Carnival Venezia 2026 Review + Cruise News | Carnival Cruise Line

Cruise Radio: Weekly Cruise News & Travel Tips

This episode of Cruise Radio opens with staff writer Richard Sims delivering industry news, highlighting Carnival Corporation's record-breaking financial performance and aggressive future bookings, alongside significant policy shifts

Key takeaways

• Carnival Corporation CEO Josh Weinstein noted that vacations remain sacrosanct for consumers, driving record 2026 earnings and half-booked 2027 sailings without new ship capacity.
• Royal Caribbean Group is consolidating sailing categories to start cancellation penalties at 50% instead of the previous 25%, while Princess Cruises raises Plus and Premier packages by $5 per person daily starting October 13th.

Main topics

• Carnival Venezia ship review
• Cruise industry financial earnings & bookings

Notable quotes

"Vacations are sacrosanct. That was his word... we're willing to make a lot of sacrifices, but we need our vacations."

Conclusion

Listeners gain actionable advice on navigating new cruise line penalty structures, booking strategies

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) This is Cruise Radio. I cruise a lot and I always sail with travel insurance. You should too. Get a free quote today at TripInsurance.com. Speaker 1 (0:09) Here we Speaker 2 (0:09) go. Broadcasting from the TripInsurance.com studios in Jacksonville, Florida, this is Cruise Radio. Speaker 3 (0:17) Hey, how's Speaker 2 (0:17) it Speaker 3 (0:17) going? My name is Doug Parker. Thank you so much for checking out this episode of Cruise Radio. Very happy to have you here, my friend. A review of Carnival Venezia this week, an eight-night sailing from Manhattan. But first, staff writer Richard Sims is back with this week's Cruise News. Hey, Richard. All right, so you're back from your cruise, but your cruise was extended by Speaker 4 (0:37) just a little bit, right? It was. I actually was a little worried it might be extended by even more. We were on the Virgin Voyage's Valiant Lady, and we were coming back from Canada. And, of course, we sailed right into the nor'easter. So we had a couple of days of rough weather. And that didn't really bother me. I mean, it was rocky, but it wasn't – I've been through worse. I went through a hurricane on breakaway. But the – The port was closed, so we actually had to wait for the port to reopen, which meant we were supposed to dock early in the morning. We instead ended up docking around 4 o'clock, and we disembarked around 6 o'clock. What's really cool is Virgin just treated this like it was another sea day. They set up all—overnight, they set up all kinds of events for us. There was a— special show. They had plenty of food. All of the venues were open. You could even go to brunch. So it really was like having a whole extra day. It was pretty awesome. Speaker 3 (1:38) We look forward to hearing your review of the entire sailing here in the next couple of weeks or so. So kicking things off with cruise news and some good news from the folks at Carnival. Speaker 4 (1:47) Well, good news. For them, not so great news for cruisers hoping for a good deal. Carnival Corporation released their latest quarterly numbers, and they are essentially print and money. There's some really interesting stuff to note from their latest quarterly report. First, it's not just that 2026 has been a record year. Looking ahead... And they've already managed to book half of 2027 and at record pricing. That's sort of why I say you're probably not going to be able to get a bargain because they don't need to give you a bargain. You know, when you're when it's the law of supply and demand, when you have full ships, people want on them and you don't have to offer them discounts in order to get them on. So that's where they stand right now. Now, it's worth noting that often. These kind of numbers with the high capacity, high pricing come in, especially when you're looking at future bookings. It's partly as a result of expansion of capacity in particular. For example, let's say you're rolling out a new ship. That causes excitement and that generally increases bookings at a higher price. But Carnival Corporation has no new ships on the immediate horizon. with Carnival Festival being the next one coming in May of 2027. So to see this kind of growth without expanding capacity is a little bit unusual and certainly very good for the company. CEO Josh Weinstein said during the earnings call that despite the economy being shaky and other potential headwinds, vacations are sacrosanct. That was his word, not mine. But he's basically saying, you know, we're willing to make a lot of sacrifices, but... We need our vacations. And I think that's kind of one of the things that has helped the cruise industry really continue to. He also said that people who'd been putting off potential trips are booking and looking for value, which cruises represent. It's worth noting that after they had these calls on Tuesday, the Carnival stock surged about 12 % off this news. And proving the truth in the old saying that a rising tide lifts all ships, literally in this case, Norwegian and Royal also saw their stocks go up. probably because the Carnival News represented a real show of strength for the cruise industry as a whole. Speaker 3 (4:09) Yeah, cruising is