Did you miss any of the big cruise news stories this week? No worries, Cruise Hive has you covered with our weekly recap. Some of the top developments we covered this week included the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Royal Caribbean’s new Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, a four-ship order from MSC Cruises, and Carnival Cruise Line detailing its 2026 adult-only cruises.
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Guest Rants About Lack of Netflix on Carnival Ship
Some cruisers unplug during their holiday-at-sea and spend time outdoors in nature rather than watching a screen, like a TV, phone or iPad. But not everyone.
One Carnival Cruise Line guest who is booked to sail on Carnival Panorama’s holiday voyage to the Mexican Riviera is angry that he won’t be able to watch the final episodes of the Netflix hit “Stranger Things,” since the ship doesn’t offer access to that network.
The 8-night cruise begins on December 20 and continues to December 28, 2025. The next four episodes of season five will debut on Christmas Day, and the two-hour series finale will be shown on New Year’s Eve.
The guest reached out to cruise line brand ambassador John Heald on his Facebook page, fuming about the situation and claiming that the line was ruining Christmas.
Heald had a good answer: While the ship does not provide access to Netflix, the guest can buy a Premium Internet plan just for Christmas Day and stream the show on their phone or iPad. Or, he noted, the cruiser can wait until he returns home to view the episodes.
MSC Cruises Orders Ships For New Frontier Class
MSC Cruises isn’t letting any grass grow under its feet. The cruise line, which currently has several World-class ships in the construction pipeline, announced it has ordered four more ships that will form another class, called New Frontier.
All of the new-builds will be constructed by Meyer Werft in Germany. The announcement came on December 15, 2025 at an event in Berlin.
The order includes options for two additional ships, bringing the total of the new class to as many as six.
The new ships will be roughly 180,000 gross tons — not as large as the World-class vessels, which are around 216,000 gross tons. The New Frontier ships will have capacity for about 5,400 guests, about the same as Carnival Cruise Line’s Excel-class, for comparison’s sake.
MSC Cruises noted that the new class will feature next-generation environmental technologies, helping the line reach its net-zero 2050 commitment. The new-builds will begin to enter service in 2030.
Disney Adventure Officially Joins Disney Fleet
It’s the largest ship in the fleet and now it has been delivered to Disney Cruise Line. We’re talking about Disney Adventure, of course, which will operate roundtrip from Singapore for at least the next five years.
Set to begin sailing in March 2026, the ship can accommodate up to 6,700 guests at full capacity. Her deployment to Singapore represents the cruise line’s first major commitment to the Asia market.
Apparently, the cruise line believes there are scores of Disney fans in and around Singapore, since all of the 3- and 4-night getaway voyages are cruises to nowhere — the ship is the star of the show.
Disney Adventure offers seven themed areas: Disney Imagination Garden, Disney Discovery Reef, San Fransokyo Street, Wayfinder Bay, Town Square, Marvel Landing, and Toy Story Place. The ship has 20-plus dining venues and lounges, and a wide range of cabin categories.
Set to deploy to the Marina Bay Cruise Centre, Disney Adventure began life as Global Dream, a ship ordered by Dream Cruises before its parent firm, Genting Hong Kong, failed in 2022.
Disney Cruise Line bought the partially built vessel and completed her construction at a Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.
Carnival Cruise Line Details More Adult-Only Sailings
Carnival Cruise Line’s adult-only cruises, which were introduced in mid-2025, apparently are a big hit. The line has revealed details for 2026 SEA voyages — Sailings Exclusively for Adults, that include some transatlantic repositioning cruises.
These are ideal for the SEA experience, since transatlantics don’t typically attract many families with kids anyway. But there are others, too.
For instance, Carnival Paradise will sail a SEA voyage from Tampa, Florida, on April 13, 2026, with calls to Key West, Grand Turk, Amber Cove, Montego Bay, and Grand Cayman.
The transatlantic crossings are Carnival Dream’s cruise leaving from Galveston on February 16, 2026, and Carnival Glory’s March 10, 2026 cruise from Port Canaveral. Both are 15-night sailings that conclude in Barcelona.
All of the 2026 SEA cruises are expected to be in high demand. Guests can sign up for email alerts as new voyages are added to the line-up. SEA cruises are offered to passengers aged 21 and older.
Ship Leaves Port a Day Late Due to IT Glitch
Departure day for Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Firenze on December 15, 2025, turned out to be a frustrating one for guests and crew, thanks to a massive computer meltdown that caused the ship to remain in port for a full day.
It happened as guests were embarking the ship at Long Beach, California, for a 6-night Mexican Riviera cruise. Somehow, the technology glitch caused all booking information and other key data to be temporarily lost.
The IT problem eventually was fixed, and Carnival Firenze, one of the line’s two Fun Italian-Style ships, finally left port around 1:30 p.m. on December 16, 2025. The delay caused the itinerary to be revised, with the cancellation of a port call at Ensenada.
The 4,232-guest ship was to call there after spending an overnight at Cabo San Lucas. In the end, the ship only visited Cabo for the overnight call, then returned to Long Beach. Each stateroom received a $100 onboard credit to ease guests’ disappointment.
Some guests criticized the line in social media posts, but some commenters noted that they weren’t missing much in Ensenada anyway.
First Royal Beach Club Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
As promised, Royal Caribbean Group held ribbon-cutting ceremonies at its Royal Beach Club Paradise Island on December 13, 2025, and will begin to welcome cruise guests to the Bahamas destination on December 23, 2025.
More than 100 local government officials, Royal Caribbean Group representatives, and other VIPs attended the event. Construction began in April 2024, with input and collaboration with Bahamian artists and other local people.
The 17-acre exclusive destination just minutes from the Port of Nassau offers a shoreside experience featuring two beaches, three restaurants, multiple pools, a massive swim-up bar, private cabanas, and live music entertainment.
It will, however, cost you, as admission for kids and adults is not included in the cruise fare. Day passes start at about $170 per adult and rise to $250-plus, based on the amenities the guest chooses. Daybeds and cabana rentals cost extra.
Children under age 3 pay no admission.
Radiance of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas will call at Nassau on opening day, so passengers on those ships will be the first to officially visit the destination.
‘Flying Scotsman’ Returning to Cruise Industry
Back in August 2024, Chris “The Flying Scotsman” Williams announced his retirement from Carnival Cruise Line, where he served as a cruise director and then a fleet cruise director. Plenty of folks were sad to hear he was leaving, since he was a longtime favorite onboard various ships.
But now, he’s coming back — not as a cruise director but as a musical entertainer. Williams recently began mentioning his plans on his YouTube channel and Facebook page, saying that, while he loves spending more time with his family, he is now a fly-on entertainer for various cruise lines, including Carnival.
He will, for instance, join Carnival Legend’s cruises in June and August, as the ship sails in Europe. He is definitely booked for June 7 to 10 and August 9 to 13, 2026, and there may be more performances coming.
Williams is not limiting himself to Carnival Cruise Line ships. He will also perform on Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Balmoral in January 2026, and will appear on Ambassador Cruise Lines as well.
So, welcome back to “The Flying Scotsman!”
More Cruise Headlines
OK, you’re all caught up with the top stories, but let’s keep going with even more cruise news, such as Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Viva launching cruises from Galveston, Texas, Royal Caribbean Group joining a redevelopment plan for a St. Thomas cruise port, and MSC Cruises’ unveiling its 2028 World Cruise.
Also, Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess returns to Singapore and Carnival Cruise Line welcomes its 1 millionth visitor to Celebration Key.
Cruise News Update: New Ships, IT Glitch, Guest Rant, and More
