Carnival Corporation has built a 1,005-foot pier on the north side of the island. Carnival guests no longer tender ashore.

You dock, you walk off, and you are on the beach. That one change opens the destination to Excel-class ships for the first time, expands the number of Carnival ships that can call here to 22, and reduces the risk of delays and cancellations associated with tender operations.

The island also has a new name. It is officially called RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, and the rebranding comes with a major expansion of the north side, which Carnival guests will primarily use.

The project is part of an investment of more than $80 million in the pier and landside development.

I visited Relax Away on opening day and walked the entire property.

Here’s what you need to know before you going.

What is RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay?

Half Moon Cay is a privately owned island about 100 miles southeast of Nassau. Holland America Line purchased it in 1996, Carnival Corporation has operated it since, and it opened to guests in December 1997. 

The island covers 2,400 acres, less than 3% of which has been developed. The rest is protected wildlife habitat. It is part of Carnival’s Paradise Collection alongside Celebration Key and Isla Tropicale.

The north side is brand new

The north side is where Carnival guests spend their day. It has six tram stops running the length of the beach, two food halls, multiple bars, beach rentals, cabanas, daybeds, gift shops, and restrooms at nearly every stop. Here is how the tram stops break down:

Stop 1: Arrival Plaza/Coconut — Guest Services, Shore Excursions desk, gift shop, artisan market

Stop 2: Mango — Orchid Beach Grill and Bar, daybeds, beach rentals

Stop 3: Lime — Lil’ Tiki Bar, cabanas, gift shop, beach rentals

Stop 4: Pineapple — Stay Awhile Beach Bar, cabanas, daybeds, beach rentals

Stop 5: Guava — Hibiscus Beach Grill and Bar, daybeds, gift shop, beach rentals, first aid station

Stop 6: Avocado — Luna Tide Beach Bar, cabanas, daybeds, beach rentals

You can also walk the Papaya Pathway, a paved scenic route running from the Arrival Plaza to the Avocado stop.

Walk times between stops range from 5 to 15 minutes. I walked the entire route in about an hour. Bring water or at least stop for some along the way. It gets hot in the Bahamas (especially in the summer!).

The tram operates like a hop-on, hop-off system. Pay attention to the stop signage or listen to the driver, or you will end up further down the beach than you planned.

What is included and what costs extra

Beach chairs and umbrellas are complimentary, with more than 4,600 umbrellas and over 9,000 chairs spread across the island. Bring your beach towel from the ship. They are not provided ashore.

Lunch is included at both the Orchid Beach Grill and the Hibiscus Beach Grill.

The open-air buffet covers the basics well: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken breast, veggie burgers, BBQ chicken with a chargrilled smoky barbecue glaze, slow-roasted pulled pork on citrus-garlic mojo buns, braised bean stew, rice and peas, mac and cheese, french fries, a coastal salad bar, a nacho bar with pulled pork and chili con carne, and island desserts including chocolate brownies, apple crumble, and mixed fruit salad.

It is a step above what most private island buffets offer, both in the number of choices and in the variety beyond the usual burgers and hot dogs.

Like Celebration Key, the Cheers beverage package does not work at Relax Away (at the time of publishing).

Basic non-alcoholic beverages like lemonade, tea, and water are available at the two food pavilions at no charge. Everything else goes on your shipboard account.

Your onboard WiFi package does work at RelaxAway if you are sailing Carnival, which is worth knowing if you want to stay connected or post while you are there.

I tested the WiFi signal at every tram stop and was able to check email and post to social media throughout the north side of the island.

Lockers cost $11.99 per day and are located near the restrooms and welcome center. They are best suited for small bags and wet/dry bags.

I tried putting my Swiss Army backpack inside one, and it did not fit. If you are carrying a larger backpack or beach bag, plan to keep it with you and store it under your chair to keep it out of direct sunlight.

Beach wheelchairs are available free of charge on a first-come basis. Scooters are allowed but make sure you are charged up as there are no charging stations on the island. Accessible trams run on a regular schedule.

What the island actually feels like

The architecture uses natural wood, stone, and neutral tones throughout. The tram stops are understated. The umbrellas have thick stripes and scalloped edges. The lounge chairs are white. The bars have elegant fonts and subdued colors. Nothing is loud or manufactured-feeling.

