After two years of construction and much anticipation, Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point officially opened on June 10 to welcome Disney Cruise Line (DCL) passengers.
The occasion was marked by the inaugural arrival of the 4,000-passenger Disney Fantasy, the first ship to officially bring guests to the new retreat following a preview cruise that arrived on June 7.
After departing from Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida, on June 8, the nearly 130,000-gross-ton Disney Fantasy arrived at Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point as the first call on a 7-night cruise that will also visit Disney’s original private destination, Castaway Cay.
Aerial View of Lookout Cay
Before returning to Port Canaveral, guests will be treated to a second visit to Disney Lookout Cay on June 13, as the cruise line proudly shows off its newest offering, which cost more than $250 million to create.
Early reports from the preview cruise that took place aboard Disney Magic featured rave reviews, including Tracie M., a planDisney Panelist, who shared her excitement about the island on the Disney Parks Blog.
“From the moment we arrived, I was captivated by the landscape and rolling hills, with swaying palm trees and vibrant greenery stretching as far as the eye could see. The unique trestle pier seemed to float above the water, designed to protect the coral reefs below – just one of the many efforts Disney Cruise Line is taking to preserve the island’s natural beauty,” she said.
Disney Magic, which accommodates 2,400 passengers and is DCL’s oldest ship, will arrive at the destination again for its first official cruise on June 14. Like Disney Fantasy, it will call on Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point twice and visit Castaway Cay during its 5-night cruise from Fort Lauderdale.
In fact, as Disney Magic and Disney Fantasy spend their summers running 3- to 5-night cruises to the Bahamas, the majority of calls will spotlight Lighthouse Point and Castaway Cay, with longer cruises also visiting Nassau.
— Theme Park Express (@ThemeParkExpres) June 10, 2024
The 4,000-passenger Disney Dream will make its inaugural call at the new destination when it returns from its summer in Europe and calls on Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point on November 1 on a repositioning cruise to Fort Lauderdale.
The ship will replace Disney Magic as that ship repositions to Galveston in November. It joins Disney Fantasy to ensure two Disney Cruise Line ships are regularly scheduled to call on Lighthouse Point throughout the 2024 to 2025 winter season.
What to Expect on Disney’s Second Private Destination
Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, located on 700 acres on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, offers a comprehensive range of activities and amenities. One of the first stops for many guests is the Goombay Cultural Center, where visitors can immerse themselves in Bahamian culture.
The center hosts a traditional Bahamian Junkanoo Celebration with colorful parades, rhythmic drumming, and lively dancing. Guests can learn about the history of Junkanoo, craft their own headdresses, and participate in the parade alongside local entertainers and Disney characters wearing equally colorful costumes designed by Bahamian fashion designer Theodore Elyett.
Disney’s Under Construction Private Destination
The Play-Play Pavilion is also a hub of activity, offering a variety of beach games and interactive experiences. Here, guests can join the Disney Fun in the Sun Beach Bash, featuring tabletop and beach games accompanied by Bahamian renditions of Disney tunes.
The family beach at Lookout Cay is equipped with an abundance of beach chairs and umbrellas, ensuring ample space for relaxation, exemplified by the fact DCL will only dock one ship per day at Lighthouse Point. The beach also features convenient amenities like towel stations, easy access to restrooms, and cabana rentals.
For families with young children, the Rush Out Gush Out Water Play area is a highlight. The splash zone features slides, dump buckets, sprinklers, and a smaller splash pad for younger children. Surrounding the play area are beach chairs, bathrooms, and nearby refreshment stands.
With its vast space, guests can explore the destination’s Nature Trail, a sandy path that winds past impressive rock formations and native wildlife. QR codes are found along the trail to provide educational information about the local flora and fauna, with water stations also situated along the trail to keep guests hydrated.
Of course, the destination is filled with shops and dining, all with Bahamian flair. Beyond the destination, Disney Lookout Cay offers a variety of Port Adventures that allow guests to explore Eleuthera.
Earlier this year, a viral video circulated of a Carnival cruise passenger tampering with large water bottles in her stateroom, refilling and resealing the bottles as savings “hack” to avoid paying for the bottles. Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, has now confirmed the consequences of that ludicrous behavior.
While the short video – just a few seconds long – never identified the exact ship or when the video was filmed, it clearly took place onboard a Carnival cruise ship.
The tag on the water bottle said “Carnival” and one of the cruise line’s Snoozin’ door signs was briefly visible in the background. Carnival offers 1.5-liter bottles of Crystal Geyser water in guest staterooms for convenient purchases.
Cruise Passenger Tampers With cabin Water Bottle
The woman in the video refilled one of those large water bottles from her bathroom tap, then used a small bottle of glue to reseal the cap. She then replaced the cardboard sales tag on the bottle and even gave a thumbs-up for her cleverness at the end of the video. To date, the video has been viewed more than 260,000 times.
The video sparked great concern among cruisers about the safety of bottled water onboard ships and how easy tampering with the bottles may or may not be, as well as what consequences should be brought against travelers stealing in this way. Now, Carnival Cruise Line has responded to the incident.
