Cruise News Update: Carnival Ship Repairs, Cruise Package and More (2024)

Let’s get down to business with this week’s recap of the biggest cruise headlines from Cruise Hive, the go-to source for cruise industry news. Read on for stories from Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and Disney Cruise Line.

Cruise News Update

You know you can count on Cruise Hive to deliver all of the top cruise developments from around the globe. In this week’s update, we have coverage about Carnival Vista getting repairs to her propulsion system; Princess Cruises boosting its Premier package perks; a Carnival Cruise Line guest using a luggage mat in a novel way; Disney Cruise Line ordering four new ships; a crew member reported missing from Carnival Dream; and an irate cruise guest criticizing the rubber duck hide-and-seek game.

Repairs Planned to Fix Carnival Vista’s Propulsion Issue

Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Vista continues to experience problems with her propulsion system, but a new plan to resolve the issue is in the works.

The 4,000-guest ship, which launched in 2015 as the first in the line’s Vista class, will undergo repairs following arrival at her homeport of Port Canaveral on Sunday, August 18, 2024. Carnival Vista is currently sailing an 8-day Southern Caribbean cruise that departed on August 10, 2024.

The ship is due to arrive at Port Canaveral before dawn, and engineers and technical crew will get to work on the problem.

The ship is scheduled to depart that day on a 6-night Caribbean sailing, although later than originally planned. Guests have been notified that repairs will be underway and that there will be a late departure but were instructed to arrive at their previously scheduled embarkation time.

Carnival Vista’s latest propulsion issues surfaced during her August 4, 2024 voyage, causing the ship’s arrival back at port to be slightly delayed. The following voyage, an 8-night Southern Caribbean cruise, was more seriously affected when the itinerary was changed to a Bahamas routing to accommodate repairs.

The vessel’s history of propulsion problems dates back to 2016. The difficulties prompted an emergency dry dock in 2019, when repairs were made, but problems continued in 2022 as well. The ship was built by the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.

Princess Cruises’ Premier Package Vastly Expands Perks

Princess Cruises unveiled some big changes to its Princess Premier package, which will soon provide unlimited daily beverages up to $20 per drink, unlimited specialty restaurant dining, and unlimited MedallionNet Max Wi-Fi.

The upgrades make the package more all-inclusive than it had been, at a cost of $10 more per person, per day.

The new package price is $90 per person, per day, and is available for sale on voyages with departure dates on and after August 31, 2024. Guests who already booked the package can upgrade to the new one.

The upgraded Premier plan is a big improvement over the former package, which provided only two nights of specialty dining, MedallionNet 2.0 with Starlink and 5G limited to four devices, drinks up to $18 each, a digital photo package, and several amenities from the lower-cost Princess Plus package.

Here’s the roll-out schedule: Enchanted Princess onAugust 31; Majestic Princess and Sky Princess onSeptember 1; Crown Princess onSeptember 2; Ruby Princess on September 3; Grand Princess onSeptember 4; Emerald Princess, Discovery Princess, and Sun Princess onSeptember 7; Caribbean Princess and Regal Princess onSeptember 12; Royal Princess and Sapphire Princess onSeptember 14; Island Princess onSeptember 25; Diamond Princess onSeptember 26, and Coral Princess onOctober 17.

The cost of the Premier package, now at $630 for a weeklong cruise, reflects up to 70% savings versus buying individual service packages for drinks, specialty dining, and WiFi, according to the cruise line.

Photo of Cruiser Wrapped in Fun Ship Luggage Mat Goes Viral

A Carnival Cruise Line guest found a novel use for the protective luggage mat the line uses in its cabins. The unidentified cruiser was photographed wrapped in the mat at an airport lounge — as if it were a blanket, presumably waiting to board her flight home.

The mats, emblazoned with words “Unpack” and “Choose Fun,” in the line’s bright blue and white color scheme, are typically used by cabin stewards as protective bed covers where guests can lay their luggage for unpacking purposes.

After the airport photo was posted online and went viral, a series of humorous memes and other images depicted other funny uses for the mat, such as sun shades for cars, pool towels, and cowboy chaps.

Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald joined in the fun on his Facebook page, posting, “If you get a bit chilly at the airport, you can always wrap your legs in one of these lovely blankets. Oh FFS. And yes, we have charged this person for taking it.”

