After regional tensions involving Venezuela disrupted travel in parts of the Caribbean, Virgin Voyages rerouted Valiant Lady, replacing Aruba and Curaçao with Barbados and St. Lucia. The change affects the ship’s January 3, 2026, departure from San Juan. Here’s why…
Most people step off a cruise ship thinking about traffic home, unpacking, or how quickly they can get back to real life. One recent Carnival Mardi Gras guest, however, walked off the ship straight into a federal investigation — and…
Sharon Lane is 77 years old. Instead of moving closer to family, buying a condo in the sun, or downsizing into something smaller, she sold her home, packed what she needed, and moved onto a cruise ship to spend the…
The family made it to the cruise terminal in Jacksonville, FL. Luggage checked. Boarding passes were ready. Then one missing document ruined their trip to the Bahamas. The staff decided they couldn’t sail, and the ship departed. Cruise Critic and…
2026 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years ever for new cruise ships. From record-breaking megaships to sleek luxury yachts and cutting-edge expedition vessels, cruise lines are rolling out an entire new generation of ships designed to…
A 77-year-old woman went overboard from Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam on New Year’s Day while the ship was sailing near Cuba, prompting an hours-long search and the cancellation of a scheduled port stop. Here’s what happened, how it unfolded, and…
I went on a cruise fully expecting it to quietly wreck my carnivore diet — not because of desserts or temptation, but because of something I couldn’t see. Cruise kitchens are built for speed and volume, not for individual ingredients.…
The first night on a cruise should feel electric. You unpack, shower, dress up, and head to the Main Dining Room expecting that “we made it” feeling. Instead, you’re walking toward a table you didn’t consciously choose — sitting with…
2025 was a busy year for new cruise ship deliveries across the industry. Behind the scenes, shipyards across Europe and Asia were quietly handing over some of the biggest, most advanced, and most specialized cruise ships ever built, from floating…
More than 100 people fell sick during a late-December cruise on Celebrity Eclipse after a gastrointestinal illness spread onboard. Passengers and a small number of crew reported symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps during the eight-night Caribbean cruise. Here’s…
A heart-stopping video captures the frantic moments after a 4-year-old girl fell into the water between a cruise ship and the dock at Carnival’s Celebration Key in the Bahamas — and the urgent rescue that followed. The footage, filmed by…
A Disney Cruise Line passenger boarded the brand-new Disney Destiny and only later realized that a very common personal item had quietly been removed from her luggage. Beci Mahnken, founder and CEO of MEI-Travel and a longtime Disney cruiser, only…