Norwegian Cruise Line has partnered with Drinique to bring new reusable bento box-style serveware for breakfast room service.
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The serveware will be made with 50% certified recycled materials as the cruise line continues to show its commitment to their global sustainability program.
It will provide a compact and convenient way for guests to enjoy their in-room breakfast experience without the weight and bulk of porcelain plates. It also eliminates the need for plastic cling wrap.
This will be added to Norwegian’s two newest ships first, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva. It will be rolled out to all 19 NCL ships by the end of the year.
The bento-style box is made with Eastman Tritan Renew which sources hard-to-recycle waste to keep it out of landfills.
Andrew Elliott, president of Drinique, said:
“We are excited to help companies like NCL drive change to meet their environmental goals. The durability of Tritan Renew helps our partners innovate while providing guests with an effortless dining experience and reducing single-use plastic waste.”
Mark Kansley, senior vice president of Hotel Operations at Norwegian Cruise Line, added:
“As part of our commitment to reduce single-use plastic onboard, we continuously search for opportunities to implement environmentally friendly practices, while keeping our mission of delivering more experiences so our guests can vacation better with us top of mind. We’re excited to continue to work with Drinique to introduce these reusable solutions across our fleet.”
The issue of tipping on cruise ships can be a polarizing topic. And while cruise lines have recently added the cost of taxes and fees to advertised prices, gratuities are not typically shown in this price.
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Carnival Breeze. Photo Credit: Cruise Fever
The main reason for this is that tips are voluntary. The amount you pay is up to you, although cruise lines recommend certain amounts depending on the type of cabin you book.
Daily gratuities are automatically added to your bill. You can have them removed if you feel the service was not up to par, but I recommend talking to the front desk about any issues before this step is taken.
Some cruise passengers also have automatic gratuities removed so they can pay the crew members in person with cash we ll.
But a recent comment on social media prompted Carnival’s Brand Ambassador to speak up and respond to criticism about the current tipping system.
An anonymous cruiser stated,
“If you stop your customers having the right to remove all gratuities then you would see an exodus like never before. I don’t concern myself about what the staff makes, how gratuities are divided up, or their workload. That’s between the employee and the employer. If I feel occasionally that someone deserves a gratuity I will give it to them. If not then I will not. It is our choice. It is not the cruise line to take away.”
Brand Ambassador John Heald’s sincere reply echoed the cruise line’s stance on tipping. He started by saying that “there are NO plans to to change anything.“
“The crew are always……so very grateful for all our wonderful guests do for them. Many of the people who do remove their gratuities give the same or more in cash but yep, like this lady, some do not.” Heald stated on his Facebook page.
Heald went on to mention that it made him sad to hear about people wanting to remove tips for other reasons.
“If they have a legitimate reason to give nothing then of course they should not but, well, it would be dishonest of me not to say that it makes me sad to read this and to see people remove their gratuities and give the crew who have given their all nothing,” Heald said.
Some first-time cruisers don’t realize that when you remove tips from your bill you are hurting a lot of behind the scenes workers who do rely on these funds.
The argument about whether or not the cruise line itself should offer adequate compensation is a valid argument as well, but it does not solve the issue by hurting the very ones making a vacation at sea as memorable as possible.
Many of the comments were supportive of the cruise line’s stance on tipping.
“I don’t remove anything, and I’m happy to give additional. Personally, I don’t use MDR and due to dietary restrictions, rarely even eat on the ship. However, I am in the service industry and appreciate the team being available with huge smiles on their faces. To each their own, and I appreciate them whether I use the service or not,” one comment stated.
The social media post has almost 1,000 comments today alone as the issue of tipping on cruise ships and for service in general has been a hot topic lately.
In a 4-1 vote the Board of Commissioners for Canaveral Port Authority have decided against plans for a new cruise terminal.
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The change in plans comes after state officials listened to concerns about the space industry and how the two industries have already faced logistical challenges.
Jerry Allender, a Port Authority commissioner, stated the difficulty of the decision.
