Cruise Lines

Princess Cruises has received one of the highest international endorsements for Italian cuisine, with Alfredo’s Pizzeria aboard Sun Princess and Star Princess awarded the Ospitalità Italiana Certification.

Announced on 9th February 2026 from Fort Lauderdale, the recognition confirms that Alfredo’s Pizzeria meets strict standards for authenticity, quality and service, placing it among a select group of dining venues worldwide approved for preserving Italy’s culinary heritage.

The certification focuses on the use of traditional techniques, fresh ingredients and genuine hospitality, all of which are central to the Alfredo’s Pizzeria concept at sea.

The accolade applies specifically to Alfredo’s Pizzeria on Sun Princess and Star Princess, where guests are served Neapolitan-style pizzas that are made to order. Each pizza features hand-stretched dough and is baked in a stone Moretti Forni oven, reflecting methods more commonly found in specialist pizzerias ashore than on board cruise ships.

Authentic Italian Techniques At Sea

The Ospitalità Italiana Certification is widely regarded as the gold standard for Italian dining outside Italy.

Awarded only to establishments that demonstrate a deep respect for Italy’s culinary traditions, the certification assesses everything from ingredient sourcing and preparation methods to service standards and overall dining experience.

For Princess Cruises, the award reinforces a broader strategy to elevate onboard dining through authenticity rather than adaptation. Alfredo’s Pizzeria focuses on classic Italian flavours, traditional recipes and skilled chefs trained to replicate regional techniques, ensuring consistency across sailings while maintaining a strong connection to Italian food culture.

The timing of the announcement also coincides with National Pizza Day, which the cruise line marked by highlighting its long-standing collaboration with chef Tony Gemignani, a globally recognised pizza expert.

Partnership With A World Pizza Champion

Princess Cruises works closely with Tony Gemignani, a 13-time World Pizza Champion, who has developed a dedicated pizza menu for Alfredo’s Pizzeria. His involvement has helped shape five signature pizzas now served across the Princess Cruises fleet of 17 ships.

“Earning the Ospitalità Italiana Certification is a meaningful validation of our dedication to authentic Italian culinary excellence,

“As we celebrate National Pizza Day, we’re proud to recognise this achievement and our partnership with Chef Tony Gemignani to showcase how we bring our guests closer to the tastes, traditions, and hospitality of Italy, one perfectly crafted pizza at a time.”

Sami Kohen, Princess Cruises vice president of food and beverage.

Gemignani’s creations feature premium ingredients and bold flavour combinations, including soppressata sausage with hot honey, and gorgonzola paired with sweet fig preserves. The collaboration has already earned wider recognition, with Princess Cruises previously named by USA Today as offering the Best Pizza at Sea.

With the addition of the Ospitalità Italiana Certification, Princess Cruises further strengthens its position as a cruise line focused on destination-inspired dining, offering guests an authentic Italian pizza experience without leaving the ship.

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A Royal Caribbean cruise passenger has questioned the integrity of onboard art and memorabilia auctions after discovering that a signed Muhammad Ali boxing glove delivered to his home was not the same item he believed he had purchased while at sea.

The issue was highlighted by Australian television programme A Current Affair, which reported on a Brisbane man and his wife who attended an art auction during their cruise.

The couple successfully bid AUD $5,000, approximately USD $3,500, for a signed Muhammad Ali glove, only to later find that the glove shipped to them differed from the one displayed onboard.

According to the report, the glove was not listed during the auction preview but appeared unexpectedly during the live sale. The couple, recalling a similar item they had passed on during a previous cruise years earlier, decided to bid. They intended the glove as a gift for their son, a keen fan of the former heavyweight champion.

As with standard cruise ship auction procedures, the couple were not allowed to take the glove with them at the end of the voyage. They were told the item would be shipped to their home after being re-framed.

Auction Operator And Contract Terms

The auction was run by Park West Gallery, which describes itself as the world’s largest art dealer and operates onboard auctions across more than 90 cruise ships. These include vessels from Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Celebrity Cruises.

