Cruise lines don't add an item to their banned lists without a lot of thought.
That's because when they do this, they have to communicate the change to passengers. Many cruisers won't hear about the change and will be entirely unpleased when the item they'd been allowed to bring on board is confiscated until the end of the cruise. (Unless it’s something like alcohol. And anything more serious than that, you’ll probably get taken off the ship.)
Related: Carnival Cruise Line quietly removed a very special on-board space
Royal Caribbean proved that recently with its confusing ban on multiplug outlets. It used to allow multiplug outlet extenders that did not include surge protectors. Under its new rules, passengers can bring only devices that create multiple USB and USB-C ports, not more plugs.
The cruise line made that change for safety reasons on its flagship-brand Royal Caribbean vessels but has not made it on its Celebrity Cruises brand.
That has led to loose enforcement and some angry passengers having their devices confiscated when other cruisers with the same (or similar) devices are able to bring them on board.
Cruise News Today's Doug Parker has more info on Carnival's latest ban, as well as some information about why Norwegian has been canceling cruises. And he looks at a new study on cruise-ship health.
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Carnival clarifies ban on a popular item
Transcript:
This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker.
Carnival Cruise Line has clarified its recently implemented ban on Bluetooth speakers. Now, according to Carnival's Facebook admin, John Heald, this also extends to speaker devices like white noise machines, which are often used for guests for better sleep.
When a passenger asked about bringing white noise machines on the ship, he said he is afraid it may be taken at the gangway. To be clear, this policy prohibits all Bluetooth portable speakers, Walkman and transistor radios with wireless capabilities, and boomboxes.
Even speakers sold in Carnival's onboard gift shops are subject to the ban and will be held until debark.
Norwegian cancels cruises; Cunard shares health info
And we're learning more about that string of cancellations from Norwegian Cruise Line last week that impacted over 169,000 passengers.
The Norwegian Jewel will now sail from Miami during the 25-26 cruise season after NCL canceled its original Tampa-based schedule.
The ship's new itineraries will run from Miami from November of 25 to April of 26 to the Bahamas, Southern Caribbean and the Panama Canal.
Impacted guests there will receive full refunds and a 10% discount on a future cruise. As mentioned last week, the redeployment is also impacting three other ships:
The Norwegian Dawn, which will now sail the Western Caribbean instead of Africa.
Norwegian Star will sail the Bahamas and Southern Caribbean. And Norwegian Jade will focus on the Mexican Riviera.
ALSO READ: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise
And proof that cruising makes you healthy.
Cunard has research showing that slow travel aboard the Queen Mary II boosts cognitive abilities and emotional well-being.
A study by the Human Understanding Agency found that just five days at sea can improve memory by 29%, problem solving by 125% and attention by 14%. Oh, but we're not done.
Relaxation levels also rose by 158% with stress dropping by 35%. This study was done by neuroscientist Dr. Jack Lewis.
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