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Symphony of the Seas is Best Large Cruise Ship of the Year

Emrys Thakkar
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Symphony of the Seas is Best Large Cruise Ship of the Year

Symphony of the Seas, which is currently the largest cruise ship in the world, has won this year’s “Best Large Cruise Ship” category in the Cruise Ship Awards.

Symphony of the Seas is the Best Large Cruise Ship

The fourth Oasis-class vessel, which is the world’s largest cruise ship, has sailed to the top of the “Best Large Cruise Ship” category by receiving more votes in this year’s Cruise Ship Awards. In a not so distant second came Norwegian Bliss which is operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. Both ships entered service this year.

Symphony of the Seas arrived in the Spring of 2018 and is now Miami-based after departing Barcelona, Spain, on October 28. The ship arrived at PortMiami for the very first time in November and also docked at the futuristic new Royal Caribbean cruise terminal A.

On November 17 Symphony of the Seas started sailing her regular service of week-long eastern and western Caribbean itineraries.

The huge mega ship is 228,081 gross tons and can carry 5,518 guests at double occupancy in 2,759 staterooms. The 25th ship in the fleet which spans 1,188 feet in length is slightly different from her sister ships Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas.

She has new features, including The two-story Ultimate Family Suite, Playmaker’s Sports Bar & Arcade, the Sugar Beach specialty candy and ice cream shop, a new seafood restaurant named Hooked Seafood, an inspired restaurant named El Loco Fresh, and a glow-in-the-dark laser tag.

Norwegian Bliss Comes in Second

Norwegian Bliss which is the fourth Breakaway-plus class vessel for Norwegian Cruise Line received the second most amount of votes in the category. The new NCL ship has had a busy year since entering service in April 2018. She completed a tour of the U.S. as part of the journey to her homeport in Seattle, Washington which the mega-ship arrived to for the very first time in May 2018.

Norwegian Bliss which features the largest race track at sea until sister ship Norwegian Encore arrives in 2019 began sailing to Alaska on June 2. The ship will be sailing to the Mexican Riviera from Los Angeles and will also be repositioned to offer Caribbean cruises from Miami, Florida, for the winter season.

Norwegian Bliss Cruise Ship
Photo By: Norwegian Cruise Line

Cruises out of New York on the U.S. east coast will begin at the end of 2019. The ship will sail to the Caribbean and Bahamas. She is 168,028 and has a guest capacity of over 4,000 at double occupancy.

The Remaining Results

So, in third place in the Best Large Cruise Ship category was a draw with Anthem of the Seas, which is operated by Royal Caribbean, and MSC Seaview by MSC Cruises. In a faraway fourth with the least number of votes was MSC Meravigilia, another vessel operated by MSC Cruises.

With thousands of Cruise Hive readers casting a vote in this year’s awards, we now know which ship our readers prefer as the best large cruise ship. Voters were only able to vote once in each category since the awards were opened at the beginning on September 2018. In 2017 Harmony of the Seas won the category, the sister ship to Symphony of the Seas.

So far we’ve already announced the SkyRide from Carnival Cruise Line winning the best cruise ship feature and Guy’s Pig and Anchor BBQ Smokehouse|Brewhouse winning best dining venue. More results are on the way!

Guy’s Pig & Anchor on Carnival Horizon Wins Best Dining Venue

Emrys Thakkar
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Guy’s Pig & Anchor on Carnival Horizon Wins Best Dining Venue

Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse|Brewhouse on Carnival Horizon has received the most amount of votes in the 2018 Cruise Ship Awards dining category. The popular Carnival Cruise Line venue was up against eight different specialty restaurants from five different cruise lines.

Pig and Anchor Wins Best Dining Venue

The Pig and Anchor Smokehouse|Brewhouse has not even been around for a year yet and has already come out on top in this years “Best Dining Venue” in the Cruise Ship Awards. The venue won by a huge margin and the other venues didn’t even come close.

