Cruise Hive

4 days ago | cruisehive.com | Donna Tunney

We sure had a busy week of cruise news, so we’re here to ensure you’re fully updated, including stories from many of the major cruise lines and destinations. Some highlights are a pizza petition being started by a Carnival guest, soda being removed from Princess packages, and even taxes being a hot topic for passengers. Make sure you stay well informed by signing up for Cruise Hive’s Daily Update, so the big cruise stories are delivered right to your inbox.

5 days ago | cruisehive.com | Melissa Mayntz

The shoes you pack for a cruise vacation could depend on your fashionable style, the destinations you plan to visit, if you enjoy beach breaks, will you be hiking on shore, are you dressing up for formal night, and more. But should a pair of slippers be on your cruise packing list? One upcoming Carnival guest was hoping the cruise line would provide that casual footwear. For clarification, they reached out to Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, with the somewhat unusual question.

5 days ago | cruisehive.com | Donna Tunney

Fans of Costa Cruises, the Carnival Corporation brand that caters mainly to the Italian market, have seen the cruise line’s fleet get smaller in recent years, and that trend will continue in 2026, when yet another ship will depart the line. In a Strategic Path update issued on May 9, 2025, Costa Cruises confirmed that the 2,700-guest Costa Fortuna, which the line notes is its longest-serving ship, will be transferred to a new, unnamed, owner in September 2026.

5 days ago | cruisehive.com | Catie Kovelman

While nobody is perfect, the captain of Silversea Cruises’ Silver Ray has just made a rather costly mistake. On May 3, 2025, while the newest addition to the fleet was operating an 11-night sailing from Barcelona, Spain, to Rome, Italy, the small ship sailed into the protected waters surrounding the famous Faraglioni of Capri. The 801-foot long vessel came within 500 meters (or 1,640 feet) of the iconic rocks, which puts the marine ecosystem, the landmark, and the ship itself in danger.

5 days ago | cruisehive.com | Melissa Mayntz

Today’s cruise travelers won’t soon forget the longing for an oceangoing getaway five years ago (already five years?) when the industry was shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic and no one knew how it would change or even if it would restart. But while we stayed home and wished we were on cruises, there were people – crew members – onboard ships who just wished they could go home.