The largest cruise ship in the world that’s anticipated to become the crown jewel of Royal Caribbean’s sprawling fleet will be docking in Florida before it departs on its first-ever voyage in late August.

The “Star of the Seas” ship, complete with 20 decks and a mind-boggling capacity for 5,000 passengers, set sail from its construction port in Finland on Thursday and is set to arrive at Florida’s Port Canaveral on Aug. 15, according to its website.

The ship is set to embark on its maiden voyage on Aug. 31. In the meantime, staff at Port Canaveral are battening down the hatches as they prepare for the thousands of tourists it will attract.

After departing from the Orlando dock, the ship will make stops in the eastern and western ends of the Caribbean, including San Juan, St. Kitts, Cozumel and access to Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas.

Such luxury comes at a hefty price, though.

The cheapest ticket starts at $951 per person. The experience boasts a laundry list of activities free of extra charge, including access to the largest waterpark at sea and even a taste of Broadway through rotating performances of “Back to the Future: The Musical,” according to its website.

For the last 22 years, Royal Caribbean has been voted Best Overall by Travel Weekly readers.

NORFOLF, Virginia — At least 18 Filipino workers, who were working in a cruise ship that was docked at the Port of Norfolk in Virginia, “were forcibly removed in handcuffs.”

They were then deported to the Philippines and banned for 10 years from reentry to the United States.

This was according to the Filipino American community leaders on Saturday.

READ: Filipinos in US fear Trump immigration crackdown

The raid happened only recently and was conducted at the Carnival Sunshine cruise line by agents of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), said National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) and the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC).

The two groups said in a joint statement that the workers, who had not been charged or found guilty of any crime, were removed “in an alarming escalation of unjust immigration practices.

READ: PH caregivers in US air fears in time for Marcos visit

They also noted that the workers had valid 10-year visas.

“These crew members are dedicated parents and spouses with exemplary backgrounds, having passed rigorous background checks to obtain their work visas,” they said.

“Their abrupt removal, accompanied by the cancellation of their visas and a shocking 10-year ban from reentry, has inflicted deep humiliation, plunging their families into dire financial straits.”

READ: Filipino freed from detention decries ICE abuse, neglect of PH government

‘Left in fear’

The CBP confirmed an ongoing operation but did not provide details, according to a report by USA Today.

The report also said the crew members had valid work visas and were previously cleared to work in the United States.

As the Carnival Sunshine is set to dock again in Norfolk this Sunday, the remaining crew members “are left in fear of being the next victims of these aggressive actions,” the PWC and NaFFAA said.

‘National trend’

The Fil-Am groups said the raids reflect “a disturbing national trend that has seen other crew members deported under similar false pretenses, despite their valid visas and lack of criminal charges.”

“Community members are outraged by this blatant mistreatment of Filipino workers and are demanding accountability from Customs and Border Patrol, Carnival Corporate and the Philippine Embassy to safeguard the rights and well-being of Filipino and other cruise ship seafarers,” the groups said. /cb

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Twenty-one employees of cruise ships have been detained — and some deported — while their ship was docked in Norfolk by federal authorities who accused them of possessing child pornography, immigrant advocates alleged Sunday morning.

Customs and Border Protection officers, escorted by Carnival Cruise Line security staff, detained the crew members in a series of raids dating back to April, advocates said, to their downtown office a few blocks away.

Around 50 people gathered on the edge of Town Point Park, in sight of hundreds of people disembarking and boarding the Carnival Sunshine on Sunday, protesting the actions of federal authorities and the cruise line.

Aquilina Soriano Versoza, the executive director of the Pilipino Workers’ Center, said all 21 crew members had been “falsely accused” of possession of child pornography and were not being afforded due process.

Soriano Versoza said all the detentions are baseless, targeted actions made to bolster deportation quotas as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown.

Carnival said its staff merely has cooperated with federal law enforcement.

The FBI and U.S Customs and Border Protection have made a series of arrests of cruise ship employees, going back to the Biden administration. It is not clear whether any of the employees detained in Norfolk have been charged with any crimes.

At the rally, Soriano Versoza said the latest detention had happened Sunday morning.

She said authorities would stop suspected “lower-ranking” employees, like cooks, casino workers and custodians, and demand their phones. Crew members were removed from the ship and held at the CBP office, in hotel rooms or at the airport.