Pig and Anchor Smokehouse|Brewhouse (Carnival Cruise Line)

The Pig and Anchor BBQ venue is the first dedicated space in the fleet in partnership with Food Network chef Guy Fieri. The celebrity chef is already well known for bringing Guy’s Burger Joint to the cruise line, which was first introduced on Carnival Liberty in 2011.

Carnival Horizon Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse|Brewhouse
Rendering By: Carnival Cruise Line

What is now an award-winning venue on the latest Vista-class cruise ship is an expansion of Guy’s Pig and Anchor BBQ which is on several ships. The one on Carnival Horizon has a dedicated seating area and also includes the ship’s very own brewery featuring beers brewed just for the cruise ship. It’s worth reading our entire article about Pig and Anchor Smokehouse | Brewhouse which includes menus and photos.

Carnival Horizon is the latest ship to join the Carnival fleet in Spring 2018. She is the second Vista class ship and the first to introduce Guy’s BBQ dining venue. The ship is 133,500 gross tons and has a guest capacity of almost 4,000 at double occupancy.

With thousands of Cruise Hive readers voting in this years awards the dining category had plenty of attention. In a far second place came Cagney’s Steakhouse featured on Norwegian Cruise Line, in third place came Giovanni’s Table on Royal Caribbean, in fourth place came the Pinnacle Grill on Holland America Line, in fifth place came Johnny Rockets  which is also a popular venue on Royal Caribean ships, in sixth place came The Salty Dog Gastropub on Princess Cruises and finally joint seventh came Butcher’s Cut  on MSC Cruises and Q Texas Smokehouse from Norwegian Cruise Line.

Cruise Ship Awards

Those who voted were only able to do so once in each category The have been open since early September providing plenty of time for readers to have their view counted. In previous years we only covered the best burger venues at sea so decided to go for specialty dining instead to mix things up more.

So far we’ve already announced the results for “Best Cruise Ship Feature” where Carnival Cruise Line also came out on top with their innovative SkyRide feature. Keep following Cruise Hive as we announced more results this week.

Carnival’s SkyRide Wins Best Feature Three Years In a Row!

Emrys Thakkar
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Carnival’s SkyRide Wins Best Feature Three Years In a Row!

It’s that time of year when we begin announcing the results of the Cruise Hive Cruise Ship Awards, and we’re starting with a very rare draw! It’s also the third time in a row Carnival Cruise Line’s SkyRide has come out on top.

Results of Best Cruise Ship Feature

For the second time ever in Cruise Hive’s Cruise Ship Awards, there has been a draw! Coming out as joint winners for Best Cruise Ship Feature is Carnival’s innovative SkyRide feature and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Race Track.

SkyRide – Carnival Cruise Line

The SkyRide was first introduced on Carnival Vista in 2016 and is also featured on Carnival Horizon which just arrived in the Spring. The SkyRide is great for thrillseekers or those wanting to relax by peddling around in the desired speed suspended above the deck and offering stunning ocean views.

SkyRide, Carnival Horizon
Photo: Copyright Cruise Hive

The 800-foot-long feature is included in the price of the cruise and has been a major highlight for Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ships. This is now the third year in a row the SkyRide has won “Best Cruise Ship Feature” which is a record.

Race Track – Norwegian Cruise Line

NCL’s race track was first introduced on Norwegian Joy for the Chinese market and is also featured on Norwegian Bliss, which joined the fleet in Spring 2018. The race track is a hugely popular feature on the two Breakaway-plus class vessels.

NCL Bliss Race Track
Photo By: NCL

The track is slightly different depending on the ship, but on Norwegian Bliss, it spans two decks and is a 1000 feet long. Drivers can reach speeds of up to 30 mph in electric-powered carts. The next ship to join the fleet in 2019, named Norwegian Encore, will feature an even larger racetrack feature, expanding further on the concept.

Ultimate Abyss – Royal Caribbean

In a far second place came Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate Abyss feature, which can be found on Harmony of the Seas and the world’s largest cruise ship Symphony of the Seas.

Ultimate Abyss is a 10-story high slide that twists and turns starting from deck 16 aft all the way down to the Boardwalk neighborhood further down below. In last year’s awards, the feature came in third place which could have been the same this year if it wasn’t for the draw.

