A minor ankle scrape during a New Year’s vacation to the Bahamas nearly cost a Florida man his life, serving as a stark reminder for cruise passengers wanting to swim with the pigs in The Bahamas.

Brian Roush, 62, of Fort Lauderdale, tripped and scraped his ankle while celebrating with his girlfriend in the Bahamas.

The injury seemed minor. He continued swimming with pigs and enjoying waterslides.

But within hours of returning home on January 3, he became violently ill and was rushed to the hospital with necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as flesh-eating disease.

Necrotizing fasciitis affects about 0.4 per 100,000 people annually in the United States, making it rare but deadly.

Overall mortality risk is 12.6%, though doctors gave Roush just a 10% chance of survival, according to a GoFundMe established by his daughter to help with medical costs.

The infection moved rapidly. His ankle erupted in blisters, and he went into septic shock requiring emergency surgery to remove diseased tissue.

Roush survived after a week on life support and is now relearning to walk.

A Cautionary Tale for Cruise Passengers

Swimming with pigs in the Bahamas presents unique infection risks beyond typical beach activities. The CDC warns that Vibrio vulnificus bacteria thrive in warmer waters, especially during summer months, and can cause necrotizing skin and soft tissue infection when open wounds are exposed to salt water or brackish water.

The presence of pigs in the water creates additional concerns. Water polluted from swine can be contaminated with parasites and bacteria such as giardia, salmonella, and pathogenic E. coli that could be transmitted to humans.

For the thousands of cruise passengers who book this popular excursion daily, medical experts stress that you should stay out of the water if you have an open cut or wound.

Vibrio vulnificus bacteria can grow in waters warmer than 55°F and thrive above 68°F, conditions common in Bahamian waters year-round.

The news comes after a story Cruise News Today covered last year following a woman’s six-year health battle after swimming with the pigs during an excursion.

Swimming with pigs remains one of the most popular shore excursions for cruise passengers visiting the Bahamas, with tours departing from Nassau, Freeport, Celebration Key, and other cruise line private destinations including Norwegian’s Great Stirrup Cay and MSC’s Ocean Cay.

Rome has introduced a new €2 (about $2.16) entrance fee for tourists who want to access the front area of the iconic Trevi Fountain.

The charge went into effect February 2 as city officials look to manage overcrowding at one of Italy’s most visited landmarks.

The fee applies daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and is required only for those who want to approach the fountain’s basin. Visitors can still view the fountain from a distance without paying.

Who Pays and How to Buy Tickets

Tickets can be purchased online in advance, at city civic museums, tourist information points, authorized retailers, or directly at the fountain entrance. Rome residents are exempt from the fee, along with children under 5 and people with disabilities and their caregivers.

According to Rome’s tourism officials, the admission charge will help fund ongoing maintenance and preservation of the 18th-century monument.

Alessandro Onorato, Rome’s Assessor of Tourism, defended the modest fee in comments to The Associated Press.

“I think tourists were shocked by the fact that the city of Rome is only asking for 2 euros for a site of this level,” he said. “I believe that if the Trevi Fountain were in New York, they would have charged at least $100.”

A New Money Grab?

The Trevi Fountain fee is part of a larger revenue initiative in Rome. The city has also introduced a €5 (about $5.40) tourist ticket for certain museums.

Together, these new charges are expected to generate an additional €6.5 million ($7 million) annually.

The fountain remains one of Rome’s most popular attractions, drawing visitors who participate in the tradition of tossing coins into the water.

Legend says throwing one coin ensures your return to Rome, while a second or third coin brings luck in love. The practice generates approximately $10,500 weekly, which the city donates to charity.

Cruise passengers visiting Civitavecchia with shore excursions to Rome should factor in the new entrance fee when planning their fountain visit.

Cunard’s flagship Queen Mary 2 reunited with her legendary namesake off the coast of Long Beach this morning, marking the first time the two ships have met in two decades.

The historic rendezvous took place as Queen Mary 2 anchored near the retired Queen Mary during the ship’s 2025 World Voyage. The original Queen Mary, now permanently docked in Long Beach, is celebrating her 90th anniversary this year.

A Living Connection Between Generations

The reunion carries special significance beyond the shared name. Queen Mary 2’s starboard funnel actually houses a fully refurbished whistle from the original Queen Mary, creating a physical link between the two vessels.

The original Queen Mary debuted in 1936 and served as a transatlantic liner until her retirement in 1967. She was then permanently docked in Long Beach as a tourist attraction.

Queen Mary 2 entered service in 2004 and remains the world’s only true ocean liner in active service, regularly crossing between New York and Southampton.