“Reversing the decision is not easy, but at the appropriate time, Mr. Chairman, I would be willing to make a motion regarding that matter,” Allender said.
Earlier this month the Florida Department of Commerce and DOT wrote a letter explaining that Port Canaveral “bears the responsibility of housing and supporting both” cruise tourism and the commercial space industry.
There was a growing concern that the new cruise terminal would interfere with launches and other aspects of the space industry.
The state’s Department of Commerce also questioned the commission’s decision to allocate an $8 million grant for a road project that would support the new terminal, stating that they would review the port’s compliance with the grant’s requirements.
Now the Port Authority has the issue of trying to handle larger cruise ships and risks losing vessels to other ports like Galveston.
As cruise ships have grown larger the cruise port has tried to keep up with demand both for these massive vessels and the growing demand for cruising in general.
Port Canaveral is currently the busiest cruise port in the world as its position for this status goes back and forth with PortMiami.
Carnival Cruise Line has reached out to guests impacted by an itinerary change for Carnival Spirit for 2025-2026 sailings.
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Carnival Spirit. Photo Credit: Cruise Fever
The Bahamian port of Bimini has been removed from 10 different sailings on the vessel, including sailing that range from November 8, 2025, to March of 2026.
The following sail dates on Carnival Spirit have had Bimini removed from the itinerary:
November 8, 2025
November 22,2025
December 6, 2025
December 20, 2025
December 28, 2025
January 31, 2026
February 14, 2026
February 28, 2026
March 14, 2026
March 28, 2026
These are all 8-night sailings on Carnival Spirit that are scheduled to sail out of Mobile, Alabama.
It should be noted that Bimini is still on itineraries for the ship’s 6-night voyages.
No reason has been stated for the port of call change, but most of the sailings will still be visiting the other scheduled ports on the itineraries, some of which include Princess Cays, Nassau, Celebration Key and Half Moon Cay.
The cruise line has stated that any guests who booked shore excursions on Bimini will see a full refund.
Built in 2000, Carnival Spirit is a 2,124-passenger vessel currently sailing out of Seattle for Alaska voyages.
The ship will move to Mobile’s cruise port in October of 2024 where it will offer a variety of durations for sailings until another Alaskan season in April of 2025.
Viking, the world’s largest river cruise line, took delivery of another ship that is custom built for the Nile River in Egypt.
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One of Viking’s 82 passenger ships custom built for the Nile River. Photo Credit: Viking
Viking took delivery of Viking Hathor in a ceremony that took place in Cairo. The ship will join sister ships Viking Osiris and Viking Aton in offering the cruise line’s popular 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary. Viking now has total of five ships sailing in Egypt.
The ship holds 82 guests in 41 cabins and has the same elegant Scandinavian design that Viking cruise ships are known for.
This 12-day itinerary starts with a three-night stay in a hotel in Cairo so guests can visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, or the Grand Egyptian Museum.
After the stay in Cairo, they will then fly to Luxor to visit the Temples of Luxor and Karnak before boarding the ship for an eight night cruise on the Nile River.
Visits on the cruise include:
Tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens
Tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings
Excursions to the Temple of Khnum in Esna
Dendera Temple complex in Qena
Temples at Abu Simbel and the High Dam in Aswan
A Visit to a colorful Nubian village
After the cruise, guests will fly back to Cairo for one final night in a hotel.
Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking, gave the following statement:
“We are proud to welcome the Viking Hathor to our award-winning river fleet. With its abundance of cultural treasures and ancient antiquities, Egypt has always been a destination of great interest to curious travelers, including our guests.
“We believe our ships are by far the most elegant vessels sailing the Nile River, and we look forward to introducing even more explorers to this fantastic destination in the years to come.”
Guests can extend their trip with a three-night stay in Istanbul or a four-night extension to Jordan, Dead Sea & Amman.
You don’t have to have an expired passport to be denied boarding on a cruise ship. In fact, in most cases if your passport expires less than 6 months from the sailing date, you will be left at the pier.
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That’s right. Even if your passport is ‘almost expired’ your ship could sail without you.
