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Passengers waiting to embark on a three-year world cruise have been stranded in Ireland for three months after the departure date was delayed due to mechanical issues. 

Initally scheduled to depart Belfast, Ireland, in May, the Villa Vie Odyssey remains docked in Northern Ireland while repairs are made to its rudders and gearbox. 

Some passengers have spent upwards of £680,000 (about $750,000 USD) for the cruise—yet there's no official sail date in sight. 

As Tropical Storm Ernesto continues to head toward Puerto Rico, at least five cruise ships have had to adjust their itineraries to steer clear of the storm. 

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Ernesto is expected to bring tropical storm conditions to parts of the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. They anticipate heavy rainfall that could potentially result in flash flooding and mudslides. 

We're roughly halfway through the Atlantic hurricane season, and, so far, we've seen four named storms, two of which strengthened into hurricanes. As such, cruise ships have had itineraries altered to keep passengers and crew safe. 

The latest, Hurricane Debby, made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on August 5 with sustained winds of 80 mph. As of 2:00pm, however, the National Hurricane Center reported Debby had weakened as the storm moved inland with 65mph sustained winds. 

Tropical Storm Debby has caused at least 3 cruise ships to adjust their itineraries. 

As of 8:00am EST on Sunday, August 4, Tropical Storm Debby was about 155 miles off the western coast of Florida and is predicted to make landfall on Florida’s Big Bend south of Tallahassee. Debby's recent path indicates the storm will strengthen into a category 1 hurricane by 2:00am on Monday. Moreover, the storm will bring heavy rainfall to Georgia and the Carolinas, with tropical storm watches issued for much of the Georgia and South Carolina coast. 

One family’s dream vacation on an Alaskan cruise quickly turned into a nightmare when nine passengers, including small children and one elderly woman, were left behind from a cruise-sponsored excursion. The incident was apparently caused by a bus mixup with the local tour operator in the small town of Ketchikan, Alaska. 

Bingo is a popular cruise activity, with passengers lining up to secure their cards in hopes of winning the jackpot. Typically, it's a ship-sponsored activity; however, a guest sailing onboard P&O Cruises' P&O Azura recently reported finding derogatory "bingo" cards mocking other passengers. 

Hurricane Beryl has caused at least 10 cruise ships to adjust their itineraries to keep passengers out of the storm's path. 

At 8:00am AST on Monday, July 1, Beryl had strengthened into a powerful Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 130 mph and is moving to the west at 20 mph. Not only is Beryl the strongest storm the Windward Islands have seen since Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, but it's also the earliest Category 4 storm in the Atlantic Ocean and the only Category 4 hurricane in June on record. 

Think again before you try to get away with refilling one of the water bottles in your stateroom's cabin with tap water to save a few dollars. 

The "hack" was originally shared to TikTok in July 2023 by CHRISSY 🆚 KRISSY (@krissy.kross). Since published, it's received 1.2 million views and over 14,000 likes. The comments, however, aren't praising the user for their resourcefulness. 

The last thing anyone wants to consider is falling ill while on a cruise. Unfortunately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 68 of the 2,264 passengers aboard Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Summit contracted norovirus on the May 24 voyage, in addition to five crew members.