Diplomacy

Even though a cruise ship is a great place to be “stuck”, no one wants to miss out on a port of call because a technical issue.  But these problems pop up from time to time.

After Carnival Firenze lost a day off its voyage because of an IT problem, the ship is now racing towards its first port of call in Cabo.

Carnival Firenze was supposed to leave the Port of Long Beach on Monday, but some kind of technical or communication issue kept the ship in port until Tuesday at 1:20PM.  The extra night in port means that a port of call had to be cancelled.

Here is the latest on where things stand.

Why the Ship Was Stuck

While we still don’t know the full extent of the problem on the ship, passenger reports claimed that the Carnival Hub app was not working and the crew were using pens and paper to take food and drink orders.

Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador, John Heald commented that it was a connectivity problem.

“It is Internet connectivity, and I know the teams are working very hard, but I can also say without doubt that the guests are having so much fun,” Heald stated.

John Heald also replied to a comment on Facebook about the situation saying, “The team are doing everything they can and you’ll be hearing an announcement any moment now from the Captain letting you know some good news and I know that we will also be in touch and will take care of everybody.”

A few details about how the cruise line is helping make up for the inconvenience have now been shared.

What Passengers Are Getting

Since the cruise was shortened and a port was missed, Carnival is giving guests some money back to help make up for the trouble.  Although, it should be noted that the cruise was not necessarily shortened because passengers were still able to enjoy the ship while in port, even though the casino and shops were closed.

Passengers for this sailing have confirmed the following:

• $100 credit: Each cabin is getting a $100 credit to spend while they are on the ship.
• Refunds: Anyone who booked an excursion in Ensenada through Carnival will get their money back, along with any port fees or taxes for that stop.

And because this is a Carnival ship, we’re sure the cruise ship director and entertainers have kept busy making sure everyone on board still has a great time.

Full Speed Ahead

Because the ship got such a late start, it is now about a full day behind schedule. To get to Mexico as fast and still safely as possible, it looks like the ship is sailing near its top speed capabilities. 

Data from CruiseMapper shows Carnival Firenze is currently traveling around 22 knots, which is relatively fast for a ship with a gross tonnage of 135,000 and can accommodate 5,260 at max capacity.

To keep the trip on track, Carnival had to make some cuts:

• Ensenada is cancelled: The ship is skipping this stop entirely.
• Straight to Cabo: The crew is heading straight for Cabo San Lucas, with an expected arrival on Thursday, December 18.
• Heading home:  The cruise is still expected to get back to Long Beach on Sunday, December 21.

Carnival recently released some new details about the port that is being missed on this itinerary.  Ensenada is going to get a complete makeover with new swimming pools and thrill rides.  You can read about that here.

Following a few delays earlier this year, Disney Cruise Line has officially taken delivery of its largest ship yet.

Disney Adventure, Disney’s eighth cruise ship, was handed over during a ceremony at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.  The shipbuilder handed over the “keys” to Disney, moving the ship from “under construction” to being part of the cruise line’s fleet.

The Asia-bound vessel is unlike any other with the cruise line and will be starting its initial sailings in Singapore.

“Disney Adventure is now one step closer to calling Singapore home! The Maiden Voyage sets sail March 2026, welcoming guests on board for magical moments at sea,” the cruise line wrote on today’s Facebook post.

A Giant Joins the Fleet

Disney Adventure is by far the largest ship Disney has ever owned, and it’s not even close.

Disney’s Wish-class ships have a gross tonnage around 144,000 with a passenger capacity close to 4,000.  Disney Adventure’s gross tonnage (a measurement in size and internal volume) is closer to 208,000 with a passenger capacity expected to be around 6,000.

This means the new ship is roughly 45% larger than the next biggest ship in the Disney lineup.

From “Global Dream” to Disney Adventure

Unlike Disney Cruise Line’s other ships, which were designed from scratch by the company, Adventure was originally being built for a different cruise line that went out of business during the pandemic. At the time, the ship was about 75% finished and was known as the Global Dream.

Disney bought the unfinished vessel in 2022 for a fraction of its original building cost. They then brought in their “Imagineers” to completely redesign the interior to match the Disney brand. Instead of the traditional layout Disney fans might recognize, the ship is organized into seven huge themed zones, like Marvel Landing and San Fransokyo Street.

It even features the Ironcycle Test Run, which is the longest roller coaster at sea at over 820 feet long.

The Delivery and The Move to Singapore

The delivery ceremony in Germany was the final step before the ship begins its long journey to its new home. While most Disney ships sail in the Caribbean or Europe, Disney Adventure is scheduled to sail out of Singapore.

But it will still be a few months before Adventure is sailing cruisers around Asia.  The first cruises on the ship are set for March 2026.

Disney plans to keep the ship based there for at least five years, offering three- and four-night cruises. This is a first for the company, as they have never had a ship based year-round in Southeast Asia.

Now that Disney officially owns the ship, the next few months will be spent on “final outfitting.” This involves finishing the intricate Disney-themed decor, training the thousands of new crew members, and running final tests on everything make sure it’s perfect for the first guests.