If you travel a lot, it can be easy to take your passport for granted and not even think of the expiration date as long as you see it’s still valid.
But since many people plan cruises a year in advance, they can overlook that expiration date relative to the actual cruise sailing dates.
I recently talked with a family that was excited about an upcoming cruise. But as they told me about the details of the cruise, it came up that their passports expired within a few months of the cruise sailing date.
I immediately told them they need to get on a renewal as soon as possible.
Of course, a closed-loop cruise (a cruise start starts and ends in a U.S. port) only requires a photo ID and birth certificate, but who really wants to travel with a birth certificate?
Since passport renewals take time (often longer than we anticipate), I recommend renewing them during those quiet travel periods of our lives, even if it’s still good for a while longer.
Here are some of the biggest mistakes people make in regards to their almost expired passport.
Photo credit: Cruise Fever
1. Assuming it’s valid
A U.S. passport is good for 10 years after it’s renewed. While a decade is a long time, it also means we aren’t used to renewing passports, and time slips away faster than we realize before it’s due again.
It’s easy to assume our passports are still valid because “it wasn’t that long ago” that we had it renewed, right? When planning a cruise, check the date on your passport and make sure it doesn’t expire within 6 months of the sailing.
By the way, for a child, passports are only good for 5 years, so if you’re going on a cruise with your family it’s important to check those passports as well.
2. Not Renewing with enough time
Before I renew my passport, I always look at the average wait times. This will vary at different times of the year. Shortly after the shutdowns, wait times were ridiculously long, and a lot of people missed their planned trips because of it.
You can choose to expedite the process time as well and that is currently estimated at 2 to 3 weeks.
Keep in mind that this does not include mailing times but the time it will take for your passport to be processed once it’s received.
A third option for urgent passport renewals requires making an appointment with a passport agency. You should only choose this option if you have a planned trip within the next 2 weeks.
These estimated wait times should be taken with a grain of salt, however. You may get your passport back in a couple weeks or it could be a couple of months. The point is to make sure you have plenty of time in case there is a delay.
Also, don’t confuse processing time with delivery time. When filling out the form online you will see an option for a 1-2 day delivery of your passport for an extra cost. But this does not speed up the processing time as that requires the expedited option as well (currently $60).
When your passport is renewed you will send in your old passport. This means you won’t have a passport at all for a period of time.
If you don’t send it in, you are just making the process last longer as you will have to submit everything again.
Accordint to the travel.state.gov website these are the required documents for renewal:
Form DS-82, completed and signed
Most recent U.S. passport. Note: if renewing by mail or in person, send us your most recent passport. If renewing online, keep your most recent passport.
Passport photo
If changing your name, certified copy of your legal name change document. Note: you must renew by mail or in person if you are changing your name. You cannot renew online at this time.
4. Applying for a passport card since it’s cheaper
Passport cards are a little cheaper, and a lot of cruisers ask about using them for cruise travel instead of a book.
While most cruise lines have stated that passport cards can be used for land crossings or sea port entry when arriving from Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean, these cards cannot be used for international air travel.
I recommend just having the passport book because if something happens while on your cruise and you have to fly back home, you will need your passport book to get on the plane.
Having a passport card is basically like having your photo ID and birth certificate. It’s fine for Caribbean cruises as long as you don’t need to take an international flight.
I know a few cruisers who use a passport card for most of their cruises and they say it works for them. In my opinion, it’s worth it for the peace of mind if I have the passport book instead.
5. Sending in a beat-up passport
If you travel a lot, your passport can get damaged pretty easily. Shoving your passport into your pockets and suitcases over and over again can take its toll.
But you can’t renew a passport if it’s damaged too badly.
What is considered “damaged”?
According to the travel.state.gov website normal “wear and tear” is fine. Any passport book that has this kind of damage could be denied though:
Water stains
A significant tear
Unofficial markings on the data page
Missing visa pages (torn out)
A hole punch, or other injuries
If there is this kind of damage with your passport you will have to apply for a new one. And since a new passport can take even longer, I recommend you take care of those little booklets.
