The most memorable cruise travel news of 2023

Last year was a great year for tourism around the world as pre-pandemic levels returned in almost all areas. Cruise travel was no exception.

Cruisehive.com has compiled a list of the top 10 cruise news stories for 2023: from joggers on the pier and unexpected flooding on board to port restrictions and more.

Cruise ship arrival restrictions

The Orkney Islands on the northern coast of Scotland have begun considering imposing restrictions on cruise ship arrivals in August.

While locals and businesses do not want to ban ships entirely, frequent visits by larger vessels could be overwhelming for the region's main port, Kirkwall, which has a population of just over 10,000. On some days during the busy 2023 season, Kirkwall was visited by up to 7,000 cruise ship guests or more in a single day.

Warning issued for a popular Caribbean cruise destination

Travel advisories are common for many regions, but the elevated warning level for Jamaica in May, which advises travellers to reconsider visiting the island nation, has come as a surprise to cruise guests. Crimes such as armed robbery, sexual assault, and murder were cited as reasons for the heightened alert level, as well as an ineffective police response.

Tourists received a damaged cabin on a Royal Caribbean ship

A couple on the Allure of the Seas received a most unpleasant surprise during their cruise in mid-November. Their cabin was torn open and had obvious water damage, with mattresses turned over, no carpeting, a foul odor and industrial fans blowing.

After hours of frustration, the couple learned that their assigned cabin had been damaged on a previous cruise.

Carnival confirmed new documentation requirements after rumors

Throughout 2023, Carnival Cruise Line dealt with many rumors, including that all guests would be required to have passports starting in 2024 even when sailing from U.S. home ports on closed-loop cruises where passports were never required. These rumors caused a furor on social media in late April and early May, until the cruise line's brand ambassador, John Heald, dispelled the rumors.

Passenger caused hatred online after being late for a sailing

The incident took place in Cozumel, Mexico, a place known for pier runners. It seemed that most late guests were in a hurry, but this woman looked completely at ease, making everyone else wait.

The Carnival Vista can accommodate 3,934 passengers at a time, and the guests on this particular cruise certainly didn't like that the woman didn't seem to show the slightest remorse for her tardiness. It is not known why the ship waited for her instead of sailing at the scheduled time.

Royal Caribbean cruise ship experienced an unusual water incident

Swimming pools, hot tubs, thermal spas, splash pads and other water features on board cruise ships are always popular with guests, but no one on board Harmony of the Seas in January expected the 6-deck waterfall to suddenly collapse from Deck 15 down to Central Park on Deck 8.

The resulting flood was quickly cleaned up by diligent crew members, no injuries were reported, and the ship suffered no lasting damage, although some of the Central Park plants may have been damaged by the flood.

Passengers fished right from the deck of the Carnival Cruise Line

Fishing is a popular option for many shore excursions in the Caribbean, but two guests aboard a Carnival cruise ship docked in Nassau tried to fish from the balcony of their cabin, blatantly disregarding local laws and cruise line policies. The video of the stunt went viral when it was published in April, and the guests were identified and later banned from Carnival Cruise Line for life.

Cruises to nowhere

Such a cruise took place in mid-December when the Carnival Freedom ship was supposed to go nowhere instead of the planned route to the Bahamas. A powerful storm system affected several ships at the time for several days, but the completely cancelled itinerary of the Carnival Freedom, although the ship was still sailing, was extreme.

However, guests were generously compensated for the changes in the form of a $200 onboard stateroom credit, as well as 50% future cruise credit based on the cruise fare so they could visit the ports of call on another Carnival cruise vacation in the future.

Another city was fed up with cruise ships

Residents of Istanbul, Turkey, have expressed further dissatisfaction with ship disruptions in early September. While many locals do not object to the number of visitors in general, it is the overall size of the ships that block views of the harbour and the blasting of horns that disrupt the peaceful silence that is a greater irritant.

As Istanbul is a popular cruise port of call in the eastern Mediterranean, it will be interesting to see if this ongoing discontent grows in 2024 and beyond and if noise or ship size restrictions can be implemented.

Cruise ship forced to depart early due to weather

When bad weather threatens a cruise port, ships usually re-route to avoid the port. However, in mid-August, the Carnival Pride was already docked in Cork, Ireland, when severe weather hit, forcing the ship to recall guests to set sail earlier than planned.