Diplomacy

Carnival Cruise Line has announced more cruises from Miami in 2026-2027 by expanding the schedules of two ships, Carnival Magic and Carnival Sunrise.

These two Carnival ships will join Carnival Celebration and Carnival Horizon in offering sailings from PortMiami in 2026-2027.

Carnival Magic and Carnival Sunrise will both visit the cruise line’s new port that is currently under construction in The Bahamas, Celebration Key.

Carnival Magic

Carnival Magic will continue offering year-round cruises from Miami with a variety of six- and eight-day cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

The six-day cruises will depart on Sunday with Eastern Caribbean itineraries visiting Amber Cove, Grand Turk and Celebration Key. Six-day Western Caribbean sailings will visit Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Celebration Key.

The ship’s eight-day cruises departing on Saturdays will visit the Eastern or Southern Caribbean. The Southern Caribbean sailings will visit the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) with the Eastern Caribbean cruises visiting San Juan, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Half Moon Cay.

Carnival Sunrise

Carnival Sunrise will sail shorter four- and five-day cruises from Miami with the majority of them visiting The Bahamas. Port stops include Nassau, Half Moon Cay, Celebration Cay and Princess Cays.

The ship will offer select six-day cruises that visit Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Grand Turk.

Earlier, Carnival Cruise Line released schedules for Carnival Celebration and Carnival Horizon, both sailing from Miami.

Carnival Celebration will sail week-long cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

Carnival Horizon will offer six- and eight-night cruises to the Caribbean.

Fred Stein, vice president of itinerary planning for Carnival Cruise Line, gave the following statement:

“These sailings build on our strong deployment plan from the Cruise Capital of the World for 2026/27. Year-round from PortMiami, our guests have an incredibly diverse range of itineraries to choose from as they plan their next fun and memorable cruise vacation.”

Confused about what kind of multi-plug adapters and USB chargers you can bring on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship?

The rules just changed recently.  Regular multi-plug adapters are banned on Royal Caribbean ships, but we found some of the best multi-plug chargers you can buy online. 

And yes, bringing these on the ship to charge your devices is perfectly acceptable.

*This post contains affiliate links which may provide us with a small commission if you make a purchase through them.  We thank you for your support.

Royal Caribbean just updated their list of what is not allowed on board.  In the uproar and confusion that followed, the cruise line then amended their policy page yet again.

It first stated that any multi-plug adapters were no longer allowed on board.  A few days later the cruise line clarified that USB multi-plug adapters were an exception and could be used.

In other words, multi-plug adapters with several 110/120 volt outlets (like the standard wall outlets you have at home) are banned. 

Adapters with several USB outlets are permitted.  Keep in mind that any extension cords or power strips with surge protectors are NOT allowed on board.

The cruise line’s updated policy page states this: “We do allow consumer type power conversion device USB charger (multi-plug blocks on which the outputs are for USB cables). Note: Devices must be stamped with US/Europe recognized Conformance Marking to demonstrate compliance with Electrical Safety standards.”

We found some of the most useful adapters for a Royal Caribbean cruise and listed them below.

Best Overall: Anker Desktop Charger

With USB Type A and Type C integrated into this device, Anker has made a sleek design with 112W and 6 USB outlets to use.   With one adapter you can charge your laptop on a cruise, along with a tablet, smart phone, headphones, and smartwatch.

The fast-charging features on this adapter mean that you don’t have to keep things plugged in very long on the ship as well, so you can charge up and head back out.

Purchase this charger here on Amazon

Best for Price with Fast-Charging: 40W USB C Charger Cube

This 40W USB-C and USB-A charger cube is a great packing list item for your cruise vacation. Its compact design and powerful output make it ideal for keeping all your devices powered up, even when you’re out at sea.

With 4 USB outlets, this adapter works great if you want to use both USB-C and USB-A, and its USB 3.1 generation helps to quick charge those devices.

This is currently priced at $19.99 for 2.

Purchase this charger here on Amazon

Best Space-Saving Adapter: Hootek 3 Port Charger

If you only have a few devices you want to charge up with one outlet, this might be the adapter for you.  The three USB outlets are USB-A Type 3.1.

