Luxury Cruising Editorial

Just days after Mayor Christian Estrosi made headlines with an attempt to turn away a cruise ship, a local court has overturned his order to limit cruise arrivals in the Port of Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer.

The ruling, handed down on Sunday, July 13, stated that Estrosi’s move was illegal and beyond his authority and power as mayor.

The administrative court said that only the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes department has the power to regulate ship traffic, stating the following: “It is up to the prefect to organize the entry, exit, and movement of ships.”

It was Prefect Laurent Hottiaux himself who filed the court challenge against the mayor’s decree to remove these large vessels from his city’s shores.

Estrosi’s controversial order, issued on July 9, was being sold to the public as an important step in the fight against climate change and to preserve marine life around the port.

But this wasn’t the first time the mayor was critical of cruise ships.  He previously stated that cruise ships are “three times worse than airplanes” in terms of pollution.

He also stated earlier this year that “cruises that pollute and dump their low-cost clientele who consume nothing but leave their waste behind have no place with us.”

The mayor’s stance took a dramatic turn on July 11 when Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas, carrying over 3,100 passengers (well above Estrosi’s self-imposed 2,500-passenger limit), dropped anchor off Villefranche-sur-Mer.

Estrosi, aboard a port police boat, attempted to deliver his new rules directly to the ship’s captain.

Christian Estrosi The mayor of Nice 🇫🇷came today with a municipal police boat with a document informing the Voyager of the Seas that it had to leave the harbor of Villefranche-sur-Mer 🇫🇷

The captain denied him access on board, the passengers were forbidden to leave the ship pic.twitter.com/5aAmGAYWYo

— MaritimeNews (@MaritimeNews_) July 3, 2025

However, maritime protocol prevented him from boarding, leading to a viral video showing the mayor shouting, “You are not allowed to be here, you are nothing!” while waving his letter from the small vessel beside the vessel.

The mayor of Nice isn’t giving up, threatening to sue the State if they don’t act on large cruise ships.

Many see his actions as more of a political show than a real environmental effort. For now, his fight against cruise ship pollution faces big legal issues, but the attempt here appears to be more headline-driven than anything else.

The wait is nearly over, Carnival Cruise Line’s brand new port in The Bahamas opens this week.

10 years ago, Carnival Cruise Line sent a proposal to the Bahamian government to build a private port a few miles east of Freeport on Grand Bahama Island.

A decade later, this new port named Celebration Key will welcome its first cruise ship when Carnival Vista arrives on Saturday, July 19.

Celebration Key has a pier that can accommodate two cruise ships at the same time. An extension to the pier is planned to allow up to four Carnival cruise ships to visit simultaneously.

The port will have two lagoons including the largest freshwater lagoon in the Caribbean/Bahamas.

The port is divided up into the following five portals:

1. Paradise Plaza
2. Calypso Lagoon – Adult-friendly lagoon
3. Starfish Lagoon – Family-friendly lagoon
4. Pearl Cove Beach Club – Adults-only beach club
5. Lokono Cove – Artisan retail village

There will be more than 30 food and beverage options on Celebration Key including 14 complimentary food trucks.

For guests who don’t want to stay at the port, excursions will be offered around Grand Bahama Island.

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said the following this past week about this new port:

“Celebration Key is a beautiful destination that I know will be extremely popular with our guests, but it’s also a beautiful representation of the great partnership between Carnival and the people of Grand Bahama.

This is the first major project to be completed on the island of Grand Bahama in 20 years or more, and we’re proud to be the cruise line to bring it to fruition.

We wouldn’t be here today, now just a week from our first official visit with Carnival Vista, without the dedication of hundreds of Bahamians who helped to build Celebration Key.

“We’re proud as well of the hundreds of long-term jobs created by the destination’s daily operations – providing substantial economic benefits to the island while also celebrating Bahamian culture.”

Cruise Fever will be on Celebration Key on Saturday when the first cruise ship visits the port. Stay tuned as we bring you everything you need to know about Celebration Key.

A Carnival cruise ship will host the first Annual Spanglish Party Cruise during a three night cruise from Port Canaveral visits The Bahamas.

The Spanglish Party Cruise will depart from Port Canaveral on October 24, 2025 and visit Carnival Cruise Line’s new port, Celebration Key, and have one sea day.

Spanglish Entertainment, the company behind the cruise, is calling it the “ultimate party cruise”. They listed the following description on their website of this unique cruise:

“Get ready to set sail on our First Annual Spanglish Party Cruise, where you can dance the night away under the stars, enjoy live entertainment, and make memories that will last a lifetime. With stunning views, delicious food, and a vibrant atmosphere, this is an event you won’t want to miss. Don’t worry if you can’t dance, we have complimentary salsa classes by Elizabeth, Salsa Mingle.”

