Carnival Cruise Line released the first itineraries for its new cruise ship. 

Carnival Festivale, which is under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, is scheduled to debut in May 2027.

Her inaugural cruise will take place on May 2, 2027. The one-way voyage will sail from Southampton, United Kingdom, to her homeport of Port Canaveral, Florida, where she will join Mardi Gras. 

One of the most confusing parts about planning a cruise vacation is figuring out how much cash to bring. Because your fare and add-ons, including drink packages, shore excursions, and specialty restaurants, are often prepaid, you don't need to worry about carrying a wad of cash in your pocket to pay for incidentals onboard. 

Still, there are certain instances where having cash is handy. For example, you will want to tip your shore excursion tour guides. You may also want to try your luck in the casino. 

A 79-year-old cruise ship passenger has gone overboard from a Norwegian cruise ship. 

Guests onboard the Norwegian Star shared that they were awoken by the secret "man overboard" code early on Tuesday, Aug. 12. 

"We were woken this morning by a 'Code Oscar' announcement, which means someone has gone overboard," wrote one cruiser on Reddit.

Carnival Cruise Line's latest deployment might shock guests. For the first time, an Excel Class ship will offer short getaways to The Bahamas. 

Starting May 22, 2027, Mardi Gras will no longer sail on weeklong Caribbean cruises. Instead, the 180,800-gross-ton ship will offer 4- and 5-night cruises to The Bahamas from Port Canaveral, focusing on Carnival's private destinations. 

Most people have heard of cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian. However, did you know that the famous Margaritaville brand has a cruise line?

Margaritaville at Sea is a relatively new player in the industry, having only launched its first ship in 2022. Paradise set sail in 2022 from Palm Beach, Florida, on quick 2-night sailings to the Bahamas. 

Drink packages are popular cruise add-ons that make the onboard experience feel more inclusive. Unfortunately, Disney Cruise Line doesn't offer flat-rate packages like other lines. 

Whereas Carnival guests can pay around $80 per day for its CHEERS alcoholic package and receive up to 15 cocktails, beers, or glasses of wine each day (along with unlimited non-alcoholic drinks), Disney cruisers must pay for alcoholic beverages à la carte.

MSC Cruises is perhaps one of the most controversial cruise lines at sea. Let's just say that its reputation when it comes to food is not the best. 

If you browse Reddit, you'll see warnings like, "MSC has the worst food of any cruise I've been on" and "I can assure you the buffet is horrible."

Although I had previously sailed with MSC Cruises in Europe, I wasn't sure how their newest ship would stack up, especially sailing from Miami, Florida, where American cruisers have different expectations for cruise dining than Europeans. 

Millions of travelers embark on cruises from Port Miami annually. In 2024, over 8.3 million passengers watched Miami's skyline disappear as they sailed toward The Bahamas or Caribbean. 

As one of the most popular cruise ports in the world, Miami welcomes guests from all over the world. As such, many cruisers rely on pre-cruise hotels to ensure they don't miss their ship's departure due to delayed or canceled flights. 

Royal Caribbean has apparently closed the Frightening Bolt water slide on the brand-new Star of the Seas after a passenger was injured on the same slide on another ship. 

Guests aboard the preview sailing from Puerto Rico reported that the Frightening Bolt hasn't been in operation on Friday, Aug. 8. According to one of the crew members, it will remain closed until they can conduct a thorough inspection. Matt Hochberg of Royal Caribbean Blog confirmed the closure.