Not only is this the most affordable multi-plug adapter on our list, but it’s also the easiest to pack, having the smallest footprint.

It’s small enough not to block any other outlets nearby, but the USB outlets are pretty close together.

Purchase this charger here on Amazon

Best for USB-A Only: Anker 60W 6 Port

If you aren’t packing any devices on your cruise that have a USB-C connector, then this 6 port adapter may serve you better than the first Anker unit listed above.

The longer cord means you don’t have to be hunched over the cruise cabin desk too.

PowerIQ and VoltageBoost combine to provide a fast charge up to 2.4 amps per port or 12 amps overall.

Purchase this charger here on Amazon

Best for Home and Cruise Use:100W GaN 6-in-1

If you need a USB charging station at home and don’t want to buy one just for a cruise, this is a great pick.

This powerful and versatile charger is best for anyone looking to quickly and efficiently charge multiple devices. With its 100W GaN technology, six ports (three USB C and three USB A), and fast charging speeds, it’s the perfect solution for cruise cabins with lots of devices and computer desks at home.

Purchase this charger here on Amazon

In Juneau, Alaska, residents voted on Tuesday on a ballot initiative that would ban large cruise ships from the city on Saturdays if approved.

The measure, which was proposed by a resident of the city, was dubbed “Ship-Free Saturdays” and would also ban any large cruise ships from visiting Juneau on the Fourth of July.

So far, it looks like a majority of voters are rejecting the proposal.  According to initial results, about 60% of voters opposed the ban.

Ballots are still being counted through Friday of this week, but a change in the outcome is unlikely.

The cruise ship ban would have severely affected ship itineraries, as any ship with 250 passengers or more would not be allowed to let passengers off the vessels on Saturdays.

Just last year, almost 1.7 million cruise passengers visited Juneau.  According to McKinley Research Group for the City and Borough of Juneau, this accounted for $375 million dollars for the city, creating almost 4,000 jobs.

Alaska has been one of the most popular cruise destinations in the world and traffic to Juneau has doubled in the last couple decades.

Some are estimating that if the “Ship-Free Saturdays” proposal was passed it would remove about $30 million in revenue from the city’s coffers. 

While some local residents have complained about over-tourism and its impacts, shop owners and business leaders have come to rely on the revenue that comes in through cruise ships.  They fear that banning cruise ships on one day of the week will lead to more bans in the future.

Cruise traffic has already been limited in Juneau.  Last year officials decided to cap cruise ships to five per day in the capital city.   

In 2026, passengers will be limited to 16,000 a day and 12,000 a day on Saturdays.

Cruise lines were already planning legal action if the recent proposal passes, claiming that the ban would be against the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause.

Juneau Chamber of Commerce also contributed over $1 million to a campaign opposing the ban.  Proponents of the ban raised about $1,000.

“This is a victory for Juneau’s economy and our way of life,” said Beth Weldon, the city’s mayor, who was reelected in Tuesday’s election. “Tourism is a vital part of our community, and we need to continue to support our local businesses.”

Supporters of the ban are concerned about Juneau’s infrastructure being able to handle the influx of tourists.  It’s a careful balance between livelihood and the environment that will keep this debate in the headlines well into the future.

But for now, it looks like cruise ships will be able to sail to Juneau on Saturdays and also when the “rockets red glare” are lighting up the sky.

When it comes to the main dining room on a cruise ship, the early seating can seem too early and the late seating can be –well, too late.

Cruise lines came up with a more user-friendly option (with various names) that allowed passengers to eat at any time they wanted.

But along with this flexibility came a few issues. We’ll dig into those issues and provide some useful cruise tips as well.

I’m a big fan of My Time or Anytime dining on a cruise ship. There’s something about that flexibility that appeals to me.

However, there are a few drawbacks to this popular style of dining that often frustrate first-time cruisers.

Some people love traditional dining on a cruise ship. Others can’t stand to be locked in a timeslot and prefer a more flexible approach to the evening meal.

Royal Caribbean has “My Time Dining” and Carnival calls it “Anytime Dining”. Norwegian Cruise Line doesn’t even offer a traditional dining option and instead provides the whimsical traveler with “Freestyle Dining”.

