Hurricane Trudy forces Brilliant Lady's fourth reroute and costs Norwegian Bliss Acapulco
Hurricane Trudy has now disrupted four straight Brilliant Lady sailings. The Oct. 17 Mexican Riviera departure swaps Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta for San Francisco, San Diego and Ensenada, with excursions refunded as onboard credit. Norwegian Bliss's 19-night repositioning drops Acapulco and substitutes a sea day.
What to do: Contact clients sailing Pacific Mexico this week before they hear it onboard. Set expectations on excursion refunds, and warn Brilliant Lady guests that the California ports will be cooler than the planned Mexican ones. Also watch the remaining Panama Canal repositioning sailings for further changes.
Carnival to cut Australian fleet to two ships after March 2028
Carnival will pull Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Adventure from Australia after March 2028. That takes its Australian fleet from four ships to two. The line cites regulatory uncertainty around cabotage and licensing. The ships will reposition on one-way Journeys voyages to new homeports.
Capacity Down Under will tighten after the departures, which could affect availability and pricing. Advisors selling Australia and South Pacific sailings should steer clients toward 2027–28 departures early. Watch for the redeployment announcements.
Disney Believe's maiden voyage sells out before public booking opens
The Dec. 18, 2027 inaugural sailing of Disney Believe sold out during the Castaway Club presale. Every stateroom category was gone before Silver members or the general public could book.
General booking opens Oct. 19 for the rest of the inaugural season. A DVC first-wave sailing opens Nov. 21. Expect heavy demand and thin inventory. Prepare waitlists and alternate inaugural-season options for clients who were shut out of the maiden voyage.
Carnival moves drink and Wi-Fi packages to dynamic pricing
Carnival will offer dynamic pricing on beverage packages and Wi-Fi. Prices can now vary by sailing and booking window. The bundled Value packages are rebranded as FunPacks.
Advisors should stop quoting fixed add-on prices and set client expectations that onboard-spend packages can change. Where clients intend to buy a package, advise them on when to pre-purchase.
Royal Caribbean warns of longer boarding times under new rules
Royal Caribbean has told passengers to expect long boarding delays under new rules. The source gives few details on what changed. Longer embarkation affects flight and arrival timing and is likely to prompt day-of-sailing complaints.
Prepare clients now, and avoid promising quick embarkation. Check the line's guidance for specifics before advising on arrival times.
PortMiami rolls out cruise-day traffic plan; Carnival Celebration gets airport shuttle pilot
PortMiami expects 81 days this season with 7–10 ships in port. It is directing passengers to specific entrances by terminal and telling them to arrive only at their assigned embarkation time.
Carnival Celebration guests get a complimentary airport shuttle pilot on select dates starting in October. Advisors can pass the shuttle perk and the arrival guidance to Miami clients. Remind them that arriving early will not speed boarding.
Holland America's Save on Sunshine runs through Oct. 21
Holland America's sale runs Oct. 13–21 and ends in four days. It offers up to 50% off fares, free third and fourth guests on select sailings, and up to $200 onboard credit per stateroom. Select holiday cruises also include free specialty dining.
The short window suits holiday and family clients who are ready to decide. Check sailing-level eligibility before quoting.