Posts in category: Diplomacy

Carnival Cruise Line continues to expand their unserved meal donation program to ports they visit around the world.

The program is part of Carnival Corporation’s Less Left Over strategy that helps reduce food waste across their cruise lines and ships. 

Two Carnival cruise ships, Carnival Freedom and Carnival Conquest, were the first two vessels to donate unserved food in The Bahamas.

The cruise ships donated 318 pounds of prepared, unserved meals to the Grand Bahama Children’s Home. Some meals also went to the Urban Renewal Authority so they could be distributed to the local community.

The high-quality surplus meals were collected, rapidly chilled, stored, and transferred ashore using established food safety protocols and in compliance with local regulatory requirements.

This milestone establishes a framework for future donations from ships and deepens Carnival’s expanding network of partners across the region.

Carnival has local partnerships to ensure the meals can be distributed safely and effectively at each port.

The cruise line recently began donating unserved meals in Honduras and the Dominican Republic. At the end of 2025, Carnival stated that they had donated more than 320,000 meals to ports all around the world.

Marie McKenzie, senior vice president, government and destination affairs for Carnival, gave the following statement:

“This expansion in The Bahamas is really about the strength of the partnerships we’ve built across the Caribbean. Working alongside government leaders and community organizations, we’re able to connect what happens on board our ships with real needs on shore – creating a simple, reliable way to get high-quality surplus meals to people who can benefit from them. It’s a shared effort that reflects what we can accomplish together.”

Minister for Grand Bahama, The Honourable Ginger Moxey M.P, added:

“The Bahamas has long benefited from strong partnerships that create meaningful opportunities for our people and communities. This initiative reflects a shared commitment to addressing real needs in a practical way, ensuring that quality meals can reach those who need them most. We welcome this expansion and appreciate Carnival Corporation’s efforts to support communities throughout The Bahamas.”

In addition to the meal donations, Carnival Cruise Line has donated furniture, clothing, bicycles and other household goods from Carnival ships to local families, schools, community centers and charitable organizations. 

Since late 2025, 20 ship donations have taken place in Nassau, Grand Bahama, and Eleuthera.

The meal donation expansion into The Bahamas marks another step in Carnival’s ongoing efforts to redirect surplus food through partnerships that create meaningful community impact around the world.

Cruise lines have very strict rules about how far along pregnancies can be when passengers step on board. Anything past 23 weeks with a Royal Caribbean sailing and you aren’t booking a cruise, never mind stepping onto the ship.

But one woman was just hours away from enjoying sailaway on Radiance of the Seas out of Tampa, even though she was 33 weeks pregnant.

The thing is, Lauren Siwinski had no idea she was pregnant at all.

She and her fiancé, Gary “David” Glenn, arrived in Tampa the day before the cruise, which is something we at Cruise Fever always advise in order to be ready on time for a vacation at sea.

They both fully expected to get a good night’s sleep and head to the port the next day.

But instead of boarding the ship and being a couple of cruisers for five days, a late-night urgent care visit for weird stomach cramps led to them becoming parents instead.

A Shocking Diagnosis at Urgent Care

As detailed by WTSP, the couple went looking for answers regarding some sudden abdominal pain, only for a doctor to drop the news they weren’t expecting at all.

Or maybe I should say the unexpected news that they were expecting?

The doctor told them, “You guys are pregnant“.

An ultrasound revealed that Lauren was actually 33 weeks along and already experiencing contractions.

Any dreams of stepping foot on the cruise ship were instantly replaced with all the emotions expecting parents feel when a child is about to be born.

Looking back on the total lack of warning signs, Lauren shared:

“I had no symptoms at all. Nothing whatsoever. I had no idea there was a human inside of me.”

Even when she felt movement beforehand, she completely misread the signals:

“I felt some flutters. But I didn’t think anything of it. I thought it was just my stomach settling from something I ate. Didn’t think it was a human.”

“I Had No Idea”

Gary was equally stunned by how business-as-usual everything had felt leading up to the trip, especially given her daily physical routine.

He joked about her pre-trip workouts, saying:

“I had her working out and stuff in the gym with me, and she’s sitting there pregnant. I had no idea. She’s like bouncing this bar off her chest. I’m surprised the baby didn’t shoot out right there, you know what I mean?”

Just twelve hours after walking into that clinic, baby boy Sebastian made his debut on July 13.

Lauren, who works at a daycare in Rhode Island, said that her coworkers and family members had donated all kinds of baby supplies and clothing after hearing the news.

