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In this week’s news round-up, we have coverage of Royal Caribbean starting construction of its fifth Icon-class ship, thousands of local residents signing a petition to stop a new cruise terminal from being built in Tampa, Florida, and Mexico banning tourists, including cruisers, from bringing vaping devices into the country.
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High Winds Snap Ship’s Lines at Port Canaveral
Guests in the process of embarking Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Prima at Port Canaveral on January 18, 2026, heard an unusual announcement over the public address system: “Code Echo!”
It meant that the 143,535-gross-ton ship was drifting away from her berth at Cruise Terminal 5. Turned out that strong and sudden wind gusts clocked at up to 48 miles per hour had caused the lines holding the ship in place to snap.
The incident happened at around 2 p.m., as passengers were boarding Norwegian Prima for a 7-night Caribbean vacation. Winds had kicked up earlier that day, first to 20 miles per hour, then rising to a steady 30 to 35 miles per hour as a cold front impacted the port area.
Two tugboats were positioned to hold the ship in place while crew members worked to attach new lines to the vessel.
Code Echo is the emergency phrase used to alert crew members to operational challenges due to high winds. In this case, the 3,195-guest ship was never completely detached from the pier, and there were no injuries.
The odd event did not impact the ship’s departure either.
Getaway Cruise in Southeast Asia Ends in Tragedy
Officials in Singapore are investigating the death of a man found on Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas on January 19, 2026.
The 4,180-guest ship had returned to her homeport at Singapore’s Marina Bay Cruise Terminal when the 27-year-old was discovered. The ship had been sailing a 3-night getaway cruise to Penang Island, Malaysia.
It is not known whether the man was a guest or crew member, and foul play was not suspected. No cause of death was revealed, and the investigation is ongoing, local media reported.
The dead man’s identity also has not been disclosed. The sad event unfolded before 6 a.m., when a response team was dispatched to a guest cabin. The man was pronounced dead by the ship’s doctor.
Reports do not confirm that the tragedy happened on Ovation of the Seas, but the Quantum-class ship was the only cruise ship docked at the terminal that day.
The discovery of the dead man caused a three-hour delay in debarkation.
Warning to Cruisers: New Law Forbids Vaping in Mexico
Attention all Mexico-bound cruisers who vape: Don’t bring your vaping device or any other kind of e-cigarette onshore. Those who do will risk a heavy fine or even a prison sentence.
That’s the word from authorities in Mexico, where a new law took effect on January 17, 2026, prohibiting the importation, sale, and distribution of the devices.
The law expands a smoking ban that began in 2023 and makes smoking and vaping in all indoor and outdoor public places illegal. It applies to beaches and parks — destinations frequented on cruise ship shore excursions.
The law does not apply to using a vaping or other e-cigarette device onboard a cruise ship docked at a Mexican port, but once a guest steps ashore with one, he or she has technically “imported” the device.
Any cruise guest found to be in possession of a device on land in Mexico could face fines up to $12,500 and a jail term of up to eight years.
First Steel Is Cut For Royal Caribbean’s Icon 5
The first piece of steel was cut for Royal Caribbean’s fifth Icon-class ship at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, signaling the official start of hull construction.
The event on January 19, 2026 drew officials from the cruise line and its parent company, Royal Caribbean Group, along with shipyard representatives and others involved in the vessel’s building.
The ship, still unnamed and known as Icon 5, will join Icon of the Seas, which debuted in 2024, Star of the Seas, which launched in 2025, and Legend of the Seas, due to enter service in summer 2026. Icon 4 is also under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard and slated to launch in 2027.
The Icon-class ships weigh 248,663 gross tons and accommodate 5,610 guests in double capacity.
While the steel cutting marks the formal beginning of construction, the next big milestone will be the keel laying of Icon 5.
During that event, which happens roughly a year after the steel cutting, the ship’s keel will be placed, often laid on top of a plaque or a set of coins meant to bring the ship good luck.
Icon 5 is scheduled to be delivered to Royal Caribbean in summer 2028.
Man Jumps Overboard on South Pacific Cruise
A 66-year-old man aboard the luxury line Windstar Cruises’ Star Breeze jumped overboard as the ship sailed in the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia.
The guest, an American, apparently had an argument with his wife before jumping off the ship around 2 a.m. on January 19, 2026.
Crew members conducted a ship-wide search when the man was reported missing, and the ship doubled back on its route to try and locate the guest. The French Navy was notified and joined the search, which included patrol boats and aircraft.
The 312-guest ship is sailing a 14-night voyage that departed Papeete, Tahiti, on January 15, 2026. The itinerary includes several destinations across French Polynesia.
Details of the incident are scarce, and the man’s identity has not been revealed while the investigation continues.
The man went overboard about 70 miles off Fatu Hiva Island, where water temperatures at this time of year are in the mid-80s Fahrenheit — warm enough for someone to survive for a few days, depending on their physical condition and swimming ability.
The ship’s itinerary has not been impacted by the tragedy.
Thousands Oppose New Port at Tampa
Local residents in the Tampa, Florida, area are taking steps to prevent a new cruise port from being built that would enable larger ships to sail from the Gulf Coast port.
Some 6,000 signatures have so far appeared on a Change.org petition aimed at stopping city officials from green-lighting the proposal. While no firm plans have been approved, the proposal indicates the port would be developed on 328 acres next to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
The bridge is a hindrance to large cruise ships trying to reach existing Port Tampa Bay due to its low height, but a new port on the seaward side of the bridge would enable bigger ships, such as those in Royal Caribbean’s Icon class, Carnival Cruise Line’s Excel class, and MSC Cruises’ World class, to visit or homeport at Tampa.
Concerned residents say a new terminal that allows mega-ships to call would threaten the area’s ecosystem and wildlife, add traffic to the city’s already overcrowded roads, and conflict with the character of Tampa.
China-Japan Impasse Causes More Port Changes
The diplomatic impasse affecting travel from China to Japan continues, and itineraries operated by Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas are again being altered.
The ongoing dispute, in which China’s Foreign Ministry recently urged travelers to avoid Japan, prompted the 4,246-guest ship to cancel additional port visits to the country.
Spectrum of the Seas is based in Shanghai, China, and has scheduled sailings to several Japanese ports on her 4- and 5-night cruises. The cruise line is notifying booked guests that several calls in Japan are being cancelled.
The revised itineraries mostly impact sailings between May 2026 and April 2027. Destinations being pulled from the itineraries include Okinawa, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, and Kumamoto.
In place of these destinations, the ship will visit ports such as Busan, Jeju, Seoul, and Yeosu, South Korea. The cruise line began altering the ship’s itineraries in December 2025, when tensions escalated.
More Cruise Headlines
Let’s keep going with even more important news stories from Cruise Hive, including Norwegian Cruise Line unveiling plans to broadcast all FIFA World Cup 26 matches on its ships, Los Angeles planning to build a new cruise terminal, and a Carnival Cruise Line ship becoming the brand’s first to call at North African ports.
Also, check out a handy new feature on Cruise Hive that enables you to see whether a cruise line’s drinks package is worth its cost and learn why cruise tourism is booming in the Big Easy.
Cruise News Update: High Winds, New Icon Ship, Port Changes, and More
