Preview Cancelled, Disney Overboard, Maintenance

Welcome again to Cruise Hive’s weekly recap of the trade’s main information tales.

A few of the prime happenings on this version embody the arrest of a visitor who allegedly assaulted an aged passenger on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, the cancellation of a preview go to to Royal Caribbean’s extremely anticipated Royal Seaside Membership Paradise Island, and the tragic story of an Australian man who apparently jumped off a Disney Cruise Line ship within the Tasman Sea.

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Cruise Line Units New Rule For Drink Orders

In what seems to be an effort to curb overindulgence, Carnival Cruise Line has determined that friends should wait 10 minutes between drink purchases onboard its ships. The earlier rule was that 5 minutes should elapse between purchases.

The odd factor is that the brand new rule applies not solely to alcoholic drinks however to smooth drinks as effectively. The brand new regulation implies that friends can’t order, say, two pictures of whisky at a time, or one shot of whisky and a soda. In each examples, the orders would depend as two purchases.

Whereas the cruise line has not publicly introduced the change, it has famous the brand new rule on its web site’s FAQ part concerning the Cheers! drink bundle. Underneath that bundle, friends can buy as much as 15 drinks per day.

The FAQ change particulars the longer wait between purchases and reminds friends that sharing isn’t permitted — which means that friends aren’t allowed to make use of their drink bundle to purchase drinks for different friends sharing their cabin.

In reality, if one visitor in a stateroom purchases the bundle, all others sharing the stateroom should additionally purchase it. This is applicable to cruisers over age 21.

Aged Passenger Jumps From Disney Ship

A disturbing occasion came about within the early hours of November 22, 2025, when a 73-year-old passenger onboard Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Marvel jumped overboard because the ship sailed from Australia to New Zealand.

It was round 4:30 a.m. when the male visitor apparently jumped from the two,700-guest ship, which was crusing a 5-night voyage from Melbourne to Auckland. A seek for the visitor lasted 5 hours, and crew members use thermal-imaging cameras to attempt to find the person within the Tasman Sea.

The search was finally referred to as off, and the ship continued on her approach to New Zealand. The passenger’s title has not been revealed, however information stories point out he was Australian.

Visitors later shared on social media that the ambiance onboard the ship following the search was sombre. Disney Cruise Line has not commented on the tragedy.

Satirically, that is the ultimate season of Disney Cruise Line’s deployment to Australia/New Zealand. The cruise line introduced earlier this yr that when the present season ends in February, the road will now not base a ship within the area.

Cruise Ship Checks Wrecked Boat

Adhering to maritime regulation, Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras interrupted a day at sea to take a look at what seemed to be a wrecked boat close to Princess Cays within the Bahamas.

The weird sighting occurred on November 23, 2025, because the 6,500-guest ship sailed a 7-night Thanksgiving cruise to the Japanese Caribbean from Port Canaveral.

The 180,000-gross-ton ship paused her itinerary and circled the partially sunken vessel, which was primarily a raft, to ensure nobody was in want of help.

Underneath the Worldwide Conference for the Security of Life at Sea (SOLAS), ships should take all essential and cheap steps to rescue anybody in misery.

Visitors posted concerning the odd occasion on social media, confirming that no individuals have been seen on or close to the wrecked vessel, though there was particles within the water close by.

Glad that nobody wanted rescue, Mardi Gras continued on her approach to her first port of name, Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos. Different calls on the vacation itinerary embody Amber Cove, Dominican Republic, Nassau, Bahamas, and Celebration Key, the cruise line’s latest personal island vacation spot.

Upkeep Prompts Cruise Ship’s Itinerary Revisions

When passengers board MSC Cruises’ MSC Meraviglia in New York on November 30, 2025, they’ll achieve this realizing that their scheduled go to to Port Canaveral might be greater than 4 hours shorter than initially deliberate.

As a result of ongoing propulsion issues, the ship’s 7-night Bahamas cruise will go to the Florida port beginning at 5:30 p.m. somewhat than at 1 p.m., an alert from the cruise line to booked friends defined. The rationale cited was deliberate upkeep that may affect the ship’s velocity.

Consequently, all Port Canaveral excursions have been cancelled, and refunds are being processed. Visitors will obtain a $100 onboard credit score.

