Margaritaville at Sea – The Deck Briefing

Cruise News Roundup: AIDAperla Incident and More

AIDAperla misses Zeebrugge after breaking free in Le Havre, while Norwegian changes two sailings, Disney shifts terminals and Margaritaville announces a Galveston deployment.

Welcome to The Deck Briefing — your quick daily read for everyone who loves ships, sea days, and stories from the decks. Here’s what’s making waves on September 10, 2026.

Today's cruise news roundup covers AIDAperla's Le Havre incident and missed Zeebrugge call, Norwegian Joy's Alaska itinerary changes, Norwegian Sun's maintenance-related schedule adjustment, Disney Wish's Port Canaveral terminal change, and Margaritaville at Sea's 2027 Galveston deployment for Beachcomber.

AIDAperla Hits Quay and Misses Zeebrugge

Strong winds caused AIDAperla to break free from her berth at the Port of Le Havre on September 8, 2026, and make contact with the quay, Cruise Hive reports. The ship's forward mooring lines parted at about 4 p.m., and the vessel's stern struck the quay wall as it drifted backward. No injuries were reported.

The 3,286-passenger ship was helped back to her berth by tugboats while technicians and authorities began inspections. Both gangways were torn away during the incident, and about 500 guests who were ashore on excursions were temporarily unable to reboard. The port was briefly closed while crews secured the ship and cleared the harbor.

AIDAperla was scheduled to leave Le Havre on September 8 and call at Zeebrugge on September 9, but the Zeebrugge visit was canceled. AIDA Cruises confirmed that the vessel is undergoing a thorough inspection, while German media reports said it also requires clearance from the responsible classification society before departure. The next scheduled call, in Rotterdam on September 10, and the ship's return to Hamburg on September 12 remained unchanged in the available information.

The ship was operating a seven-night sailing that departed Hamburg on September 5 after calling at Southampton on September 7. TUI Cruises' Mein Schiff 3 was also held by tugboats in Le Havre and departed two hours late because of the port conditions.

Source: www.cruisehive.com

Norwegian Joy Drops Skagway and Sitka

Norwegian Cruise Line has changed the May 19, 2028, Alaska itinerary for Norwegian Joy, according to Cruise Hive. The 10-day roundtrip sailing will no longer visit Skagway or Sitka and will instead call at Whittier. The ship will continue to depart from and return to Seattle as planned.

The revised schedule keeps Juneau as the first port call on May 21, but changes the following five days. Icy Strait Point moves to May 22 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; scenic cruising near Hubbard Glacier is set for May 23; and Whittier is scheduled for May 24 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 25 becomes a sea day, while Ketchikan remains on May 26 but now runs from noon to 8 p.m. instead of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The sailing will still include a sea day on May 27 and a visit to Victoria, British Columbia, on May 28 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Norwegian Joy is scheduled to return to Seattle at 6 a.m. on May 29. Norwegian Cruise Line told guests that berth availability prompted the changes.

The revised itinerary was sent to booked guests by email, and the changes are automatic. Cruise Hive reports that guests may need to review plans for port days, including excursions connected with ports that were removed or had their times changed.

Source: www.cruisehive.com

Norwegian Sun Adds Copenhagen Overnights for Maintenance

Norwegian Sun will spend three days docked in Copenhagen during its September 23, 2026, departure, Cruise Industry News reports. Norwegian Cruise Line is changing the nine-night sailing to allow for technical maintenance on the 2001-built ship.

The adjustment removes the planned visit to Oslo and one day at sea, replacing them with two overnight stays in Copenhagen. Norwegian said the maintenance does not affect the safety of the ship, guests or crew, and passengers must still arrive at the terminal during their assigned check-in windows even while the ship remains overnight.

As a gesture of appreciation, Norwegian is providing a $100 non-refundable onboard credit per stateroom, divided as $50 for the first guest and $50 for the second guest. After Copenhagen, Norwegian Sun will continue the itinerary with calls in Warnemunde, Gdynia, Klaipeda, Riga, Nynashamn and Tallinn before ending in Helsinki.