definitely back, but the woman in our next story probably shouldn't be taking one. Speaker 4 (4:13) That's for sure. So Carnival Cruise Line has long touted and long advertised that they are the number one family cruise line. They have more families coming on board than any other line. Which makes it a little worse, or I should say all the worse, that when Natalie Belzer decided to leave her kids behind, she could go on a vacation. It was on the Carnival Conquest. So she did take advantage of a carnival cruise, but did not take her family with her. The ship set sail on Friday. And the next day... police, they kind of got a tip off and they found her four children, including a two-month-old baby. She apparently told people she was leaving the kids with their grandmother, but clearly that proved not to be true. When she returned four days later, the police arrested her as she disembarked in Miami. But wait, there's more. When she was called before the court on four felony counts of child neglect, her attorney tried to argue that she hadn't abandoned them to go on a cruise and that that was only an allegation. Mothers, he said, aren't solely responsible for their children, but the judge did not seem to give that particular idea much credence as she was the one who had basically custody of them. So he set her bond at $10,000, basically $2,500 a child. and issued a stay-away order to keep her away from them while the Department of Children's Health and Human Services conducts an investigation into exactly what happened, although it's fairly clear. Several of her family members have come forward and said that she did not tell them she was going on a cruise, and they basically found out when they saw her messaging on WhatsApp. So, yeah, that's just not the way to do it. Speaker 3 (6:06) Yeah, I saw the body cam footage last night of them, you know, going into the house and those four little kids shaking in the bathroom, like hiding and everything. It was just heartbreaking seeing that. Heartbreaking? Yeah. You Speaker 4 (6:18) just don't know what goes through your mind that you think you're Speaker 3 (6:20) going Speaker 4 (6:20) to get on a cruise ship and leave your four children behind. Speaker 3 (6:23) If you're thinking about canceling an upcoming cruise on either Royal Caribbean or Celebrity, just know that it might cost you a little bit more starting this month. So Speaker 4 (6:32) what a lot of people don't realize is that Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity Cruises are both owned by the same mothership, Royal Caribbean Group, much the same way that Princess and some of the other lines are owned by Carnival Corporation. So at first we thought this news only related to Carnival, I mean, excuse me, to Royal Caribbean, but it turns out it also applies to Celebrity. So if you are planning on booking with these lines, make sure you... understand completely what you're getting into, where the cancellation fees are concerned, because they are changing everything about them. They're changing how much you pay, when you pay, etc. As they explained in a letter sent to travel agents, they're, open quote, simplifying their cancellation penalty structure by... consolidating sailing length categories, and streamlining penalty tiers. If that sounds like a mouthful, that's because that is a lot of corporate speak. But what it boils down to is, yeah, you want to cancel, it's going to cost you. Now, there are a lot of factors that go into how much you'll pay, including what ship you're sailing on and how many nights you're sailing is. But while the cancellation fees previously started at 25%, That tier is now gone. And when you hit the cancellation levels, you start at 50%. They'll also no longer be waiving cancellation fees for the third and fourth guest. The whole thing is actually a little bit complicated. So you really want to make sure when you're booking, whether it's, you know, you're doing your own research or you're going to a travel partner or, you know, however you're booking, make sure you understand when the cancellation fees kick in. how much they are, and how quickly they escalate. Because like I said, it is a little confusing. So you want to know exactly what you're getting into before you book. And Speaker 3 (8:24) Princess Cruises also announced this week that they are increasing the cost of two packages. And you're sailing one, what, in a couple of months or next year? Speaker 4 (8:34) Yeah. While I do have a trip on Regal Princess scheduled for next year, I already paid it off, including the perks packages, which are what are being increased here. Speaker 1 (8:44) And Speaker 4 (8:44) I'm actually really glad I did because the cost of both the Plus and Premier package will be going up by $5 per person per day starting October 13th. I actually bought the Premier package, which includes the ability to sign into multiple devices on your Wi-Fi at the same time, unlimited specialty and casual dining. And people have to realize that that is kind of a big deal because on Princess, casual dining is – it sounds like you're talking about the main dining rooms. You're not. They have several venues on board that don't quite reach the level of flat-out specialty, but they do come with a fee. That's one of the many things covered by the Premier Perks package. It also