6. Not knowing some destinations could have different requirements
Some countries have different validity requirements for passports. These requirements will differ based on the destination but could require your passport to be valid for another twelve months from the cruise date instead of just six.
Do research on the countries you will visit to make sure you will not have any issues.
It’s important to know that some countries only require a passport to be valid for another 3 months or even a shorter period of time. But for almost every cruise line, you will need at least 6 months of validity even if the destination has a shorter period of time required.
Some longer cruises or even world cruises will require that your passport is valid for longer than 6 months as well, so always check with your cruise line ahead of time.
Bottom Line
It’s always an uneasy feeling when waiting for your passport to come back and you have an upcoming cruise. Just know that if your passport does not come back in time and you’re traveling on a closed-loop cruise you can still just use your birth certificate and photo ID and be fine.
It’s just more of a hassle. You also better make sure you make it back to the ship on time when visiting one of the foreign ports of call.
If you have a few months where you don’t have any travel plans, why not break out all of the passports in the family and check those expiration dates. It might be a good time to apply for renewal so you don’t have to worry about it again for another 10 years.
If you need to check the status of your passport you can do so here at passportstatus.state.gov.
Royal Caribbean has released the first details on Star of the Seas, their next new cruise ship that will debut in 2025. The vessel is currently under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.
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Royal Caribbean is the world’s largest cruise line with 28 ships in service. Their 29th ship, Star of the Seas, will offer cruises to the Caribbean from Port Canaveral starting in August 2025.
Star of the Seas will be a sister ship to Icon of the Seas, the current world’s largest cruise ship that debuted earlier this year. You can watch a short video below showing many of the great features that this cruise ship will have.
New features that debuted on Icon of the Seas will also be added to Star of the Seas. This includes Lincoln Park Supper Club, a 1930s Chicago-inspired spin on the supper club experience that pairs multiple courses with live entertainment.
Central Park is one of the most popular neighborhoods on Royal Caribbean cruise ships
Star of the Seas will be divided up into eight neighborhoods:
Thrill Island
Chill Island
Surfside
AquaDome
The Hideaway
Royal Promenade
Central Park
Suite Neighborhood
Surfside is a neighborhood for young families
Star of the Seas will have six waterslides, seven swimming pools and over 40 dining/beverage options.
Central Park will have 30,500 live plants and several dining options that include pick-up windows for sushi and champagne.
The AquaDome consists of the AquaDome Market food hall, lounge setting with ocean views, and the marquee AquaTheater. The AquaTheater will offer unique shows that include high divers, aerialists, robots and dancers.
Royal Promenade on Star of the Seas
Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International, gave the following statement about this new ship:
“Star of the Seas is the second bold act of this exciting, new era of vacations first introduced with Icon of the Seas, and it’s putting the world’s best vacation on the map at yet another top travel destination.”
“Between Miami and Port Canaveral (Orlando), more adventurers than ever can set their sights on the only vacation that combines the best of all vacations – from the beach retreat to the resort escape and the theme park adventure – with experiences that have and will continue to make headlines and memories for years to come.”
Star of the Seas will sail her maiden voyage on August 31, 2025. This seven night cruise from Port Canaveral will visit Cozumel, Costa Maya, Roatan and CocoCay.
The ship will offer cruises to both the Eastern and Western Caribbean. All cruises will visit Royal Caribbean’s award winning private island in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Construction officially began on a new $151 million cruise ship terminal in Galveston, Texas that will convert an existing cargo warehouse into a cruise terminal.
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The new terminal at Pier 16 will be used by MSC Seascape when it opens in November 2025. It will include a 165,000 square foot terminal and a new parking garage that will cost $55 million.
The terminal will have a spacious check-in area that will allow for passengers to wait in comfort until they board their ship.
New cruise terminal at Pier 16 in Galveston will be used by MSC Cruises
Rick Sasso, chairman of MSC Cruises U.S., said that the groundbreaking for the terminal marks a significant milestone in the cruise line’s ongoing U.S. expansion. It will be the fourth homeport in the country for MSC.
