Cruise Hive’s weekly news roundup is a great way to stay informed on the major developments across the cruise industry. Highlights in this edition include coverage of a maritime strike that prevented an MSC Cruises’ ship from docking in Marseille, France; strong winds causing a Celebrity Cruises’ ship to miss the only two port calls on her itinerary; and Carnival Cruise Line announcing an increase in its crew gratuity charge.
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Cruising is Booming in the Bahamas
For the third consecutive year, the Nassau Cruise Port set a new record in cruise arrivals, reaching 6.1 million. That’s nearly half of all visitors to the Bahamas, which totals 12.5 million tourists.
The record-high cruise arrival number makes Nassau the world’s busiest transit cruise port, as it received roughly 1,600 ship calls.
The 2025 number reflects a 9.5% hike over 2024, when the destination received 5.6 million cruise guests from 1,445 ship calls. In 2023, cruise arrivals totaled 4.4 million.
Confident in the port’s growth pattern, port officials have invested $300 million in upgrades over the past few years. These included six additional, and larger, berths that can accommodate the industry’s largest ships — Royal Caribbean’s Icon class.
The port also reached a new milestone in 2025 in terms of daily passengers. On April 8, 2025, 31,011 cruise passengers arrived in Nassau on five ships: Liberty of the Seas, Utopia of the Seas, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Celebration, and Disney Dream.
Weather Front Turns Voyage Into Cruise to Nowhere
A three-night weekend getaway cruise aboard Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Reflection was scheduled to make two port calls — to Key West and Bimini, Bahamas.
But the voyage turned out to be a cruise to nowhere, when high winds from an advancing weather front forced the ship to cancel both calls. The ship departed from Port Everglades on January 30, 2026, and was to call at Key West the next day.
Winds of 15-20 miles per hour throughout the day and gusts up to 33 miles per hour were predicted at the time Celebrity Reflection would have been docked. That’s a lot of pressure on mooring lines, and could create unsafe disembarkation via gangways.
Meanwhile, the Port of Bimini shut down due to high winds, so that call was impossible to make, too.
It was a disappointment for guests; however, a ship captain’s first priority is always the safety of guests and crew onboard.
The 3,046-guest Celebrity Reflection, a Solstice-class ship, has plenty of onboard delights, such as the Lawn Club outdoor recreation area, several specialty restaurants, and the AquaSpa, offering more than 100 wellness treatments.
Carnival Cruise Line Hikes Crew Gratuities By $1
For the first time in three years, Carnival Cruise Line is raising its crew gratuity rate, effective on April 2, 2026.
The new rate for guests in standard staterooms will be $17 per person per day, and $19 for those in suites. The increases reflect a $1 rise in each category, and works out to a 6.25% hike for standard stateroom guests and a 5.55% increase for suite guests.
Also, the line is raising the cost of its Bottomless Bubbles soda package, from $9.50 per person per day to $11.99. Guests will still pay a 20% service charge on each soda order.
Guests are invited to pre-pay the gratuities or the soda package on any booked cruise before April 2, effective on the day of departure, locking in the lower rate no matter their departure date.
Cruise lines typically raise gratuity rates every few years. This week also saw an increase in gratuities at Margaritaville at Sea, which raised its rate to $22 per person per day, regardless of accommodation category. It also enacted a policy change that prohibits guests from adjusting or removing crew gratuities from their onboard accounts.
Maritime Strike Disrupts MSC Cruises’ Ship
Unionized maritime workers in Marseille, France, organized a strike at the destination’s port on February 2, 2026, an action that prevented MSC Cruises’ MSC Orchestra from docking there to embark and disembark guests.
The French Riviera port is one of multiple embarkation/disembarkation ports for the 3,223-guest ship, which is sailing a series of 7-night Mediterranean cruises.
The protest had been planned; the Fédération Nationale des Syndicats Maritimes Union had filed a strike notice for February 2 and 3. Local media reported that the demonstrators blocked access to the port.
