Posts in category: Diplomacy

Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, Disney Adventure, was officially christened and named by the one and only, Robert Downey Jr.

The christening ceremony took place in Singapore, the homeport for the largest ship in Disney’s fleet. It is also the first Disney ship to sail in Southeast Asia.

In the Walt Disney Theatre aboard the ship, guests witnessed the magic of Disney storytelling come to life through regional vocalists and musicians, incredible video effects, and star-studded surprises, including special appearances from Captain Mickey Mouse and Captain Minnie Mouse.

A 23-piece orchestra, Hollywood Performing Arts Hall of Fame inductee Jed Madela, and international recording artist of Eurovision fam Dami Im guided the show through classic Disney, Pixar, and Marvel melodies accompanied by stunning visuals that sprung to life on screens that surrounded the stage and seemed to engulf the audience.

Robert Downey Jr. said the following during the christening:

“I’ve had the privilege of getting to know the team at Walt Disney Imagineering, and I can tell you Adventure is the perfect name for what they’ve created. Being the Godparent of this majestic vessel is an honor, and I have some serious duties to perform, so let’s make it official, shall we?”

The christening ceremony culminated with a multitude of beloved Disney characters in a rousing rendition of “Let’s Set Sail,” a Disney Cruise Line tradition that builds excitement for the journeys that lie ahead onboard the Disney Adventure.

Disney Adventure is the eighth cruise ship in Disney’s growing fleet, and their first ever over 200,000 gross tons in size.

The ship will sail its maiden voyage on March 10 and offer three- and four-night cruises out to sea from Singapore.

A little over a week ago, all cruise lines canceled visits to the popular Mexican resort town and cruise port of Puerto Vallarta.   Now, at least one cruise ship is back.

Chaos and unrest gripped the city after it was reported that drug cartel leader “El Mencho” was killed.  Social media videos out of Puerto Vallarta showed multiple fires across the city as reports of gunshots and car jackings flooded online platforms.

There were no cruise ships in port at the time of the peek of unrest, but Holland America’s Zuiderdam quickly pulled their scheduled visit that was planned for the following day.

Now that things have calmed down and the Mexican military moved in to put a stop to the violence and chaos, NCL’s Norwegian Bliss is back in port.  It’s the first ship to call on Puerto Vallarta since the violent upheaval of February 22, 2026

Norwegian Bliss Arrives

Norwegian Bliss arrived at the Puerto Vallarta cruise terminal around 5:45 AM local time today.

While other cruise lines have been hesitant to return to Puerto Vallarta, Norwegian Cruise Line made the independent decision to resume its schedule after its security teams determined the city was stable and safe enough for passengers to disembark.

The ship brought over 4,000 passengers into the port, an area that heavily relies on tourism for its economic survival. 

Bliss is on a 7-day sailing out of San Pedro, California and is scheduled to make stops in Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas before heading back to homeport.

Not All Ships Coming Back Yet

Royal Princess was also originally scheduled to visit Puerto Vallarta today, but cruise ship tracking data with CruiseMapper shows the ship in Mazatlán.

Carnival Corporation & plc (which owns Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and Carnival Cruise Line) has issued a broader suspension, indicating that most of its brands will skip Puerto Vallarta through at least mid-March as an extra precaution.

Mazatlán has become a common “safe haven” for ships during this period, as it remained unaffected by the specific violence that broke out in the state of Jalisco.

Bottom Line

Even though this is not the busiest time of year for cruise ships in Puerto Vallarta, the lack of any ship visits over the last ten days has had to have made an impact.

Some industry travel experts estimate that the string of five major canceled calls resulted in a loss of between $9 million and $14 million in local economic activity.  This represents well over 15,000 passengers and includes crew spending, port fees, shore excursions, and other related revenue generated by cruise traffic.

For now, Norwegian Bliss even pulling into port suggests that the worst of the chaos may be behind us.  Puerto Vallarta has long been regarded as one of the safest and most tourist-friendly cities in Mexico.

The next scheduled port of call is not until March 10 for Island Princess, and the next day Norwegian Bliss and Royal Princess are scheduled to make a stop. We have reached out to Princess to see if the cruise line plans to avoid the port and will update this article when we hear back.