Source: cruiseindustrynews.com

Disney Wish Changes Port Canaveral Terminals

Disney Wish will use different terminals for its three-night sailing from Port Canaveral on September 11, 2026, Cruise Hive reports. The ship will depart from Cruise Terminal 10 on Friday and return to Cruise Terminal 8 for debarkation on Monday, September 14.

The two terminals are next to each other on the port's west end but do not share parking facilities. Guests who park are instructed to drop luggage at Terminal 10, move their vehicle to Terminal 8, and use the provided shuttle to return to Terminal 10 for check-in. Guests using rideshares, taxis or private drop-offs are advised to go to the correct terminal for the relevant day.

Disney Cruise Line motorcoach passengers will be transported between the appropriate terminals. Cruise Hive advised guests parking at the port to allow extra time when arriving for their boarding appointments.

The reason for the switch has not been released. Cruise Hive notes that Port Canaveral is undertaking a $95 million expansion and renovation of the terminal, a project expected to be completed by November 2027.

Source: www.cruisehive.com

Margaritaville Brings Beachcomber to Galveston

Margaritaville at Sea will base its newest ship, Beachcomber, in Galveston beginning in October 2027, Cruise Hive reports. The 2,716-guest ship will offer four- to seven-night sailings to the Caribbean, Mexico and the Bahamas, including the line's first call at Veracruz, Mexico.

Beachcomber's first Galveston departure is a four-night Cozumel Express sailing on October 4, 2027. The only Galveston sailing currently scheduled to visit Veracruz departs January 14, 2028, and also calls at Cozumel and Progreso. Other announced destinations include Aruba, Key West, Curacao, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Belize.

The ship is planned to debut with Margaritaville at Sea from Miami in January 2027 before moving to Galveston. Renovations and rebranding are planned ahead of its Margaritaville at Sea debut.

Beachcomber will feature 15 new onboard experiences, including a four-deck 5 o'Clock Somewhere space at the aft pool area. The ship is also set to have 17 dining venues, 12 bars and lounges, more than 20 entertainment options, and Same Boat, a live music venue created with Zac Brown.

Source: www.cruisehive.com

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Cruise News Roundup: Disney Wish New York Sailings, Margaritaville Texas Launch and More

Disney Wish will offer a 2027 New York season, while Margaritaville at Sea prepares to launch weekly Galveston cruises. Carnival, Oceania and Tianjin Oriental also announced updates.

Welcome to The Deck Briefing — your quick daily read for everyone who loves ships, sea days, and stories from the decks. Here’s what’s making waves on August 26, 2026.

Today's cruise news roundup covers Disney Wish's 2027 New York deployment, Margaritaville at Sea's planned Galveston service, a Carnival Paradise itinerary change, Regatta's departure from Oceania Cruises and new cruises to nowhere from Tianjin.

Disney Wish Adds New York Sailings for 2027

Disney Wish will sail from New York City for seven departures between September 29 and October 31, 2027, Cruise Hive reports. The 4,000-guest ship will offer cruises of four to seven nights, with itineraries visiting Bermuda, Canada and New England.

The opening voyage is a four-night cruise to King’s Wharf in Bermuda. Other sailings include a Canada and New England itinerary with calls at Saint John and Boston, a six-night Bermuda-and-Canada cruise visiting Halifax, and a seven-night Canada voyage stopping at Charlottetown, Sydney and Halifax.

Disney Wish will leave New York on October 31 for a five-night, one-way sailing to San Juan that includes Bermuda. Two Puerto Rico departures follow: a seven-night Southern Caribbean cruise calling at Aruba, Bonaire, Dominica and St. Maarten, followed by a four-night Bahamas sailing to Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point and Disney Castaway Cay before returning to Port Canaveral. The reservations were listed as “Coming Soon” on Disney Cruise Line’s website on August 25, and bookings are not yet open.

Source: www.cruisehive.com

Margaritaville at Sea Plans Weekly Galveston Cruises

Margaritaville at Sea will begin weekly Friday departures from Galveston, Texas, in October 2027, according to Cruise Hive. The service will operate from Cruise Terminal 28 and visit destinations in the Caribbean and Central America, making the cruise line Galveston’s seventh cruise operator.

The Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees unanimously approved the agreement on August 25, 2026. The initial term is one year, with options to renew for two additional five-year terms, while the specific ports and itineraries have not yet been announced.

Margaritaville at Sea also has not identified the ship that will be based in Texas. The line currently operates Paradise and Islander, and Beachcomber is scheduled to debut from PortMiami in January 2027 after a transformation of the former Costa Fortuna. Ship and itinerary details are expected at a Port of Galveston event in September.

Source: www.cruisehive.com

Carnival Paradise Replaces Princess Cays Call

Carnival Paradise will visit RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay instead of Princess Cays on its November 9, 2026 sailing from Tampa, Cruise Hive says. The six-night cruise will still call at Celebration Key and Nassau, with no other itinerary changes reported.

The replacement visit is scheduled for Thursday, November 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the same day and time originally assigned to Princess Cays. The two private destinations are about 15 miles apart, and Carnival Paradise will retain the same planned time in port.

Prepaid Princess Cays shore excursions will be canceled and refunded to the original form of payment. Guests can arrange excursions for RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay before sailing or onboard through the Carnival Adventures desk. Carnival has not given a reason for the change, and there is no indication that technical problems with the ship prompted it.

Source: www.cruisehive.com

Regatta Completes Final Oceania Cruise

Regatta is completing its final cruise for Oceania Cruises before moving to Explorations by Norwegian, Cruise Industry News reports. The 684-passenger ship left Dubrovnik on August 17, 2026, and is scheduled to finish the ten-night voyage in Istanbul on August 27 after visiting ports in Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and Turkey.

The farewell itinerary includes Kotor, Igoumenitsa, Katakolon, Santorini, Mykonos, Piraeus, Kusadasi and Bozcaada. Regatta, which was built in 1998 and was among the first ships to sail for Oceania, is completing a 23-year career with the brand.

Under a charter deal with My Cruises, Regatta is scheduled to begin a 368-night world cruise from Civitavecchia, Italy, on September 1. The voyage is planned to visit 220 ports across seven continents, including destinations in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Far East, Alaska, the West Coast, Central America, the Caribbean, the Amazon, Greenland, Iceland, the British Isles and Ireland. A second year-long world cruise is scheduled to begin in late 2027 after the charter contract was renewed for another 365 days.

Source: cruiseindustrynews.com

Tianjin Oriental Adds Three-Day Cruises to Nowhere

Tianjin Oriental Cruises’ Visio will operate two three-day round-trip cruises without port calls from Tianjin on August 29 and August 31, Cruise Industry News reports. Both sailings will depart Tianjin International Cruise Homeport at 3 p.m., with pre-sale fares ranging from RMB 500 to RMB 1,200 per person depending on the stateroom category.

The cruises follow China’s pilot launch of the “nowhere cruise” model. The Ministry of Transport classifies the route as a special international voyage, allowing exit-entry procedures for staff and crew to follow international-sailing rules and permitting travelers to board with either a passport or an entry-exit permit based on a resident identity card.

The two sailings have been added to Visio’s regular schedule of six-day round trips to Busan, Jeju and Incheon. The Tianjin pilot is the first commercial deployment of the model in northern China, while the port said the weekend cruises would be benchmarked against international standards.

Source: cruiseindustrynews.com

Cruise News Roundup: Santorini Staircase Closure, Celebrity Gratuity Increase and More

Santorini’s main staircase closure is changing how cruise passengers reach the island, while Celebrity Cruises increases daily gratuities. The roundup also covers Viking’s newest river ship, Oceania Sirena’s sale and Margaritaville at Sea’s Miami agreement.

Welcome to The Deck Briefing — your quick daily read for everyone who loves ships, sea days, and stories from the decks. Here’s what’s making waves on July 30, 2026.

Today’s cruise news roundup covers Santorini’s staircase closure and its impact on cruise calls, Celebrity Cruises’ higher daily gratuities, Viking’s delivery of Viking Dagur, the planned sale of Oceania Sirena, and Miami-Dade County’s berthing agreement with Margaritaville at Sea.

