A cruise ship works like a hotel in which every guest checks out on the same day at the same time.
That never happens on land.
Even after a big event, some people might leave immediately while others might stay a day or two in order to snag a cheaper flight or to enjoy the city for a little longer.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line quietly removed a cruise ship staple area
Cruise ships might have some passengers on back-to-back sailings, but even those people must leave the ship and their rooms must be cleaned.
It's a stunning process where thousands of cabins begin to empty around 7:30 a.m. and — asssuming nothing on the sailing has gone wrong — are ready for their new occupants by 1 or 1:30 p.m.
In some cases, however, cruise ships arrive late in port and the hours change. That can create even more pressure for the hard-working crew to turn the rooms over, clean the ship and get everything ready for the Bex trip.
Carnival Cruise Line recently had one of those situations, and Doug Parker has all the details on Cruise News Today.
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Mexico might pass a huge tax; Carnival ship arrives very late
Transcript:
This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker. Good morning. Here's your cruise news for Monday, December 2.
Cruise lines are reconsidering going to Mexico after lawmakers proposed a new cruise tax of $42 per head. Now, the new immigration fee, if approved by Mexico's lower house, could take effect in 2026 if passed by the Senate today.
The Florida Caribbean Cruise Association, which represents over 20 cruise lines, warned that the fee could disrupt itineraries and reduce the 10 million passengers expected in 2025. The group also said it could impact investments like Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day, Mexico, which is being built near Costa Maya
The Mexican Association of Shipping Agents called the fee uncompetitive and urged the Senate to reject it. A separate $5 state tax will be added in 2025, regardless. That starts January 1.
And Carnival Liberty arrived in New Orleans yesterday at 6 p.m nearly a full day behind schedule following earlier technical issues, an emergency evacuation, and delays due to Mississippi River traffic.
Now, boarding for the next 14-night Panama Canal cruise was pushed into late last night and wrapped up very early this morning.
Carnival compensated its guests with $25 in onboard credit and a prorated refund for its lost day. The ship still remains in New Orleans at the time of broadcast and Carnival says it's expected to leave later on today.
Grand Turk had a great year
The Grand Turk cruise port welcomed over 1 million cruise passengers in the first 10 months of the year, beating last year's total of 924,000 guests by late October. The port already saw 1.03 million passengers, according to the Grand Turk Cruise Center.
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Tourism Minister Josephine Connelly said that the economic impact was around $116 million in spending in 2024. Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and MSC cruises have also called to Grand Turk in 24.
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