Park West Gallery states that its onboard auctions are “specially curated for each and every cruise” and offer “something for everyone”. Memorabilia items, including signed sports and film collectibles, are often among the most popular lots.

In this case, the couple were told they would receive the exact glove shown during the auction. However, Park West Gallery later explained that items displayed onboard ships are often “display pieces” only. Its purchase contracts allow for similar substitute items to be supplied if the original piece is unavailable.

Discovery Of Differences After Delivery

Concerns arose when the glove arrived at the family’s home around 10 weeks after the cruise. While their son was initially delighted, the family noticed several discrepancies when comparing the delivered glove to photographs taken onboard.

The differences included an extra ink dot, subtle variations in the signature and a completely different serial number. These details confirmed that the glove delivered was not the same one displayed during the auction.

“It was just lucky enough that we took photos of the glove prior to leaving the ship,” the guest said.

The family said they had been assured they would receive the exact item they bid on, and described the situation as an error made during the auction process. The experience led them to question whether bidders are fully aware that substitute items may be supplied.

“Who would bid on an auction if they knew that?” the guest commented.

Wider Scrutiny Of Cruise Ship Auctions

Celebrity memorabilia has long been an area vulnerable to forgery, and while Park West Gallery provides a Certificate of Authenticity with every purchase, independent verification would typically require specialist forensic analysis.

Following the complaint, the gallery offered to rectify the issue by ensuring the couple received the exact glove from their cruise ship. It is unclear whether that offer was accepted.

The case is not isolated. In May 2025, a family sailing onboard Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas believed they had won an auction with a $650 bid, only to later discover the final cost was $2,700.

Although Park West Gallery operates independently from the cruise lines themselves, its prominent presence onboard has led consumer advocates to urge passengers to exercise caution. For cruise guests tempted by the excitement of onboard auctions, the principle of caveat emptor remains particularly relevant.

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Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed widespread technology issues across its fleet, leading to embarkation and debarkation delays for three ships on Monday morning, 9th February 2026. The disruption affected operations at multiple homeports, with guests asked to adjust their terminal arrival times as systems remain offline.

The impacted vessels are Carnival Breeze, Carnival Glory and Carnival Freedom, each scheduled to depart on short Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries. While the delays are currently limited to port operations, the cruise line has acknowledged that several onboard systems have also been affected.

Embarkation Delays And Revised Arrival Times

Guests booked on the affected sailings were contacted directly by Carnival Cruise Line via email, text message and phone call on Monday morning, advising them to arrive later than originally planned.

“We are managing a system-related matter that is impacting our debarkation and embarkation operations and your check-in time is being pushed back,” the notification stated.

“Please arrive two hours later than your pre-selected Terminal Arrival Appointment (for example, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM appointment will become 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM).”

Despite the delays, all guests were still asked to be onboard by 4:30 pm to allow the ships to prepare for departure.

The three affected sailings are:

• Carnival Breeze on a five-night Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston, visiting Cozumel and Progreso
• Carnival Glory on a four-night Bahamas sailing from Port Canaveral to Nassau and Celebration Key
• Carnival Freedom on a five-night Bahamas itinerary from Port Canaveral to Celebration Key, Nassau and Half Moon Cay

At this stage, there are no changes to ports of call. Carnival has advised guests to opt in to text alerts in case further updates are required.

The latest disruption follows similar issues on Carnival Liberty on Sunday, 8th February, when a system outage caused a two-hour embarkation delay in New Orleans.

Debarkation Slowed As Sail And Sign Cards Collected

The technology failure has also complicated debarkation procedures. With scanning systems unavailable, crew members have been required to conduct manual guest counts, significantly slowing the process of leaving the ship.

As part of this workaround, Sail and Sign cards are being collected from guests rather than scanned and returned. For some passengers, this has been a disappointment, as the cards are often kept as personal souvenirs showing details such as the ship name, sailing date, dining time and muster station.

Carnival’s brand ambassador, John Heald, confirmed that the cards cannot be returned or reissued.

“I know many of you keep these as a souvenir,” Heald said. “I wish there was a way that we could give you those keys back, but we can’t. And we can’t reprint them for security reasons as well, so all I can do is hope that that won’t be the only memory you have of your cruise.”