Santorini Staircase Closure Changes Cruise Operations

Karavolades Stairs, the 558-step route connecting Santorini’s old port with Fira, has been closed after part of a private building’s wall collapsed, Cruise Industry News reports. The closure was ordered by the mayor of Fira and will remain in place until further notice.

Cruise passengers normally arrive at the old port by tender and can continue to Fira by staircase or cable car. Fira sits 250 meters above sea level, and vehicle roads are not available for the journey from the port to the town.

Passengers with booked shore excursions will instead be tendered to Santorini’s new port at Athinios, where tour buses will meet them. A previous limit allowing 30 percent of cruise passengers to use Athinios each day will be lifted while the stairs remain closed.

The Athinios limit had been introduced as a civil protection measure intended to keep roads clear for emergencies. More than 25 cruise ships are scheduled to call at Santorini in August, including vessels from Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian, P&O and Celebrity.

Source: cruiseindustrynews.com

Celebrity Cruises Raises Daily Gratuity Rates

Celebrity Cruises has increased its daily gratuity rates by $1.50 per person across all accommodation categories, Cruise Radio reports. The new charges took effect July 29, 2026, including for guests staying in the line’s suites.

Guests in Inside, Oceanview and Veranda staterooms will pay $19.50 per person, per day. The rate is $20.50 for Concierge and AquaClass staterooms, while The Retreat carries a daily charge of $24.50 per person.

Guests who booked before July 29 can still pay the previous rate if they do so before sailing. Reservations made after that date will use the new rates, and the higher charges will apply daily once guests are onboard.

Source: cruiseradio.net

Viking Takes Delivery of Viking Dagur

Viking has taken delivery of Viking Dagur, its newest Viking Longship, Cruise Industry News reports. Meyer’s Neptun Werft built the river ship at its shipyard in Rostock-Warnemünde, Germany.

Viking Dagur accommodates 190 guests in 95 staterooms and is set to sail itineraries on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. The ship features Scandinavian design along with Viking’s square bow, indoor-outdoor Aquavit Terrace and asymmetric corridor arrangement for two-room suites.

Viking expects to receive 21 more river ships by 2028, along with nine additional ocean ships and two expedition ships by 2031. The company says those deliveries would bring its fleet to 114 river ships in 2028 and 26 ocean and expedition ships in 2031.

Source: cruiseindustrynews.com

NCLH Agrees to Sell Oceania Sirena

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has agreed to sell Oceania Sirena, Cruise Industry News reports. The 684-guest R-class ship is expected to leave the Oceania fleet after its spring 2028 deployment, although the buyer has not been identified.

The ship entered service as R Four for Renaissance Cruises in 1999 and later sailed for Princess Cruises from 2002 through 2016. It then joined Oceania Cruises as Sirena.

The move continues Oceania’s transition away from its older R-class fleet as the brand has been repositioned in the luxury market. Regatta has been chartered to myCruises for two years, Nautica is scheduled to return as Oceania Aurelia with reduced capacity and longer itineraries, and Insignia is expected to remain the fleet’s only R-class ship.

Source: cruiseindustrynews.com

Miami Approves Margaritaville at Sea Berthing Deal

Miami-Dade County has approved a preferential berthing agreement with Margaritaville at Sea, Cruise Industry News reports. The five-year deal is projected to generate about one million passenger movements and at least $23.15 million in guaranteed revenue.

The agreement is expected to begin with Margaritaville at Sea’s first PortMiami call, scheduled for January 9, 2027, and run through April 30, 2031. Two additional five-year renewals may be added if both sides agree.

Terms include parking and marketing incentives, as well as possible operational incentives for non-peak-day or evening calls. Qualifying non-peak and evening calls could receive a 50 percent reduction in applicable port fees, with only one operational incentive available for each vessel call.

Margaritaville at Sea plans to base its largest ship, Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber, at PortMiami year-round from early 2027. The 2,720-passenger vessel is scheduled to offer three- to eight-night cruises to the Caribbean and Bahamas after a major refurbishment; it currently sails for Costa Cruises as Costa Fortuna.

Source: cruiseindustrynews.com