There is no waterpark, no pool, and no adult-only section. That is intentional, and it shows.

What is there is a 2.5-mile white-sand beach and water that is genuinely the color you see in the photos. The buildout feels designed not to interrupt the natural surroundings, and it succeeds.

RelaxAway feels noticeably different from the newer private destinations built around pools, slides, and large-scale attractions.

The beach remains the main event here.

Shore excursions and rentals

Tours include horseback riding in the water, a stingray adventure, snorkeling by boat, a tropical kayak adventure, an eco lagoon tour, an island bike tour, a historic nature walk, an Aqua Trax watercraft adventure, and an Island Tram Calypso Tour if you want a guided version of the tram route.

Rentals include single and double kayaks, paddleboards, a Hobie catamaran sailboat, waterbikes for two, floating mats, snorkel gear, an inner tube, and the Big Dipper noodle.

Clamshell sunshade rentals, luxury daybeds, and cabanas are also available. Reserve cabanas in advance through Carnival’s Cruise Planner or the HUB app. If availability remains, rental kiosks on the island can help on the day of.

Holland America guests

Because Holland America Line continues to use the south side of the island, the experience is somewhat different depending on which cruise line you are sailing.

Holland America guests arrive by water shuttle to the south side of the island (the non-dock side).

Amenities there include the Island Market Grill, the Lobster Shack, a new beach club with waiter service and priority tendering, the On the Rocks Bar, and the I Wish I Could Stay Here Forever Bar.

Holland America’s WiFi and drink packages do not work on the island (currently) but some sailings offer an island-exclusive drink package for purchase.

We were told guests can walk between the north and south sides of the island, but the tram does not travel between the two areas.

For now, ship cards only work on the side designated for each cruise line, though the two point-of-sale systems are being integrated so guests can eventually use their keycards at venues across the island.

Note: Double-check with the cruise line, as this could change at any time.

Final thoughts

RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay is not trying to compete with Celebration Key. If you want waterslides, a pool, and swim-up bars, Celebration Key offers that experience.

RelaxAway is built around something much simpler: spending the day on one of the best beaches in the Bahamas.

Docking instead of tendering saves time and makes getting ashore much easier, while the tram system makes the length of the island manageable. But the beach is still the reason to come here.

If RelaxAway is on your itinerary, I would not stay onboard for a sea day.

Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald summed up the best strategy: “Get off the ship after breakfast, especially when multiple ships are visiting. The beach fills up as the morning goes on, and the best spots will be claimed early.”

Watch the RelaxAway Half May Cay tour video put on by Eat, Sleep, Cruise YouTube Channel.

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Cruise Ship Science Lessons Every Curious Student Should Explore

Nowadays, cruise passengers can combine seeing new things, relaxing, having fun, and playing games without the need to follow a schedule.

Among the most interesting options is cruising, where the ship has its own casinos, making evenings at sea a social game.

Among the most interesting opportunities for people fond of games in the casino are playing online roulette games in Canada and visiting casinos on board ships while on vacation. Such games are available not only on computers but also on smartphones and tablets.

The Appeal of Casino Cruises

Casino gambling on board cruise ships offers a special gambling experience, especially post-pademic where cruise lines are adding larger casinos.

Some cruise lines are turning former music venues into casinos, while others are using the onboard art galleries and conference rooms for non-smoking casinos. We’ve recently seen this on some Holland America ships like Koningsdam.

Big cruise operators offer their passengers the chance to visit their own casinos, which feature games like roulette, poker, blackjack, and slots.

Usually, such casinos become available to passengers only when ships enter international waters.

The atmosphere of the place is essential to gambling. The sounds of chips, cards and gaming machines make the experience unique and different from playing on one’s own online. In addition, for some passengers, a casino becomes a place to meet new people.

Practicing Online Before a Cruise

Playing casino games online can help beginners become familiar with the basic rules before stepping into a casino onboard or on land.

Players can try different games at their own pace while learning how betting options, paylines, table games, and roulette work.

Some online platforms also offer promotional incentives, including no-deposit bonuses that allow players to try certain games without initially funding an account. Travelers should still review the terms and conditions, since eligibility, wagering requirements, and availability can vary.

