It has been a loopy yr for cruise information, however which tales are the craziest? We’ve got compiled our High 10 listing of cruise information tales for 2023, from pier runners to surprising onboard floods to port limits and extra.
Counting Down the Yr’s High Cruise Information Tales
Lots of elements go into whether or not or not a information story is a high favourite, from timing to uniqueness to general recognition. In 2023, Cruise Hive introduced you nicely over 1,700 cruise information tales, from info and bulletins about new ships, to itinerary modifications, to ship injury, to storm updates. Counting down the highest 10 tales all year long as considered by Cruise Hive readers brings us…
#10 – One other Cruise Vacation spot to Restrict Cruise Ship Arrivals
In a pattern growing at many locations, the Orkney Islands on the northern coast of Scotland started contemplating implementing restrictions on cruise ship arrivals in August.
Whereas native residents and companies don’t wish to fully ban ships, frequent visits of bigger vessels could be overwhelming to the principle port within the area, Kirkwall, which has a inhabitants of simply over 10,000 residents. On some days in the course of the busy 2023 season, Kirkwall noticed as many as 7,000 cruise ship company or extra visiting in a single day.
Greater than 230 cruise ship visits had been scheduled to the area throughout 2023, and whereas the estimated £15 million enhance to the financial system is welcome, you will need to stability the wants of residents together with welcoming company.
#9 – Warning Issued for Standard Caribbean Cruise Vacation spot
Journey advisories are widespread to many areas, however an elevated warning degree for Jamaica in Might advising vacationers to rethink visiting the island nation raised eyebrows for cruise company. Crimes corresponding to armed theft, sexual assault, and homicides had been cited as causes for the raised alert degree, together with ineffective police response.
Jamaica is the sixth hottest Caribbean cruise vacation spot general, with many superb actions for company to take pleasure in. Happily, no cruise strains dramatically revised their itinerary plans to exclude Jamaica, although the nation has remained at a Stage 3: Rethink Journey alert degree a minimum of by way of the tip of 2023.
Cruise company are all the time inspired to discover ports of name by way of shore excursions, which cruise strains choose based mostly on security data and reliability. Tour operators by way of cruise line excursions keep in touch with every ship, and may advise the ship if there are delays or different difficulties with an tour, making certain that company don’t miss the ship if their tour is late.
#8 – Cruise Couple Receives Broken Cabin on Royal Caribbean Ship
Each cruise visitor is aware of what to anticipate after they first attain their stateroom on embarkation day – a neatly made mattress, contemporary towels, maybe even a welcome letter or goodies relying on the stateroom sort and passenger presents for loyalty or repeat cruising.
One couple on Attract of the Seas received a most disagreeable shock for his or her cruise in mid-November, nevertheless, when their stateroom was torn up and confirmed apparent water injury, with mattresses upended, carpeting lacking, a foul odor, and industrial followers blowing.
After a number of hours of frustration, the couple discovered their assigned stateroom had been broken on the earlier cruise. Whereas that they had been assigned to a unique cabin on the final minute, a miscommunication with check-in employees meant that reality was not mirrored on their boarding passes. The couple was supplied $300 of onboard credit score for his or her inconvenience.
#7 – Carnival Confirms Documentation Necessities After Rumors
Carnival Cruise Line has handled many rumors by way of 2023, together with if all company could be required to have passports starting in 2024, even when crusing from US homeports on closed-loop cruises, the place passports have by no means been required. This rumor brought on a social media furor in late April and early Might, till the cruise line’s model ambassador, John Heald, put the rumor to relaxation.
“There aren’t any necessities from us {that a} passport will likely be wanted subsequent yr besides on particular cruises to locations in Europe and different particular places,” Heald mentioned.
As a result of company with out correct documentation should not permitted to embark their cruise ship, rumors of this kind could be very worrying till cruise line authorities are capable of debunk them. In fact, these rumors do hold resurfacing as documentation necessities can all the time be modified, giving contemporary life to the rumor.
#6 – Cruise Passenger Criticized After Casually Arriving Late to Ship
Pier runners – these company who’re arriving again to the ship simply moments earlier than (or after!) the return time and could also be left behind on the dock because the ship pulls away – could be a controversial topic for vacationers. None has been extra controversial than a visitor returning 45 minutes late to Carnival Vista in July, nevertheless.
Whereas being late does occur, it’s the informal, nonchalant approach this specific passenger strolled again to the ship in that raised the ire of many company. The incident occurred in Cozumel, Mexico, a vacation spot well-known for pier runners. Most tardy company a minimum of appear to be speeding, however this lady appeared fully comfy with making everybody else wait.
Carnival Vista can welcome 3,934 passengers aboard directly, and it actually didn’t sit nicely with company on this specific cruise that the late lady appeared to point out no regret for her tardiness. It isn’t recognized why the ship was capable of look forward to her, or certainly if the ship remaining in port till she returned was merely coincidental to the ship’s schedule.