The couple just got engaged in May and will be driving back home to greet loved ones with a new member of their family. 

The Baby’s Timing

Royal Caribbean’s pregnancy policy strictly bars anyone past 23 weeks from sailing, and a lot of it is due to a lack of specialized neonatal care at sea.

The cruise line’s website states, “There is no Obstetrician/Gynecologist available on the ship, and.. pregnancies, when unstable and poorly controlled, are potentially life-threatening.”

So, it was really good timing on the part of the baby, although the little guy sure did cut it close.

If those cramps had held off for just one more day, Lauren could have easily cleared port security, boarded the Radiance of the Seas, and gone into active labor hundreds of miles out in the middle of the ocean, or even while in a foreign port of call in Mexico.

After checking out some cruise ship tracking data this morning, I noticed there are only two cruise ships in Hawaii today, and both are Norwegian Cruise Line vessels.

While one of the NCL ships sails Hawaii year-round, another 2,000-passenger ship has been sailing guests around America’s 50th state for the last four days as part of a longer itinerary.

I often get asked about Hawaii cruises and what is the best way to sail the islands. In reality, Norwegian Cruise Line offers the most unique and Hawaii-intensive cruises, and it’s not even close. Sure, there are other cruise lines that visit Hawaii, but in the middle of this summer, the schedule is decisively owned by NCL.

Today, Norwegian Spirit is docked in Nawiliwili, Kauai. She is currently on a 16-day Hawaii from Honolulu to Vancouver voyage that departed Honolulu on July 15.  

This is a classic repositioning style sailing that lets guests enjoy several days in the islands before the ship heads north.

Looking ahead, Norwegian Spirit has a busy schedule through 2027 that sees her cycling between Hawaii, French Polynesia, Australia, and New Zealand, consistently using Hawaii as a key transition point.

At the same time, the Pride of America is operating her regular 7-day round trip inter island route. She departed Honolulu on July 18 and will return on July 25.

Right now, she is giving passengers that signature no-sea-day experience with plenty of time across multiple islands.

This overlap of Norwegian Cruise Line’s two ships is a perfect snapshot of how the company has come to pretty much own the Hawaii cruise market.

Pride of America: The ONLY Year-Round Hawaii Vessel

What makes Pride of America so special is her U.S. flagged status and primarily American crew. That allows her to sail closed loop itineraries entirely within Hawaii without needing a foreign port call.

No other large cruise ship can do this on a consistent basis. And with Hawaii so far from other ports of call, sailing a Hawaiian cruise with any other cruise line means a whole lot of sea days.

As we have experienced here at Cruise Fever, a Hawaii sailing is all about the time you spend on the islands. These cruises offer an unprecedented 100 hours in port during the 7-night sailing, including overnights on Maui and Kauai.

This is exactly why you go to Hawaii. You can enjoy the ports without having to worry about rushing back in time for sailaway. You can grab dinner on land, catch a luau, or explore after dark without watching the clock.

On board, the experience is tailored to the destination. The cruise director and port guide are local, and you will find hula and lei making classes right on the ship.

The Freestyle vibe is also the perfect complement to the laid-back nature of the islands.

Plus, because the ship sails only in American waters, disembarkation is a breeze. You go from ship to curb in about five minutes, which is as easy as it gets.

Norwegian Spirit: The Seasonal Complement

Norwegian Spirit plays a different role. As a foreign flagged ship, she must include foreign ports on itineraries that move between U.S. locations under the Passenger Vessel Services Act.

That is why her current 16-day sailing works so well. It gives passengers a deeper Hawaii experience as part of a bigger journey that eventually ends in Vancouver.

These Spirit voyages often connect Hawaii with Alaska or South Pacific routes. They appeal to cruisers who want more variety and are happy to spend extra days at sea between regions.

Why NCL Stands Out in Hawaii

NCL’s approach is smart and hard to beat. Pride of America delivers reliable, intensive inter island cruising all year long. Spirit and occasional similar deployments add flexible capacity for longer trips between ports.

There are no signs of other NCL ships (or ships from any other cruise line) moving into full-time Hawaii service soon, so this combination looks like the blueprint going forward through 2026 and 2027.

For anyone wondering about the best way to cruise Hawaii, it usually comes down to what you want. But if you are looking for maximum time on the islands with minimal time at sea, Pride of America is tough to beat.

Just days after the world’s largest cruise ship pulled into port, Barcelona has revealed plans to nearly triple its total cruise tax from €11 to €30 ($34 USD). The popular city in Spain is moving forward with a proposal to increase its municipal surcharge to €24 (on top of a €6 regional tax).