“The lady who was also on [TikTok] showing how to drink water from the bottles in the cabin without breaking the seal [has] been banned from cruising with us ever again,”confirmed John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador.
It is a relief to learn that Carnival Cruise Line takes this type of incident seriously. The concern about contaminated water, which could potentially be laced with toxins or other substances, is a real one for many travelers after seeing this video.
To be clear, there are many similar videos available with nearly identical “hacks” for resealing different types of bottles, but this is always considered theft. Cruise Hive in no way endorses such actions or any such technique.
What is still unknown is whether or not Carnival’s cabin attendants might examine any bottles remaining in each stateroom at the end of a cruise for any signs of tampering.
To be safe, passengers should always closely examine the bottles in their cabin when they arrive. When in doubt, requesting fresh bottles from the cabin attendant or purchasing bottles from one of the bars onboard are other options.
Saving Money on Water
Some viewers may consider this unethical hack as an opportunity to save a few bucks on their cruise beverages. It should be noted, however, that tap water onboard cruise ships is perfectly safe to drink. Guests can also get water from self-serve beverage stations, but should be courteous about refilling bottles or otherwise holding up the lines when other passengers are waiting to get their own drinks.
Carnival Cruise Line has come under fire in recent weeks about changes in bottled water prices. In just 17 months, the cruise line increased the price of its bottled water three times, an all-together 202% price hike on the 12-pack of 16.9-ounce bottles. Initially, the cost was just $4.95, but now it is $14.95.
While this is just $1.25 per bottle – still less expensive than bottles of water that might be bought from an airport, theme park, or street vendor – it is quite a shocking increase from the original cost of $.41 per bottle, especially in such a relatively short time period.
Still, even such a dramatic price increase is no excuse for theft, deception, and tampering. It is a credit to Carnival Cruise Line that they investigated the video so thoroughly in order to identify the guest and take the appropriate action to ensure she will never be refilling Carnival water bottles illegally again.
The individual overboard from MSC Cruises’ MSC Euribia early on Thursday, June 6, 2024 has sadly succumbed to their injuries. While early reports did note that the individual – now identified as a male passenger from the cruise ship – was rescued from the water in less than an hour, he did not survive the incident.
According to Nettavisen, a variety of rescue assets were used in the operation, including a helicopter, air ambulance, civilian boats, an ambulance boat, and a fire boat.
The man was pulled from the water and transported to Haukeland Hospital in Bergen, approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of the area of Sognefjord where the incident was reported.
Unfortunately, the man was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The exact cause of death has not been released, and it is unknown whether other medical conditions or unusual circumstances contributed to the overboard.
The incident has been labeled as “suspicious” but that could indicate an intentional overboard, a domestic dispute, a criminal act, an accident, or other unknown circumstances.
Water temperatures in Sognefjord are currently in the mid-50s Fahrenheit (13-14 Celsius). At that temperature, an individual in reasonably good health should be able to survive for 1-6 hours without extreme risk of hypothermia, but general health, protective gear, and physical abilities do factor into overall survival times.
Very few details about the man have been released, other than that yes, he was a passenger on MSC Euribia rather than a crew member, he is not a Norwegian citizen, and he was traveling with his spouse on the cruise ship. Local reports have noted the man was in his “late 50s.” No other passengers or crew members have been reported missing from the vessel.
Cruise lines do not often release extensive details in these situations. This lack of information is to safeguard the privacy of the individual, their family members and traveling companions, and others impacted by the incident.
Support may be made available to crew members and others onboard MSC Euribia who are affected by the situation. It can be very difficult to adapt to such a tragic incident during what should have been a happy cruise vacation.
MSC Euribia Sailings Continue
MSC Euribia was sailing a 7-night Northern Europe itinerary roundtrip from Kiel, Germany, with calls to various Norwegian ports, and the time of the overboard. That cruise ended on Saturday, June 8, and the ship has already continued on her next voyage.
MSC Euribia Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Studio Porto Sabbia)
While local authorities will undoubtedly conduct a full investigation into the incident – as is customary with any overboard situation. Part of the investigation will include interviews with crew members, a review of onboard surveillance and security footage, and an autopsy of the deceased. The ship does not have to pause operations while that investigation is ongoing.
The 184,011-gross-ton, Meraviglia-Plus-class MSC Euribia can welcome a total of 6,327 guests at full capacity, and has an international crew of approximately 1,700 team members.
The ship is currently sailing a variety of Northern Europe itineraries through mid-October, with departures from both Kiel and Copenhagen. After that, the ship will relocated to offer Middle East sailings in the Arabian Gulf, with departures from Dubai and Abu Dhabi and visits to the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain. MSC Euribia will remain in the Middle East through April 2025.
While you might think of cruise vacations as the perfect time to indulge (and they are, to an extent!), if you’re worried about what the never-ending food at the buffet and your endless drink package will do to your waistline, there’s good news: It is possible to stay fit and continue to adhere to your health and wellness goals, even while on a cruise.