North Star – Royal Caribbean

Last with the least amount of votes was the North Star, which is featured on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum class ships. It was first introduced on Quantum of the Seas in 2014 and is an innovative feature. It is a London Eye-type capsule that elevates above the ship and offers epic 360-degree views.

The North Star actually won “Best Cruise Ship Feature” in 2015 but has now moved down as the cruise industry introduces new innovative ways to capture guests attention.

The 2018 Cruise Ship Awards

This is the first category out of nine in this year’s awards, where thousands of Cruise Hive readers have been voting since the beginning of September. Voters have only been able to vote once in each category, and the results have been checked for any repeating votes with the same IP address.

The annual awards are now in their fifth year and are mainly focused on cruise ships covering different categories on the major cruise lines. Keep checking Cruise Hive for more results over the coming days.

Mardi Gras to Feature World’s First Roller Coaster at Sea!

Emrys Thakkar
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Mardi Gras to Feature World’s First Roller Coaster at Sea!

Carnival Cruise Line has revealed the largest ever cruise ship for the fleet which is arriving in 2020 will feature the world’s first roller coaster at sea called “Bolt: Ultimate Sea Coaster”.

Carnival Mardi Gras, First Ever Roller Coaster at Sea

Carnival Cruise Line has announced one of the biggest new cruise ship features in years! the Bolt Ultimate Sea Coaster will be featured on the huge Mardi Gras cruise ship when she enters service in 2020.

Mardi Gras Ship Rendering
Rendering By: Carnival Cruise Line

The heart-pounding coaster at sea is built by Munich based Maurer Riders. The ride offers 800 feet of exhilarating twists, turns and drops and riders will experience speeds of almost 40 miles per hour.

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said:

“Mardi Gras will be our most innovative ship ever with some truly special features and attractions, highlighted by BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea,” said Duffy. “BOLT will continue the tradition of Carnival providing exciting new ways for our guests to ‘Choose Fun.’  We are so thrilled to introduce this one-of-a-kind, game-changing, exhilarating attraction – our guests are going to love it!”

Bolt will be electric powered and it will take two thrill-seeking guests in a motorcycle type cart along a track which is suspended 187 feet above sea level and providing stunning 360-degree ocean views.

It’s going to be just like a land roller coaster with high powered acceleration and guests can also get their photos taken during the ride. This innovative new feature will even take riders around the iconic Carnival funnel and they can choose their own speed during the ride.

Carnival Mardi Gras is currently under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. The ship will be the largest ever built for the Miami-based cruise line and fully powered by Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). She will be 180,000 gross tons with a passenger capacity of 5,200 at lower birth.

Mardi Gras which takes her name from the very first Carnival cruise ship back in 1972 will be based at a new state-of-the-art cruise terminal at Port Canaveral, Florida.

Keep following Cruise Hive for all the latest on this groundbreaking future Carnival cruise ship arriving in 2020.

Passenger Vessel Strikes Crane at Popular Cruise Port in Europe

Emrys Thakkar
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Passenger Vessel Strikes Crane at Popular Cruise Port in Europe

A passenger vessel named the Excellent has collided with a cargo dock crane at the popular cruise port in Barcelona, Spain. The ship crashed into the pier, causing a crane to collapse and major damage.

Ship Crashes at Barcelona Port

The Port of Barcelona is one of the busiest in the world and is also a major cruise hub for all of Europe. So when a 2,200 passenger cruise-ferry collides into the pier and crane, then it’s worth informing readers about.

There are multiple reports of the Excellent cruise ferry, which was arriving in Barcelona from Genoa, Italy, earlier, when control of the ship was lost due to bad weather. The vessel crashed into one of the dock crane heads on, and as a result, one of the large cranes collapsed onto the containers below.

The entire incident was captured on camera and now doing the rounds on social media.

When the crane fell onto the containers, there was also an explosion, and a fire broke out. This could have occurred from the materials that were within some of the containers. Local emergency services, including fire crews, managed to extinguish the fire.

