Weekly Cruise News Recap for August 31, 2025

Cruise Labor Day Sales Roundup

There are lots of Labor Day sales going on and cruise lines are discounting and offering deals. Check out all the different offers and see if any will tempt you.

Celebrity picks Chef Janaína Torres as Godmother of Celebrity Xcel.

Named World’s Best Female Chef in 2024, Janaína Torres will be the first Brazilian chef to partner with a cruise line. Janaína is know for A Casa do Porco, her restaurant in São Paulo. She is widely recognized for her innovation to cuisine that highlights Brazilian heritage while reducing waste and making fine dining more available. Celebrity Xcel will be sailing from Fort Lauderdale in November 2025.

Two Medevaced on the Ruby Princess.

A 99 year old man and 52 year old woman were evacuated by helicopter off the Ruby Princess near the Washing state coast on Sunday, August 24, 2026. The 99 year old man was suffering from an complete esophageal obstruction and the 52 year old woman had a sudden cardiac arrest. The two medical emergencies were not related to each other.

MSC World Europa loses power and drifts off the coast of Italy.

The main power for propulsion suddenly went out on the MSC World Europa on Monday, August 25, 2026. Backup generators came on so the there were lights, AC, and guest amenities. The Italian Coast Guard was sent to stay in contact with the ship that was drifting as it had no way to steer. Power was restored and the ship docked in Port Naples. The cause of the power failure is unknown.

Disney Wish has a false alarm for a man overboard.

The man overboard alarm sounded on Tuesday, August 26, 2026 aboard the Disney Wish. The ship performed normal rescue operations including turning around and launching life boats. After all passengers were called to the muster stations and counted, it was concluded that everyone was accounted for and the overboard was a false alarm.

Kitchen fire on the P&O Iona.

A fire in the kitchen of the P&O Iona broke out on Friday, August 29, 2025. The ship's loudspeakers requested first aid and assistance to deck 5. No muster station headcount was needed as the fire was quickly contained. The Pearl and Coral dining rooms on deck 6 seems to be the only space that was affected by the incident.

CLIA is suing Hawaii over new tax on cruise ships.

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is filing a lawsuit against Hawaii's new law that will lump cruise ships in with hotels for tax purposes. Lawmakers are citing that cruise ships have an environmental and infrastructure impact on the state and should be taxed like hotels. CLIA claims this violates federal Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1884 that exists to prohibit fees exactly like the ones imposed.