That said, there are some cruise lines that are more inclined to promote fitness than others. While, sure, most cruise ships will offer, at minimum, a fitness center and maybe a jogging track, some cruise lines really go over the top to ensure that you can work out just as hard as you play, during your cruise.
Plus, some offer other great health and wellness perks that are above and beyond mere workout equipment and a few standard fitness classes. Think sunrise yoga on the top deck, sustainably sourced food on the menu and unique hydrotherapy options.
Need to know more? Here are some of the best cruise lines to consider, if you want to book a cruise that makes sticking to your fitness regimen easy, even while on vacation. You’ll leave your cruise feeling better than ever, both body and mind.
On Princess Cruises, the fitness centers are outfitted with all the equipment you could need, such as weights, treadmills and more — and, of course, they offer ocean views, so you can take in all the scenery as you get in your miles or reps.
Fitness classes include spinning courses and your run-of-the-mill group classes. However, Princess Cruises stands out with its fitness classes that have been specifically curated for the cruise line and its guests, with offerings from Pure Barre, YogaSix and Stretch Lab.
Photo Courtesy: Princess Cruises
When you’re finished with your workout, be sure to visit the Princess Lotus Spa, which has been named one of the best cruise line spas in the industry, and which offers a variety of classic spa treatments.
All of the gym classes on each cruise are totally free, so you don’t have to worry about paying extra for a new-to-you class you may or may not enjoy. You’re quite literally free to explore your options! You can find a range of classes, from beginner courses to advanced.
There’s a juice bar right by the gym, serving up nutritious pre- or post-workout beverages. The classes really run the gamete, too, from cycling to bungee to barre to boxing.
Photo Courtesy: Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages gyms have been dubbed the B-Complex, and they’re split into two sections. There’s a multipurpose fitness studio, and then there’s a training camp where you can enjoy group and solo classes (solo classes are provided via a fitness-on-demand app that’s unique to the cruise line).
A jogging track is also available, and, of course, there’s a spa with a thermal suite and cool amenities like the first quartz bed at sea (for those who aren’t in the know, a quartz bed basically allows you to lie in a bed of small quartz crystals that feel similar to sand, and enjoy a micro-massaging sensation that’s purported to also offer mental, emotional and spiritual benefits). Medi-spa services are also available, such as Botox and IV therapy.
If you really prefer to get active with a fun activity that’s not your average workout, visit The Athletic Club, for adult-sized games and fun, from basketball to playground equipment.
Seabourn
Seabourn takes an ultra-luxury approach to everything that it offers its guests, so you can expect that same luxury when it comes to the cruise line’s wellness programs.
Photo Credit: Roger Utting / Shutterstock
Thanks to a partnership with Dr. Andrew Weil, Seabourn offers mindful wellness options, in case your average workout looks a little more like yoga and a lot less like running on a treadmill.
In addition to complimentary meditation and yoga sessions, you can enjoy educational seminars that further enhance your wellness experience, with focuses on topics like Eastern and Western wellness. Each ship also has a Wellness Guide on staff, who can help you form a personal wellness program.
Blue World Voyages
An up-and-coming cruise line, Blue World is intended to be the first cruise line that is all about fitness and health. As such, ships are equipped with entire decks dedicated to just sports and fitness, as well as additional decks dedicated just to spa and wellness experiences.
Suites focus on wellness, too, with features such as vitamin-infused rainfall showers, air filtration systems and circadian lighting. Plus, all itineraries are focused on staying active in the destinations you visit. For the cruise line to visit a destination, it must offer an opportunity to hike, cycle, golf and enjoy water sports, as well as provide cultural opportunities.
Avalon Waterways
In a similar manner, Avalon Waterways makes it easy for cruisers to take their fitness off the ship and enjoy fitness-related activities while exploring their ports of call. On European river cruises, travelers can specifically seek out “active” excursions, which range from jogging tours to hiking tours.
Not interested in a formal excursion? Avalon guests enjoy access to complimentary bike rentals at every port (as well as walking sticks and kayaks, in some cases), so you can explore at your own speed, while staying in motion.
On each ship, Avalon, of course, offers the requisite fitness center, but also daily yoga sessions and, if you visit the Adventure Center in the ships’ lobbies, you can find fitness equipment that you can rent for the duration of your trip, from yoga mats to stretch bands to FitBit health and fitness trackers.
The dining program takes a wellness approach, too, with a mocktail menu, and dining menus that can cater to specific health needs, such as low-carb or low-sodium.
Celebrity Cruises
You don’t have to take a luxury cruise or a small-ship cruise in order to enjoy a nice range of health, wellness and fitness amenities. On Celebrity Cruises cruise ships, for example, you’ll find F45 training studios (on select ships), as well as equipment from Peloton, and classes that take advantage of the latest trends in fitness, like Ryde spin classes and HIIT training.
