Eric Duane Newman, 55, pleaded guilty on Thursday to murdering his girlfriend while on the Carnival Elation.

Newman and Tamara Tucker, were on the Carnival Elation in January 2018 on a cruise that left Jacksonville to the Bahamas, when Newman tried to strangle Tucker and pushed her over the balcony of their 13th floor cabin, the Department of Justice said in a statement Thursday. Tucker hit the 11th deck after the fall and died from blunt force trauma.

Newman pleaded guilty to one count of murder in the second degree in federal court in Kansas.

Carnival Cruises announced today its newest cruise ship, Carnival Mardi Gras, has suffered construction delays and as a result, will debut later than expected.  In addition, eight sailings have been cancelled.

The ship is under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, and will not be delivered until the end of October. The first revenue sailing will also now be departing Port Canaveral, Florida on November 14, 2020.

The Carnival Legend and Carnival Glory collided at the dock in Cozumel, Mexico leaving some noticeable damage to the ships.

The incident occurred as the Carnival Glory was attempting to dock in Cozumel, and guests sailing both ships shared photos on social media of the incident.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and the Port of Galveston have signed a long-term contract for a new $100 million cruise terminal. 

RCL will build the terminal, then lease it from the port for an initial term of 20 years, with four 10-year extension options.

Once complete, the terminal will welcome Allure of the Seas in November 2021. 

Royal Caribbean International revealed its new 2021-2022 Caribbean itineraries today.

Symphony and Allure of the Seas will sail alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries in summer 2021.Symphony sailing from Miami and Allure from Port Canaveral.  

Royal Caribbean International revealed its summer 2021 European sailings, which will be spread across seven ships with 70% new itineraries.

Anthem of the Seas will return to Southampton, England for a second consecutive year to offer a variety of itineraries, ranging from the 7-night Norwegian Fjords to 14-night Mediterranean Cities, that include new ports of call in Denmark, France and Norway.

Harmony of the Seas heads back to Europe for the first time since her inaugural season in 2016, with 7-night sailings to the Western Mediterranean.

Norwegian Cruise Line announced "Silver Cove", which is a new exclusive oceanfront rest-style destination at Great Stirrup Cay private island.

Great Stirrup Cay is undergoing a number of enhancements across the 270-acre island in The Bahamas. During Norwegian Encore’s inaugural call to Great Stirrup Cay, guests discovered the new oceanfront lagoon area including private beach access, 38 beachfront villas, a Mandara Spa as well as a new Moet Bar and the Silver Cove Restaurant and Bar.

In celebration of International Women's Day, Celebrity Cruises announced it will make history with the first-ever sailing with an entirely female bridge and officer team.

This historic sailing will take place on International Women's Day – March 8, 2020 – aboard Celebrity Edge. Captain McCue will be at the helm and will be accompanied by 26 other women to create an all-female bridge and officer leadership team, and Celebrity's President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.

MSC Cruises announced it will be the first major cruise line to become carbon-neutral. 

The cruise line will buy enough credits from companies that absorb carbon dioxide to offset all of the carbon emissions from its 17 ships.  They will begin this new initiative on January 1, 2020.

The credits purchased will cover activities at sea, and should be 2.2 million tons.