Cruise News with the Travel Scouts
Top Stories
1. Missing Cruise Passenger Found Safe A 36-year-old American mother of two went missing after disembarking Holland America's newest ship in Edinburgh, Scotland on a Sunday. She had been unreachable since the previous Friday — behavior her family described as completely out of character. Scottish police launched a search and issued a public appeal, noting they were "increasingly concerned." She was ultimately located safe and unharmed, though police did not disclose where she had been or how she was found.
2. Cruise Ship Order Book Hits Record $90 Billion Five new vessels were ordered in April alone — three for Princess Cruises and two Icon-class ships for Royal Caribbean — pushing the total global order book to approximately $90 billion through 2039.
New builds on order by parent company:
- Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings — 17 ships through 2037
- MSC Group — 14 ships through 2033
- Royal Caribbean Group — 12 ships through 2032
- Carnival Corporation — 10 ships through 2039
3. Norovirus Outbreak on Caribbean Princess The Caribbean Princess, currently sailing a 13-day Southern Caribbean itinerary, reported a gastrointestinal illness outbreak. 102 passengers (3.3% of those on board) reported symptoms — just above the CDC's 3% reporting threshold. The CDC identified norovirus as the cause. Princess Cruises stated all affected areas were disinfected and that comprehensive cleaning would take place upon arrival at Port Canaveral on May 11th.
4. CLIA 2025 Cruise Market Data
Top 5 Source Countries (where passengers come from):
- United States — 55% of global market
- Germany
- UK & Ireland
- Australia
- Canada
Top 5 Destination Regions:
- Caribbean & Bahamas — 44% of market
- Mediterranean
- Other European (non-Med)
- Asia & China
- Hawaii & West Coast U.S. (moved up past Alaska)
5. Coco Cay Closed for Annual Maintenance Royal Caribbean diverted all ships away from its private Bahamian island, Coco Cay, for the entire week for planned annual maintenance. The first ships scheduled to return are Utopia of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas, both arriving Sunday.
6. Airlines Raising Checked Bag Fees Six airlines have now announced checked baggage fee increases. Previously announced: American, United, and JetBlue. Now added: Delta, Canada, and Southwest. Additionally, Delta announced it will eliminate snack and beverage service on flights under 350 miles beginning May 19th, affecting roughly 8% of daily flights.
7. New Cruise Itineraries Now Open for Booking Ten cruise lines have opened new sailings — early booking typically offers best availability and pricing:
- Royal Caribbean — 2027–2028 Asia sailings aboard Spectrum of the Seas
- MSC — 2028 Summer Caribbean; six ships across Miami, Port Canaveral, Galveston, and Dominican Republic
- Princess — 2027–2028 Japan & Asia season (record two ships based in Tokyo); 115-day 2028 World Cruise on Coral Princess
- Holland America — Two 2028 grand voyages: 90 days and 129 days
- Also open: Cunard, Viking, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, Silversea
8. Disney Adventure Sailing Canceled Mid-Departure Thousands of passengers were impacted when the brand-new Disney Adventure — based in Singapore — was forced to cancel its May 7–11, 2026 sailing due to propulsion issues. Guests boarded as planned but were notified shortly after departure. After an overnight attempt to resolve the mechanical problems, disembarkation procedures began the following morning. Disney Cruise Line issued an apology acknowledging the disappointment.
9. Carnival Rewards Program Requires Opt-In by September 1st Carnival is rolling out a new loyalty rewards program and current loyalty status will not automatically transfer — passengers must actively opt in before September 1st due to new legal terms and privacy policies. Key changes:
- Diamond (highest tier) — Status remains lifetime
- Gold & Platinum members — Status shifts to rolling two-year increments based on stars accumulated
The Travel Scouts noted they are personally passing on enrollment, citing a preference for exploring new cruise lines and itineraries over chasing loyalty perks across any single brand.
Source: Travel Scouts Cruise News