Jogging Track on Celebrity Cruises Ship (Photo Credit: Chiyacat)
Unique class options include boxing, barre and bungee. For fitness options that are a little more low-key, try yoga, guided meditation or breathing classes. Celebrity’s Body in Motion program offers further amenities and services, such as body composition analyses, nutritional consultations and personal training.
After you’ve enjoyed it all, you can head over to the spa café for a fresh juice, and then go enjoy the spa-related amenities in your AquaClass suite.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Similarly, Norwegian Cruise Line offers a nice mix of wellness and fitness amenities. You can book a personal training session that will include a body composition analysis, after which the personal trainer will design a personalized workout routine for you, as well as a nutrition and detox plan, if needed.
A range of group fitness experiences are available, such as TRX Suspension Training, HIIT45 and Ryde cycling classes. Yoga classes, row classes and total body conditioning classes are also available.
Of course, if you just want to go it on your own, you can also just head to the general fitness area to take advantage of the state-of-the-art equipment, including treadmills, ellipticals, bikes and weights.
Uniworld
Another river cruises cruise line, Uniworld hires experienced wellness professionals to lead a variety of wellness programs during each cruise, from sunrise yoga sessions to more intense workouts.
Uniworld Vessel
When you’re out at port, you can take one of your ship’s bicycles out to explore on two wheels, or grab some walking sticks for a bit of trekking. Excursions are specifically available that focus on staying active, whether you want to hike, cycle, golf or kayak.
The ship’s dining program also offers a Traveling Lite menu, which helps to adjust the existing ships’ menus for those who are trying to watch their caloric intake.
Amadeus River Cruises
Similarly, Amadeus River Cruises offers a mix of on-board and onshore fitness experiences. The fitness centers on each of the cruise line’s ships are open 24 hours, and yoga classes are offered each morning on the sun deck.
The dining programs also offer regional, fresh and light dining alternatives. When it’s time to step ashore, you can choose from an array of guided fitness-focused excursions that are available for a variety of fitness levels.
Oceania Cruises
On Oceania Cruises, the Aquamar Spa & Vitality center on each ship offers a broad mix of high-end amenities and experiences. The fitness center provides complimentary fitness classes that touch on a plethora of areas of interest, from yoga to core conditioning.
You can take advantage of one-on-one personal training, as well as the various exercise equipment; certain ships are outfitted with Kinesis exercise walls.
Allura Pool Deck Render (Image Credit: Oceania Cruises)
After you’re done with your workout, explore the offerings in the spa, which also includes thermal environments and offers medi-spa services.
If you want to take your wellness and fitness experiences off the ship, you’ll find that Oceania provides wellness discovery tours in several destinations.
MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises ships are outfitted with fitness centers that feature TechnoGym equipment. However, in addition to the normal gym with its ocean views, ships also offer areas where you can get in a workout in other ways, such as a tennis court and a squash court. There’s also a power walking track.
Scenic
Scenic offers a traditional gym, dedicated yoga studio and dedicated pilates studio. The cruise line also offers a very unique class option that you won’t find on a lot of the other cruise lines on this list: aerial fitness classes. Personal training sessions are available, as are group training sessions, and the gym is outfitted with modern equipment in an airy environment.
Scenic Eclipse (Photo Credit: The Scenic Group)
When you’re done with your workout, you can check out the salt therapy lounge, vitality pools, therapeutic showers and/or infrared sauna (depending on the ship you’re sailing on).
Scenic also offers a variety of alternative spa treatments, for something a little out of the unusual, including reflexology, sound treatments, ayurvedic massage and more.
SeaDream Yacht Club
When you’re living the high life during a SeaDream Yacht Club cruise, you’ll enjoy a bevy of fitness-related amenities and services.
Photo Courtesy: SeaDream Yacht Club
There’s a fitness center, equipped with its own sauna and steam room, but also fitness classes located elsewhere on the ship, such as daily sunrise yoga and tai chi sessions, on the top deck. There’s a walking and running track, and the SeaDream Spa even includes its own outdoor treatment area.
The line also takes a wellness-focused approach to its cuisine, offering plant-based options and sustainably sourcing ingredients where it can, including from local farmers markets, at the various destinations along an itinerary.
The second Disney Cruise Line (DCL) destination, Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point on the island of Eleuthera, The Bahamas, opened for a preview on June 7, welcoming guests to experience the new retreat ahead of its official debut on June 10, 2024.
The preview was offered to passengers aboard the 83,338-ton, 2,713-guest Disney Magic, sailing a 3-night round-trip preview cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Guests at Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point were treated to a blend of Bahamian culture and Disney magic with a special Junkanoo Celebration parade, music by local Bahamian artists, and beach games hosted by Disney characters in tropical outfits designed by Bahamian fashion designer Theodore Elyett.
Guests at Disney’s Lookout Cay
The Disney Parks Blog revealed that the first visitors arrived at the Goombay Cultural Center to celebrate with Mickey Mouse and friends. They were also treated to a Sun Beach Bash at the Play-Play Pavilion and kid-friendly activities like Goofy’s Good Day Limbo, Pluto’s Pineapple Ring Toss, and Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Water Brigade.