#5 – Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Experiences Uncommon Water Incident
The swimming pools, sizzling tubs, thermal spas, splash pads, and different water options onboard cruise ships are all the time in style with company, however nobody onboard Concord of the Seas in January anticipated a 6-deck waterfall to instantly seem from Deck 15 all the way down to Central Park on Deck 8 (the ship doesn’t have a Deck 13).
Dramatically captured on video, the waterfall was a results of an overflowing pool after the ship had an emergency course correction to keep away from a small refugee craft within the Straits of Florida. The abrupt flip brought on the overflow, and the water had nowhere to go however down.
The ensuing flood was rapidly cleaned up by diligent crew members, with no accidents reported and no lasting injury to the vessel, although some Central Park crops could have been broken by the deluge. A majority of these maneuvers could be startling, however are fully protected and designed to guard smaller craft in addition to the bigger cruise ship.
#4 – Passenger Captured Fishing From Carnival Cruise Ship Balcony
Fishing is a well-liked choice for a lot of shore excursions within the Caribbean, however two company aboard a Carnival cruise ship docked in Nassau tried fishing from their stateroom balcony in a blatant disregard for native legal guidelines and cruise line insurance policies. A video of the stunt went viral when it was posted in April, and the company had been recognized and later banned from Carnival Cruise Line for all times.
The ship the company had been on was by no means confirmed, however a blue Carnival Sail-and-Signal card is clearly seen within the video, indicating that the incident undoubtedly happened aboard a Carnival ship. The colour of the cardboard signifies the crusing is the primary for that visitor – and with the ban, additionally the final crusing they are going to ever take with the cruise line.
Carnival Cruise Line does allow company to convey fishing rods aboard, however just for use off the ship in an applicable port of name with applicable permits. No pole was used on this incident, only a spool of line and hook.
#3 – Carnival Cruise Cancels All Ports, Now Cruising to Nowhere
Cruise vacationers are accustomed to the occasional itinerary change or port alteration, significantly when dangerous climate performs a job. What’s uncommon, nevertheless, is when a cruise should cancel all ports of name, even an alternate that was organized for the unique cancellation, as a result of poor climate is so widespread that there merely isn’t anywhere left to go.
That is precisely what occurred to Carnival Freedom in mid-December, when the ship needed to sail a cruise to nowhere as an alternative of the deliberate Bahamas itinerary. An enormous storm system impacted a number of ships at the moment for a number of days, however Carnival Freedom‘s fully cancelled itinerary – although the ship nonetheless set sail – was excessive.
Friends had been generously compensated for the modifications, nevertheless, with $200 of onboard credit score per stateroom in addition to a 50% future cruise credit score based mostly on the cruise fare, so they might go to ports of name on one other Carnival cruise trip sooner or later.
#2 – One other Metropolis Is Getting Fed Up With Cruise Ships
Persevering with the pattern of various locations having rising issues about cruise ship visits, residents of Istanbul, Turkey expressed additional discontent with ship disruptions in early September. Whereas many locals don’t thoughts the numbers of tourists basically, it’s the general measurement of the ships that block harbor views and horn blasts that shatter peaceable quiet that may be a better irritant.
Most attention-grabbing is that the Galataport cruise terminal is underground, and due to this fact the terminal’s personal affect on the harbor is extra minimal than typical. In fact, cruise ships can’t be hid and nonetheless current unavoidable disruptions.
As Istanbul is a well-liked port of name and cruise homeport within the japanese Mediterranean, will probably be curious to see whether or not this ongoing discontent grows in 2024 and past, and whether or not or not restrictions on ship noise or measurement could also be carried out.
#1 – Carnival Cruise Ship to Depart Port Early, Friends Urged to Return
When dangerous climate threatens a cruise port, it is not uncommon for ships to vary itineraries to keep away from the port. In mid-August, nevertheless, Carnival Satisfaction discovered itself already docked in Cork, Eire, when extreme climate struck, forcing the ship to recall company with a view to depart earlier than deliberate.
The ship’s go to to the port was reduce quick by two hours, with a number of strategies used to contact company off the ship – together with textual content messages, social media, the Carnival Hub App, and contacting tour operators.
On the time the choice was made to depart, wind speeds had been anticipated to rise as excessive as 28 miles per hour (45 kilometers per hour), with gusts doubtlessly as excessive as 45-50 mph (72-80 kph), very harmful circumstances for a docked cruise ship when mooring ropes may break or gangways might shift or collapse. Localized flooding was additionally anticipated within the area.
Which cruise information story caught your consideration essentially the most this yr? Keep tuned all through 2024 as Cruise Hive brings you all of the breaking information, headlines, updates, bulletins, and extra masking the cruise business!
