Cruise lines don't add an item to their banned list without a lot of thought.
That's because when they do, they have to communicate the change to passengers. Many will not be aware of the change and will end up with the confiscation of an item they were previously allowed to bring on board.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line Quietly Eliminated a Very Special Onboard Space
Royal Caribbean demonstrated this recently with its confusing ban on power strips. It used to allow multi-plug extenders without surge protection. Under its new rules, passengers can only bring devices that create multiple USB and USB-c ports, not more plugs.
The cruise line made that change for safety reasons, but did not do so for its Celebrity Cruises brand. This has led to lax enforcement of the law and some angry passengers seeing their devices confiscated when other cruise ships with the same (or similar) devices are allowed to bring them on board.
Cruise News Today's Doug Parker has more on Carnival's latest ban, as well as insight into why Norwegian has been canceling cruises and discusses a new study on the health of cruises.
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Carnival banned a popular item
Transcription:
This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker.
Carnival Cruise Line has clarified the recently implemented ban on Bluetooth speakers. Now, according to Carnival facebook manager John Heald, this also extends to speaker devices like white noise machines, which are often used to help guests sleep better.
When a passenger asked if white noise machines could be brought on the ship, he said he feared they could be picked up on the gangplank. To be clear, this policy prohibits all portable Bluetooth speakers, Walkman and transistor radios with wireless capabilities, and boomboxes.
Even speakers sold in gift shops aboard Carnival are subject to the ban and will be held until disembarkation.
Norwegian cancels cruises, Cunard shares health information
And we're learning more about Norwegian Cruise Line's series of cancellations last week that affected more than 169,000 passengers. 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 25 to April 26 to the Bahamas, the Southern Caribbean and the Panama Canal.
Affected guests will receive full refunds and a 10% discount on a future cruise. As mentioned last week, the redeployment also affects three other ships. Norwegian Dawn, which will now sail through the Western Caribbean instead of Africa.
Norwegian Star will sail through the Bahamas and the southern Caribbean. And Norwegian Jade will focus on the Mexican Riviera.
READ ALSO: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise
And proof that sailing makes you healthy.
Cunard has research showing that slow voyages aboard the Queen Mary II increase 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%. Ah, but we're not done yet.
Relaxation levels also increased by 158% and stress decreased by 35%. This study was conducted by neuroscientist Dr. Jack Lewis.
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