Additionally impacted is the ship’s go to to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve on December 3, 2025. MSC Meraviglia will arrive at 11 a.m. somewhat than at 9 a.m., however she is going to stay in port till 8:30 p.m. somewhat than the deliberate 7 p.m.

The ultimate port name, to Nassau, Bahamas, is unaffected. The ship will return on schedule to New York’s Brooklyn Cruise Terminal on December 7, 2025. 

Issues with the 5,714-guest ship’s propulsion system started in Could 2025, when a Bahamas cruise was cancelled because of wanted repairs.

MSC Meraviglia entered service in 2017.

Visitor Arrested For Alleged Assault on Aged Man

An altercation onboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore left one man, himself a lawyer, dealing with felony charges.

It was embarkation day for a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise crusing roundtrip from PortMiami when Phillip Andrew Ortiz was arrested and faraway from the ship by regulation enforcement. 

The suspect, a 38-year-old Florida-based legal professional, is charged with battery on an individual 65 or older after he allegedly attacked a 67-year-old passenger on November 22, 2025.

In response to stories, the sufferer informed Ortiz to not enter a specific hallway as a result of it wasn’t open but to friends. Sad at being informed what to do, Ortiz allegedly pushed and/or tripped the older man, and a scuffle ensued, throughout which the sufferer fell, hit his head, and was rendered unconscious.

Ortiz apparently fled the scene as different friends started CPR on the aged man. The ship’s medical workforce arrived and took over his care; he was taken off the ship and transferred to a hospital.

In the meantime, Ortiz was rapidly situated on the ship and arrested by officers from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Workplace.

Norwegian Cruise Line issued a press release that reiterated its coverage of zero tolerance for violence of any form on its ships.

Fugitive Needed In US Discovered on Cruise Ship

It isn’t every single day {that a} wished fugitive is discovered onboard a cruise ship and arrested, however that’s what occurred on Star Navigator as she referred to as at Currimao Port, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, on November 22, 2025.

Officers with the Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) had boarded the ship upon arrival to conduct immigration procedures after they realized that one visitor, 54-year-old Tsai Chin Hao, was the topic of an Interpol alert.

Hao, a Taiwanese nationwide, had an excellent arrest warrant within the US, the contents of which weren’t disclosed. However the warrant was sufficient to have him faraway from the ship and turned over to the FBI Fugitive Search Unit.

Star Navigator was crusing roundtrip from Taiwan, and Currimao Port was the ship’s solely port name.

The 1,856-guest ship sails 2- and 5-night cruises from Taiwan by way of January 2026. The ship is owned by StarCruises, a model created in February 2025 when Resorts World Cruises was cut up into two corporations, StarCruises and Dream Cruises.

Hao’s whereabouts aren’t confirmed, however it’s anticipated that he might be handed over to US authorities.

Preview Go to to Royal Seaside Membership Is Cancelled

There apparently are a couple of kinks nonetheless to be labored out at Royal Caribbean’s Royal Seaside Membership Paradise Island, for the reason that cruise line has cancelled a preview go to to the vacation spot that was scheduled for December 15, 2025.

The seaside membership in Nassau is because of open on December 23, 2025 and that’s nonetheless a agency date, nevertheless, a couple of “sneak preview” visits have been scheduled. Now, no less than one is nixed because of ongoing construction of the personal vacation spot.

Symphony of the Seas was among the many ships scheduled to function a preview cruise to the membership, which was to be the primary port of name on the ship’s 7-night Western Caribbean itinerary departing December 14, 2025 from PortMiami. The go to is now cancelled.

Royal Caribbean broke floor for the brand new land-side vacation spot in April 2024. The Bahamian-themed vacation spot will characteristic kids’s play areas, luxurious cabana leases, a number of meals and beverage venues, three swimming pools, two seashores, and three swim-up bars.

As soon as formally opened, friends pays for day passes that begin at $109.99 for these aged 4 to 12 and $129.99 for adults.

Extra Cruise Headlines

These have been the massive tales of the week, however there are various extra information and have objects you received’t need to miss on Cruise Hive. Examine Juneau, Alaska, closing out one other successful cruise season, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Conquest altering an itinerary because of a mechanical issue, and Carnival Venezia delaying embarkation of 1 cruise because of a Coast Guard inspection.

Additionally, a tropical cyclone forces a Royal Caribbean ship to desert her itinerary in East Asia, and dense fog disrupts cruise operations on the Port of Tampa Bay.