The Port of Barcelona stated the following:

“The crane has collapsed on a number of containers of the terminal, 7 of which contained dangerous goods. None of the products represent a high risk at the level of industrial safety”

As far as we know, inbound and outbound traffic is not affected, and that includes cruises. There are two major cruise ships at the port today, including Costa Favolosa and MSC Fantasia. Both ships are departing for a Mediterranean itinerary.

The Excellent ship is a passenger cruise ship operated by Italian-based Grandi Navi Veloci. The ship has a capacity of over 2,200 and can also transport vehicles.

More From Cruise Hive

The gross tonnage is almost 40,000, and she began service in 1998. Excellent offers a regular cruise experience featuring a swimming pool, restaurants, bars, casino, shops and a lot more. There are over 400 cabins onboard, along with luxury suites.

This news follows a Celebrity cruise ship hitting another ship at a port in Italy. This incident was also caused by bad weather.

Carnival Cruise Ship Suffers Problems Since Recent Dry Dock

Emrys Thakkar
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Carnival Sunshine hasn’t had it easy recently, with a technical issue impacting one cruise and a heavy listing impacting another. Hopefully, the ship, which is operated by Carnival Cruise Line, will not encounter any more surprises. All this after the ship just recently completed a 2-week dry dock.

Mechanical Issue

It all started when the Carnival Cruise Ship suffered from a mechanical problem on the October 21 sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida. During a scheduled port of call in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the ship stayed beyond her 4:00 PM departure due to an unspecified mechanical or technical problem.

As a result, guests onboard were informed by the captain that because of the delayed departure from San Juan, the call in Grand Turk would no longer go ahead. Carnival Sunshine was expected to sail to the popular cruise destination on October 26 so this didn’t go down too well with passengers.

The problem was eventually fixed by the engineers on board, but the itinerary was still affected. The ship headed back towards her homeport in Florida. At least guests on the next sailing wouldn’t be impacted by the same problem – however, something else came up!

Also Read: A Simple Guide on Carnival Ships by Size

Heavy Listing

Carnival Sunshine departed Port Canaveral on her October 28 sailing, putting all the port cancellations and delayed departure from San Juan behind her. Unfortunately, passengers were surprised on the evening of October 28 with a heavy listing.

The ship suddenly leaned over to one side, causing alarm and shock for many passengers. There was some minor damage to things like plates and other items falling from shelves and racks.

The captain ended up sending out a letter to guests stating what happened and apologizing. Another technical issue was an electrical switchboard malfunction. The problem then impacted the use of the ship stabilizers, which help reduce rocking in bad weather.

The 5-night cruise, which is currently happening now, was not impacted, and the scheduled port of calls at Amber Cove today and then Grand Turk tomorrow are going ahead as normal.

And So…

Carnival Sunshine is not the perfect ship and there have recently been posts on social media mentioning various issues. After a major 2-week dry dock, which was completed on October 20, there will be questions as to why these issues occurred.

Carnival Cruise Line has kept everyone updated and provided compensation for both sailings.

For the October 28 sailing, guests were given a $50 of onboard credit added to the Sail & Sign account due to the listing on the first evening of the cruise vacation.

More From Cruise Hive

Recently, it has been full of cruise ship problems, starting with Carnival Victory’s technical difficulties last week. Navigator of the Seas also had to divert to port for an urgent fix in Vigo, Spain. Just yesterday a Celebrity cruise ship broke free from her moorings in Italy.

Carnival Sunshine is a 102,800 gross-ton ship with a guest capacity of over 3,000. The next sailing will last for 8 nights and depart Port Canaveral on November 2. Let’s hope all goes well.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Hit With Technical Issues

Emrys Thakkar
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Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas has been hit with technical issues and as a result, has been forced to dock in Vigo, Spain.

Navigator of the Seas Issues

Navigator of the Seas which is operated by Royal Caribbean has been hit with technical issues since last night. According to the popular Crew Center site, there was A Bravo Code announcement and one of the ship stabilizers broke and made a hole on the side.

Apparently, the problem was temporarily repaired but the Royal Caribbean cruise ship still needed to divert to Vigo, Spain on the Spanish west coast. The ship has been docked there ever since.

