Top 5 Cruise News Stories for Aug 17, 2026

Carnival Launches Shoe Recycling Program Across Its U.S. Fleet

Carnival Cruise Line is giving cruisers a new reason to think twice before throwing out those old shoes.

The cruise line has become the first cruise line to partner with Sneaker Impact, a Miami-based organization that keeps unwanted footwear out of landfills. The new program is being rolled out across Carnival's U.S. fleet and will collect shoes left behind on ships as well as footwear donated by guests and crew.

Once collected, the shoes are sent to Sneaker Impact's facility in Miami, where each pair is evaluated. Shoes that are still wearable can be provided to small business owners in developing countries, allowing them to sell the footwear while providing affordable shoes to communities where they may be harder to obtain.

Shoes that are too worn out to be reused aren't simply thrown away. Materials are separated and recycled into products including athletic surfaces, yoga mats and components used in new footwear.

Carnival says the program is already making an impact. During July, just five Carnival ships sent more than 500 pairs of shoes to Sneaker Impact, keeping them out of landfills. If the program is expanded across the entire fleet, Carnival estimates it could give approximately 50,000 pairs of shoes a second life.

Question - will you pack extra shoes to donate?

Royal Caribbean is giving some cruisers a way to find out their cabin assignment early

The new Early Assign Program is aimed at guests who book a guarantee, or GTY, stateroom. With a guarantee cabin, passengers know they'll receive a room within the category they purchased, but Royal Caribbean chooses the specific cabin. That assignment can sometimes come much closer to the sailing date.

With Early Assign, eligible guests can pay $30 per cabin to have Royal Caribbean assign their stateroom within about 24 hours. And there's another interesting part of the program. If you don't like the cabin you're assigned, you can switch to another available stateroom within the same category without paying an additional fee.

That could make the $30 worthwhile for cruisers who are nervous about where they'll end up. Maybe you don't want to be directly underneath the pool deck, next to an elevator, or all the way forward or aft on the ship. Finding out early gives you more time to see exactly where you'll be staying. But for other cruisers, $30 might seem like money wasted.

One of the reasons people book guarantee cabins is because they don't care exactly where they're located. Some even enjoy rolling the dice, hoping Royal Caribbean might surprise them with a better location or category.

So now Royal Caribbean is essentially asking: How much is knowing your cabin early worth to you?

Would you pay $30 to find out your cabin assignment early, or would you rather keep your money and let Royal Caribbean surprise you?

Disney Announces Entirely New Class of Cruise Ships Coming in 2029

Disney Cruise Line is getting ready to enter a new era, with the company revealing that an entirely new class of cruise ships will begin joining the fleet in 2029.

The announcement was made during Disney's Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at D23, where Walt Disney Imagineering gave fans their first look at the new class. The ships don't have names yet, and Disney isn't revealing many details, but there is one thing that makes this announcement especially interesting: these won't simply be larger versions of the ships Disney already has.

Disney says the new ships will be positioned between its classic smaller vessels and its newer, larger ships. That size is intentional, according to Disney Imagineering, because it could allow the cruise line to visit destinations that aren't practical for its largest ships while also reaching new audiences.

The new class is expected to consist of three ships, with the first originally scheduled for 2029. Industry reports have put the ships at around 100,000 gross tons with room for approximately 3,000 passengers—making them significantly smaller than the 144,000-gross-ton Disney Wish-class ships.

And this comes as Disney Cruise Line is already in the middle of one of the biggest expansions in its history. The cruise line is working toward a fleet of 13 ships by 2031, giving Disney far more capacity to expand into new markets around the world.

For now, Disney is keeping the biggest details under wraps. We don't know the names, itineraries, or exactly what experiences will make these ships different.

But Disney has already given us one pretty big clue: they're being designed to take Disney cruising to places—and passengers—the cruise line hasn't reached before.

And that may be the most exciting part of this announcement.

What do you think—would you rather see Disney build another giant ship, or do you like the idea of a smaller ship that can visit more unique destinations?

Tempers Flare in Cruise Ship Casino

A night at the casino aboard Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas took a disturbing turn after a video appeared to show one passenger becoming aggressive toward another guest.

A video posted to TikTok on August 7 has quickly gained attention, showing two women at the bar inside Casino Royale. One woman can be heard repeatedly yelling at the other to get away from her before appearing to shove the other passenger in the face.

The woman who was confronted does not appear to fight back in the video and instead backs away with her hands covering her face. Crew members quickly stepped between the two women, with one employee shielding the passenger who was being confronted while another blocked the alleged aggressor.

The situation continued as the woman reportedly screamed and made threats before Royal Caribbean security eventually escorted her away.

There are still plenty of unanswered questions. It's not known what happened before the video began, whether alcohol played a role, or whether the passenger who was shoved suffered any injuries. According to the person who posted the video, however, the woman allegedly returned to the casino twice more and continued causing problems.

Royal Caribbean has a strict policy regarding inappropriate and abusive behavior. Violations can result in consequences ranging from confinement onboard to being removed from the ship or even receiving a lifetime ban from the cruise line.

If you were on this ship and witnessed something like this, would you expect Royal Caribbean to remove the passenger? What kind of punishment should they receive. Let us know in the comments.   

John Heald Celebrates 39 Years With Carnival Cruise Line

There aren't many people in the cruise industry who are as recognizable as John Heald, and this week he has another milestone to celebrate—39 years with Carnival Cruise Line.

Heald began his Carnival career in 1987 as a bartender aboard a cruise ship. Over the years, he worked his way through various positions before becoming one of Carnival's best-known cruise directors and eventually the cruise line's Brand Ambassador.

Today, John Heald is probably best known for his incredibly popular social media presence, where he talks directly with Carnival guests about everything from food and entertainment to cruise policies, passenger questions, and the occasional unusual request.

But before Facebook and social media made him famous, Heald was already spending his career at sea.

Thirty-nine years with the same company is impressive in any industry, but doing it in the cruise business is something special. During those nearly four decades, he has watched Carnival grow from a much smaller cruise line into one of the largest names in cruising.

He's also watched the cruise experience change dramatically—from the ships, dining, entertainment and technology to the way cruise lines communicate with their guests.

For longtime Carnival cruisers, John Heald has become more than just a Carnival employee. He's become a familiar face and a personality many guests feel like they know—even if they've never actually met him.

So congratulations to John Heald on 39 years with Carnival.

And now we're curious: If you've been cruising with Carnival for a long time, do you remember when you first heard of John Heald?

We are Tim & Lori and are known as "The Cruising Together Couple"  

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