A new original song, “Ery’ting Cool,” produced in collaboration with Walt Disney Imagineering and two Bahamian producers, was also introduced at the Cay, which was designed to offer visitors an authentic Bahamian immersion filled with music, color, and culture.
Bloggers aboard the ship shared images of their arrival, including a first look at Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point’s dock, which was reported to be about a quarter mile in length.
Disney Magic llegó hoy a Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, le nueva isla privada de @DisneyCruise en las Bahamas. Detalles durante el día y reportaje completo en #Elnuevodia. pic.twitter.com/n4MY0PondC
Constructed to meet government mandates to protect the environment, reports mentioned that Disney Cruise Line is working on solutions for guests who may find it difficult to walk the distance from the ship to the destination’s entrance.
Additional reports reveal the walk from the ship to the family beach is more than 1.5 miles. However, the good news is that only one ship per day will dock at Lighthouse Point to allow guests a better experience when calling on the new destination.
Disney Magic is First to Arrive at Lookout Cay
Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point will welcome its official inaugural visit on June 10 with the arrival of Disney Fantasy sailing out of Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida.
Accommodating up to 4,000 passengers and weighing 129,750 gross tons, the ship will depart Port Canaveral on June 8 and make its first call at the destination before continuing to Nassau, The Bahamas, and visiting Disney Cruise Line’s additional private destination, Castaway Cay. It will return to Lighthouse Point on June 13 before returning to Florida.
Guests at Disney’s Lookout Cay
Disney Magic, DCL’s oldest ship, will take its first official passengers to Lighthouse Point during a 5-night roundtrip cruise from Fort Lauderdale that sets sail on June 14. The special Vacation Club cruise will also call on the destination twice, as well as visit Castaway Cay.
Throughout the summer Disney Magic and Disney Fantasy will offer an array of cruises varying from 3- to 7 -days that spend a day at the destination, which had been under construction since April 2022.
Disney Cruise Line leaders, the Bahamian Government, and local community members celebrated its competition with a special ceremony on May 30, 2024.
All-you-can-eat buffets and cruise ships are synonymous. You can’t have a cruise ship without a buffet. Well, you can — there’s a very small handful of cruise lines that don’t feature buffets on their ships, like Virgin — but it’s not common.
Avid cruisers expect to be able to go onto a cruise ship, and eat until their hearts’ content, all throughout the sailing and all without paying a penny more than what they paid for their base cruise fare.
If you’ve yet to experience your first cruise, don’t make the mistake of thinking of the cruise ship buffet as some sad little dining venue serving trays of over-warmed food that’s been sitting out all day long.
Cruise ship buffets have really leveled up their game. They now offer tons of options at themed cuisine stations, with made-to-order counters where you can have certain items made before your very eyes (think sub sandwiches or eggs). Cruise ship buffets also often change up their offerings, just slightly, with every meal, for more variety.
In short, cruise ship buffets are pretty great and are a requisite part of the cruising experience. However, while the cruise ship buffet may seem like the Wild, Wild West, where there are no menus, and no rules and you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want, in any quantity you want, take caution. Rules still exist, and these are the 10 things you should never do at the cruise ship buffet.
You’ve seen them before. They’re the person at the buffet line whose plate is close to spilling out over onto the floor. They’ve stacked their bacon as high as the sky. They’ve amassed enough mashed potatoes and pasta to feed a small army. Pieces of pizza are stacked precariously, making room for desserts.
It all looks a little greedy, a little gross, and a little uncalled for. Don’t be that person at the buffet line. What’s the big deal, you ask?
Full Plate at the Cruise Ship Buffet (Photo Credit: Solarisys)
One, you’re depleting the available, fresh and ready food. Even if you will eat all that food, if you just take an average portion and then come back for more, it gives other cruisers a chance to get a serving as well, and the servers a chance to notice that they’re running low on a certain item, so they can make more. However, two, you probably actually aren’t going to eat all that food.
Yes, while part of the fun of a buffet is eating as much as possible, and as much variety as possible, don’t waste food unnecessarily.
2. Carry Multiple Plates at Once
Along these lines, even if you have a totally normal amount of food on your plate, don’t attempt to balance multiple plates, cups, bowls and other dishes all along your arms, as you make your way through the buffet line.
Yes, you may really want and even need two plates, one to hold your pancakes and one to hold your omelet (there’s nothing wrong with not wanting your food to touch, after all!), but when you end up balancing more than one dish as you make your way around the room, to the various food stations, you put yourself, your food and others at risk.
Carrying Plates (Photo Credit: Vershinin89)
Buffets can be crowded, and one accidental bump or knock could send your food to the floor. Not only is that wasted food, but it’s also a potential safety hazard, as dishes could break, scattering shards on the floor, and spilled food could pose a fall risk.
So, only get one plate of food at a time. If you need multiple plates, fill one, take it back to your table, and then go get another, and then sit down to eat.