The ship captain has kept guests onboard informed and a newly revised itinerary will now take place. According to an update from a passenger, Navigator of the Seas will stay in Vigo until Monday afternoon and two port of calls including Madiera have been canceled. The revised itinerary is as follows:

  • Fri, Oct 26 – Southampton
  • Sat, Oct 27 – Sea Day
  • Sun, Oct 28 – Vigo
  • Mon, Oct 29 – Vigo (Depart at 2:00 pm)
  • Tue, Oct 30 – Sea Day
  • Wed, Oct 31 – Gran Canaria
  • Thu, Nov 1 – Tenerife
  • Fri, Nov 2 – Sea Day
  • Sat, Nov 3 – Sea Day
  • Sun, Nov 4 – Sea Day
  • Mon, Nov 5 – Southampton

Navigator of the Seas departed her homeport in Southampton, UK on October 26 and is scheduled to sail a 10-night itinerary to the Canary Islands. Vigo is included in the itinerary but was supposed to happen on November 3 as the final port of call before heading back to the UK.

The ship is likely making urgent repairs while guests can head out and enjoy the cruise destination on the west coast of Spain. The first scheduled port of call was supposed to be Funchal, Madeira on October 29.

Royal Caribbean has given Cruise Hive the following statement:

Navigator of the Seas is making repairs to resolve a technical issue. The ship is fully operational with no impact on its maneuverability or the safety of our guests and  crew. However, because of time needed to make the repair, it was necessary to modify her current itinerary.

Navigator will now call on Vigo, Spain for an overnight stay on Sunday, Oct. 28. It will then sail on to Gran Canaria, Canary Islands on Wednesday, Oct. 31 and Tenerife, Canary Islands on Thursday, Nov 1. The ship will return to Southampton, England on Monday, Nov. 5 as scheduled.

Guests have been offered compensation for the issue with 25% of the cruise fare refunded as credit on the onboard account. Guests are also receiving a 25% of the cruise fare for a future cruise credit.

Also Read: A Simple Guide on Royal Caribbean Ships by Size

This news comes after two Carnival cruise ships were hit with technical issues over the past week. Carnival Victory had to cancel ports due to a propulsion problem, and Carnival Sunshine had to cancel Grand Turk due to a mechanical problem.

Navigator of the Seas is scheduled to depart for her next cruise from Southampton on November 5. Let’s hope the sailing won’t be impacted and they can find a permanent fix. The ship is 142,000 gross tons and has a guest capacity of over 3,100 at double occupancy.

Carnival Cruise Line Burger Venue Now Offering Vegan Burgers

Emrys Thakkar
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Carnival Cruise Line Burger Venue Now Offering Vegan Burgers

The popular Guy’s Burger Joint on Carnival Cruise Line is now offering Vegan Burgers across the fleet. The new choice will be in addition to the regular meat choices on Carnival cruise ships.

New Carnival Cruise Line Vegan Burger

Carnival Cruise Line Ambassador John Heald has posted that Vegan Burgers are now available to order on all ships. The new burger option will be at the popular Guy’s Burger Joint, a free venue found on the lido deck near the main pool.

Also Read: Free Carnival Cruise Dining Options

The cruise line has detailed the exact ingredients for the Vegan Burger and the method used for cooking and preparation. Here is the method:

  • Soak black beans overnight and cook them. Keep the required amount whole and mash rest of the black beans.
  • Cook and mash the brown rice.
  • Cut pumpkin into cubes, marinate with chopped garlic and thyme. Roast the pumpkins and mash.
  • Saute onions, garlic until light brown, add whole cooked beans.
  • Add tomato paste and saute. Add roasted cumin powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, fajita seasoning and cook well.
  • Add cooked and mashed black beans and cook well to combine flavor.
  • Keep the mixture aside to cool down.
  • Take separate brown and add mashed roasted cauliflowers, tofu, roasted pumpkin, sauteed mushrooms, and cooked mashed rice. Add chopped oregano and scallions.
  • Mix in both the mixtures, season well and knead well to form a tight structure.
  • Divide the mixture into 5oz rolls and flatten them to patties of 4″ diameter and 0.5″ thick patties. Cook the patties in very little olive oil till surface is crisp.
  • (Patties can be stored refrigerated up to 3-day post blast chilling).
  • For longer storage, freeze batched of mixture, thaw naturally, reconstitute and form.

