Cruise News Roundup | Aired September 23, 2026| Episode 61

Prefer listening instead of reading? Enjoy the full episode of The Cruise Therapy Podcast, hosted by G-Free, your Cruise Therapist.

Cruise Family, today’s Boarding Call has ships, resorts, old-school muster drills, a devastating Alaska dock fire, and a post-cruise surprise that might have me abandoning my car at the port permanently.

Royal Caribbean Group is making a major move into the all-inclusive resort business through a partnership with Sandals and Beaches Resorts. Carnival is bringing back the traditional full in-person muster drill on five ships this weekend. A new $80 million cruise dock in Whittier, Alaska, has been declared a total loss after a major fire. And some Royal Caribbean cruisers returned from vacation in Galveston to discover that their cars had apparently become luxury condos for baby spiders.

Cruise Cousins…

Apparently Wednesday decided peace was optional.

Grab your boarding pass, grab something from the bar, and let’s get into today’s cruise and travel news.

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🏝️ Royal Caribbean Makes a $3 Billion Move Into Sandals and Beaches

Royal Caribbean Group apparently looked at cruises, private islands, beach clubs, river cruises, and luxury ships and said:

“What else can we add to the vacation?”

The answer?

All-inclusive resorts.

According to the episode, Royal Caribbean Group and Sandals Resorts announced a new partnership in which Royal Caribbean will acquire a 50% stake in Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts for approximately $3 billion.

The deal values the overall Sandals and Beaches business at roughly $6 billion.

Sandals brings decades of experience operating adults-only all-inclusive Caribbean resorts.

Beaches brings its family-focused resort portfolio.

Royal Caribbean brings a very large cruise customer base.

Together, the companies plan to form a joint venture combining Royal Caribbean’s vacation platform with Sandals’ resort expertise. The transaction is expected to close in early 2027, assuming the necessary approvals are received.

And immediately, my travel-advisor brain starts asking questions.

Could we eventually see:

• Cruise-and-stay vacation packages?
• Royal Caribbean loyalty benefits at Sandals?
• Pre-cruise Sandals stays?
• Post-cruise Beaches vacations?
• Combined promotions?
• Resort-and-cruise loyalty opportunities?

None of those ideas were announced in the transcript, but they’re exactly the kind of possibilities this partnership naturally makes travelers wonder about.

Because Royal Caribbean apparently no longer wants just your sea days.

They want the beach chair too. 😂

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🛟 Carnival Is Bringing Back the Old-School Muster Drill — On Five Ships

Longtime cruisers…

You remember.

Everybody went to their assigned muster station.

Everybody arrived at the same time.

You stood.

You waited.

Then you waited some more.

And eventually somebody would stroll in 15 minutes late holding a frozen drink like:

“Was I supposed to be somewhere?” 😂

Well, for passengers aboard five Carnival ships, that traditional in-person safety drill is coming back temporarily.

The affected sailings mentioned in the episode are:

• Carnival Horizon — September 26
• Carnival Panorama — September 26
• Carnival Sunshine — September 27
• Carnival Vista — September 27
• Carnival Firenze — September 28

More than 18,000 guests are expected to participate.

But before Linda and Leroy start yelling:

“Carnival got rid of e-muster!”

No.

It did not.

These are periodic full safety drills that ships and crews must perform so emergency procedures can be demonstrated with actual passenger participation.

Carnival explained that ships periodically have to complete these drills to satisfy government requirements and international SOLAS — Safety of Life at Sea — standards.

During the drill, crew members will demonstrate life jackets, explain evacuation procedures, and sound the emergency signal:

Seven short blasts followed by one long blast.

Food and beverage service will also temporarily stop.

Cruise Cousins…

They turned off the bar.

That is how you know they are serious. 😂

The interruption is brief, but the information matters.

If an emergency ever does happen, those few minutes of paying attention could make a real difference.

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🔥 Whittier’s New $80 Million Cruise Dock Declared a Total Loss

Now to a serious update from Alaska.

A major fire at the Whittier Alaska cruise terminal caused extensive damage to a dock that only began welcoming ships in late 2024.

The fire reportedly broke out near a tour vessel docked at the facility and burned for hours.

The blaze damaged both the dock and the tour boat Klondike Express.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

Norwegian Jade was nearby when the fire occurred.

The ship moved safely away from the area and was not damaged.

Passengers scheduled to embark that day were redirected to Whittier’s other cruise terminal.

The damaged facility was part of an approximately $80 million development.

After assessing the damage, the Alaska State Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the dock itself was a total loss.

The cause remained under investigation at the time of the episode.

This matters because Whittier is an important embarkation and disembarkation point for Alaska cruises, particularly for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings brands.

The good news is that Whittier has another cruise facility available.

At the time of the episode, cruise lines had not announced widespread cancellations for 2027, but repairs, rebuilding, and future operating plans still needed to be determined.

