Diplomacy

While cruise travel insurance can keep you from a financial nightmare, the benefits don’t kick in immediately.

In a cautionary tale about medical expenses at sea, a Minnesota man was handed a $47,000 bill after being treated in the ship’s medical facility for flu-like symptoms, according to Fox9.

The sadly ironic part of this story is that Mike Cameron and his girlfriend, Tamra Masterman were on this cruise because they had won the trip to the Caribbean.

The free 7-day cruise sailed out of PortMiami on Norwegian Encore earlier this month.  But after a couple days on board, Cameron got sick and visited the ship’s medical center.

A few days later, he was feeling much better—that is, until he received the bill for $47,000.

Maxed Out Credit Cards and Travel Insurance

According to Fox, the two credit cards that were on file with the cruise line were maxed out by the charges, and the man still had a balanced owed of $21,000.

Fortunately, the couple did buy travel insurance through Norwegian Cruise Line.  Although, the coverage purchased will only cover medical expenses up to $20,000 and filing a claim takes time.

And then there’s the complexity of receiving the benefits of that travel insurance.

“The traveler’s insurance doesn’t want to pay it until we run it by our health insurance. The health insurance doesn’t want to pay it because it’s abroad,” Masterman told the news outlet.

The couple complained to the cruise line about the seemingly exorbitant cost to which Norwegian replied in a letter that their prices are “closely comparable to other cruise lines and is what we believe to be fair and reasonable…”

Mike and Tamra’s story serves as a reminder of the potential issues of medical emergencies while traveling and the importance to review travel insurance policies closely.

Their “free” cruise quickly became a huge financial headache.  Being sick while on vacation is hard enough, and facing a $47K bill on top of it just made matters worse.

Fox9 stated that they reached out to Norwegian and the cruise line is looking into the charges to see if the kind of bill the couple received was typical for treating the flu.

A woman who spent three months planning the perfect wedding anniversary cruise said she felt like “a third wheel on the vacation” she had organized.

The 35-year-old cruiser shared her story on social media, writing that she was shocked to find her mother-in-law had booked the same exact cruise.

The trip was supposed to be a special anniversary celebration, in addition to a celebration of her husband’s birthday.

She even had her parents fly to her house to watch the kids so she and her husband could take the trip to Florida and board their ship on the romantic getaway.

But the excitement of being on the cruise ship quickly faded when she found out that quality time would soon be quantity time.

“As soon as we got to our room to store our carry on bags my MIL calls,” the woman shared. “She excitedly explains that she and her husband are ON the ship.”

The combination of the sudden shift in plans and the fact that the woman wasn’t super close with her mother-in-law was not how she saw this cruise going.

“My mood instantly shifts, this is not someone who I have a good or close relationship with at all. Husband is active duty so vacations are not something that is regularly happening or are easy to plan,” she continued.

While admitting she “wasn’t thrilled” with this turn of events, she stated that her husband was “excited to see his mom.”  And so, she only brough up her dissatisfaction once during the 7-day sailing.

“Kept my mouth shut and was cordial for 7 full days as I was a third wheel on the vacation that I planned,” she said.

The post then stated that the woman’s father-in-law—who, yes, was also on the cruise—was sick most of the time.  This meant that the couple spent extra time hanging out with the wife’s mother-in-law to keep her company.

The social media post concluded with some admission of the built up frustration that her husband received at the end of the cruise.

“The day after we made it home I did have an attitude and let my husband know how truly upset I was and he went off on me stating that his mother did nothing wrong.  But he can see where I could be upset,” the frustrated woman said.

After the Reddit post (which has since been removed by Reddit) posed the question of whether or not she was at fault for her feelings on the situation, most commenters took her side.

One comment summarized the sentiment of the readers and stated, “Yikes. On an anniversary trip? Did she crash the honeymoon too? Because an anniversary trip sans kids is like one step below honeymoon trip in terms of ‘we want alone time’.”