includes digital pictures that they take on board. Honestly, it includes a lot. And you know how much I like getting off a ship with absolutely no bill. So if you have a Princess Cruise coming up and you want to get one of these packages, which I think a lot of people do, remember, the price goes up as of October 13th. So if you have an opportunity. to pay that, to lock in those perks at the lower price, do it because $5 a person a day adds up over time real quickly. So get on that. Speaker 3 (9:58) And the number of cruise ship crew members who have been arrested as part of a sweeping federal operation has now reached 87. We Speaker 4 (10:08) first talked about Operation Tidal Wave a few weeks ago. And with these latest arrests, yeah, the number. of crew members who've been arrested is now 87 who've been taken into custody and prepared for deportation. That's since August. Although actually, you know, it's interesting because I've seen August and July both quoted, and it's a little unclear whether some of these 87 arrests happened as early as July or if those arrests were separate from the ones that have happened since August. In any case, the reports indicate that the most recent group of arrestees were brought in on charges of child sexual exploitation or child abuse, child sexual abuse. Among those newly charged were crew members who had worked aboard the Norwegian Breakaway and the Norwegian Jewel, but NCL is certainly not the only cruise line which has seen these arrests taking place. Operation Tidal Wave has been a joint sort of effort between multiple... federal and local agencies, including but not limited to Homeland Security, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Department of Customs and Border Patrol. It's, you know, a very sad, very messy situation, but it's been a really incredibly successful operation that is doing, you know, doing its best to keep children safe. Norwegian responded after the latest arrest by saying that, you know, They fully supported this operation. Their number one priority, as every cruise line will say, is keeping their guests safe. So, you know, we'll have to see as this operation continues how many more wind up being hauled up in the net. And finally, Speaker 3 (11:57) Carnival is about to have a very special fashion show, and you're invited. Am I reading that right? You are. Speaker 4 (12:06) Being a very fashionable guy, Doug, I'm sure you know we're coming up on Fashion Week in Paris. Well, Carnival will be putting on its own fashion show to coincide, but this is not going to be in Paris, France. It'll be in Paris, Texas, which is not too far from Galveston, which, of course, has become a very important home port for Carnival in the last couple of years. The collection is inspired by everyday cruise guests and is designed to be, well... Fun. I would actually go so far as to say cheeky. The name of the collection probably tells you a lot, which it is the Carnival Guy Fieri Collection, which includes, and I'm quoting here, oversized pockets big enough to sneak a guy's burger back to your stateroom, hidden compartments for your favorite condiments, and even a towel-inspired ensemble inspired by guests' well-known love. of carnival towel animals and pool towels. The show is going to be held on Saturday, October 3rd, from 7th to 8th. And if you're not going to be able to get to Paris, Texas, good news, it will be live streamed on both TikTok and Instagram. While Guy Fieri is not going to be there in person, he will be making a digital appearance of some sort. So I don't know, it just sounds like, it sounds like kind of crazy, silly fun, and I really love it. I look forward to watching it. Speaker 3 (13:28) That makes one of us. All right. Staff writer Richard Sims, as always. Thank you. Speaker 4 (13:32) As always. Glad to be here. Speaker 2 (13:35) The world is constantly changing. Your place for news is still the same. Online and on demand at cruiseradio.net. Speaker 3 (13:44) A big question we get at Cruise Radio is, how do I know if I need trip insurance? Simple answer. If you're getting on a plane, taking a road trip, or getting on a cruise ship, you need to have travel insurance. Hey, it's Doug Parker for my friends at TripInsurance.com. Not only does TripInsurance.com protect your vacation investment, but it also gives you peace of mind in case anything were to go wrong on your trip. How do they do it? They offer three different types of trip insurance policies. Good, better, and best. One policy for every vacation budget. But it doesn't just stop there. They're up to 40 % lower when you shop around on other comparison sites. Plus, TripInsurance.com offers 24-hour customer support before, during, and after your trip. online claims assistance and travel alerts to let you know what's going on at your destination. But find out for yourself. Check out tripinsurance.com. Speaker 2 (14:38) Just back from a cruise? Let's talk about it. Email Doug Speaker 3 (14:42) at cruiseradio.net. Earlier this summer, Christy took an eight-night sailing on Carnival Venezia. It was from Manhattan down to the Caribbean and Bahamas and back. She joins us on the line to talk all about her vacation. Welcome back, Christy. Speaker 1 (14:56) Hi, thanks. I'm so happy to be back. Speaker 3 (14:58) It's been a little while since we spoke last. So before