.”
The situation unfolded so quickly that many guests didn’t even realize what was happening until they heard the sound of the glass hitting the deck.
View of Smashed Glass on Symphony of the Seas (Photo Credit: cinoda)
Some said it sounded like a loud crash, followed by stunned silence as crew members rushed in to cordon off the area.
The glass, which was tempered for safety, shattered into small pieces that rained onto the pool deck area, forcing the crew to close the pool and drain it for debris.
No injuries were reported among the ship’s 5,518 passengers, and the glass panel was already replaced by the time the ship continued its itinerary to Nassau, Bahamas, on June 9, 2025.
The 228,081-gross-ton Symphony of the Seas will sail to Royal Caribbean’s private Bahamian destination, Perfect Day in Coco Cay tomorrow before returning to the New York area on June 13.
Symphony of the Seas Officers Looking at Broken Window (Photo Credit: Jenn Yazzetti)
After numerous passengers sang praises to Kumar for his quick thinking, he responded to the outpouring of appreciation.
“Thank you so much everyone for appreciation. You are all my family. What I did, I did for family,” he posted on social media.
“I’m Friendly, Passionate, and Committed, and I’m Royal,” he continued, saying what he did he learned from Royal Caribbean. “How to take care of my guests like family.”
Crew Member Checking Shattered Glass (Photo Credit: wild_n_free)
Glass Failures Rare
Costal Kitchen is Royal Caribbean’s exclusive, upscale dining venue reserved for Sky Class and Star Class suite guests and Pinnacle Crown & Anchor Society members. The venue is available on Oasis, Quantum, and Icon Class ships and located on Deck 17.
Although it is unclear what caused the restaurant’s windowpane to crack, some guests speculate it may have been related to vibrations from the ship’s 180-degree maneuver into port.
Crew members have not identified a specific cause, describing it as a rare and isolated event.
One guest noted that crew members had the area cleaned, the glass replaced, and the pool deck reopened to guests within hours, and was impressed by how seamless the recovery was.
While extremely uncommon, incidents involving shattered glass can happen.
Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas experienced similar damage when a powerful storm hit the ship returning to Galveston, Texas, in January 2024, breaking glass panels, as well as furnishings in public spaces.
In February 2016, Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas also met with a storm carrying 150-mile-per-hour winds that shattered glass onto its pool deck.
That same year, Rhapsody of the Seas had two glass-shattering incidents.
In April 2016, a rogue wave hit the ship while sailing to Santorini, breaking several cabin windows. Then in September, several large windows were shattered after high winds struck the vessel.
No serious injuries were reported in any of the events.
With the spooky season just a few months away, Carnival Cruise Line has officially announced its 2025 Halloween-themed cruises.
From September 26 through October 31, nearly the whole Carnival fleet will be offering Frightfully Fun Sailings, which will feature Halloween-style decorations as well as numerous themed activities.
“Halloween is a brilliant time to cruise and as tradition demands, we will be celebrating this fabulously fun event throughout the month of October,”shared John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador.
The full list of embarkation dates for the Halloween-themed sailings is as follows:
Carnival Adventure – September 30; October 9, 13, 17, 20, 28
Carnival Breeze – October 2, 6, 11, 16, 20, 25
Carnival Celebration – September 28; October 5, 12, 19, 26
Carnival Horizon – September 27; October 5, 11, 19, 25
Carnival Jubilee – September 27; October 4, 11, 18, 25
Carnival Legend – October 6, 22, 27
Carnival Liberty – September 28; October 5, 12, 26
Carnival Luminosa – October 1, 29, 31
Mardi Gras – October 16, 30
Carnival Miracle – September 27; October 6, 18, 26
Carnival Panorama – September 27; October 5, 11, 19, 25
Carnival Paradise – September 29; October 5, 9, 13, 19, 23, 27
Carnival Pride – September 28; October 5, 12, 19, 26
Carnival Radiance – October 3, 6, 10, 13, 18
Carnival Spirit – September 26; October 11, 28
Carnival Splendor – September 27; October 5, 9, 12, 20, 30
Carnival Sunrise – September 29; October 4, 9, 13, 18, 23, 27
Carnival Sunshine – September 28; October 4, 12, 18, 26
Carnival Valor – September 29; October 4, 9, 13, 18, 23, 27
Carnival Venezia – October 1, 6, 18, 30
Carnival Vista – September 28; October 4, 12, 18, 26
There are a total of 156 Halloween sailings being offered through Carnival Cruise Line in 2025 — with Carnival Glory and Carnival Conquest both offering the most voyages for the second year in a row, with nine each.
The cruise line noted that Patch the Pumpkin Pirate will not be haunting CarnivalLuminosa, CarnivalMagic, Mardi Gras, and CarnivalMiracle due to travel plans.
While 12-foot-tallPatch won’t be on every ship, Carnival has shared that the fleet will still have all the same decorations and activities despite his absence, such as Patch’s Pumpkin Carving Competition.
Beyond Patch’s absence, Mardi Gras will also have the least amount of these themed sailings available, as it is set to finish a dry dock on October 15, 2025.