Cruise lines can also offer their own gaming promotions. Carnival Cruise Line, for example, has occasionally offered free online games that give players a chance to win prizes, including cruises, without requiring them to place a wager.

Why Roulette Works Well for Cruisers

Roulette remains one of the simplest games in casinos. A player just picks a number or a color and waits for the outcome. The simplicity of the game allows it to be played in short periods of time; a person can play roulette in their hotel room or even on a cruise casino.

Internet roulette is another example of the game’s flexibility. People do not have to go to a casino in order to enjoy the game.

Choosing a Casino While Traveling

For cruise lines, the rules are generally pretty uniform. But if you plan to gamble while ashore in another country, there are a few additional things to consider.

Licensing and reputation are among the fundamentals you must keep in mind. It is necessary to ensure that the online site accepts gamblers from your current location, since gambling laws differ by country.

Travelers must take note of the following before selecting an online casino:

• Licensing and reputation – it should be determined whether the casino has a valid license and a good reputation.
• Mobile responsiveness – it is recommended to use mobile-friendly websites or applications.
• Payments – ensure the casino offers easy deposits and withdrawals.
• Availability in the country – determine if it is legal to use the casino in your country of stay.

Keeping Casino Entertainment Safe

A vacation budget must be made before creating a gambling budget.

This is because setting a budget at the beginning will ensure that one does not risk casino fun interfering with funds meant for accommodation, food, transportation, and other activities.

It is also important to avoid chasing losses. Losing one gambling session does not mean that placing another wager will win the money back. In other words, know when to walk away.

When gambling online, one must use a secure internet connection and refrain from making any financial transactions over unknown public networks.

Balancing Gaming With the Travel Experience

Casino entertainment is best treated as one part of the overall vacation rather than the focus of the trip.

A cruise already offers plenty to do, including meals, swimming pools, entertainment, and shore excursions.

The same approach applies to online gaming while traveling. It can fill some downtime alongside sightseeing, relaxing at the hotel, or other activities.

Setting a budget and deciding in advance how much time you want to spend gambling can help keep it from taking over the vacation.

Whether playing a few hands at sea or trying an online game during downtime, casino entertainment can be one small part of a much larger travel experience.

For guests who plan to visit the casino once onboard, understanding how cruise ship casinos work, including opening hours, payment methods, loyalty programs, and gambling rules, can make the experience easier before the ship even leaves port.

However you choose to play, keep it fun, know your limits, and good luck at the tables!

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Actually, it need not be the case. The boat services connecting the island to these two adjacent mainland places have long been in place and are relatively inexpensive. It’s just a thirty-minute airplane ride for you, but by water you see more of the landscape.

This is a guide of how one comes from the mainland, what comes next on a trip to the south via sea, and the kind of situation people are usually unprepared for after they land by boat.

Navigating the Mainland Ferry Routes to Langkawi

Most travelers coming from Peninsular Malaysia’s west coast reach Langkawi by ferry from Kedah state, and one route handles the bulk of that traffic.

Taking the Scenic Route: The Kuala Kedah to Langkawi Ferry

The Kuala Kedah to Langkawi ferry runs several times a day and takes roughly ninety minutes, with decent views of the surrounding islands along the way. Departures are frequent, though schedules can shift with the season, so it’s worth checking current timetables before you travel. Book a day or two ahead during peak holidays, as sailings do sell out.

Island Hopping Beyond Malaysia’s Borders

Langkawi’s closeness to southern Thailand makes it a real jumping-off point for a short international add-on, not just a stop within Malaysia.

Crossing Over to Thailand: From Langkawi to Koh Lipe

The Langkawi to Koh Lipe crossing takes between ninety minutes and two hours, depending on sea conditions, and passes through both Malaysian and Thai immigration checkpoints.

This is an international border crossing, so confirm passports and any applicable visa requirements against current guidance from Immigration Malaysia and Thai immigration well ahead of the trip; these rules can change without much warning.

Route Overview Table

Essential Travel Tips for First-Time Langkawi Visitors

1. Book Tickets Early: Ferry tickets sell out quickly during holidays and peak seasons; book online in advance to secure your spot.

2. Arrive 1 Hour Before: Check-in gates close strictly 10 minutes before departure—arrive at least 60 minutes early for ID checks.