As I recently wrote regarding the debut of Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas in Barcelona, it is ironic to see such massive ships arriving at a port city that has been working so hard to curb cruise traffic. But even as these mega-ships continue to bring thousands of travelers to the city, the local government is now taking a more aggressive stance on how those visits are charged.

The New €30 Per Person Tax

Currently, when a cruise ship docks in Barcelona, passengers pay a total maximum port tax of €11. This is split between a €6 regional levy and a €5 municipal surcharge.

The new proposal would increase the city’s municipal portion to €24. When you add that to the existing €6 regional levy (which remains unchanged), the total tax per passenger jumps to €30. At the current exchange rate, that is approximately $34 USD.

What’s this look like in real life? Let’s use the example of Legend of the Seas with about 6,500 guests.

• At current rates (€11/person): A single visit to Barcelona generates €71,500 in total passenger taxes.
• At proposed rates (€30/person): That same stopover would generate €195,000.

That is an increase of €123,500 per ship visit (about $140,790 USD), all paid by cruise passengers. When you consider that a ship like Legend of the Seas might visit a port dozens of times in a season, those numbers start to add up very quickly.

According to local news reports, the agreement between the city’s political parties will allow the Barcelona City Council to increase its surcharge to a new maximum of €24. By setting this as the new municipal fee, the city effectively triples the total tax burden for short-stay passengers.

Why Is This Happening?

The city is framing this as a “dissuasive” measure rather than a simple money grab. Barcelona officials have been upfront about managing “overtourism.” They argue that passengers on cruise ships put a heavy strain on public services and city infrastructure while contributing less to the local economy than tourists who stay in hotels.

The goal is to “put obstacles in the wheels” of this type of tourism and help define a more sustainable future for the city. As one local spokesperson famously put it, “Barcelona is not a souvenir.”

Who Does This Affect?

The tax hike plan targets cruise ships in port for less than 12 hours. If you are starting or ending your cruise in Barcelona (homeporting), you would be exempt from this higher rate, as the city recognizes that these passengers tend to spend more on hotels, transportation, and local dining.

What is the Status?

It is important to remember that this is still a proposal. While it has the backing of key parties in the Barcelona City Council, it still requires final approval from the Parliament of Catalonia.

If it clears that final legislative hurdle, the new tax is expected to take effect in late 2026 or early 2027. If you have a cruise booked for this summer, you shouldn’t see any changes to your bill.

While this tripling of the tax sounds dramatic, it’s not as big a surprise as you might think if you’ve been paying attention to Barcelona’s goals. Cruise Fever will be keeping a close watch on the vote in the coming weeks and will update you as soon as there is more news on whether this tax becomes a reality.

It’s been exactly one year since Carnival Cruise Line opened Celebration Key. Since welcoming its first guests on July 19, 2025, the private destination has welcomed 2.4 million guests in its first year.

The sheer size of this private oasis is what first caught our attention. When Cruise Fever visited Celebration Key back in July 2025, we found it hard to believe just how big the entire area really was.

The pool complex, which includes the Starfish and Calypso Lagoons, takes up 550,000 square feet. For comparison, we mentioned that is 16.5 times larger than the freshwater pool at Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay.

A Popular Guest Experience

The past year has shown how Carnival cruisers are enjoying the port. Statistics from the first year were highlighted by Carnival in a press release that showed some of the numbers over the last 365 days:

• Waterslides: Guests took over 500,000 trips down the 10-story sandcastle waterslides.
• Dining: The Mini Donut King food truck was a hit, serving 400,000 treats.
• Drinks: More than 100,000 Piña Coladas were served to guests.

As we pointed out during our initial visit, the destination is not a typical private island, even though some cruisers still call it just that.

It is a dedicated port area on Grand Bahama Island. This setup is convenient because it allows guests to easily switch between the cruise line’s amenities, like the swim-up bars and loungers, and local excursions that explore the entire island.

Commitment to the Community

A major focus for Carnival this year has been the local economy. The port currently supports about 1,000 year-round jobs.

Over 80 percent of the food and retail businesses at Celebration Key are locally owned, which means that those 2 million + cruise guests helped benefit the local community.

The destination has also prioritized accessibility, becoming the first cruise port to earn Sensory Inclusive Certification through a partnership with KultureCity.

Looking Ahead

With only 68 acres used in the first phase, there is still plenty of room to grow. As Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy said at the port’s opening:

“Today marks an extraordinary milestone for Carnival as we open the first phase of our initial $600M investment, with more to come.”