Additionally, Carnival Luminosa has more sailings in October than listed, but the ship will be hosting a music festival called Rock the Boat on its October 19 and October 26 sailings, so those cruises will not be Halloween-themed — likely a reason for Patch not being available.
Which Carnival Ship is Missing from the List?
Despite being noted by Carnival as one of the ships Patch the Pumpkin Pirate would not be making an appearance on, the official confirmation sent out for the Frightfully Fun Sailings did not include Carnival Magic.
Originally, the vessel was set to dry dock from October 6 through November 20, 2025, but in April, the cruise line announced it was postponeduntil 2026.
While some special adults-only Casino Event cruises have been announced for November aboard Carnival Magic, October of 2025 remains grayed out on Carnival’s website as there are still no sailings available.
“I will have more on this very soon,” Heald shared. This suggests there could be more information available about the sailings on Carnival Magic, but only time will tell.
Assuming Carnival Magic gets added to the list of ships with confirmed sailings, guests on all Carnival ships will get to enjoy some spooky-filled activities such as watching horror movies, enjoying special-themed desserts, and even competing in pumpkin carving contests.
And of course, there will also be trick-or-treating available for kiddos!
Even though all passengers are encouraged to participate in the festivities, the cruise line has asked that all costumes remain PG. Ones that imply nudity or feature obscene images and words are strictly prohibited.
While may be lots of boo’s happening during these cruises, celebrating spooky season on the sea sounds like a fun time!
What was supposed to be a relaxing day on the deck took a turn for the worse over the weekend. A fight broke out aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Sunrise, stunning guests and prompting swift action from security.
The altercation happened around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, while the 2,984-passenger ship was sailing a 4-day roundtrip cruise from Miami to The Bahamas.
The vessel had just completed a call at the cruise line’s private destination, Half Moon Cay, in the Bahamas when the event occurred.
Video footage of the incident quickly surfaced on social media, showing multiple passengers throwing chairs and fists as others screamed and scrambled to get out of the way. The incident took place on the lido deck near the Pizzaria.
Carnival Cruise Line’s security staff rushed to the scene and broke up the misbehaving guests as other stunned passengers looked on.
The cruise line has a strict zero-tolerance policy for violence, and those involved in fights onboard are permanently banned from Carnival ships. In this case, Carnival has confirmed with Cruise Hive that those involved would not be welcome to sail with the cruise line again.
Carnival Passengers on Carnival Sunrise (Credit: Priscilla Nivia Delgado)
“What’s sad is now they not gonna get to enjoy the cruise they paid for,” wrote one passenger on social media. “They will be locked in a room and get banned from Carnival.”
A guest who claims to be staying near one of the people involved in the incident shared a photo of security outside of his room.
“I’m staying a couple of doors away from him. The man is locked up in his room with security outside 24/7,” she posted.
Getting a Bad Rap
While fights on cruise ships are not new news, Carnival Cruise Line continues to draw attention when they happen on its vessels.
No official cause of the brawl has been confirmed, but no bout throwing chairs is unacceptable behavior, not just for Carnival but any cruise line. Carnival recently reiterated its code of conduct to guests across the fleet and what might happen if those rules are broken.
This altercation comes nearly one year to the day after a video of a fight was captured at the buffet aboard Carnival Paradise, sailing from Tampa. A passenger brawl also took place within the Galveston cruise terminal during disembarkation in April 2025.
The cruise line’s Code of Conduct explicitly states that “disruptive behavior is not tolerated and any guest whose conduct affects the comfort, enjoyment, safety, or well-being of other guests or crew will be disembarked at their own expense and banned from sailing on Carnival in the future.”
It is unknown if the passengers involved were disembarked in Nassau on June 8, its last port of call or allowed to stay onboard until Carnival Sunrise completed its cruise in Miami on June 9, 2025.
It is also unclear whether anyone sustained serious injuries or if local law enforcement was called once the ship returned to Miami.
However, Carnival Cruise Line’s Code of Conduct also states that a violation could result in a $500 fine, as well as reimbursement of expenses incurred by Carnival as a result of any detainment or disembarkation.
To help diminish any alcohol-induced fighting, the cruise line also recently changed its Cheers! Drink Package to limit guests to 15 drinks per day.
Cruisers who are members of Carnival Cruise Line’s loyalty club programs enjoy a wide range of valuable services and amenities, but if things go awry with those perks, some guests can become seriously disgruntled.
That was the case recently when a Platinum-level guest was charged for drinking a bottle of water that had been left in their stateroom. As a Platinum cruiser, he was entitled to one complimentary 1.5-liter bottle of water.
The infuriated guest contacted the cruise line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, who interacts with current, former, and prospective guests on his popular Facebook page. Heald called the message scathing. In fact, so angry was the guest that he threatened to withhold the payment of crew gratuities.
Heald posted a recap of the interaction on his social media page, saying he thought it was “despicable to threaten to remove gratuities over a bottle of water.” He did not disclose which ship the angry guest was sailing on.