Norwegian Viva arrived on Galveston, Texas this past weekend and the ship will offer cruises to the Caribbean through April 2026. This marks the first season that the ship has sailed from the port.

Norwegian Viva will sail seven-night cruises to the Western Caribbean from Galveston, as well as extended 14-day sailings.

The seven-night cruises will visit ports that include Cozumel, Costa Maya, Roatan, and Harvest Caye in Southern Belize.

The cruise ship’s 14-day voyage on January 10, 2026 will visit: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. John’s, Antigua; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; and Great Stirrup Cay, NCL’s private island in The Bahamas.

Newsweek recently named Norwegian Viva the Best Cruise Ship for Families. The ship will return to Galveston in October 2026 and offer cruises to the Caribbean through April 2027.

Harry Sommer, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, said the following:

“We’re excited to officially welcome Norwegian Viva to Galveston this season. Expanding our offerings from popular, easily accessible ports allows us to bring unforgettable experiences closer to home for more travelers.

“Norwegian Viva was thoughtfully designed for guests to live life to the fullest, and we’re proud to introduce this world-class cruising option to Texas.”

Norwegian Viva’s debut call in Galveston sailed from the port’s brand new Cruise Terminal 16, a 165,000 square foot state-of-the-art terminal that opened in November.

Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves port director and CEO, gave the following statement:

“Opening this terminal has allowed Norwegian Cruise Line to expand its presence in Galveston. The beautiful Norwegian Viva allows our cruisers the opportunity to experience a world-class cruise ship. The U.S. cruise market continues to select the Port of Galveston as a preferred debarkation point because of ships like Norwegian Viva.”

The fastest growing cruise line is not showing any signs of slowing down. MSC Cruises has placed an order for at least four new ships with German shipyard Meyer Werft in Papenburg, with the option to add two more.

Just a month after announcing that two more World-class ships (the 7^th and 8^th of the class) were on order with the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France, MSC Cruises put in an order for four ships of a new class to be built in Germany. 

The new class, with an expected max passenger capacity of 5,400, has been dubbed “New Frontier” for now, and the 180,000 gross ton ships are scheduled to be delivered starting in 2030.

This size ship is comparable to the cruise line’s Meraviglia Plus-class ships, which are about 181,000 gross tons (MSC Euribia is 184,011 GT).

This €10 billion ($11.7 billion) ship order is expected to keep Meyer Werft busy for over ten years.

Meyer Wert CEO, Dr Bernd Eikens, stated: “This long-term partnership with MSC Cruises ensures sustainable growth and job security for many years to come. Today is a truly positive and significant day for everyone at Meyer Werft—our employees and our partners alike.”

Order Timeline

The delivery of the four new vessels is scheduled to begin in 2030, with one ship arriving each year afterward. With the two extra optional vessels included, which would make for a total of 6 “New Frontier” ships, the work under this agreement is set to keep the shipyard operating at capacity through 2035.

A primary focus of the 180,000 GT “New Frontier” design is environmental performance, as the ships will feature next-generation environmental technologies to support MSC Cruises’ goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

The order was officially announced on December 15 in Berlin, with officials present including Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche, Energy Minister-President of Lower Saxony Olaf Lies, alongside executives from both MSC Cruises and Meyer Werft.

Impact and Executive Statements

This project is expected to bring a lot of jobs and continued support to the local German economy as well, with over 3,000 employees already working at Mery Werft.

Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, commented on the partnership:

“MEYER WERFT’s track record, expertise and proud history make it a true beacon of European shipbuilding. Together, we will create vessels that redefine the cruise experience… The New Frontier class will enable us to design new and exclusive itineraries, offer exceptional guest experience and will feature next-generation environmental technologies that will advance our net-zero 2050 commitment.”

MSC Cruises currently has 23 ships in the fleet with MSC World Asia, (the 3rd World-class ship) scheduled to be delivered next year.

The cruise industry is showing no signs of slowing down as PortMiami just announced a new daily passenger record with 75,201passengers traveling through the port in a single day.

Seeing Florida’s two busiest cruise ports duke it out is like watching two heavy-weight boxers going back and forth.  Port Canaveral just recently took the title of “Busiest Cruise Port in the World” after seeing 8.6 million passenger movements in FY 2025.

But PortMiami is setting records of their own.  Last Wednesday the cruise port posted on social media that a milestone had been reached:

“We’re breaking records at PortMiami! On Sunday, November 30, 2025, PortMiami set a new daily passenger record with 75,201 passengers traveling through the Cruise Capital of the World ®.”

This single day record was broken by over 7,000 passengers after the port’s record was last set in February of this year.  Even though the February record of 68,000 passengers was also set when 10 ships had utilized the port, this time around the ships were a bit larger.