3. Prep for Seasickness: Take motion sickness pills 30 minutes before boarding and bring a jacket for the cold AC.

4. Pack a Daypack: Keep your passport, valuables, and essentials in a small carry-on bag, as large luggage must be stowed away.

5. Pre-arrange Transport: There is no public transit on the island. Pre-book a rental car/scooter or download a ride-hailing app before arriving at Kuah Jetty.

Dry Season vs. Wet Season Sea Travel

• Dry season (roughly November to March): Calmer seas, more predictable schedules.
• Wet season (monsoon months): Rougher crossings and occasional cancellations, especially on the open-water stretch to Koh Lipe.
• Takeaway: Build some flexibility into your plans if traveling during the wetter months.

Conclusion: Start Planning Your Island Getaway

Getting to Langkawi by ferry, whether from the mainland or as part of a wider Thailand loop, is genuinely straightforward once the timing and paperwork are sorted in advance. The domestic route from Kuala Kedah is the simpler of the two.

The international hop to Koh Lipe just needs a bit more prep around passports and arrival timing. Either way, the ferry itself becomes part of the trip rather than a chore to get through, and for many travelers, that ninety-minute stretch of open water turns out to be one of the more relaxing parts of the itinerary.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the Kuala Kedah to Langkawi ferry take? 

Around ninety minutes, though it can vary slightly depending on sea conditions and the operator.

Do I need a passport for the Langkawi to Koh Lipe ferry? 

Yes, it’s an international crossing between Malaysia and Thailand, so a valid passport and any required entry documentation are necessary and should be confirmed ahead of travel.

How early should I arrive for an international ferry crossing? 

About two hours before departure for the Langkawi to Koh Lipe route, to allow time to clear immigration on both sides.

Is the ferry to Langkawi affected by weather conditions? 

Yes, particularly during monsoon season, when rougher seas can cause delays or, at times, canceled sailings on open-water routes.

Can I book Langkawi ferry tickets on the day of travel? 

Frequently, outside of busy times. However, because demand increases so quickly during school holidays and holiday seasons, making reservations a day or two in advance is a safer option. 

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That era’s over. 72% of modern cruise travelers now use Starlink Wi-Fi for casual sea-day mobile gaming, and the mix is broader than you’d guess.

Some of it’s Wordle and Candy Crush. A growing share is the free-to-play social casino category, which a Deadspin sweepstakes casino guide now tracks across more than 240 separate brands.

The shift happened fast. Most of the credit belongs to one piece of hardware bolted to the top of your ship.

What Starlink actually changed

Older cruise ship internet ran through satellites parked roughly 22,000 miles up. Every click had to make that trip twice before anything showed up on your screen. The delay was brutal, fine for email but useless for anything you actually wanted to interact with.

Starlink sits in low Earth orbit instead, a few hundred miles out. SpaceX puts the round-trip delay at around 25 milliseconds, and its maritime product advertises downloads of up to 350 Mbps at sea. Real-world numbers on a packed ship come in lower than that, obviously. But the gap between “lower” and “unusable” is the whole story.

Royal Caribbean moved first, announcing a fleet-wide rollout in August 2022 after a single-ship pilot came back with reviews nobody expected. Carnival Corporation followed. It’s since confirmed Starlink across 100% of its global fleet.

Why sea days are the pressure point

Port days take care of themselves. You’re off the ship by nine, walking somewhere, eating something, and your phone’s a camera rather than a console.

Sea days are the opposite. There’s real unstructured time, and it lands in predictable places. The hour before the pool deck fills up. The flat middle of the afternoon. That gap between dinner and the evening show. Bad weather shoves all of it indoors at once.

That’s the window. Not long enough for a film and too long to just sit there, which happens to be exactly the shape of demand casual mobile games were built for.

What people are actually playing

Nothing exotic, honestly. It’s puzzle games, word games and solitaire, the same handful of titles people open in a dentist’s waiting room when they’ve got ten minutes to kill.

The category growing fastest at sea is free-to-play social casino apps. They run a dual-currency setup: one virtual currency with no cash value, plus a second promotional one, structured to sit outside real-money gambling rules.

Whether any of them work for you depends a lot on where you live. Connecticut and Montana have banned the model outright.

New York’s Attorney General sent cease-and-desist letters to 26 platforms, and several more states have bills moving.