3. Touch the Food with Your Hands
Do you want some stranger touching your food with their hands, at mealtime? They don’t want you touching their food, either. Even if it’s an item that you would normally eat with your hands — like pizza or pastries — refrain from just grabbing it.
Touching Food at the Cruise Buffet (Photo Credit: Melissa Herzog)
Even if you think you’ll only touch the item you’re going to eat, there’s a chance you could brush up against the other food on the buffet, spreading germs (and that’s the last thing you want to do on a cruise ship, where illness can spread quickly).
Look for a serving utensil and, if you can’t find the serving utensils, ask one of a crew member for some.
4. Skip Washing Your Hands
Along these lines, make sure that you wash your hands before you head to the cruise ship buffet. Some cruise ships feature hand washing stations near the buffet restaurant entrance, for this purpose. You may also be able to find hand sanitation stations nearby. At the very least, you can find a restroom and wash your hands, or carry portable hand sanitizer with you (a very good idea anyway).
Hand washing station on Carnival’s Mardi Gras cruise ship (Photo Credit: Melissa Mayntz)
This is, again, all about preventing the spread of germs and possible illness. Even if you don’t touch the food directly, everyone is still touching the same serving utensils, possibly thousands of passengers per day, and the possibility that someone out there has the sniffles is high.
5. Ignore the Dress Code
Yes, the buffet is always going to be on the super-casual side. That said, there’s kind of an unspoken rule among cruisers that you should at least wear some basic clothing items when visiting the buffet — mostly just to be polite to your fellow cruisers — and some cruise lines do enforce a very basic dress code at the buffet.
Cruise Ship Buffet on Celebrity Beyond (Photo Credit: Melissa Mayntz)
So, for example, on Norwegian Cruise Line, you can wear your swimsuit to the buffet, but you have to be wearing a cover-up or shirt. Additionally, you must wear shoes of some kind. While this may seem like an inconvenience, if you just want to walk from the pool, directly to the buffet line, trust us: You’ll feel way more comfortable if you cover up before you sit down, to chow down.
As for wearing your bathrobe from your cabin to the buffet, if you want to grab breakfast… Well, while someone might not tell you directly not to do it, you might get your fair share of disapproving glances. Let’s just say it can be frowned upon.
A good rule of thumb? If you wouldn’t wear it to pop into the convenience store, don’t wear it to the buffet.
6. Skip Line
It can be tempting to skip the line, especially if someone in front of you is taking their sweet time picking out their chicken tenders from a pile of identical chicken tenders. However, if the buffet is crowded and there’s a long line of people behind you, refrain from jumping up ahead to helping yourself from the next tray at the station.
Cruise Passengers Lining Up for Buffet (Photo Credit: Melissa Herzog)
Similarly, if you just arrived at the buffet, and you can see that there’s a line, don’t skip around it to get just that one thing that you want.
It’s important to be polite and well-mannered to your fellow cruisers — you’re stuck in the middle of the ocean with them, after all. It’s wise to play nice.
7. Change Your Order at the Last Minute
A lot of cruise ship buffets feature a few made-to-order stations for items like omelets, where a chef is on duty to prepare your requested item, just as you like it.
Cruise Ship Food Option (Photo Credit: Putu Agus Pradnyana)
However, just because you can have it your way, all day, that doesn’t mean you can rudely change your order at the omelet station at the last minute — again, that’s a food waste problem and it wastes the chef’s time, as well as requires other cruisers to wait longer, in line, behind you, as the chef remakes your order.
So, before you place your order, while you’re still in line, think long and hard about what you want, so you know when it’s time to order.
8. Reuse the Same Plate Over and Over Again
This one is another rule to follow due to health reasons, but it’s one that’s admittedly easy to forget. You might even think you’re doing a polite thing by reusing the same plate over and over again at the buffet; after all, you’re making less work for the crew, right? Won’t they appreciate fewer dirty dishes to wash?
While that’s a nice thought, taking your plate back to the buffet, over and over again, after you’ve already eaten off that plate, can mean that you’re accidentally spreading around some germs, via cross-contamination.
Filling Plate (Photo Credit: koentjoro)
Think about it. You’ve been eating off your plate, your fork going from your mouth to the plate and back again. Then, you take your empty plate that still has a bit of food residue on it, to the buffet.
You use the serving utensils to lay new items on your dirty plate, the serving utensils touch the food residue on the plate, which touched your fork, which touched your mouth… You can see where this is going.
So, if you’re getting a new serving of food, get a new plate. It’s that simple.
9. Not Communicate Any Food Allergies or Sensitivities
No one wants you to have an allergic reaction to food you ate on a cruise ship, so don’t worry about being considered “an inconvenience,” just by asking about a buffet item’s ingredients.
The good news is, many cruise ships will have items on the buffet clearly labeled for specific dietary needs, such as if an item is vegetarian or gluten-free.
Pizza Being Made Onboard MSC Meraviglia (Photo Credit: Claire Lucia)
However, if you have some niche food allergies, like if you’re allergic to onion or garlic, you may want to contact the cruise line ahead of time. Often, they’ll be happy to make sure you get some food that’s appropriate for your needs, while helping you steer clear of any foods that might result in a bad reaction.