“There were no formal charges at all. Only accusations with no evidence,” Soriano Versoza said in an interview.

Soriano Versoza said those who were detained didn’t have criminal records. They held approved visas.

The Pilipino Workers Center, a West Coast-based advocacy group, hurriedly put together the demonstration starting Friday after they were contacted by crew members aboard the Sunshine.

In one such case in June, nine crew members were escorted off the ship at once.

The crackdowns, she said, are made against workers who often don’t fully understand what’s happening, what their rights are or who have any ties to the Hampton Roads region.

Soriano Versoza said the cases in Norfolk are unlike previous cases of cruise ship employees involved with child pornography.

When accused crew members ask to see evidence that would incriminate them, authorities have nothing to show, she said.

“It’s just a justification for deporting hardworking migrants,” Soriano Versoza said.

“This is a law enforcement matter,” a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement. “Carnival always cooperates with law enforcement investigations. We also have active training and education programs to make sure our crew members follow internet safety guidelines.”

Monica Sarmiento, Executive Director of the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, speaks during a demonstration on Sunday, July 20, 2025 bringing attention to deportations of Filipino workers with legal work visas aboard the Carnival Sunshine operating out of Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) The Carnival Sunshine sits in port at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk on Sunday, July 20, 2025. According to Aquilina Soriano-Versoza, Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, U.S. Customs and Border Protection have boarded the Sunshine and taken away more than 20 workers in handcuffs with legal visas since April, one as recent as Sunday morning shortly before the demonstration. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Betsy Ainspac educates cruise-goers walking by on the deportations of Filipino seafarers with legal visas working aboard the Carnival Sunshine operating out of Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Demonstrators line the fence as cruise-goers walk by to board the Carnival Sunshine at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk on Sunday, July 20, 2025. People gathered to bring attention to U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection agents removing Filipino workers with legal visas who work aboard the Carnival Sunshine. About 20 workers have been detained since April and all have been deported back to the Philippines according to organizer Aquilina Soriano Versoza, Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Demonstrators participate in a demonstration on Sunday, July 20, 2025 bringing attention to deportations of Filipino workers with legal work visas aboard the Carnival Sunshine operating out of Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk. According to Aquilina Soriano-Versoza, Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, U.S. Customs and Border Protection have boarded the cruise line and taken away more than 20 workers in handcuffs since April, one as recent as Sunday morning shortly before the demonstration. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Aquilina Soriano-Versoza, Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, speaks during a demonstration on Sunday, July 20, 2025 bringing attention to deportations of Filipino workers with legal work visas aboard the Carnival Sunshine operating out of Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Demonstrators line the fence as cruise-goers walk by to board the Carnival Sunshine at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk on Sunday, July 20, 2025. People gathered to bring attention to U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection agents removing Filipino workers with legal visas who work aboard the Carnival Sunshine. About 20 workers have been detained since April and all have been deported back to the Philippines according to organizer Aquilina Soriano Versoza, Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Show Caption1 of 8Cruise-goers walk by demonstrators bringing attention to deportations of Filipino seafarers with legal visas working aboard the Carnival Sunshine operating out of Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in downtown Norfolk on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)Expand

An official with Nauticus and the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center, the terminal which cruise ships make port at in Norfolk, said while they were generally aware of the situation, it was a matter of CBP and they didn’t know any specifics.

CBP officials had not responded to calls and emails requesting comment by Sunday evening.

“They are dedicated parents and spouses who have undergone rigorous background checks to obtain their work visas,” said Hampton Roads NAACP president Gaylene Kanoyton, who also spoke at the event. “Every person deserves dignity and inclusivity regardless of their immigration status.”

She said the detentions happening in Norfolk were just the latest case of aggressive action taken against immigrants in Virginia, comparing it to the arrests of a dozen people made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at a Chesterfield County Courthouse.

Julie Jamora, an activist in the Filipino community, said the news shared by Soriano Versoza has already rattled Filipinos across Hampton Roads.

Jamora, a native of Virginia Beach and a daughter to Filipino immigrants, said the messaging on display in Norfolk matches the idea of “tago ng tago” a Tagalog expression meaning “always hiding.”

“They leave it up to God,” she said. “This is life or death for a lot of Filipinos. If we don’t act now, all of us will be suffering, fighting for our rights some day.”

John Buzbee, 757-879-7421, john.buzbee@virginiamedia.com