Thousands of cruise passengers have been trying to get back home after cruises along the Persian Gulf had to be canceled due to the conflict in the region.

After a lot of uncertainty in and around Iran, German travel giant TUI confirmed today that it has officially begun the process of sending guests back to their home countries.

TUI CEO Sebastian Ebel announced that the company is responsible for about 10,000 customers in the Middle East, with about 5,000 of them being cruise passengers currently on two vessels.  Add in the crew and these ships have about 7,000 people in total. 

These ships include Mein Schiff 4, docked in Abu Dhabi, and Mein Schiff 5, currently in Doha.

“We Take it Very Seriously”

To get everyone home safely, TUI is working with Gulf carriers including Etihad, Emirates, and Qatar Airways.

While TUI’s own airline, TUIfly, has aircraft ready to help out, they are currently on standby waiting for the necessary governmental permissions to fly through the restricted airspaces.

“Repatriation is our responsibility, and we take it very seriously,” Ebel told German broadcasters. “Everything is organized, but when you have 5,000 customers on a ship and each plane only holds 200, it takes time.”

Reports Near Mein Schiff 4

Over the weekend, reports surfaced that a projectile, which was likely debris from an intercepted missile, landed in the water near Mein Schiff 4 in Abu Dhabi.  In reality, the debris was still 1 to 2 kilometers away and no one on board was in any imminent danger.

But still, this kind of event is nothing to play games with, and after hearing the loud explosion travel across the water, it’s no wonder any one on board would be ready to head home.

Smoke was visible from the ship and passengers received emergency alerts on their phones.

Passengers have spent much of the last 48 hours following strict safety protocols, which include staying away from outdoor decks and remaining in interior cabins.

What’s Next?

The first wave of flights is expected to arrive in Germany, specifically Munich, later today. But because of the large number of travelers and the limited number of available flight slots, the full evacuation is expected to take several days.

The German Foreign Ministry is also stepping in to provide any help needed.  Reports say Germany is focusing on chartering flights for the most vulnerable travelers, including the elderly, children, and pregnant women.

Carnival Sunshine is currently on a 6-day sailing out of Norfolk, Virginia that was supposed to leave port Sunday afternoon.

But on the way back to Norfolk after an 8-day cruise, the 3,000-passenger ship started experiencing some trouble.

As the ship approached Chesapeake Bay, the vessel lost propulsion and the lights went out, just a few miles from the Bridge-Tunnel complex.

A Late Wake-Up Call

According to a user on Reddit who was on the ship, the power failure hit around 1:55 AM, cutting off propulsion and some other systems on board.

While most passengers might have slept through it, the Captain and Cruise Director made a ship-wide announcement at 2:20 AM to make sure everyone knew what was going on.

This move surprised some but was probably just a safety precaution.

One passenger noted that for many, the only sign of trouble (other than the announcement) was the silence when the AC fans stopped:

“Most people never would’ve known the power went out… 5 minutes after he announced that the AC fans kicked back on.”

Safety First

Even though the outage only lasted a few minutes, the crew responded quickly. Passengers reported that crews were at every elevator within 15 minutes to make sure no one was trapped.

It should also be noted that atrium elevators were kept running on emergency power.

The Coast Guard Steps In

The ship’s engineers restored power by 2:45 AM, but the U.S. Coast Guard wasn’t taking any chances.

According to some passengers, they denied the ship entry into the bay until tugboats arrived to escort her.  The ship was under its own power by then, but the tugboats were on standby just in case.

“Can’t blame VA either [for denying access]! Much better safe than sorry,” one comment stated.

Despite the technical hiccup and the lack of Wi-Fi (which forced some cruisers to rely on expensive satellite roaming), the mood on board remained fairly positive.

Even though power was restored some non-essential systems on the ship were not fully operational.

Passengers praised the crew for their hard work and running everything smoothly throughout the incident.

Delay and Likely Itinerary Change

Since Carnival Sunshine was not able to dock in Norfolk until 11:30AM, Carnival sent out a notice for the upcoming guests that there would be a slight delay.

The notice stated that because the ship was sailing later than originally planned “it is likely that our voyage plan will be impacted. Carnival Sunshine’s Captain, Antonio Gargiulo, and our Fleet Operations Center are reviewing the alternatives and will have an update for you later this evening.”