10. Grab a Plate Without Checking Out All Your Options
Cruise line buffets are big. If you grab a plate as soon as you walk in the door and begin filling it up with the first yummy items you see, you’re bound to miss out on something delicious. So, take a little tour around the buffet before you decide, and then pick the items you’re most excited about.
Omelette At the Cruise Ship Buffet (Photo Credit: Reel creative)
Then, make a mental note to either return for seconds (with a clean plate!) for some of those other tantalizing items, or return later in your cruise. Since the cruise ship buffet is always included in your complimentary dining options, there’s no reason why you can’t come back again and again, as many times as you want.
In a story that highlights just how important it is to adhere to cruise schedules, a teen left his parents in port to return to his cruise on time while his parents missed the ship’s departure and were left stranded.
The teen, who graduated from high school in December and received a cruise as a combined gift for his graduation and 18th birthday, recounted the incident in a Reddit post. This was the family’s first cruise, and the teen had emphasized the importance of sticking to the schedule during excursions.
The teen, identified as ProfessionalTax7753, wrote, “Well, it was a week-long cruise, and they would not head back to the ship when I said it was time to go. They were busy shopping and bargaining with the locals. I finally said that I was heading back to the ship. My mom waved me off.”
Photo Copyright: Cruise Hive
Despite repeated warnings from their child, the parents missed the ship’s departure by 45 minutes. They later contacted their child via WhatsApp, expressing frustration and blaming the teen for not ensuring the boat waited for them.
“I wanted to scream that they were not going to inconvenience 3,998 people because two could not understand what a schedule was,” the teen added.
Ultimately, the parents had to fly to the next port at considerable expense, leading to further animosity. The teen, who did not identify the ship or where they were sailing, expressed regret, saying, “I wish I had never asked for this. They are making me miserable because I left without them.”
The Reddit post received numerous supportive comments, with users unanimously agreeing that the teen was not at fault. One usercommented, “What precisely do they think you could have done? Kidnapped the captain? Staged your own drowning. You didn’t abandon them, they abandoned you.”
Many users pointed out that the crew likely informed the parents multiple times about the schedule, emphasizing that they chose to ignore the guidelines.
Cruise Lines’ Right to Leave Passengers Behind
The story of the teen’s parents missing their cruise isn’t unique. Similar incidents have made headlines, such as the eight passengers recently stranded on the African island of São Tomé and Príncipe after the Norwegian Dawn left without them. The group, consisting of six Americans and two Australians, were on a private tour and missed the ship’s departure by over an hour.
Despite efforts from the local Coast Guard to get them back on board, the ship’s captain did not allow them to rejoin. Norwegian Cruise Line stated that the passengers were responsible for ensuring they returned on time and that their passports were handed over to local port agents as per protocol.
Photo Credit: Darryl Brooks / Shutterstock
The stranded passengers eventually traveled through multiple countries over several days to rejoin the ship in Senegal.
While cruise lines prefer not to leave anyone behind and may wait up to 15 minutes for late passengers, they cannot delay their departure for extended periods, such as the 45 minutes the parents were late returning to the ship. However, waiting for late passengers is at the discretion of the captain.
Departure times are clearly communicated through daily newsletters, announcements, and posted schedules. Maintaining these schedules is crucial for adhering to port schedules, complying with legal and operational requirements, and minimizing the impact on other passengers.
Passengers who miss the ship are responsible for arranging their own transportation to the next port of call at their own expense, a policy outlined in the cruise contract that passengers agree to when booking their trip and boarding the ship.
P&O Cruises Australia has provided a variety of updates about the brand’s sunsetting and absorption into Carnival Cruise Line, scheduled for early 2025. This includes which cruises are now cancelled and how refunds will be processed as well as when each of the three ships will be out of service.
Carnival Corporation & plc announced just days ago that the P&O Cruises Australia brand would be dissolved, with two out of the line’s three vessels transferred to Carnival Cruise Line. The remaining vessel, Pacific Explorer, will be retired after her February 7, 2025 departure – an 11-night sailing from Fremantle to Singapore.
Guests booked on P&O Cruises Australia sailings in the time leading up to the rebranding are understandably concerned about their cruise vacations and how the experience may change as Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter are moved to Carnival Cruise Line.
Bugs on Pacific Explorer Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: ymgerman)
“We are all immensely proud of P&O Cruises Australia’s 90-year heritage of dedicated operations in the region and Carnival Cruise Line are honored to carry forward its storied legacy and continue to deliver the same onboard experiences and itineraries with the benefit of Carnival Cruise Line HUB app and loyalty program,”the new FAQ page reads.
To bring the two remaining P&O Cruises Australia ships into the Carnival fleet, extensive renovations and rebranding will be necessary. To do this, several voyages are cancelled for each ship.