Another said, “A grown woman should know better than to invite herself onto what is obviously meant to be a romantic trip. She knew it was too because she didn’t surprise you with that news before coming out or even at the airport, she waited until she was on board.”

The commenters put the blame solely on the mother-in-law with another Redditor saying, “His mother DID do something wrong. Any reasonable person would know that a couple who have left the kids at home for a vacation are not there to spend time with their parents.”

Either way, not only did the situation lead to some undoubtedly awkward moments on the ship, but it also probably caused some extra stress at home.  It sounds like this couple could use another cruise, this time just the two of them.

MSC Cruises’ newest mega ship that will debut in Miami in April, MSC World America, will bring the classic film Dirty Dancing to life.

Dirty Dancing in Concert will be part of the entertainment offerings on MSC World America. This beloved Lionsgate film will be brought to life with live singers, dancers and musicians.

Every week long cruise to the Caribbean from Miami will feature several performances of Dirty Dancing in Concert, including a matinee on sea days.

The show will be 90-minutes long and a live-to-film concert.  A live band and singers will belt out the classic songs in-sync with the movie.  

The show will culminate in a finale where guests will dance in the aisles and sing along in a Dirty Dancing-themed after party.

The 1,150 seat theater on the cruise ship will host the following four shows:

• Dirty Dancing in Concert
• Odyssey, a acrobatic spectacle influenced by Homer’s Odyssey
• Momentous, one of the largest illusion shows ever performed at sea
• Hall of Fame, a live concert featuring music legends

Entertainment on the ship will also take place in the Panorama Lounge and the Street Theatre. 

Steve Leatham, Vice President of Entertainment at MSC Cruises, gave the following statement:

“Delivering a diverse entertainment lineup for every type of vacationer is central to creating an unforgettable cruise experience. MSC World America provides an incredible platform to push the boundaries of entertainment at sea, and we’re introducing some exciting new concepts and productions.

“Our headline entertainment experiences, ‘Dirty Dancing in Concert’ in the World Theatre and Queen Symphonic in the Panorama Lounge, will be unlike anything previously seen on our ships, resonating with both American and international audiences.

“These are just the beginning of our extensive entertainment options, which include an adults-only Comedy Club, authentic Dueling Pianos, and interactive family game shows. The onboard entertainment truly must be seen to be believed.”

MSC World America will debut on April 12, 2025 in Miami. The mega ship will sail seven-night cruises to the Caribbean and Bahamas from the Cruise Capital of the World.

The ship will sail from the largest cruise terminal in North America which will open when the ship debuts.

Another Facebook group rumor has been put to rest after Carnival’s Brand Ambassador took to the social media platform to clarify a document question.

Are middle names required on documents before being allowed to sail? 

The question rapidly became a rumor, generating so many questions that John Heald, the Brand Ambassador, had to address the issue.

A concerned cruiser wrote to Heald, saying the following:

“John, according to some people on Facebook groups, a new requirement is that your middle name is now required on the cruise documents… or else you cannot sail. And people confirmed the call center is saying this is true. Why have you not told anyone. Many say like me they have not received the e-mail!”

Carnival Responds: No New Policy

Carnival advises on their website that the name on the cruise booking should match the name on the government-issued ID as closely as possible.

Even though the original question insisted that the call center was confirming the rumor, there is no new policy that mandates middle names. Heald responded:

“Thank you, and as you are one of 11 people who have asked this in the last 24 hours, let me say there has been no recent correspondence from Carnival regarding this, and therefore no changes.”

Regarding the rumored policy, he added, “I really do not understand how, if this were correct, we would implement this, as some do not have a middle name.”

Carnival advises on their website that the name on the cruise booking should match the name on the government-issued ID as closely as possible.

Even though the original question insisted that the call center was confirming the rumor, there is no new policy that mandates middle names.

Name Matching Best Practices

While middle names are not mandatory for booking, you should make sure that your name on the booking documents matches your ID as closely as possible.

Carnival’s system sometimes has character limitations which can affect how names are entered, potentially leading to middle names or parts of names being omitted or altered.

