Cruise Safety, Bigger Ports, Bigger Ships

Today's Cruise News covers three developments spanning safety, ports, and ships. In a federal courtroom in Houston, former Royal Caribbean crew member Elias Luis Herrera pleaded guilty to the 2003 sexual assault of a 15-year-old passenger aboard Rhapsody of the Seas; sentencing is set for September 18, 2026, and he faces up to 20 years in prison. Carnival Corporation completed a pier expansion at Celebration Key on Grand Bahama Island, adding two berths so the destination can host up to four ships and more than 13,000 guests a day as part of its $600 million investment, with Princess Cruises and AIDA ships joining Carnival calls. And Royal Caribbean's new Icon-class Legend of the Seas departed Málaga, Spain on its inaugural Mediterranean sailing, a 248,663-gross-ton ship carrying up to 5,610 guests at double occupancy on a four-night voyage to Civitavecchia.