It’s time for one more thrilling version of Cruise Information Replace, delivered to you by Cruise Hive, the go-to supply for developments in cruising. This week we’ve got protection on Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Silversea Cruises, and the long-lasting SS United States ocean liner.
Cruise Information Replace
Keep knowledgeable on all the large cruise information tales at Cruise Hive, the place we’ve received the inside track on a Royal Caribbean crew member being arrested and charged with hiding cameras in staterooms, a lawsuit towards Carnival Cruise Line by a visitor who was injured by a donkey throughout a port name, the continued court docket case involving the SS United States ocean liner, Utopia of the Seas shifting up her launch date, a photo-op at sea delaying Silver Nova’s return to port, and Icon of the Seas rescuing migrants adrift on a raft.
Crew Member Charged in Hidden Digital camera Incident
A crew member employed as a cabin steward on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas was fired from his job and turned over to authorities after the cruise line realized he had allegedly been hiding cameras in a number of the staterooms he was liable for cleansing.
The 34-year-old Arvin Joseph Mirasol, a Philippine nationwide, was arrested on March 3, 2024, because the Oasis-class ship returned to her homeport of Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), and brought to Broward County Jail.
The arrest adopted a criticism by a visitor who discovered a digicam hidden in her cabin’s lavatory in the course of the ship’s 8-night South Caribbean cruise. Mirasol was instantly detained by ship officers.
Royal Caribbean alerted Homeland Safety, and authorities have been ready to arrest Mirasol when the ship docked in Florida. The suspect had been working aboard the 5,500-guest Symphony of the Seas since December 2023.
Mirasol, now dealing with federal expenses, reportedly confessed to authorities, and is charged with putting hidden cameras in a number of cabins and, on a number of events, hiding underneath the beds in some cabins whereas visitors have been within the bathe.
Royal Caribbean is cooperating with regulation enforcement officers within the case. One other hidden digicam incident occurred on the cruise line’s Concord of the Seas in Could 2023, when a visitor was arrested for allegedly putting one in a unisex lavatory onboard.
Visitor Sues Cruise Line After Donkey Kicks Him
A photograph-op with a donkey in Grand Turk changed into a medical emergency for a visitor crusing aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras, and now the visitor is suing the road for varied damages.
Florida resident Daniel Goldston was crusing along with his spouse on Mardi Gras when the ship referred to as at Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos. On the Grand Turk Cruise Port, a facility constructed and owned by Carnival Company, the cruise line’s dad or mum firm, Goldston posed for a photograph with a donkey, however the animal kicked and fractured the person’s proper knee.
The visitor filed a lawsuit on February 16, 2024 towards Carnival Cruise Line for compensatory damages, medical bills, misplaced earnings, and different, non-economic damages because of the damage and the a number of surgical procedures he has had because the incident.
Carnival, the go well with claims, was negligent. It additionally “failed to keep up and function the cruise terminal correctly and failed to put in warning indicators in regards to the animals and potential danger of hurt.”
Some commenters on social media are questioning Goldston’s actions, suggesting it was unwise to strategy an animal, or that maybe he provoked the donkey in a roundabout way.
There have been experiences of rising populations of untamed donkeys and stray canines impacting the customer expertise at Grand Turk, a vacation spot that in 2023 noticed a decline in profitability and customer support rankings.
Iconic Liner’s Destiny Hangs in Stability After Court docket Listening to
A call is looming over the destiny of the SS United States, a historic transatlantic ocean liner that entered service in 1952. For the final 30 years, the ship has been docked at Philadelphia’s Pier 82, however a dispute over unpaid docking and berth charges may spell bother for the long-lasting ship.
Cruise watchers are ready for a court docket resolution following a latest two-day case in federal court docket. The liner is owned by the SS United States Conservancy, a bunch now in litigation with pier proprietor Penn Warehousing and Distribution. In 2021 Penn doubled the ship’s berth rental charge to $1,700 per day, an motion that the conservancy says was applied with out negotiation or correct notification.
With excellent charges of greater than $730,000, it stays unclear whether or not the ship must be moved from its dock. The conservancy, for its half, is ready to maneuver the vessel if a brand new house could be organized. The ship may very well be renovated right into a tourism attraction with occasion house, lodging, and different options.