Two things make these fit a ship better than the alternatives. They’re built for short sessions, so a dropped connection costs you nothing. And they’re light, which matters more than anything else on a shared satellite link.

Worth saying plainly: none of this replaces the ship’s own casino, and the onboard floor still closes in port and in territorial waters. Two different activities that happen to overlap on a Tuesday afternoon.

The Wi-Fi package math

Ship internet is still sold by the day and still priced like a minibar. Most lines run tiered plans, the cheapest throttled hard and the top tier sold as streaming-capable.

For casual gaming you almost never need the top tier. A puzzle app moves a trivial amount of data. What you’re really buying is a stable connection, not a fast one, and the entry plan usually gets you there.

The Points Guy keeps a line-by-line breakdown of what each line charges, and it’s worth reading before you commit at the counter onboard.

Loyalty tiers change the sums a lot. Plenty of repeat cruisers get free or heavily discounted minutes, and on some lines that covers a full week.

Getting a clean connection on a sea day

A few habits genuinely help:

• Buy before you board. Pre-cruise pricing beats the onboard rate on almost every line.
• Avoid the crush hours. Everyone piles onto the network right after the morning announcement, then again around dinner.
• Turn off background uploads. Photo backup will quietly eat your whole plan while you’re at the pool.
• Move toward open sky. Interior corridors and low decks are the worst spots on any ship.
• Download before you sail. Anything cached on airport Wi-Fi is one less thing fighting for the satellite.

None of it’s complicated. It’s just the difference between a connection that works and one you complain about at dinner.

The bigger point

Cruise lines spent two decades treating internet as a grudging amenity. Starlink turned it into something passengers plan around, and you can see the effect on any pool deck. The paperback hasn’t disappeared. It’s just got competition it didn’t have three years ago.

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Beachcomber will begin sailing from Galveston in October 2027, offering four to seven night cruises with the most far reaching itinerary lineup the cruise line has offered from the port.

New itineraries to Galveston

Itineraries range from four to seven nights and include Aruba, Key West, Curaçao, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay, Belize, Progreso, Roatán, Cozumel, Grand Bahama Island and Bimini. Veracruz, Mexico is also on the schedule, a port the line says is new to the Galveston cruise market.

Before arriving in Texas, Beachcomber will debut sailing four to eight night itineraries from PortMiami to the Eastern and Southern Caribbean, then reposition to Galveston that October.

Onboard the Margaritaville Beachcomber

The former Costa Cruises vessel will carry more than 15 new experiences alongside returning Margaritaville at Sea staples like 5 o’Clock Somewhere, Hemisphere Dancer, Cheeseburger in Paradise and License to Chill, along with the casino offer matching program the line rolled out this month.

“With Beachcomber, we’re giving guests an incredible ship and more choices for where their vacation can take them, including places they simply can’t reach on other cruises from Galveston,” said Christopher Ivy, chief executive officer of Margaritaville at Sea.

More growth for the Texas cruise industry

Galveston is the fourth-ranked cruise homeport in the U.S., with four cruise terminals. Port officials expect 3.9 million cruise passenger embarkations and debarkations and 445 sailings in 2026, up from 1.9 million passenger movements in 2017.

The port currently serves as a year-round homeport for Carnival, MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean, while Disney Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line operate seasonal deployments from Galveston.

Margaritaville at Sea’s Beachcomber will add an eighth line, along with Regent Seven Seas, to a port already stretching toward almost 6 million passengers by 2030.

Bookings are now open.

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From the moment the gorgeous chandeliers begin pulsing to the pre-show music, it becomes clear guests are in for a multi-sensory experience. This is followed by an impressive visual of a faux funeral and a downright spine-tingling intonation of the words every Prince fan knows by heart: “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together to get through this thing called ‘life.’” 

Unfortunately, what followed — at least where the performance during my sailing was concerned— featured one fatal flaw: Many of the vocals were sub-bar at best and flinchingly bad at worst. (It’s worth noting that an entirely new cast was set to take over the show in a matter of days, as the current cast’s contracts had run their course.)

Floor Show

One thing that can only be classified as “flawless” is the energy of the cast in general and the dancers in particular. I’ve long said that when performers are having fun, it translates to the audience… and these kids were slaying. Beats weren’t just hit, they were stomped into submission. Collectively, this troupe must burn more calories during the roughly hour-long performance than every guest on the ship combined does on any given day.