Ships in Port

Here are the 10 ships that were in PortMiami on the day over 75,000 passengers traveled through its terminals along with the double capacity numbers for these ships:

• Azamara Onward – 688
• Carnival Celebration – 5,374
• Carnival Horizon – 3,960
• Carnival Sunrise – 2,984
• Celebrity Beyond – 3,260
• MSC Divina – 3,502
• Norwegian Aqua – 3,571
• Independence of the Seas – 3,634
• Symphony of the Seas 5,518
• Scarlet Lady – 2,770

The double capacity for all these ships totals just over 35,000 passengers.  And since this is a turnaround day in which passengers will both disembark and new ones embark on their ships, you can double this figure for about 70,000. 

So where do the extra 5,000 passengers come from?

This shows something very common in the cruise world: that ships almost always sail at over 100% capacity.  This means every cabin is full, and some will have more than two passengers.  It’s not uncommon for a ship to sail at 105% or 110% capacity.

You’ll notice that the largest cruise ship class in the world (Icon of the Seas) was not even in port that day.  The Icon-class ship has a double capacity of 5,610 and a max capacity of 7,600.

Another Banner Year for PortMiami

On top of breaking its own single-day record, PortMiami just wrapped up its best fiscal year ever in terms of passenger count as well.

The South Florida port welcomed a record 8,564,225 cruise passengers in FY 2025 which was 4% higher than 2024.

PortMiami has recently added a few ships as well, including two newbuilds, Oceania Allura and Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady, alongside Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth and Holland America’s Zuiderdam.

Looking ahead to 2026, PortMiami is scheduled to welcome more new and first-time homeport ships. The next arrivals include Windstar’s Star Seeker in January and NCL’s Norwegian Luna in March.

If you’re looking into Caribbean cruises that are packed with ports, MSC Cruises just brought a 19-deck ship across the Atlantic Ocean that could fit the bill.

Shortly after the arrival of MSC Grandiosa, the first Meraviglia Plus class ship to homeport in the United States, another MSC Cruises ship in the same class is now sailing the Caribbean.

But this ship isn’t sailing out of Florida.  The embarkation ports for this newly refurbished ship will make for some very unique cruises that are impossible with a 7-day cruise from PortMiami or Port Canaveral.  In fact, these week-long cruises have only one sea day and visit 5 ports of call.

After a short, mandatory dry dock that only lasted 23 days, MSC Virtuosa has successfully completed a Transatlantic sailing and is now offering 7- and 14-night cruises out of Martinique, Guadeloupe and Barbados.

Starting these cruises out of Southern Caribbean ports allow a 14-day sailing to visit places like Grenada, Tortola, St Kitts, St. Lucia, Grand-Terre, St, Vincent and St Johns.  These two-week sailings will visit some of these ports twice on the same cruise.

Even a 7-day cruise out of Martinique will visit Guadeloupe, Tortola, St. Maarten, St Johns, and St Kitts.

An average 7-day cruise from Florida might visit ports like Roatan, Grand Cayman, St. Maarten or St. Thomas.  But any further into the Caribbean requires a longer duration, which is what makes MSC Virtuosa’s positioning so unique, especially for a ship of this size.

You can expect 2 to 3 sea days on the average Caribbean and Bahamas cruise out of Florida.  On these MSC Virtuosa sailings, there are virtually zero sea days, so it’s a great option for those wanting to experience more of the Caribbean itself.

But of course, it will require that flight to and from the Caribbean.  Most of the ship’s itineraries will start in either Martinique or Guadeloupe.

Some of the ports visited on a 7-day cruise on MSC Virtuosa (depending on the date):

• Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe
• Castries, St. Lucia
• Bridgetown, Barbados
• Kingstown, St. Vincent
• St. George’s, Grenada
• Road Town, Tortola (British Virgin Islands)
• Philipsburg, St. Maarten
• Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis
• St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda

The Dry Dock

The ship, built in 2021, was sent to Rotterdam, Netherlands for her dry dock.  This was primarily a technical inspection and for classification purposes so that parts of the ship below the waterline could be checked out and maintained.  

After four years of service, the ship is still fairly new, and no cosmetic refurbishments or enhancements would have been made. The hull was exposed and cleaned and coated with an antifouling layer, and all of the thrusters, propellers, and stabilizers were inspected and repaired if necessary.

On November 19, MSC Virtuosa left Rotterdam and began her repositioning voyage across the Atlantic.  The ship arrived in Martinique on December 6 after visiting several ports of call throughout the Southern Caribbean.

About MSC Virtuosa

MSC Virtuosa is a 181,541 gross ton ship that has a maximum capacity of 6,334 passengers (4,842 at double capacity).  It is a Meraviglia Plus-class ship, which is the second largest class with MSC Cruises, only to be outdone by the 215,000+ World-class ships.

MSC Virtuosa has just arrived back at homeport in Fort-de-France, Martinique today and is scheduled to depart on a 7-day sailing that will visit Guadeloupe, Tortola, St. Maarten, St Johns, and St Kitts.  

That’s a port-packed 7-day sailing that is only possible when departing from southern ports like Martinique or San Juan, Puerto Rico.

7-day sailings on MSC Virtuosa start around $779 per person, depending on the time of year.  The ship is scheduled to return to Europe in April 2026.

Just last week, MSC Grandiosa arrived in Port Canaveral, and this ship offers a variety of cruises, from 3- to 7-, and even 14-night durations.