The ship waited several hours for the protest to end, but ultimately left the region. The ship departed from Valencia, Spain, on January 31, 2026, and Marseille was the second call, after Barcelona. Genoa, Livorno, and Rome, Italy, were next on the itinerary, before the ship returns to Valencia on February 7, 2026.
Guests left behind in Marseille posted on social media that the cruise line was hosting them that night at a hotel and would bus them to the next port call, Genoa, where they could embark.
It is likely that similar plans were made for the guests who were to debark in Marseille.
Spa Sales Pitch Angers Royal Caribbean Guest
Most cruisers who have experienced a spa treatment on a cruise ship know that, sometimes, a spa representative will try to squeeze more money out of a guest by attempting to upsell a treatment or sell related products.
It recently happened to one Royal Caribbean guest, who posted on social media about what turned out to be a very frustrating experience.
The passenger described a 20- to 30-minute sales pitch they were subjected to when they arrived for their scheduled massage. So intense was the experience that the guest became angry and left the spa before the $200 massage even started.
They demanded and received a refund, but that wasn’t enough. They also went to the guest services desk and, after complaining about the incident, demanded a refund of all pre-paid amenities and excursions.
Guest services staff complied. The passenger’s tale went viral on social media, with other cruisers relating similar experiences.
Depending on the cruise line, some spa workers are employed by the spa vendor, not the cruise line, and are sometimes, unfortunately, under pressure from the vendor to upsell products.
Cruising? Bring Your Own Umbrella
No one likes to think about a rainy day spoiling part of a cruise vacation, but it does happen from time to time.
One Carnival Cruise Line guest reached out to brand ambassador John Heald, asking whether they should bring their own umbrella or will crew make them available if needed. If not, asked the guest, why not?
Heald, who interacts with guests on his popular Facebook page, replied that no, the cruise line does not provide umbrellas. First, they would need thousands of them on each ship — nearly 95,000 fleetwide, and some would likely not be returned at the end of a sailing.
The exchange prompted other guests to chime in, and some suggested that plastic ponchos were a better idea than umbrellas, which can break in the wind or blow overboard from open decks.
Guests are welcome to pack their own umbrellas — the item is not listed as a prohibited item. Small, compact umbrellas don’t take up much room in a suitcase.
While cruisers sailing in the Caribbean or other tropical regions expect and hope for warm, dry, sunny days, it’s always possible that a weather pattern will bring showers. Best to be prepared.
‘Beetlejuice’ to Depart From Norwegian Viva
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Viva has presented the Broadway-style show “Beetlejuice: The Musical” for more than two-and-a-half years, but the run is ending.
The 90-minute musical, about a dead couple who haunt their country estate, is shown on the ship’s entertainment notes as having its final performance on the March 21, 2026, cruise. No formal announcement has been made.
The move follows the news that another show, “Jersey Boys,” is ending its run on Norwegian Bliss after that ship’s February 8, 2026, cruise.
Norwegian Viva is based in Galveston, Texas. Her March 21 cruise is a 7-night Western Caribbean sailing calling at Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico; Harvest Caye, Belize; and Roatan, Honduras.
The ship’s entertainment notes also indicate that two new productions will soon be offered.
“Motor City Moves,” featuring “Detroit’s iconic sound,” will be performed during the ship’s first seasonal Mediterranean sailing, departing April 29, 2026, from Barcelona. Later in the season, “Burn the Floor” will be performed. It’s a ballroom dance ensemble.
Other entertainment options aboard Norwegian Viva include the game shows “Deal or No Deal,” “The Price Is Right,” and “Wheel of Fortune,” along with comedy shows and other musical events.
More Cruise Headlines
Now that you’ve read the news recap, Cruise Hive has even more coverage from the past week, including two Cunard ships meeting up for a rendezvous in California, Holland America Line rolling out new Pacific Coast and Hawaii voyages, and Carnival Cruise Line announcing it will base two ships in Baltimore in 2027-28.
Also, Royal Caribbean offers lucrative compensation to lure guests away from an overbooked cruise, and damage from storms causes a temporary closure of the Great Stirrup Cay private destination.
Cruise News Update: Weather Impact, Cancelled Show, Price Increases, and More