Safety Systems Prioritised As IT Teams Work On Fix

Beyond embarkation challenges, the outage has raised broader concerns among guests after confirmation that critical systems were affected.

“It affected the navigation and safety systems,” Heald confirmed.

Carnival has stressed that resolving these safety and navigation issues is the top priority, with technology teams working to ensure all systems are fully functional before any ship departs its homeport.

Guests across the fleet have also reported ongoing problems with the Carnival Hub app, including frequent glitches and disconnections.

As a temporary alternative, paper copies of the daily Fun Times schedule are being distributed onboard. While this limits app-based features such as dining check-ins and messaging, it allows guests to stay informed about activities and entertainment.

Carnival has reiterated that, aside from the technology-related disruptions, most onboard experiences including dining, shows and activities are continuing as normal while repairs are completed.

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A routine call to a private island in the Bahamas briefly turned dramatic on Thursday, 5th February 2026, when MSC Seaside broke free from several of her mooring lines while docked at Ocean Cay Marine Reserve.

The incident occurred during a sudden burst of high winds, causing the ship’s bow to drift sharply away from the pier while guests were still ashore and waiting to reboard.

Although the vessel did not fully separate from the dock, the unexpected movement forced crew to halt the use of gangways until the situation could be brought under control.

Sudden Gusts Disrupt Calm Island Visit

The 153,516-gross-ton MSC Seaside, operated by MSC Cruises, had arrived at Ocean Cay early that morning and was scheduled to remain from 8 am until 8 pm. Conditions at the time of arrival were calm, with minimal wind and cool but pleasant temperatures that suggested a comfortable winter beach day ahead.

Wind conditions began to deteriorate shortly after 9 am, according to data from Weather Underground, with sustained speeds of 10 to 15 miles per hour for much of the day. More severe gusts developed around midday, peaking at approximately 29 mph, before strengthening further in the afternoon.

The strongest gust of the day was recorded at 3:43 pm, reaching 37 mph. It was during this period of intensified wind that several of the ship’s mooring lines failed, leaving MSC Seaside partially detached at the bow. Video footage shared on social media showed broken lines hanging into the water, while the ship remained secured at the stern.

The sudden movement made it unsafe for guests to return onboard, prompting a temporary pause in reboarding operations. The ship’s crew quickly responded, using the vessel’s thrusters to bring her back alongside the pier, after which she was re-secured and gangway access restored.

No injuries or damage were reported, and the ship was able to depart Ocean Cay as planned later that evening, returning to Miami without delay. MSC Seaside is homeported in Miami year-round through at least April 2028, sailing short three- and four-night Bahamas itineraries with a capacity of up to 5,119 guests when fully booked.

Challenging Winter For Cruise Line Private Islands

The incident comes amid a challenging period of winter weather across the Bahamas, which has disrupted operations at several cruise line private destinations in recent weeks. High winds and rough seas have led to multiple itinerary changes, port cancellations and altered shore experiences.

Earlier in February, MSC Meraviglia was forced to skip a planned visit to Ocean Cay due to weather-related departure delays, while Disney Wish was unable to call at Castaway Cay during the same weekend because of strong winds.

Royal Caribbean has also cancelled multiple visits to Perfect Day at CocoCay, citing a combination of poor weather and recent storm-related pier damage.

Even when ships have been able to call at private islands, conditions have not always met expectations. At Norwegian Cruise Line’s Great Stirrup Cay, recent weather has resulted in the temporary closure of the pier and main pool, requiring tender operations instead of direct docking.

While cruise guests generally accept that weather-related changes are sometimes unavoidable, the string of disruptions highlights how exposed private island operations can be during the winter months. Cruise lines will be hoping for calmer conditions as the season progresses, allowing these destinations to once again deliver the relaxing escapes they are designed to offer.

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Nine men were arrested at PortMiami on Sunday after law enforcement officers said narcotics were discovered in their luggage as they attempted to board a large-scale Atlantis Events cruise.