Pacific Adventure now has four cruises cancelled, while Pacific Encounter has just three cruises cancelled. Both ships will resume operations with Carnival Cruise Line from April 2025. P&O Cruises Australia is reaching out to guests on the now-cancelled sailings with refund details. The cruise line is offering both future cruise credits as well as onboard credit as incentives to rebook on different sailings.
The cancelled sailings are the March 14, 18, 22, and 25 departure dates for Pacific Adventure, as well as the March 15, 18, and 22 departure dates for Pacific Encounter.
Refunds will be processed back to the original form of payment after June 30, 2024. With the volume of refunds to be processed, however, it may take up to 20 business days for full processing, depending on different individual financial institution’s policies. All add-on packages and pre-paid expenses will also be refunded.
From April 2025, both Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter will be sailing their already planned itineraries from Sydney and Brisbane, respectively, but will be operated as Carnival Cruise Line ships.
The vessels will still maintain the high service standards of P&O Cruises Australia, however, as well as honor the line’s legacy alongside popular Carnival Cruise Line favorites.
What Will Change Onboard?
No details have yet been released about what enhancements, upgrades, or rebranding will be brought to Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter. Those announcements will likely be made by Carnival Cruise Line in the coming months as details of the cruise line merger are further refined.
Travelers can likely expect similar changes onboard the two ships as has happened aboard the “Carnival Fun, Italian Style” renovations that were made to Carnival Luminosa, Carnival Venezia, and Carnival Firenze. Those ships were moved from Costa Cruises into Carnival Cruise Line in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively.
The former Costa ships still maintain their original vibe and much of their Italian-inspired décor. They have incorporated a variety of Carnival Cruise Line favorites, however, including select dining venues, entertainment, activities, children’s programming, and more. The ships do remain distinctive, however, and offer a unique experience for travelers who love Carnival Cruise Line.
Undoubtedly, the former P&O Cruises Australia ships will likewise retain their unique personas, and will bring a new and culturally-rich experience to Carnival Cruise Line for new travelers to enjoy.
Guests onboard MSC Cruises’ MSC Euribia have reported an overboard situation near Flam, Norway, in the very early hours of Thursday, June 6, 2024. The ship is currently finishing a 7-night Northern Europe sailing roundtrip from Kiel, Germany, that departed on Saturday, June 1.
The overboard alarm was sounded at approximately 2:15 a.m. Guests were awakened by the alert, and a few minutes later, the ship’s captain made an announcement about the situation and notified passengers that the ship was stopping for rescue operations.
At the time, the 184,011-gross-ton, Meraviglia-Plus-class ship was cruising in the picturesque Sognefjord en route to Flam, where the vessel was scheduled to spend the day on Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The incident happened approximately 3 miles east of Lavik, 53 miles west-northwest of Flam. The Sognefjord is the largest, deepest fjord in Norway. Cruise ship tracking data shows the large vessel turning around in the channel during the overboard incident.
Local coast guard authorities were notified and at least one rescue helicopter was dispatched to aid in the search. The cruise ship also launched a rescue boat to search the nearby waters. Video (courtesy of Lora Morrow) has shown someone being pulled from the water in the early morning hours, but it is unclear whether that may be the individual who had gone overboard or a member of the rescue team.
Follow-up announcements confirmed that the individual had been rescued and taken to a local hospital. Their condition is unknown. For the sake of their privacy, as well as that of their traveling companions and family members, their identity has not been revealed.
No further details have been released, and it is not known whether or not alcohol, a domestic disturbance, or other factors contributed to this incident.
MSC Euribia was able to resume her journey and there was no significant disruption to her schedule. The ship is still on track to return to Kiel as planned on Saturday, June 8.
The ship is currently offering a season of Northern Europe itineraries departing from either Kiel or Copenhagen, depending on travelers’ preferences and sailing date.
In addition to Flam, ports of call include Hellesylt, Geiranger, Molde, Maloy, and Alesund, Norway, with the exact stops varying based on departure date.
Second Recent Overboard
This is not the only overboard situation from MSC Euribia this year. In mid-March, a male passenger was reported missing and overboard from the ship as the vessel was sailing from Southampton to Hamburg. During that situation, an apparent lack of communication was frustrating to family members.
It can be difficult for a cruise line to properly communicate with understandably distraught families and friends while safeguarding privacy and simultaneously working with authorities.
It is customary for overboard incidents to be thoroughly investigated, but when incidents may happen in international waters, jurisdictional issues can be complicated.
MSC Euribia is the newest ship in MSC Cruises’ standard fleet (Explora 1 is just slightly younger as the first of the parent company’s luxury ships). The ship can host approximately 3,000 travelers, and has an international crew of roughly 1,700 to ensure the ship’s safe operation and excellent service.
This may seem like such tragic incidents occur frequently, but it is important to remember that many thousands of guests sail on hundreds of cruise ships around the world every day, enjoying amazing destinations and beautiful ports of call.
Cruise Hive’s thoughts are with the family and friends of the individual in this incident, as well as the crew of MSC Euribia as they work to provide happier moments for everyone aboard the ship on every sailing.