In this past weekend’s press release, Duffy said that Carnival built something special with Celebration Key, adding:

“Our goal is to create unforgettable memories for our guests, and in its first year, the destination has done exactly that for more than 2 million people. We’re proud to be part of those moments while also creating real, lasting impact in the local community. As we look ahead, we’re excited to continue building on this momentum, creating new experiences for our guests and deepening our commitment to Grand Bahama and its people.”

With 154 acres of land still available for future development and plans to expand the pier to hold more ships, Celebration Key will continue to be a major part of Carnival’s itineraries for the foreseeable future.

You can read more about the second phase for Celebration Key here.

Trading a cruise cabin for a jail cell is the worst kind of downgrade you can get. The service really drops off and even an “obstructed view” can’t compare.

But for six cruise passengers at Port Canaveral, that’s exactly what happened on Saturday, July 18.

The last time we wrote about arrests taking place at a cruise port it was because of a fight that broke out in the terminal near customs.

In this case, it looks like the sheriff’s office was paying attention to the manifests on cruise ships in Port Canaveral, as several names with warrants popped up.

As a warning to other would-be criminals or warrant-holders coming to the area, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office fired off a Facebook post, saying in part:

“Whether you’re from Florida or Alaska, if you come to Brevard County and break the law…or in this case have a warrant…you better believe that we will lock you up!!”

The post from Sheriff Wayne Ivey also mentioned the names of four individuals arrested in addition to two others that were placed into custody.

While some had just arrived to the Florida port, and not yet even stepped onto their ship, others were arrested after returning from their cruise back in Port Canaveral.

The Arrests

The arrests included Martell Murray of Georgia, who was wanted for violating conditions of his release on pending murder charges, and Kenderia Burney of Leon County, Florida, who faced a violation of probation warrant.

The two arrived together at the port, and Sheriff Ivey pointed out that “these two still got to vacation together at the Lodge even though they got accommodations with separate sleeping quarters.”

What is the Lodge? It’s what Ivey affectionately calls “Ivey’s Iron Bar Lodge”.

Deputies also arrested Veronica Hamlet of Tampa on a failure-to-appear warrant, and James Brewton of South Carolina on a violation-of-probation warrant.

Two other unnamed passengers who were disembarking their cruise were stopped after deputies learned they were on felony probation and had traveled outside the country without the required approval from their probation officers.

Those individuals will remain in custody while the paperwork is completed.

The Facebook post with some pictures of those arrested racked up well over 2,000 comments already. One image of an individual wearing a shirt that says “THNX FOR NOTHING” was called “priceless” from one commenter.  

Another stated, “Taking their pictures while still in the cruise port is diabolical.”

A Reminder for Cruisers

Port Canaveral is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, with strong coordination between Brevard County law enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection during both embarkation and disembarkation.

If you have active warrants and certain probation restrictions don’t expect to just sail right through with no disruptions to your cruising plans. Not only is this sheriff actively enforcing these rules, but it also looks like he has quite the sense of humor in informing the public.

The post did not disclose what cruise ships or cruise lines were involved.

Royal Caribbean is the world’s largest cruise line with 30 cruise ships in their fleet. They also carry more guests each year than any other line, and they sail to seven distinct parts of the world.

Royal Caribbean will offer cruises to the Caribbean/Bahamas, the Northeast, California, Alaska, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

19 cruise ships will visit the cruise line’s award-winning private island in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay. 17 ships will visit Nassau and allow guests to visit the new Royal Beach Club Paradise Island.

Here is a look at Royal Caribbean’s deployment summary by destination for cruises that depart from January 2027 through April 2028.

Caribbean/Bahamas

24 of Royal Caribbean’s ships will sail to the Caribbean or The Bahamas from the following cities: Miami, Port Canaveral, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, New Orleans, San Juan, and Galveston.

• Adventure of the Seas
• Allure of the Seas
• Brilliance of the Seas
• Enchantment of the Seas
• Explorer of the Seas
• Freedom of the Seas
• Grandeur of the Seas
• Harmony of the Seas
• Hero of the Seas
• Icon of the Seas
• Independence of the Seas
• Jewel of the Seas
• Legend of the Seas
• Liberty of the Seas
• Mariner of the Seas
• Oasis of the Seas
• Radiance of the Seas
• Rhapsody of the Seas
• Serenade of the Seas
• Utopia of the Seas
• Vision of the Seas
• Wonder of the Seas

Northeast

Four ships will visit the Northeast with vessels homeporting in Cape Liberty, New Jersey and Baltimore, Maryland.