The cruise line recommends that guests in standard staterooms pay $16 per person, per day in crew gratuities and $18 for those in suites. The gratuities are shared among all of the cabin stewards, wait staff, and others.
The free water is a perk for Red, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond-level loyalty club members, and is redeemable at any of the ship’s bars and restaurants, and in the staterooms.
Heald immediately asked staffers on the guest’s ship to refund the charge — “for the sake of the crew, so that they would receive their gratuities.” The refund diffused the situation but raised other thorny issues.
For instance, according to some of the reaction comments posted to Heald’s description of this episode, there seems to be some confusion about where to obtain the free 1.5-liter bottle of water, which, by the way, costs $5.31 for those who have not achieved the required loyalty club level or who have not purchased the line’s “Cheers!” beverage package.
Cruisers Cite Confusion About Which Bottle of Water Is Free
Guests should not assume that a bottle of water they find in their cabin is the complimentary one. Rather, guests typically retrieve their free bottle from a bar or restaurant after showing their Carnival Cruise Line loyalty pin, which shows staff they have reached a loyalty club level that entitles them to the water.
As Heald noted in his explanation: “I understand that having to collect the free bottle of water is not the best scenario for some but this is how we are currently doing it and I wanted to make sure I mention this again in case there is any confusion.”
Carnival Cruise Line Atrium Bar (Photo Credit: Ritu Manoj Jethani)
That does not sit well with some cruise guests, who would rather not have to go and claim their free bottle of water.
One elderly cruiser took issue with having to carry the bottle back to his cabin.
“I am 78 years old and it is really hard for me to carry the heavy bottle of water back to my stateroom . . . . You just keep taking my free perks away and make me walk all over the ship to pick them up,” the guest wrote.
Another guest lamented the apparent change in policy, writing: “I think it lies in the fact that it USED to be placed in the room with a nice welcome back greeting. When I cruised in March, I thought they forgot my bottles and was disappointed. I let it slide and realized after my cruise that I had to go to the bar to request it.”
Several other former Carnival Cruise Line guests posted similar comments, and one noted that, after being mistakenly charged for his bottle of water, he waited in a long line at Guest Services to get his refund. Now, he said, he just buys his own water.
Guests sailing with the line can purchase a 12-pack of bottled water (16.9 ounces each) for $17.64, or an 8-pack of larger bottles (50.72 ounces) for $29.44.
Anyone who has vacationed on a cruise ship knows that the amount of food prepared by onboard chefs and kitchen staff can seem mind-boggling, considering the vast buffet areas, huge dining rooms, and variety of specialty venues.
Many have likely wondered: How do they know how much food to prepare and what happens to all of the leftover food?
Thanks to an ambitious multi-pronged effort, Carnival Corporation announced on June 10, 2025, that it has exceeded its own goal to substantially reduce food waste across its global cruise brands as part of its “Less Left Over” policy.
The conglomerate that operates major cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, and Seabourn, among others, vowed a 40% cut in food waste by 2025 but actually realized a reduction of 44% in 2024 compared to 2019.
Who knew, for example, that the company was turning used cooking oil into a biofuel for its excursion tour buses in Alaska, or that used coffee grounds are being up-cycled into vegan soap?
Those are innovative projects, for sure, but the company and its cruise brands are utilizing multiple onboard programs to cut down on waste and make sure that prepared meal portions are “just right.”
So far, the company has dodged paying some $250 million in the cost of food it estimates it would have spent without the “Less Left Over” initiative. Going forward, more gains are expected in the next five years.
“Our Less Left Over strategy is powered by dozens of large and small programs and technologies across our cruise lines to cut food waste by 50% by 2030,” said Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation.
“But more than that, it’s also a global rallying cry that is turning everyday actions into lasting impact by nurturing a shared mindset among our 160,000 talented team members – a mindset that values creativity in delivering amazing meals for our guests and crew while getting the most out of our resources,” added Weinstein.
That mindset comes from using real-time data and AI systems to track dining patterns, cutting food waste in the ways that meals are plated, training staff in precision techniques when provisioning and preparing ingredients, and serving what the company calls “just right” portion sizes.
Also, the cruise brands donate extra meals and ingredients to food bank networks in destinations where food scarcity is a problem.
Biodigesters Help Lines Dispose of Leftover Foods
No matter how hard the cruise brands try to get portions just right and order only the precise amount of food believed necessary for any particular voyage, there will always be leftover food. That’s why Carnival Corporation began installing hundreds of so-called biodigesters on its ships three years ago.
Garbage Disposal Area on Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Mohd Syis Zulkipli / Shutterstock)
By the end of 2024, it had 630 biodigesters installed across the brands. They are known as metallic stomachs, with technology that enables natural bacteria to liquify leftover foods, making them easier to discard.
The California-based company Power Knot Ocean provided the biodigesters to Carnival; its most recent investment came in 2024, when the company received orders for additional machines plus spare parts and other related services.
The Carnival brands also have more than 90 dehydrators and dryers that remove excess water from more challenging food items, reducing so-called hard waste by about 90%. The leftover dried material can eventually be used as organic mulch and compost.