In a worst-case situation, the ship could be scrapped or reefed, which means it might be intentionally sunk to change into a man-made reef. There is no such thing as a indication how fas a court docket resolution may come.
In its heyday, SS United States operated scheduled transatlantic service and carried 1,928 visitors and 900 crew. She sailed for 17 years and broke data in crossing the Atlantic.
Utopia of the Seas to Sail Earlier Than Deliberate
It isn’t typically {that a} new cruise ship enters service earlier than her scheduled launch date, however that’s the case with Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas, the road’s sixth Oasis-class vessel.
Beneath building on the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, the ship was to sail her 4-night maiden voyage on July 22, 2024. However the cruise line has moved up the inaugural crusing to July 19, 2024. The brand new maiden cruise can be simply three nights.
Cruisers who’re booked on the unique departure have the choice of shifting their reserving to the brand new date. However the clock is ticking: The supply to change to the brand new departure date is legitimate solely till March 12, 2024. The 5,600-guest ship can be homeported in Port Canaveral, Florida.
Friends who transfer their reserving to the sooner cruise can be in the identical stateroom they initially selected, and can obtain a pro-rated, one-day refund of the cruise fare and any pre-paid packages.
Air journey booked via the road may have their flights modified, whereas compensation can be provided to those that booked air fare and/or motels independently.
Satirically, the information about Utopia of the Seas coming into service early adopted by only a few days the announcement that Royal Caribbean’s latest Icon-class vessel, Star of the Seas, can be delayed. Her first two cruises, set for August 2025, have been cancelled. The ship is underneath building on the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.
Picture Session at Sea Will Delay Ship’s Return to Port
The most recent ships from every of Royal Caribbean Group’s three manufacturers, Royal Caribbean, Celeb Cruises, and Silversea Cruises, may have an at-sea meet-up on March 13, 2024, giving the corporate the proper likelihood for a sensational photo-op.
Icon of the Seas, which launched in January 2024, Celeb Ascent, which entered service in November 2023, and Silver Nova, which debuted in August 2023, will all be crusing close by one another within the Caribbean and can come collectively for a drone pictures session.
Nevertheless, the rendezvous will influence Silver Nova’s return to port on March 15, 2024, making her arrival at Port Everglades 4 hours later than initially deliberate. The ship had been as a consequence of arrive at 7 a.m., however now will arrive at 11 a.m. This can have an effect on disembarkation and can doubtless imply that any visitors with early morning flights must reschedule their transport house.
The luxurious ship is crusing a 10-day voyage from Bridgetown, Barbados, to Port Everglades. Friends who booked airfare via Silversea may have their preparations modified by the road, and those that booked independently can be reimbursed for cheap prices, reminiscent of cancellation or different charges.
Icon of the Seas Rescues Migrants Stranded at Sea
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, spearheaded the rescue of 14 refugees discovered stranded in a raft off the coast of Honduras on March 3, 2024.
A lookout aboard the 5,600-guest ship, which had sailed from her homeport of PortMiami on a 7-night Western Caribbean voyage, noticed the watercraft. Icon of the Seas Captain Henrik Loy and his crew instantly launched a rescue operation, as required by the Worldwide Conference for the Security of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
The refugees had been stranded on the raft for eight days and have been in want of medical consideration as soon as they boarded the mega-ship. The ship’s crew offered medical help and helped to stabilize the group’s situation whereas collaborating with the US Coast Guard.
The ship transported the refugees to her subsequent port of name, Roatan, Honduras, and turned the migrants over to the Service provider Navy of Honduras.
Rescue operations involving migrants have gotten extra frequent. In February 2024, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Celebration assisted 20 Cuban refugees in a ship within the Florida Straits, and in January 2024, Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Girl rescued 18 Cuban migrants from their sinking boat within the Caribbean.
Extra Cruise Headlines
Cruise Hive has much more information you gained’t wish to miss. Try our tales about one other Carnival Cruise Line ship including the favored Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge, Fred. Olsen Cruise Line prohibiting smoking on ship balconies, New York Metropolis setting a mandate for shoreside energy connections, Virgin Voyages inviting distant staff on a monthlong cruise, and Holland America Line rolling out a spring sale.