Carnival Sunshine ended up departing around 6:00PM on Sunday.

Lunch on the House for Incoming Guests

Since the ship was delayed in returning to port, guests on the upcoming cruise were also delayed and were either stuck in the terminal or were waiting in the city. 

To help make up for this inconvenience, Carnival gave these guests $25 of onboard credit to cover lunch while they waited to board.

Carnival Sunshine is scheduled to return to Norfolk on March 7, 2026.  There have been no statements regarding what may have caused the temporary power outage, and according to ship tracking data with Cruisemapper, the vessel is currently traveling at 18 knots as it heads south.

Update: A spokesperson from Celestyal Cruises sent Cruise Fever the following statement 2:00 PM on Sunday: 

“The safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew remains our highest priority.

“We regret to inform our guests and travel partners that in view of the current circumstances in the Middle East, the Celestyal Journey cruise scheduled to depart from Dubai on March 2, and the Celestyal Discovery cruise scheduled to depart from Abu Dhabi on March 2, have been cancelled.

“Celestyal Journey will remain alongside in Doha until March 7. Subject to operating conditions, we then plan to resume our scheduled Desert Days itinerary. Guests currently on board may choose to remain on Journey until March 7 or disembark in Doha in the interim.

“Celestyal Discovery is currently alongside in Dubai. At present, in line with instructions from local authorities, we are unable to disembark guests. We are working closely with the relevant authorities and will begin disembarkation in Dubai as soon as permission is granted. Guests currently on board will be advised as soon as further information is available. Once disembarkation is approved, we will provide support to assist guests with transfers from the ship to Abu Dhabi Airport.

“All guests who were due to travel on the cancelled sailings will be offered the option of a full refund or a future cruise credit. We strongly encourage guests to speak directly with their travel provider regarding onward or alternative travel arrangements.

“We sincerely apologize to guests for the disruption to their travel plans, and greatly appreciate their patience and understanding while we work through this evolving situation.”

Original article published at 1:00 PM on Sunday: Two cruise lines have either altered or canceled cruises this week due to missile attacks around the Arabian Gulf by Iran.

MSC Cruises and Celestyal Cruises have both made changes to cruises this week for the safety of their guests and crew members. Here is a look at the changes that have been made so far.

Celestyal Cruises

Celestyal Cruises has both of their cruise ships, Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey, based in the middle east right now.

The cruise line has altered itineraries on both ships. The cruise line sent the following statement to Cruise Fever about the changes.

“The safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew is always our highest priority. We are closely monitoring the evolving geopolitical situation in the Middle East region in close coordination with the relevant authorities.”

Celestyal Journey is currently docked in Doha, Qatar and the ship will remain there for at least 24 hours. She was originally scheduled to leave Doha on February 28, 2026 for a seven-night ‘Desert Days’ cruise in the Arabian Gulf.

Guests who were unable to board the ship due to flight disruptions can receive either a full refund for their sailing or a future cruise credit equal to the value of the cruise. The cruise line is also extending this offer to guests who no longer wish to travel at this time.

Guests currently in Doha who wish to embark may do so, with the understanding that the cruise ship will remain in port while Celestyal Cruises continues to monitor developments.

Celestyal Discovery is currently in Dubai and the ship will remain there for at least 24 hours. The ship departed on February 27 from Abu Dhabi, UAE on a three-night ‘Iconic Arabia’ sailing.

The current itinerary will be adapted as required in line with operational guidance and ongoing assessments.

The cruise line told Cruise Fever that updates regarding future sailings departing from March 2 onwards will take place as further information becomes available.

Celestyal Cruises is communicating directly with affected guests and travel partners and will provide further updates as appropriate.

MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises has canceled today’s sailing on MSC Euribia, a seven-day cruise in the Arabian Gulf. The cruise ship is currently in Dubai and the ship will remain there as a precautionary measure.

The cruise line said in a statement that they are reviewing and monitoring all of their operations in the region. They went on to say that the safety and security of their guests was their focus.

Because airspace in the region was closed, it’s making any flights to or from the cruise port impossible.

You can read more about this canceled cruise here.

Cruise Fever will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in the Middle East and will have all cruise updates as cruise lines make changes to keep guests and crew members safe.