Another fun element is that the audience is broken into two distinct groups: Those with reservations are sent to traditional theater seating on deck 7. Those without are ushered onto deck 6, and while there are no seats, they wind up standing before the stage like the audience at an actual rock concert.

During various numbers, large pieces of the set move through the crowd, with a sea of silver-jacketed crew members making sure to herd the audience where they need to be (and, perhaps more important, where they definitely should not be at that particular juncture).

Know When to Say When

After working its say through a collection of hits, the show arrives at what is definitely the standout moment: An absolutely gorgeous rendition of Purple Rain, complete with a piano rising from beneath the stage. This is a crowd pleaser which should serve as the finale. But instead, we barrel into a big, splashy production number which, while fun and featuring the entire ensemble, fails to deliver the same emotional punch as what came previously.

It does, however, do what it’s intended to: It gets the audience up on their feet and sends them out of the theater smiling. It reminds me in some ways of the Broadway production of Mama Mia! That show, too, had some issues in my mind. But after wrapping its whispy plot, Mama Mia made sure to bring the cast out to sing a popular, upbeat Abba number while encouraging them to dance, sing and clap along.

Never let ’em see you sweat, but always leave ’em wanting more, I guess. But in this case, I can’t help thinking less would have been more had they wrapped on the emotional high of Purple Rain.

Ultimately, how much you enjoy this show will depend on how big a fan of the iconic singer and his music you are. Perhaps ironically, those who will be most satisfied are the ones who aren’t as familiar. Like many jukebox musical attendees, they want to hear some vaguely familiar songs and spend about an hour being entertained after dinner and before hitting the casino.

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Arma, who most recently served as captain of Star Princess on a rotation with Commodore Nick Nash.

However, he stopped short of calling the move a retirement. In a LinkedIn post, Captain Arma said:

“After 28 years with Princess Cruises, I have decided that it is time to close one of the most important chapters of my professional life,” Arma wrote.

“Life is made of chapters, and sometimes you know when it is time to turn the page. I leave with gratitude for the past, affection for the many people I have met along the way, and an open heart for whatever comes next.”

A career that began as a cadet

Arma joined Princess Cruises in 1998 as a cadet. He received his first command in 2015 aboard Sea Princess, sailing two world cruises before taking the helm of Diamond Princess in 2018 and Discovery Princess in 2022.

The Diamond Princess quarantine

Arma became internationally known in February 2020 when Diamond Princess was placed under a 14-day quarantine in Yokohama, Japan, during one of the earliest major COVID-19 outbreaks.

In recognition of his handling of the crisis, Italian President Sergio Mattarella named Arma a Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, citing his exemplary conduct during the emergency.

Building Star Princess from the shipyard

Princess Cruises named Arma newbuild site lead for both Sun Princess and Star Princess during their construction. Star Princess was delivered from Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard on September 26, 2025, and sailed her maiden voyage from Barcelona on October 4.

Arma appeared alongside Camila and Matthew McConaughey at the ship’s naming ceremony at Port Everglades on November 6, 2025.

He was also present in May 2026 when Star Princess made her first arrival in Seattle to begin her inaugural Alaska season, joining a plaque exchange with Port of Seattle officials.

A passenger’s tribute

Gerrilyn Grant Gipson, a longtime Princess passenger, met Arma during a bridge visit on the Star Princess Caribbean inaugural cruise last year. She had been scheduled to sail on Diamond Princess in 2020, the week after the ship was quarantined in Japan.

“Captain Arma is a special person,” Gipson said. “The passengers on the Diamond spoke about how Captain Arma’s daily updates kept them going. I remember the photo of him being the last person to leave the ship when the quarantine was lifted.”

She told me, “I was so excited to meet him and tell him how much I admired him. He was so surprised and humble as I told him this. I just loved how he said it was the crew and not him that were heroes.”

She went on to say, “He is also a calm, competent leader. I think Captain Arma is the kind of leader anyone would be lucky to have, because he is everything that a leader and ship captain should be.”

Princess Cruises has not named a replacement for Arma aboard Star Princess, and Commodore Nick Nash continues to share the ship’s captain rotation.