• Independence of the Seas
• Oasis of the Seas
• Odyssey of the Seas
• Vision of the Seas

California

Departing from Los Angeles and San Diego, the following four Royal Caribbean ships will sail from California.

• Navigator of the Seas
• Ovation of the Seas
• Serenade of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas

Alaska

Royal Caribbean will have four ships sailing to Alaska with roundtrip sailings from Seattle and Vancouver, and one-way voyages from Vancouver and Seward, Alaska.

• Anthem of the Seas
• Quantum of the Seas
• Serenade of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas

Europe

During the summer months and early fall of 2027, Royal Caribbean will have seven ships sailing around Europe from Ravenna, Barcelona, Civitavecchia, Southampton, and Athens.

• Brilliance of the Seas
• Explorer of the Seas
• Freedom of the Seas
• Legend of the Seas
• Mariner of the Seas
• Odyssey of the Seas
• Rhapsody of the Seas

Asia

Royal Caribbean will offer cruises from Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai that visit everywhere from Thailand to Japan to South Korea.

• Navigator of the Seas
• Quantum of the Seas
• Spectrum of the Seas

Australia

Royal Caribbean cruisers will have the option of three ships when taking a cruise from either Sydney or Brisbane.

• Anthem of the Seas
• Quantum of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas

Royal Caribbean stated that this deployment summary is current as of June 29, 2026.

For the first time in the cruise line’s history, a woman has officially taken command of a Disney vessel. Captain Maria Gotor was recently promoted to full captain and has taken the helm of the 4,000-passenger (max capacity) Disney Wish.

Disney has been expanding its fleet lately and now has eight vessels in operation. The 208,108 gross ton Disney Adventure just began sailing out of Singapore this year and Disney Believe (another Wish-class vessel) is expected to be delivered in late 2027.

But this major update isn’t about a brand-new ship, it is about the person in charge of it.

From Law to Cruising

Captain Maria didn’t start out to be a captain of a cruise ship. She spent six years working as a practicing lawyer in her home country of Spain.

So, how does a lawyer end up commanding a 144,256 gross ton cruise ship with Disney? It all started with a simple ferry ride.

According to recent Q&A shared by Disney Cruise Line, while taking a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar to meet up with some friends, she had an encounter with the ship’s captain and got a peek inside the wheelhouse.

That one look at the bridge changed everything. She went right back to school, earned a master’s degree in nautical engineering and maritime navigation, and actually ended up piloting that very same ferry to get her start.

A Major Milestone

Captain Maria isn’t new to the cruise world. She made the jump to passenger cruise ships back in 2009, spending nearly 15 years rising through the ranks at Celebrity Cruises.

Avid cruisers might even recognize her from her time as Staff Captain on ships like Celebrity Edge or Celebrity Ascent. She was even part of Celebrity’s historic, all-female bridge team back in 2020.

She brought all that experience over to Disney Cruise Line in September 2024 as a Staff Captain.

Fast forward less than two years, and she is now the captain of Disney Wish.

Captain Minnie’s Inspiration

If you have ever walked up to the Disney Wish, you might havee noticed the unique artwork on the bow of the ship. The character featured right on the front is Captain Minnie Mouse.

Disney actually introduced Captain Minnie a few years back as a way to inspire young girls to take an interest in careers like working on cruise ships.

Other Female Captains

While female captains are still rare in the cruise industry (and the maritime industry in general), the tide is definitely turning across cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Virgin Voyages.

Royal Caribbean made history by naming Captain Karin Stahre-Janson as the first female captain of a major cruise ship back in 2007, putting her in charge of Monarch of the Seas.

They followed that up in 2011 by naming Captain Lis Lauritzen to lead Vision of the Seas.  Other cruise lines have followed suit.

Captain Kate McCue famously captains Celebrity Beyond, while Captain Wendy Williams made waves as the first Canadian woman to captain a major cruise ship when she took the helm of Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady. 

In Her Own Words

In a published interview on the company’s website, Gotor said: “Serving as Captain of the Disney Wish is both deeply personal and professionally meaningful. Representing my home country of Spain on a ship like this makes it even more special.”

“Guiding a cruise ship requires constant focus, judgment and precision. I love the challenge of monitoring changing conditions at sea or preparing to bring the ship safely into port. On the Disney Wish, there’s 144,000 tons of steel that you have to stop without brakes. It’s challenging, and it’s rewarding,” added Gotor.

Disney Wish is currently sailing out of Port Canaveral, offering 3- and 4-night sailings to The Bahamas.