The arrests occurred shortly before the scheduled departure of Symphony of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises and chartered for a weeklong Caribbean itinerary by Atlantis Events. The sailing had been promoted by organisers as the world’s largest gay festival at sea and was expected to carry more than 5,000 passengers.

US Customs and Border Protection officers were conducting outbound baggage screening at Terminal A using trained detection dogs when several suitcases were flagged for inspection. Once suspected controlled substances were identified, the cases were referred to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, whose Narcotics Interdiction Squad assisted with arrests and processing.

Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Detective Joseph R. Peguero Rivera said deputies were called to PortMiami at approximately 6 pm on Sunday to support the federal operation.

“MDSO arrested a total of nine individuals on various drug-related charges,” he said.

Charges Linked To MDMA And Other Substances

According to arrest reports and court records, authorities seized a range of illegal substances during the operation, including MDMA, LSD and cocaine.

Documents also reference ketamine, methamphetamine and GBL, a chemical commonly associated with GHB that can cause unconsciousness and respiratory suppression.

Those charged are Joshua S. Eddy, 41, of West Hollywood, California; Brad R. Kloha, 41, of Nashville, Tennessee; Adam Jones, 49, of Atlanta, Georgia; Hoi Le, 51, of San Francisco; Joshua Lee Jenkins, 39, of Tacoma, Washington; Ryan D. Medrano, 27, of Phoenix, Arizona; Tamar J. Wilson, 37, of Chicago; Daisuke Nakanoh, 40, of Chicago; and Ricardo Gabriel Junquera, 39, of Miami.

Court filings allege Eddy was found with MDMA, methamphetamine, ketamine and GBL, leading to a trafficking charge related to MDMA along with multiple felony possession counts. Kloha faces MDMA trafficking and felony possession charges after officers said MDMA and ketamine were discovered in his luggage.

Jones and Le are each charged with felony drug offences connected to substances allegedly identified during screening. Jenkins is charged with felony possession following a field test that indicated the presence of a controlled substance. Medrano, Wilson, Nakanoh and Junquera were each charged with felony drug offences.

Across all nine cases, arrest affidavits describe a similar process involving outbound luggage screening, secondary inspection by Customs and Border Protection, field testing of suspected substances and subsequent arrest. All defendants were booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Miami defence attorney Jordan Lewin, who represents Jones, said his client disputes the allegations.

“The defense is confident their investigation will demonstrate that he was falsely accused and will be able to show that none of the impounded items belonged to him,” Lewin said.

Scrutiny On Drug Use During Party Sailings

The Symphony of the Seas was preparing to depart on a charter sailing organised by Atlantis Events, a West Hollywood-based company that has built a major following through large-scale LGBTQ+ cruises that combine traditional itineraries with nightclub-style programming and late-night parties.

While the voyages are promoted as inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ travellers, they have also been linked to a number of serious medical emergencies in recent years. Sources familiar with past incidents have pointed to multiple “code alpha” alerts during Atlantis-chartered cruises, some of which were believed to involve drug overdoses.

In January 2024, 36-year-old Jonathan Mindrum from Chicago died aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas during an Atlantis-chartered sailing after a medical emergency was announced over the ship’s public address system.

Royal Caribbean and Atlantis Events later described the death as “unexpected and not suspicious”, though Mindrum’s family said they were left with limited information about the circumstances.

That incident followed other fatalities associated with Atlantis charters, including a passenger death in 2022 and the death of a 46-year-old Florida man in 2020 who fell overboard during a sailing.

The arrests at PortMiami have reignited debate over drug use on party-oriented cruises, particularly given the limited medical facilities available at sea and the challenges of emergency evacuations when ships are far from shore.

Atlantis Events did not respond to requests for comment regarding the arrests or its safety policies. Royal Caribbean Cruises and the US Department of Homeland Security also did not issue statements.

Randle Roper, founder and chief experience officer of LGBTQ+ travel company VACAYA and a former Atlantis executive producer, said his company takes a strict stance on illegal substances.

“We take a zero-tolerance approach to illegal substances, not from judgment, but from lived experience and concern for our community’s safety and future,” Roper said. “Life at sea carries real legal and medical risks, and no vacation is worth that cost.”

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