Arma also remains president of Istruttori Associati Marittimi, an Italian maritime instructors’ association he has led since 2021, and has given no indication that he is stepping away from that role.

We wish Captain Arma the best on his new chapter!

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The new perk, called Sail with Friends, is part of an expanded lineup of Casino Players Club benefits bookable now for cruises departing October 1, 2026.

Every Platinum member is eligible for an additional oceanview stateroom for two guests, in addition to the program’s existing complimentary cruise benefits.

The expansion also adds complimentary Wi-Fi, room service, and more, primarily for Gold and Platinum members.

Platinum members will receive some of the biggest additions, including premium Wi-Fi, complimentary laundry and room service, a personal VIP host and access to an annual Platinum players event.

Gold members will receive complimentary basic Wi-Fi and a personalized welcome gift, while Platinum members receive premium Wi-Fi and their own welcome amenity.

How the tiers break down

The Casino Players Club has four levels. Everyone starts at Bronze for free, while Silver requires 1,000 cumulative tier points, Gold requires 7,500, and Platinum requires 15,000.

Silver is where the program’s onboard credits kick in, up to $100 per sailing each in arcade, shore excursion, and spa credit, along with complimentary or discounted cruise fare for the player and up to three guests, up to two complimentary bingo cards per sailing, and a complimentary Unlimited Soda Package.

Gold adds VIP check-in and disembarkation, priority theater seating, a complimentary Ultimate Beverage Chill Package, and complimentary specialty dining.

Platinum keeps the beverage package but swaps it for a complimentary Prime Dining Package, a distinct, higher-tier dining benefit rather than the same specialty dining perk Gold receives.

You can see the entire Margaritaville Casino Players Club breakdown here.

Know before you enroll

Travelers don’t necessarily have to start gambling aboard Margaritaville at Sea from scratch.

The cruise line also offers a tier-match program for players with established status elsewhere, referred to as “Casino Offer Match” in its own press materials and as “VIP Tier Match” on its website.

According to Margaritaville at Sea, the program matches only actual casino offers, not status alone, so a player with top-tier status at another casino but no current offer in hand would not qualify.

Each submission is evaluated internally rather than against a published tier chart, and matches are capped at $1,000 in free slot play.

Several of the program’s complimentary packages, including the beverage packages, dining packages, laundry and room service, are valid only for the player and one guest sharing the same stateroom, not the full party. Sail with Friends is the exception, extending to two guests in a separate cabin.

For guests earning status directly aboard Margaritaville at Sea Paradise or Margaritaville at Sea Islander, the expanded benefits take effect October 1.

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The ship clears the last channel marker, the captain gives the word, and the slot bank on deck five lights up like a second sunset. 

Cruise regulars build entire evenings around that rhythm. Some actually pull up a chair and will sit in front of their lucky machine until the open switch is flipped.  

They also know the room stays dark in most ports; they know the good seats fill up after the late show; and they know that the drink a host slides across the felt is one small piece of a math problem the cruise line solved a long time ago.

GamingToday’s editors published this no-wager bonus guide, which sorts offers by how the playthrough is written rather than by the size of the headline number, and it reads like the terms sheet a cruise regular already knows how to scan.

That instinct travels well. When a frequent cruiser reads a shore-side promotion that promises free play with no deposit, the reaction is not excitement. It is a slow read of the fine print. 

Years of Players Club statements and comp offers have trained these players to ask what the perk actually costs before they touch it. 

This article is written for that reader, the cruise regular who wants to understand what no-deposit and wager-free bonuses really are, using the same habits that already work at sea.

Why the Casino Goes Dark the Moment You Dock

The first thing a new cruiser learns about the casino is that it keeps strange hours. It is not open when the ship is tied to a pier, and it is not open in the early hours of a long approach into a harbor. This is not a scheduling quirk. 

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a coastal country controls a band of ocean that extends twelve nautical miles from its baseline. 

Inside that band, local gambling law applies. Beyond that, whether the ship opens its casino depends on the itinerary, the ship’s flag state, and the cruise line’s own policies, not on a single automatic distance rule, so passengers see the gaming floor open only where the cruise line permits it. 

Cruise lines almost never try to satisfy a different rule at every port, so they simply close the room.

