Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed it will broadcast the Super Bowl across its entire fleet on February 9, but sports fans hoping to catch the Winter Olympics will be out of luck due to broadcast restrictions.

Brand ambassador John Heald announced the plans in a recent video, explaining that all Carnival ships will show the big game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.

Ships with large outdoor screens on the Lido Deck will host tailgate parties, while other vessels will broadcast the game in their main theaters.

Schedule Changes for Game Day

The cruise line is making several adjustments to accommodate the 6:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff time.

Ships scheduled for Elegant Evening on February 9 will move formal night to a different day during the sailing, allowing guests to watch the game in comfortable attire rather than formalwear.

Guy’s Burgers and other food outlets will stay open throughout the game, and the Lido Marketplace buffet, room service, pizzeria, and deli will be available for guests wanting game-day snacks.

The full game and halftime show will air, but guests should note that Super Bowl commercials won’t be shown. Heald explained that Carnival receives a direct satellite feed that doesn’t include U.S. commercial breaks.

Passengers not interested in football can still enjoy the regular schedule of activities, including trivia, comedy shows, and other entertainment.

Olympics Not Available Onboard

While football fans celebrate, Olympic enthusiasts will be disappointed to learn that the 2026 Winter Games in Italy won’t be broadcast on Carnival ships.

The cruise line doesn’t carry the network airing the Olympics, which run from February 6 through 22.

Guests who plan to follow Olympic events such as skiing, figure skating, bobsled, and others can purchase Wi-Fi packages to stream coverage on their personal devices.

Carnival Cruise Line has notified guests that recommended gratuities and Bottomless Bubbles prices will increase starting April 2, 2026, marking the cruise line’s first gratuity hike since April 2023.

Daily gratuities for standard staterooms will rise from $16 to $17 per guest, while suite guests will see rates increase from $18 to $19 per day. The increases apply to both U.S. and European departures.

Guests who prepay gratuities through Carnival’s Cruise Manager before April 1 can lock in current rates for any open sailing.

Unless prepaid, recommended gratuities are automatically added to guests’ Sail & Sign accounts. Adjustments can be made during the cruise but not after disembarkation.

Bottomless Bubbles package hike

The adult Bottomless Bubbles package will also increase from $9.50 to $11.99 per person, per day, plus a 20 percent service charge. Pricing for children 17 and under remains unchanged at $6.95 per day plus the service charge.

Thank you, most especially, for your support of our onboard crew,” Carnival said in a guest notice signed by VP of Guest Services Colleen Oliverio.

“Our shipboard team members work hard to provide exceptional and friendly service, and your gratuities go directly to benefit the crew in addition to their base pay.”

Carnival’s announcement follows a wave of gratuity increases across the cruise industry. Margaritaville at Sea recently raised its rates again, now charging $22 per night for staterooms and $25 for suites.

Disney Cruise Line increased rates in January 2025, and Royal Caribbean implemented a modest increase in November 2024.

Even with the increase, Carnival’s gratuities remain among the lowest in the mainstream cruise market.

Royal Caribbean currently charges $18.50 per day for standard cabins, while Margaritaville at Sea now charges $22, well above Carnival’s new $17 rate.

Princess Cruises added two specialty dining venues to Diamond Princess, Makoto Ocean and Crown Grill steakhouse, with reservations now available for all sailings.

Makoto Ocean

Makoto Ocean debuts on Deck 7, featuring Chef Makoto Okuwa’s Edomae-style sushi that previously launched on Sun Princess and Star Princess. 

The menu includes signature dishes like truffle salmon, snow crab temaki and toro tartare, paired with Japanese-inspired cocktails including the Genmai Negroni and Kodai No Hana made with yuzu juice and Doburoku sake.

Crown Grill Steakhouse

Crown Grill, previously recognized among the “Best Cruise Ship Steakhouses at Sea,” now occupies the former Savoy Dining Room on Deck 5. The restaurant serves premium aged beef, chops and fresh seafood in what Princess describes as an elegant atmosphere with attentive service.

The latest move puts Crown Grill on nearly every Princess cruise ship, following the installation on Sapphire Princess last fall.

Both restaurants cost $55 per person. Guests who book the Princess Premier package get specialty dining included in their fare, meaning no additional charge for either venue.

With Makoto Ocean and Crown Grill now onboard Diamond Princess, and also recently added onboard sister ship Sapphire Princess, we’re proud to enhance the guest experience,” said Sami Kohen, Princess Cruises Vice President Food and Beverage.

Current Deployment

Diamond Princess currently sails roundtrip from Singapore, visiting Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam before returning to Japan. The ship was built in Japan alongside sister ship Sapphire Princess.

For 2027, Princess Cruises plans its largest Japan season ever, with both Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess sailing from the Tokyo region throughout the entire season.

City officials in Amsterdam are now mulling a full ban of ocean cruise ships in the Netherlands capital.

Amsterdam’s mayor and some aldermen say a ban of ocean-going cruise ships within a decade is now their favored option.

A full ban is not a new idea although the existing plan was to restrict cruise ship traffic and eventually relocate the central Passenger Terminal Amsterdam to the Western Harbor Area outside the city.

Ship limits were to begin this year. This entails only one ship call per day and no more than 100 calls by ocean cruise ships a year. All ships are required to plug in to shore power from 2027. There were also plans to limit the number of river cruise ships.

The next phase of this original plan was to relocate the passenger terminal to outside the city by 2035, although this is still pending the publication of a full feasibility report.

Call for full cruise ship ban by 2035

Based on the cost of a new passenger terminal and the reduced revenues due to the cruise ship restrictions, some city officials now say it makes sense to just impose a complete ban on cruise ship traffic in the city.

However, it is not an official proposal up for debate yet. That decision will be taken by the city council after local elections in March. Councilman Rob Hofland said: “We are finally going to free Amsterdam from these floating apartment blocks.” 

If a complete cruise ship ban is implemented, it doesn’t mean cruise ship guests won’t get the opportunity to explore Amsterdam. 

Nearby Rotterdam is being touted as an alternative port of call. In fact, some cruise lines already call there instead of the capital. This is partly due to public opposition to large cruise ships and demonstrations by anti-cruise activists. Rotterdam is around a one-hour drive from Amsterdam.