Do take a look at the new Vegan burger offering at Guys Burger Joint below including the method and ingredients.

Carnival Vegan Burger
Image By: Carnival Cruise Line

More From Cruise Hive

Guy’s Burger Venue was first introduced on Carnival Liberty in 2011 and, since then, has become award-winning and a must-visit venue for cruisers. Carnival partnered with Food Network TV chef Guy Fieri to bring the Burger Joint to reality, and more recently, the partnership has expanded with Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse | Brewhouse on the newest ship in the fleet, Carnival Horizon.

Now with the new Vegan burger, even more guests can enjoy this experience on the lido deck. Readers can take a look at the regular menu right here.

Carnival Cruise Ships Affected by Tropical Storm Florence

Emrys Thakkar
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Carnival Cruise Ships Affected by Tropical Storm Florence

Tropical Storm Florence, which is expected to become a major Hurricane through next week, has impacted the itineraries of Carnival cruise ships, including the newest Carnival Horizon.

Carnival Cruise Ship Itinerary Changes

Even though Florence is a Tropical Storm it is impacting the cruise industry. The storm will also become a lot more powerful over the coming days and become a major Hurricane. As Florence moves west towards the U.S. East Coast cruise ships based there are being forced to make itinerary changes. Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and now Carnival Cruise Line are being impacted.

Carnival Horizon Itinerary Changes

The Captain of the newest ship in the fleet has already sent out a letter to guests mentioning that the current voyage which departed New York City on September 5 is being altered.

The ship’s call in Grant Turk on September 8 will be extended until 4:30 PM. The ship was originally scheduled to leave at 2:30 PM. The cruise line will be keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Florence as it could force the ship to make further changes. The scheduled call at San Juan, Puerto Rico on Sunday may have to be canceled but instead, there would be an extended visit to Amber Cove on the same day instead.

Carnival Horizon Florence letter

The Carnival Horizon captain will be monitoring the storm development and guest on the current cruise will be kept updated. It is important to keep them safe and away from any weather danger. If the call in Puerto Rico is canceled guest will be refunded any booked shore excursions, taxes, fees, and port expenses.

Carnival Pride Itinerary Changes

Carnival has also altered the itinerary of Carnival Pride to keep guest and crew a safe distance from Tropical Storm Florence. The 7-night sailing from Baltimore to Bermuda which will depart on Sunday, September 9 will now operate a revised itinerary.

Carnival Pride will sail to Grand Turk with an arrival on Wednesday, September 12. The Spirit class ship will stay there until 2:30 PM. The next day the ship will visit Carnival’s private island of Half Moon Cay int he Bahamas. The ship will depart there at 5:00 PM. The third and final port of call will be in Freeport, Bahamas on Friday, September 14. The ship will depart at 1:30 PM and then sail back towards Baltimore, Maryland with an on scheduled arrival on Sunday, September 16.

Tropical Storm Florence Latest

At the moment according to the National Hurricane Center (NOAA), Florence has maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and moving directly towards the U.S. East Coast at 9 mph. The storm will become a major Hurricane very soon and is extremely dangerous causing high swells, strong winds, and heavy rainfall.

Tropical Storm Florence Update
Image By: NOAA

Florence is coming more organized and upcoming advisories are expected to show an increase in strength as it moves over warmer waters. Those with booked cruises over the coming week out of the west coast and those on land need to watch how this Tropical Storm develops.

Related: How a Hurricane Could Affect Your Cruise

Hurricane season is now hotting up with more active storms developing in the Atlantic. Next week we could see major Hurricanes in the Caribbean so do keep checking for updates from the cruise line. Cruise Hive will constantly keep readers updated as much as possible on anything impacting the cruise industry.

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