If you’re booked on an Alaska sailing through Whittier in 2027?

Keep this story on your radar.

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🕷️ Cruise Over. Vacation Over. Car Taken Over by Baby Spiders.

Cruise Cousins…

Imagine this.

You had a great cruise.

You ate.

You drank.

You relaxed.

You got off the ship in Galveston.

You found your luggage.

You walked back to your car.

And your car said:

“Welcome home. We have new tenants.”

Baby spiders.

And apparently…

A LOT of them.

According to the episode, two Royal Caribbean cruisers returned to a parking area near Cruise Terminal 10 at the Port of Galveston and discovered their vehicle covered in tiny spiders.

An Uber driver who helped the couple reportedly said several other cars had the same eight-legged surprise.

The couple reportedly took an Uber to Walmart, purchased pesticide, and returned before they felt comfortable driving the vehicle home.

Listen.

I can handle:

• delayed flights
• missing luggage
• rain
• bad excursions
• somebody reclining their airplane seat directly into my soul

But if I open my car door and 300 spiders look back at me?

They own the car.

Call the insurance company.

Tell them:

“Total loss.” 😂

To be clear, the spiders were not aboard the Royal Caribbean ship and were not inside Royal Caribbean’s terminal.

This happened in a parking area.

The episode explains that September can be a prime period for baby spiders in Texas. Spiderlings can sometimes move through a process called ballooning, releasing silk strands that catch the wind and carry them through the air.

That sounds adorable.

Until the wind drops them on your Honda.

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🚗 Travel Tip of the Day: Check Your Car Before Driving Away

Today’s spider story gives us one of the strangest Travel Tips of the Day we’ve ever had.

If you leave your vehicle at a cruise port for a week or longer:

Give it a quick inspection before jumping inside.

Check:

• mirrors
• door handles
• windshield
• wheel wells
• tires
• under the hood if something looks unusual

And this isn’t just about spiders.

While you’re away, you could potentially encounter:

• ants
• rodents
• storm debris
• water damage
• flooding
• insects
• other unexpected surprises

If you see something that could bite, sting, or damage the vehicle, don’t start grabbing at it.

Ask parking staff for assistance or contact a pest-control professional if needed.

Apparently our old post-cruise checklist was:

✅ Passport
✅ Luggage
✅ Car keys

Now we have to add:

✅ Make sure the car does not have eight legs.

Cruise Therapy is evolving. 😂

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⚓ Key Takeaways

Today’s Boarding Call had a little bit of everything.

Royal Caribbean + Sandals: Royal Caribbean Group plans to acquire a 50% stake in Sandals and Beaches Resorts for approximately $3 billion.

Carnival Muster Drills: Five Carnival ships will temporarily use traditional full in-person safety drills as part of required periodic exercises.

Whittier, Alaska: A newly developed cruise dock has been declared a total loss after a major fire, though no injuries were reported.

Galveston Spider Surprise: Some returning cruisers reportedly found their parked vehicles covered in baby spiders.

Travel Tip: Always give your vehicle a quick inspection after leaving it parked for an extended period.

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💬 Join the Conversation

Cruise Family, I need answers today.

🏝️ Would you be interested in a future vacation that combines a Royal Caribbean cruise with a Sandals or Beaches resort stay?

🛟 Do you prefer the fast e-muster process, or do you think the traditional full muster drill is better?

And finally…

🕷️ You return from your cruise and discover hundreds of baby spiders on your car.

What are you doing?

A. Buying bug spray
B. Calling pest control
C. Selling the car
D. Leaving the country 😂

Drop your answer in the comments.

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🧳 Ready to Plan Your Next Vacation?

Whether you’re dreaming about a Caribbean cruise, an Alaska sailing, an all-inclusive resort, or a combination of experiences, Atlanta Travel Associates can help you coordinate the details from beginning to end.

That includes:

• cruises
• resorts
• pre- and post-cruise hotels
• flights
• transfers
• excursions
• vacation planning

📝 Start planning your next vacation:
Help Me Plan My Vacation

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🎙️ Keep Up With Cruise Therapy

Follow the Cruise Therapy Podcast for cruise news, travel alerts, destination trends, travel tips, and your regular dose of Cruise Therapy.

Again, I’m GFree, your Cruise Therapist.

Until our next therapy session:

Keep calm.
Keep cruising.
And keep listening.

And I’ll SEA you aboard the Disney Wish at Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge. ✨🚀🍸

The cocktails are flowing.

The stars are flying.

And we’re taking Cruise Therapy straight into another galaxy.

Grab your drink.

Find me by the viewport.

And let’s make one more jump into hyperspace before the night is over.

Because if Disney magic, Star Wars, and a cruise ship all show up in the same place…

I’m staying until somebody turns the lights on. 😂

May the Force be with you.
May the pixie dust find you.
And may your next cruise already be booked.