Regulars plan around this. A short Bahamas cruise could keep the casino dark from breakfast until the ship pulls away at dusk, and a slow river approach can push the reopening past midnight. 

The lesson that sinks in over a few sailings is that the offer in front of you is bounded by rules you did not write and cannot change. That is the exact mindset that serves a player well when a bonus shows up shore-side. 

The perk exists inside a set of conditions, and the smart move is to read the conditions first and get excited second.

One habit that separates casual passengers from regulars is staying current between trips. Cruise fans track new ship announcements, itinerary changes, and loyalty updates all year, not just in the week before they board.

The same attention pays off with promotions, since offers, terms, and eligibility shift often and quietly. Readers who like to keep an eye on how these bonuses change from one month to the next often follow

GamingToday on Facebook for the running coverage, the same way they follow their favorite cruise line for the next deployment news. The point is not to chase every offer but to recognize a genuinely good one when it appears.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do cruise ship casinos close when the ship is in port?

Casino operating hours follow the ship’s itinerary, its flag state, and the cruise line’s own policies as much as any single rule, though international waters typically begin twelve nautical miles from a coast under the Law of the Sea.

Once a ship enters a country’s territorial waters, local gambling law applies, and cruise lines almost always close the casino rather than manage a different rule at every port. The room reopens once the ship returns to open water, the cruise line determines it is permitted to resume, and the captain gives clearance.

Is an onboard free play credit the same as a no-deposit bonus?

They are close cousins. Both give you something to play with without having to spend money first. The difference is in the conditions.

Onboard free play usually has to be used during the current sailing and often expires when you disembark, while a shore-side no-deposit bonus typically ties a wagering requirement and a maximum cashout to any winnings. Reading those terms is the key step in both cases.

What is the difference between a no-deposit bonus and a wager-free bonus?

A standard no-deposit bonus gives you funds or spins without a deposit, but the winnings usually carry a playthrough requirement before you can withdraw. A wager-free bonus removes that playthrough, so the winnings are yours to take out. The tradeoff is that wager-free winnings are often capped at a lower amount and must be claimed within a short window.

Onboard, Carnival and Norwegian set the minimum gambling age at eighteen, and Royal Caribbean matches that except on Alaska sailings, where it rises to twenty-one. Shore-side rules depend on where you are, and many jurisdictions require you to be 21.

Always confirm the minimum age for the specific ship, route, or site before you play, as it varies by location.

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The cancellation came after passengers had already boarded the ship and spent several days waiting for their Alaska cruise to begin.

The ship was originally suppose to sail on August 30, and then got pushed until September 1, until ultimately cancelled.

“Despite our teams’ around-the-clock efforts to complete the necessary repairs, we were unable to resolve the issue in time for the ship to safely depart,” Royal Caribbean told guests in a letter Tuesday. “As a result, we must cancel this sailing.”

The letter, signed by Aurora Yera-Rodriguez, Royal Caribbean’s vice president of guest experience, added that the cruise line understood the disruption and had made every effort to deliver the planned cruise experience before the cancellation became necessary.

Guests can stay onboard as a hotel

Passengers aren’t being required to immediately leave Serenade of the Seas. Royal Caribbean is making the ship available as a hotel so guests can arrange onward travel, with everyone required to be off the ship by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, September 2, when the ship must leave the terminal.

Complimentary internet access is being provided to guests who did not already purchase a Wi-Fi package, so they can reach airlines, hotels and family members.

Compensation offered to passengers

Guests who joined the canceled sailing will receive a 100 percent refund of their cruise fare, taxes, fees, amenities and shore excursions, along with a pro-rated refund on beverage, dining and VOOM internet packages and prepaid gratuities.

Royal Caribbean is also honoring a previously offered onboard credit equal to two days of cruise fare per guest, usable anywhere onboard, with any unused portion refunded after final disembarkation.

On top of that, the cruise line is increasing its Future Cruise Credit offer to 100 percent of the fare paid, good toward a sailing departing within one year.

The compensation applies specifically to guests who joined the ship. Those who previously canceled or did not arrive at the pier remain covered under their original offer.

Serenade of the Seas is scheduled to begin another cruise later this week. As of Tuesday evening, Royal Caribbean had not announced what impact, if any, the technical issue will have on that sailing.

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