Whatever a specific cruise line calls it, there is often an option to enjoy dinner at various times each night.

You just have to make sure you show up during the hours of operation for this flexible dining option. This is usually between 5:30pm and 9:30pm but could vary depending on the ship.

It’s also recommended you make a reservation, but we’ll get into that a little more below.

1. Not making reservations or getting in line (virtually)

This one depends on the cruise line. If using My Time dining with Royal Caribbean, you should make a reservation.

When you hear the term “My Time Dining,” you might think it’s a little silly to make a reservation. After all, the name implies that you can just show up whenever it suits you—and voilà, dinner is served.

While you can still get a bite to eat in the MDR (Main Dining Room) without a reservation, Royal Caribbean recommends using the app to make a reservation anyway.

This ensures a table for your group will be available and will cut down on wait times.

These reservations can be made ahead of time or you can make a reservation after you get on board.

With Carnival you can just use the Hub App to let the ship know you’re ready for dinner and this will put you in a queue. You will receive a notification when your table is ready.  Easy-peasy.

You can even “check in” from your cabin or while walking around the ship and wait for your table.

The only time I’ve had long wait times with Carnival’s Anytime Dining is when I showed up right at the start of dinner.

Of course, there are a myriad of other cruise lines we could talk about as well. But if there is an option to make a reservation or use an app to get in line you should go ahead and do it.

2. Longer waits based on when you arrive

I’ve been on some cruises where the lines for My Time/Anytime were very short, and other times they were very long.

This often depends on the ratio of passengers that opted for traditional versus the flexible option. If a certain cruise ship has a large majority that want My Time Dining, then you can expect longer waits, especially at peak times.

Typically, the peak times for flexible dining are when it first opens and shortly before dinner closes.   But this can also depend on what shows are playing that night around the ship or what time most people got back to the ship from a day at a port of call.

For me, I often choose a dining time based on what shows or venues I want to enjoy that night. It’s always a nuisance to miss a great ice show or Broadway style performance because I was in the middle of dinner.

If I’m already tired from doing excursions all day, I might opt for an early dinner and relax the rest of the evening.

In my experience, it’s the very opening time of dinner that is the busiest. But if there is a long wait, you can always grab a snack at the buffet and wait a bit.

Some cruisers recommend showing up right in the middle of early and late dining (around 7pm), but again, this really depends on the ship.

You can read reviews of the same ship, and you will read of some waiting in line for My Time dining for an hour and others will say they walked right in and sat down. That being said, the size of the ship matters and the duration of the cruise matters, as it will often change the demographics on board.

Want to read more on how to avoid cruise dining mistakes?  Read our article here.

3. Trying to get a table for a large group

My Time and Anytime Dining aren’t really geared for large groups. And trying to get a table for a large group will likely make for a longer wait as well.

That being said, you can still dine with a group, as long as it’s not excessively large.

Many cruise lines – Royal Caribbean in particular – limit the number of people in a group to 8 or fewer when trying to make reservations with this style of dining.

A better option may be to split up the group into smaller groups that are still relatively nearby.

Ideally, talking to the maître d’ ahead of time is always best when trying to get a table for a lot of people.

4. Not having the same wait staff each night

For the more traditional cruisers in our midst, this one can be a deal breaker.

With traditional dining, you have the same waiter or waitress each night.  You can develop a rapport and get to know the entire wait staff on a personal level.

With “Dine Whenever You Want” you are unlikely to get the same waiter. This can be both good and bad depending on how well you enjoyed your previous night’s service.

This was a bigger deal before the auto gratuity as well.  Tipping individual wait staff was –and still is– part of the cruise experience for some. But when having a different waiter/waitress each night, most rely on the prepaid gratuities to take care of it all.

You can still request a specific waiter, but it really depends on that crew member’s availability and open tables in their area.

I know some cruisers who liked their waiter on the first night so much that they requested the same table at the same time for each night. This isn’t always possible, but it’s worth asking about.

Read more: 10 foods these cruisers say to avoid on a cruise ship