Historic Panama Transit

The Long Beach reunion followed another milestone for Queen Mary 2, her first-ever transit of the Panama Canal.

After the rendezvous, the ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles for the first time in 17 years, staying overnight as part of her current World Voyage.

The 108-night voyage is taking passengers to more than 30 ports across the Americas, Australia, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

It’s Queen Mary 2’s first World Voyage in two years and includes overnight stays in destinations like San Francisco, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Cape Town.

The retired Queen Mary now operates as a hotel and cultural attraction in Long Beach, featuring dining, tours, exhibits, and special events.

Carnival Cruise Line is doubling down on Baltimore with a historic move.

For the first time in the cruise line’s history, two ships will homeport simultaneously in Maryland’s largest city starting in fall 2027.

Carnival Miracle will join Carnival Pride in Baltimore beginning November 20, 2027, following a 15-day transatlantic crossing from Civitavecchia, Italy.

The addition marks an expansion for Carnival, which has operated from Baltimore for more than two decades since establishing year-round service at the Port of Baltimore’s South Locust Point cruise terminal in 2009.

What Carnival Miracle Will Offer From Baltimore

The 88,500-ton Spirit-class ship will operate a range of Caribbean itineraries, including seven-, eight-, and nine-day sailings to the Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean.

Longer Carnival Journeys voyages of 12 and 14 days will visit destinations like Dominica, Guadeloupe, and St. Maarten.

Carnival Miracle accommodates approximately 2,124 passengers at double occupancy and features Guy’s Burger Joint, a specialty steakhouse, WaterWorks aqua park, Playlist Production shows, Alchemy Bar, and The Punchliner Comedy Club.

Carnival Pride Staying Year-Round

Carnival Pride, which has been the sole Carnival ship based in Baltimore, will continue its year-round operations with seven-day Bahamas and Bermuda cruises, plus extended nine-, 12-, and 14-day Carnival Journeys to Aruba, Curacao, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Antigua, Tortola, and Martinique. The Spirit-class sister ship also carries about 2,100 passengers.

The dual-ship deployment positions Baltimore to compete more effectively with nearby Mid-Atlantic homeports, including Norfolk and Cape Liberty, which have seen increased cruise activity in recent years.

The expansion is part of an industry trend as cruise lines seek alternatives to congested Florida ports and target drive-to markets in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Carnival Firenze Getting New Homeport

In related deployment news, Carnival Firenze will shift to Port Canaveral starting fall 2027, offering four- to 14-day Caribbean itineraries.

Sailings will include short Bahamas getaways with stops at Celebration Key, as well as longer Eastern and Southern Caribbean voyages.

MSC Cruises is bringing its popular Yacht Club concept to two more ships in its fleet.

The cruise line announced that MSC Musica and MSC Orchestra will both receive the “ship-within-a-ship” concept during scheduled refurbishments between late 2026 and early 2027.

The upgrades will complete the rollout of Yacht Club across the entire Musica class, with all four ships in the series offering the premium enclave once the work is finished.

MSC Musica will get its Yacht Club installation first in late 2026, just ahead of its South American deployment. MSC Orchestra will follow in the first quarter of 2027 before it heads to the Mediterranean for a season sailing from Bari, Italy.

What This Means for MSC’s Fleet

Once both ships are complete, 19 vessels across the MSC Cruises fleet will feature Yacht Club accommodations. The two Musica-class ships join sister vessels MSC Poesia and MSC Magnifica, which already offer the premium experience.

Both MSC Musica and MSC Orchestra measure 92,409 gross tons and currently carry 3,223 passengers. They’re considerably smaller than MSC’s newest ships, like MSC World America, which features the largest Yacht Club in the fleet.

MSC Cruises is always looking for new ways to enhance the onboard experience, striving to create exceptional and elevated concepts to ensure that guests will remember their cruise as the ultimate vacation experience,” the cruise line said in a statement.

The company hasn’t disclosed how many Yacht Club suites will be added to each ship or whether other public areas will be modified during the refurbishments. 

What Yacht Club Passengers Get

The Yacht Club concept gives guests access to exclusive areas separate from the ship’s main public spaces. This includes a suite-only restaurant, private lounge, and dedicated sun deck.

Accommodations feature larger suites with 24-hour butler service and concierge assistance. In-suite amenities include daily refreshments, premium bath products, and packing and unpacking services.

Additional perks include private shopping appointments in onboard boutiques outside regular hours, customized shore excursions, and private transportation in select ports.

MSC Cruises plans to continue adding Yacht Club to future ships, including upcoming World-class vessels scheduled to debut through 2031.