His post sparked more than 1,000 comments and was shared about 100 times. He didn’t disclose how much the cruise line charged the guest who swiped the mat.

Like other cruise lines, Carnival holds a set amount on each guest’s credit card to prevent any onboard expense problems and to offset any damage a guest might cause. In this case, some commenters suggested that the woman who took the mat might have thought it was a gift from the cruise line.

Disney Cruise Line Places Big Order With Meyer Werft

By 2031, the Disney Cruise Line fleet will be more than double the size it is today, thanks to a new order for four ships placed with the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.

The cruise line currently has five ships sailing — Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy,Disney Magic,Disney Wish,and Disney Wonder — and four in various stages of construction or development. These include Disney Treasure, Disney Adventure, Disney Destiny, and one yet to be named.

With the new four-ship order, the cruise line will have 13 ships sailing global itineraries within 7 years. The ships in the latest order will start to launch in 2027. Names have not been revealed, but cruise line executives promise they will deliver new adventures at sea.

Along with the ship orders, the cruise line revealed new details about some of the upcoming ships. Disney Destiny, which debuts in November 2025, will entertain guests with a new production of “Disney Hercules.”

Sporting a “Heroes and Villains” theme, Disney Destiny also will feature new artwork, including a bow design with Minnie Mouse in a heroic pose. Also, Disney Treasure is set to introduce a water attraction called AquaMouse when she enters service in December 2024, the cruise line announced.

Crew Member Lost at Sea From Carnival Dream

A tragedy unfolded aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Dream on August 9, 2024, when a female crew member apparently fell overboard while the ship was about 80 miles off Rio Lagartos, a destination in the Mexican Yucatan.

The incident happened in the early morning hours as the 3,600-guest ship was returning to her homeport of Galveston, Texas, after calling at Cozumel on a 6-day Western Caribbean cruise. Other port calls were Costa Maya, Mexico, and Belize City.

Carnival Cruise Line confirmed that the crew member was reported missing at sea after she did not report to her job the next morning. It is unclear whether anyone saw the crew member fall into the water.

The cruise line notified US and Mexican Coast Guards, which took over the search operation while Carnival Dream continued on to Galveston. It said the Carnival Care Team was in contact with the crew member’s family.

Without immediate searches, a man-overboard emergency becomes a more dangerous situation, since ocean currents can quickly change a victim’s location.

Carnival Dream’s missing crew member was the third man-overboard emergency in a week’s time. On August 8, 2024, a guest died after falling overboard from Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Spirit as it was sailing to Taiwan.

On August 9, 2024, a guest onboard Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas went missing as the ship sailed off Croatia, in the Adriatic Sea.

Cruiser Erupts in Anger Over Carnival’s Rubber Duck Game

A Carnival Cruise Line guest sailing on Mardi Gras apparently has had enough of ducks. Rubber ducks, that is — those cute little toys that have become popular on cruise ships among guests who like to play harmless hide-and-seek games with other cruisers.

This cruiser told Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald that “the duck thing” has gotten out of control, and that Carnival should ban them, like some other cruise lines have done.

The interaction with the angry guest happened as Heald, who also is sailing on Mardi Gras’ 6-day Eastern Caribbean cruise that left Port Canaveral on August 11, 2024, was strolling on deck to get his morning coffee.

Heald recalled that the guest rushed toward him, holding a rubber duck, and berated the cruise line for allowing the game onboard.

“I explained that it was just a little bit of fun and if the other cruise lines want to cancel that fun then that’s entirely up to them. She told me that we were ‘ignorant,’” Heald posted on his Facebook page.

The brand ambassador’s followers supported his position and criticized the guest who had accosted him. After all, they pointed out, it’s fun to play the game, and those who don’t want to play can simply ignore the ducks.

More Cruise Headlines

Now that you are caught up on all of the big cruise stories of the past week, take a look at even more coverage from Cruise Hive, including two cruise lines using smart containers to ship fresher foods to their vessels; Carnival Cruise Line naming a new executive to oversee new-builds; a UK cruise line offering guests free parking at the Portsmouth port; Explora Journeys unveiling new excursions in the Caribbean; and Virgin Voyages announcing solar eclipse cruises.