Cruise Information Replace: Modified Plan, Overboard, Service Charges, and Extra
It’s been one other super-charged week within the cruise business, and Cruise Hive has all of it coated. This version of our weekly recap contains tales about Port Canaveral edging out PortMiami as North America’s busiest cruise port, Carnival Cruise Line quietly elevating a few of its service prices, and Philadelphia companions with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to construct a brand new cruise port and terminal.
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Ship’s Crew Rescues Native Man From Martinique Harbor
Crew members on Princess Cruises’ Enchanted Princess rescued a person who had jumped into the water on the Martinique cruise port, nevertheless it turned out he wasn’t a visitor crusing on the ship.
It was an area resident who, for causes unknown, determined to chill off within the harbor the place the three,660-guest Enchanted Princess was docked for the day on November 29, 2025. In actual fact, he jumped within the water proper in entrance of the 145,300-gross-ton ship.
The ship’s overboard alert was sounded, and crew members instantly got here to the person’s rescue, bringing him to shore on one among Enchanted Princess’s rescue craft. It was round 10 a.m. when crew members accomplished the rescue, and native police positioned the person in custody.
Enchanted Princess was crusing a 12-night Southern Caribbean voyage roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale. Her port name at Martinique was from 7 a.m. to five p.m., giving company loads of time to benefit from the vacation spot.
The person who jumped into the harbor apparently was not injured, however questions stay. Why did he do it, and the way did he handle to enter the port’s safe space, evading a number of checkpoints?
Port safety and operations employees will probably be investigating the incident.
Search Ends For Man Overboard in Canary Islands
Authorities have referred to as off the search for an aged visitor who went overboard from Marella Cruises’ Marella Explorer 2 as she sailed close to La Palma, Canary Islands.
The unidentified 76-year-old man was reported overboard from the 1,800-guest ship on November 27, 2025 and a search was instantly begun, involving the ship’s crew and the Salvamento Maritimo — the Spanish Coast Guard.
Different company noticed the person, mentioned to be a British nationwide, enter the water round 10 a.m. Two helicopters, a patrol boat, and different rescue plane looked for the person for 2 days earlier than calling it off. Foul play will not be suspected.
Visitors aboard Marella Explorer 2 have been having fun with a sea day when the tragic incident occurred. The ship homeports in Tenerife and sails largely 7-night itineraries to a number of Canary Islands locations.
Whereas lively search efforts ended, maritime stories continued to alert native boats concerning the lacking man, asking them to maintain watch within the unlikely occasion the person survived longer than anticipated within the water.
Cruise Line Modifies Trip Safety Plan
A number of modifications have been made to Carnival Cruise Line’s Trip Safety Plan, efficient with departures on and after December 1, 2025.
First, the cruise line has modified insurance coverage carriers and is now utilizing United States Fireplace Insurance coverage Firm.
Beforehand, the plan supplied a Medical Evacuation Good thing about $30,000 and a Repatriation of Stays Good thing about $30,000. Underneath the brand new plan, each are mixed right into a single good thing about $50,000.
It isn’t clear whether or not the $50,000 profit can be utilized for both function. However if that is the case, as one repeat cruiser who is also an insurance coverage agent steered, it’s good for company, as a result of those that use the evacuation profit wouldn’t additionally want the repatriation profit, and vice versa.
Repatriation refers back to the elimination of a useless physique. So the profit for both emergency may rise by $20,000.
Additionally, the Accident Medical Expense Good thing about $10,000 and the Illness Medical Expense Good thing about $10,000 at the moment are mixed into one Accident and Illness Medical Expense Good thing about $20,000.
Cruisers should buy the safety plan coverage at charges beginning at $49, relying on their whole cruise fare and the size of the crusing.
Carnival Cruise Line Raises Some Service Charges
Skilled cruisers who sail with Carnival Cruise Line know that each time they purchase a drink, whether or not they have a drinks bundle or not, an 18% gratuity is added onto the tab.