The cruise will feature an all-star lineup of salsa artists and free style artists. Also joining the cruise will be Rolling Quartz from South Korea, Pedro Bull, Nas T Boyz and Paquito Acosta.

The cruise will feature the following activities and entertainment:

• Meet and greet with all artists
• Daily salsa classes by Elizabeth @ Salsamingle
• DJ’s Benny Bee and Oscar P
• Live concerts
• One showcase performance

Prices for the Spanglish Party Cruise start at $729 per person for an inside cabin and go up to $909 for a room with a balcony.

This is not a full ship charter. If you want to participate in the Spanglish Party Cruise activities, you will need to book the cruise through Spanglish Entertainment and not directly through Carnival or a travel agent.

Alida Hernandez, Executive Producer and Editor-in-Chief of Spanglish Entertainment Magazine, gave the following statement about the cruise:

“As you board the Carnival Glory, you’re stepping into a realm where melodies become memories, and rhythms are the heartbeat of the moment.

“From the acoustic sounds of percussion to the dance beat of Freestyle and the thunderous roar of rock-n-roll, every note is a brushstroke on the canvas of your experience.”

For more information on the first Annual Spanglish Party Cruise, you can visit their website here.

A cruise passenger was recently charged $82 for what should have been a $17 taxi ride from Greece’s Piraeus port, warning other travelers about a common issue and opening a discussion about port taxi drivers.

No one wants to get ripped off, especially on vacation–on a cruise of all things.  But if you want to explore a port of call on your own, it’s important to listen to stories like this so you know what to look out for.

The cruise traveler in this case shared their experience on the subreddit GreeceTravel after discovering the massive overcharge on their credit card statement. What started as a simple 30-minute ride in southern Athens turned into an expensive lesson about safety in using public transportation in a post titled “Another taxi ripoff”.

“Just got off a cruise ship and took one of the taxis lined up at Piraeus port,” the traveler explained. “The driver didn’t speak any English and tried to get me to pay in cash. He gave me a receipt that said $17.10 I pointed to the sign in back.”

The non-English-speaking driver began pointing to his phone and card reader, eventually showing the passenger that he was charging an additional 11 euros per bag for three bags. The cruise traveler stated they didn’t have any cash, so the driver processed the card payment and acted friendly afterward, even shaking hands.

“I checked my card account later and he had charged $82.14 usd,” the passenger wrote. “I’ve already emailed the taxi authority and informed my bank not to pay him.”

This Traveler Is Not Alone

This isn’t an isolated incident. Other travelers shared similar experiences in the comments:

“We were also ripped off… The driver demanded extra money for extra luggage even though it all fitted in the taxi no problems. Cost me an extra €25 in cash.”

One smart traveler avoided trouble by asking questions upfront, which is what we recommend all cruisers do when taking public transportation:

“We arrived at the cruise terminal 2 weeks ago and walked up to the taxi line. As he was putting bags in, we asked if he was going to use the meter etc. He threw our bags out and refused to take us. Ordered an uber that arrived 2 minutes later. I knew we dodged a bullet,” one user stated.

The Honest Reality

The original poster admitted that they were aware of schemes like this but also stated why they fell for it.

“Yes, I’m aware of all the ways to avoid getting scammed by taxis, I just want to have faith and trust in my fellow human beings. Lesson learned.”

One blunt commenter lacked any sympathy when stating, “disembarks cruise ship, walks straight into tourist trap/scam, posts cautionary anecdote, claims to have known better.”

Other Alternatives

Use Apps: Many travelers recommend Uber or FreeNow. “Used Uber when I was in Athens. I didn’t have to deal with tomfoolery. I just order and pay a set price that I found agreeable.”

Public Transit: For light travelers, buses and metro are cheap options. One local provided detailed directions: “you can get there by metro from Piraeus port, or by buses: no 040, express line X80… getting off in Syggrou-Fix stop, then taking the subway one stop or a taxi for about 5 euros.”

Negotiate First: “Arrange everything with the driver beforehand, meaning before taking the taxi,” advised one experienced traveler.

If You Get Scammed

• Document everything (photos of receipts, meter readings, taxi numbers)
• Contact your bank immediately to dispute the charge
• Report to local taxi authorities

Bottom Line

Even experienced travelers can fall victim to these scams. Tour guides are warning travelers too. One commenter shared: “My tour guide encouraged me to avoid those taxis, for just this reason. He told me it’s commonplace for the taxi drivers to give you one price at the outset and then charge more on arrival.”

The best defense is asking questions upfront and being willing to walk away from any taxi whose driver won’t agree to clear pricing or use the meter. 

You can also just trust your gut, but when on a cruise, how reliable is that?

Read More: Travel Scams I’ve Encountered After Taking Over 75 Cruises