The Port of Galveston expects to have more than two million cruise passengers a year in 2026 after this fourth terminal opens.
Cruise Terminal 16 will include a lounge for MSC Yacht Club guests to enjoy during the embarkation process
Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves port director and CEO, said the following about construction starting on the new terminal:
“We have so much to celebrate today with this milestone and what it means to our community, cruise guests and port partners. This beautiful new terminal will generate jobs and economic growth for the region, an exciting new cruise choice for our market, and growth opportunities for our port partners.
“We also want to take this opportunity to give a warm, Texas-sized welcome to MSC Cruises, the world’s third largest cruise line. Having a cruise line of this stature homeporting in Galveston says a great deal about our position in the U.S. and global cruise markets.”
MSC Cruises is also building the largest cruise terminal in North America. This massive new terminal is located in Miami and is scheduled to open next spring.
There are a total of 192 departure dates to choose from. The cruise line has two ships in their fleet and both homeport in Florida.
Islander is the latest ship to join Margaritaville at Sea’s fleet
Margaritaville at Sea Islander offers cruises from Tampa while Margaritaville at Sea Paradise sails from the Port of Palm Beach.
Here is how this deal works:
Book a double occupancy stateroom, get one guest free
Book a triple stateroom, two guests come free
Book a quad stateroom, three guests come free
The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th guests in a cabin just have to pay port taxes and fees, their cruise fare will be $0.
Not all cabins accommodate three and four guests in them. The number of available $0 guest fares is limited by the maximum number of guests a stateroom can accommodate in the desired stateroom category.
Margaritaville at Sea is calling this their best cruise sale of the year. You can see a complete list of all cruises included in this sale and prices for each here.
For complete terms and details of this special cruise deal from Margaritaville at Sea, you can check out their website here.
Last week, Carnival Cruise Line sent out a teaser email saying that new cruises in 2026-2027 will soon open for bookings. Today, Carnival began to announce some 2026/2027 ship deployments that include their first ever solar eclipse cruise that will set sail on Carnival Legend.
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This solar eclipse cruise on Carnival Legend will depart from Dover, England on August 9, 2026. In addition to viewing the total solar eclipse on a sea day, the cruise will visit ports in France, Spain, Portugal and Belgium.
This Carnival Journeys cruise will be 11 days in length and is now open for bookings. The cruise ship will offer a total of nine cruises from Dover that range from nine to 12 days in length. Carnival Legend will also offer six cruises from Civitavecchia, Italy.
The cruise ship will visit ports in the following countries:
Iceland
England
Scotland
Germany
Estonia
Finland
Sweden
Denmark
Belgium
Portugal
Spain
France
Turkey
Croatia
In addition to the cruises on Carnival Legend, Carnival Cruise Line has also opened for bookings cruises to Alaska in 2026 on Carnival Spirit and Carnival Miracle.
Both ships will sail to Alaska from Seattle on week long itineraries.
Also new are four Carnival Journeys cruises that transit the Panama Canal to reposition Carnival Miracle and Carnival Spirit before and after the summer in Alaska. The cruises feature visits to Cabo San Lucas, Puntarenas and Cartagena.
Carnival Spirit’s 16-day Carnival Journeys cruises take the ship to Seattle from Mobile on April 12, 2026 then back to Mobile on an October 8, 2026 departure. These will be the first Carnival cruises that sail between these two cities.
After the Alaska cruise season is over, Carnival Spirit is sail a 15-day roundtrip cruise from Seattle to Hawaii on September 23, 2026.
Carnival Miracle will reposition from Tampa on April 11, 2026 and depart Seattle September 26, 2026 on 16-day Carnival Journeys Panama Canal cruise ending in Galveston.
Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, gave the following statement about these new cruises:
“The chance to see a total solar eclipse while having fun exploring the cultural richness of Spain, Portugal and France aboard Carnival Legend, is a truly special opportunity – among a lineup of many phenomenal cruises. And as the popularity of Carnival Legend’s 2024 Europe sailings prove, it’s never too soon for our loyal guests to start planning their next summer vacation.”