Effectively, no extra. Now that the service cost has risen to twenty%, which means a $10 glass of wine will really value $12. Furthermore, the upper price additionally applies to specialty eating prices, in-stateroom decorations bought for particular occasions like birthdays, and items for staterooms corresponding to toys and flowers.
The brand new coverage was quietly added to the phrases and circumstances part of the road’s web site and has already taken impact.
The upper service cost applies to all purchases of the Cheers!, Bottomless Bubbles, and the brand new Cheers! Zero Proof packages, in addition to all drinks purchased with out a bundle.
For instance, if two adults purchase the Cheers! bundle, which prices $139.90 per day, the whole bundle value for a 7-night cruise involves $979.30. The brand new 20% service price would add $196 to the whole value — about $20 greater than the 18% price, which might add $176.
It gained’t break the financial institution, however onboard prices do add up.
New Philadelphia Cruise Port In The Works
The US East Coast will quickly have one other cruise port to sail from: Philadelphia! The town, in partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line, has plans to construct PhilaPort, a 16-acre port conveniently situated subsequent to Philadelphia Worldwide Airport.
The port, which is ready to open in April 2026, held an official ground-breaking ceremony on December 1, 2025.
Metropolis officers additionally revealed a 7-year settlement with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings that allows its three manufacturers — Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, to function because the port’s solely operator. The deal gives for an preliminary dedication of 41 sailings per yr.
The two,376-guest Norwegian Jewel will homeport at Philadelphia from April 16, 2026 to October 17, 2026, providing Bermuda cruises and Canada/New England voyages.
Underneath the plan, PhilaPort will deal with the waterfront development, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings will construct the cruise terminal.
The brand new port will likely be open in time for town’s celebrations in summer time 2026, tied to the 250th anniversary of the 1776 founding of the US.
PortMiami Breaks All-Time Cruise Arrivals Document
It’s been one other record-setting yr for PortMiami, as cruise visitor transits reached 8,564,225, a 4% improve in comparison with 2024.
It represents the very best passenger-arrival whole within the port’s historical past, primarily based on the fiscal yr that ran from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025.
Miami is called the Cruise Capital of the World, nevertheless it has misplaced floor this yr to Port Canaveral, on Florida’s Area Coast (see subsequent information temporary under).
Nonetheless, PortMiami continues to be a world chief within the cruise business, with just about each cruise model crusing from its docks.
These deployments translate into round $61 billion in financial advantages to the area, supporting some 340,000 jobs associated to cruising. And whereas cruise arrivals proceed to extend, so does the port’s cargo enterprise, port officers be aware.
PortMiami presently is residence to fashionable ships corresponding to Royal Caribbean’s Surprise of the Seas, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel, and Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Conquest, amongst many others.
Port Canaveral Edges Out Miami in Visitor Arrivals
Congratulations to Port Canaveral, the rising port in Central Florida that has surpassed PortMiami because the busiest cruise port in North America.
The numbers are in: Port Canaveral recorded 8.6 million cruise visitor actions in 2025, inching previous PortMiami’s 8.5 million (see information temporary above).
Port Canaveral is residence to among the business’s greatest ships, together with Royal Caribbean’s 5,610-guest Star of the Seas and Disney Cruise Line’s 4,000-guest Disney Treasure.
Different cruise traces with a presence at Port Canaveral embrace Carnival Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Superstar Cruises.
The port’s 2025 numbers present a really respectable 13% improve over 2024’s totals, when it acquired 7.6 million passengers.
Port Canaveral is a homeport for 18 of the business’s hottest ships, however additionally it is a significant port of name, because the theme parks of Orlando are lower than an hour’s drive away.
Extra Cruise Headlines
Let’s preserve going with extra information! Cruise Hive has full protection of Carnival Cruise Line’s Celebration Key all spruced up for the vacations, MSC Cruises revealing extra particulars concerning the upcoming MSC World Asia, and Virgin Voyages rolling out a 30-day season cross to Alaska.
Additionally, Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess begins crusing from Port Canaveral, and France’s Senate approves a tax on cruise passengers.
Cruise Information Replace: Modified Plan, Overboard, Service Charges, and Extra
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