But this has typically not caused issues at boarding, as long as the primary name details match

If you’ve recently changed your name or are about to get married, Carnival recommends booking your cruise under your current legal name (e.g., maiden name if you haven’t updated your ID yet).

If you have any doubts about how your name should be listed, it’s wise to contact Carnival directly or check their official documentation policies.

Social media communities and groups can be helpful for cruise tips and tricks, but they also can turn the spark of a rumor into a blaze. 

That big yellow sphere on a Royal Caribbean ship is about to get a new purpose, at least for one ship in the fleet. 

Once made for bungee jumping on colorful trampolines, Sky Pad will offer a new VR experience.

Royal Caribbean isn’t afraid to go big and try new things.  But after Sky Pad was shut down in March 2023, the colorful ball on just four ships in the fleet was left unused.

The four ships that still have the structure of Sky Pad include Independence of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas, and Odyssey of the Seas.

Adventure in Space & Underseas

According to Matt from RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com,  the existing Sky Pad area on Spectrum of the Seas will be used for a new VR experience called “Adventure in Space & Underseas”.

Passengers will wear VR goggles and ear cups to block out those noisy sounds around the ship and immerse themselves in virtual reality.

The experience includes different films with themes like space, sci-fi, and underwater exploration, allowing participants to feel like they are traveling through space or diving into vibrant coral reefs.

Cost and Details

“There is an additional cost, and is priced at $15 per person. Guests must be at least 6 years old, but kids under 12 need to be accompanied by parents or legal guardians,” Royal Caribbean Blog stated.

Passengers can book this experience through the Pre-Cruise Planner or the Royal Caribbean app before or during the cruise.

For now, it’s more of a pilot program that will only be available on the China-based Spectrum of the Seas.  We’ll have to stay tuned to see if other ships will see a rollout of this new experience.

Cruise Fever had a chance to sail on Spectrum of the Seas out of Singapore when it was newly built, if you’d like to read about that here.

Spectrum of the Seas is currently based year-round in Shanghai, China, offering cruises that range from 3-days to 9-days.  The ship will sometimes sail from Hong Kong as well and visits several ports in Japan.

Spectrum, at 169,369 gross tons, was the first Quantum-Ultra-class ship in the fleet. She is able to accommodate up to 4,905 passengers at maximum capacity and has served the Asian market since being launched in 2019.

Celebrity Cruises announced this morning that they have placed an order for 10 river cruise ships with the first debuting in 2027.

The cruise line’s new river ships will sail on the most iconic rivers in Europe. They will offer an elevated design and be built on the sophistication of the Edge class ships, Celebrity’s newest class of ocean ships.

Royal Caribbean Group has placed an initial order for 10 river ships for Celebrity River Cruises. The company said that nearly half of Celebrity cruisers have taken a river cruise.

Celebrity River Cruises will offer a service-first approach and a premium experience when their first ship debuts in 2027.

Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group, gave the following statement:

“We’re thrilled to announce our entry into the river cruise market through our Celebrity Cruises premium travel brand. Our guests and travel partners should expect us to do what we do best – innovate and elevate the river cruise experience as we meet the growing demand for intimate, culturally enriching travel experiences.

“With about half of our guests having experienced or intending to vacation on a river cruise, we know they will enjoy Celebrity’s elevated offering on the river. By leveraging our valuable loyalty programs across our three brands, we will deepen customer engagement and further our ability to keep guests within our ecosystem of vacation offerings.

“We are the best in the world at delivering the vacation of a lifetime, and this is the latest example of how we are building the capabilities to deliver a lifetime of vacations.”

Laura Hodges Bethge, president, Celebrity Cruises, added:

“Celebrity River Cruises will bring the quality and sophistication of our Edge Series ocean ships to the most iconic rivers, starting with Europe.

“We’ve redefined travel on the ocean with our best-in-class hospitality, award-winning food and beverage experiences, and elevated design and style. We are thrilled to bring these experiences to the river and combine them with authentic, destination-rich itineraries that will give our guests an experience unlike any other.”