Carnival Valor Suddenly Lists in Mississippi River, Sending Pool Water Onto Deck
Passengers aboard Carnival Valor got quite a scare during the early morning hours of August 17 when the ship suddenly listed while making its way up the Mississippi River toward New Orleans.
The 110,000-gross-ton ship was returning from a four-night Western Caribbean cruise when passengers say the ship made a sudden, hard turn. Some guests reported that the maneuver was made to avoid a cargo ship that had apparently lost power in the river, although Carnival has not confirmed that detail.
The sudden movement caused water from one of the ship's swimming pools to surge onto the surrounding deck. Video taken by a passenger shows the pool water rushing across the deck as startled guests react.
Carnival confirmed that Carnival Valor experienced a brief listing while transiting the Mississippi River, saying that movements like this can occur during normal navigation and that the circumstances were being reviewed.
Fortunately, the ship quickly returned to its normal position. There was no reported damage and no serious injuries, although medical assistance was provided to a few guests who requested it.
It may have been frightening for those onboard, but cruise ships are designed with stability in mind, and a temporary list during a sharp maneuver doesn't mean a ship is in danger of tipping over.
Still, imagine standing next to the pool early in the morning and suddenly watching the water come rushing toward you!
If you were on Carnival Valor when this happened, would you have been scared.
Alaska Native Leaders Warn Cruise Passengers About Viral TikTok Trend
A viral TikTok trend is drawing criticism from Alaska Native leaders, who are asking cruise passengers to think twice about how they interact with some of Alaska's most important cultural landmarks.
The trend involves people using Alaska Native totem poles as props for videos and jokes, including posing with them in ways that can involve climbing, sitting on or otherwise treating the carvings as if they were simply tourist attractions.
Alaska Native leaders say that's far from what these objects represent. Totem poles are deeply significant to Indigenous communities. They can represent family histories, clan identities, important events and generations of cultural knowledge.
With Alaska welcoming huge numbers of cruise passengers every year, the issue has become increasingly important. Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway alone each welcomed more than a million cruise visitors in 2025.
The message from Alaska Native organizations is simple: enjoy the culture, but respect it.
That means not climbing, sitting on or touching totem poles, and not using them as backdrops for jokes, dances or social media trends. Visitors are also encouraged to learn about what they're seeing rather than assuming every totem pole has the same meaning.
We've talked a lot about respecting the places we visit while cruising, and this is another good reminder that we are visitors in these communities.
You can take the pictures, enjoy the scenery and learn about the culture but sometimes the best way to experience something is simply to appreciate it from a respectful distance.
New Port Canaveral Parking Garage Nears Completion
Cruisers driving to Port Canaveral may soon have one less thing to worry about on embarkation day: finding a parking space.
The port's massive new parking garage next to Cruise Terminal 6 reached an important milestone this week when crews installed the final vertical piece of the structure on August 19.
The 13-story garage is now nearly complete, although there's still plenty of interior work to finish before passengers can actually park there. Port Canaveral says the facility is expected to open this fall, but an exact opening date has not yet been announced.
And this isn't a small parking project. The new garage will provide more than 3,700 parking spaces, bringing Port Canaveral's total parking capacity to nearly 17,500 spaces.
The $93 million project covers more than 1.2 million square feet and includes eight extra-large elevators designed to help move passengers and all that cruise luggage.
The garage will primarily serve ships using Cruise Terminal 6, but a pedestrian bridge will also connect it to nearby Terminal 5, meaning passengers sailing from both terminals could benefit from the new facility.
For anyone who has driven to Port Canaveral on a busy cruise day, the additional parking could be a pretty big deal.
Of course, there's still one important question: How much will it cost to park there?
Port Canaveral hasn't announced the final parking rates or opening date yet, but with construction now entering the final stages, cruisers shouldn't have to wait much longer to find out.
Two Cruise Guests Arrested After Allegedly Storming Another Passenger's Cabin
A cruise vacation ended very differently than planned for two passengers after an alleged confrontation onboard eventually led to their arrests at Port Canaveral.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said 29-year-old Gannon Jacox and 28-year-old Brooklyn Hicks were involved in an altercation that began after another passenger reportedly asked them to quiet down.
According to the sheriff's office, Hicks confronted the passengers while Jacox recorded the incident on his phone and allegedly encouraged the confrontation. The situation then escalated when the two allegedly pushed their way into the passengers' cabin, where a 9-year-old child was present.
Sheriff Ivey said a fight broke out inside the cabin, with Jacox allegedly striking all three people, including the child. Hicks allegedly continued swinging at the passengers. Fortunately, authorities reported that none of the victims suffered injuries.
Alcohol was reportedly a factor in the incident.
Both suspects were arrested after the ship returned to Port Canaveral on August 15. Hicks faces charges including burglary with battery and battery, while Jacox faces multiple felony charges, including burglary with assault and child abuse without great bodily harm.
The exact cruise ship where the incident occurred has not been publicly identified. Four cruise ships were in Port Canaveral that day, including Adventure of the Seas, Disney Treasure, Mardi Gras and Carnival Freedom.
Sheriff Ivey couldn't resist adding some humor to the situation, joking that the two suspects were now enjoying an "unplanned destination" with communal showers, no drink packages and no excursions.
It's another reminder that being on vacation doesn't mean the rules go on vacation too.
And when an argument on a cruise gets to the point where someone is entering another passenger's cabin and children are involved, things can get serious very quickly.
Carnival's New Rewards Program Starts September 1, But Cruisers Still Have Questions
Carnival's new Carnival Rewards program officially launches September 1, but with the change just days away, plenty of cruisers are still trying to figure out exactly what it means for them.
The new program replaces the familiar VIFP structure with a new rewards system, and questions remain about how current status carries over, how cruisers earn rewards, what benefits come with each level and perhaps most importantly what it will take to maintain that status going forward.
Carnival has released plenty of information about the new program, but the transition has still left some longtime cruisers confused, particularly those who have spent years working toward their current VIFP level.
We've been following the changes closely, and we've put together a full breakdown of Carnival Rewards on the Cruising Together Couple blog for anyone who wants to see exactly how the new program works and what it could mean for their next cruise.
For now, if you're a Carnival cruiser, September 1 is the date to remember.
And we'll be watching closely to see how the new program actually works once cruisers start earning those first Rewards Stars.
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