1. Royal Caribbean banned one cruiser for life this week after he jumped off Deck 11 of Symphony of the Seas while the ship was docked in Nassau, Bahamas. The young man admitted he was still drunk from the previous night when he pulled the dangerous stunt, which could have easily turned deadly. He and his group of friends were all immediately kicked off the cruise in Nassau, and the guy who jumped could now potentially be facing legal action from Royal Caribbean.
2. Carnival Cruise Line removed a popular menu item, escargot, at least temporarily. The slippery snails are currently facing a worldwide shortage, forcing Carnival to remove them from the menu while they are unavailable to the chefs for order. Whether or not guests are upset over this news is up for debate; a recent survey showed 72% of Carnival guests did not care to eat them.
3. Disney Cruise Line and the Port of Galveston agreed on a 10-year deal that extends the line’s shared berthing rights in port. The agreement also includes an option for two additional 5-year extensions, for the possibility of a 20-year deal in total. The deal supports the seasonal accommodation of the Disney Wonder or Disney Magic, each 84,000-GT ships, and Disney expects to nearly double its sailings from Texas in the next 5 years.
4. Virgin Voyages is “bringing rock and roll to the high seas” with the reveal of its eight varieties of suites. These start as large as 352 square feet and range all the way up to 2,147 square feet in size, with amenities like a fully stocked bar and a record player as well as a terrace with a hammock and swing chairs. The new rooms will debut on the line’s first ship, Scarlet Lady.
5. Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line is offering furloughed federal employees and their families a complimentary lunch buffet and an afternoon aboard one of their two ships, Grand Celebration or Grand Classica, during the government shutdown up until January 31. The gesture is meant to make sure that those who are being hardest hit during this shutdown will be fed.
Featured Article: Norwegian Cruise Line Teppanyaki Review
Read a full review of the food and experience of the Teppanyaki restaurant available on select Norwegian Cruise Line ships. Teppanyaki is a Japanese cuisine prepared on a flat iron griddle by a chef who often doubles as an entertainer, putting on quite a cooking show for guests who sit around the griddle as the food is made.
This Week’s Cruise Podcast: Norwegian Sky Review
After two back-to-back cruises that totaled seven nights on Norwegian Sky, Matt joins the show to give a full review of the ship and ports of call, which included Cuba, Nassau, and Great Stirrup Cay (Norwegian’s private island). Norwegian Sky sails year-round from Miami, Florida. Listen to our podcast episodes here.
Featured Video: Carnival Breeze Ship Tour
Recently voted “Best Cruise Ship for Families” by readers of USA Today and 10Best.Com, Carnival Breeze is one of the most popular and fun-filled ships in the fleet. As the third and final ship in the Dream class, she launched in the spring of 2012 and was recently refurbished in April 2017. Carnival Breeze currently sails seven-night itineraries from Port Canaveral, Florida, to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.