Cruise & Ferry
What is the ‘Golden Passport’ that lets you live on a cruise ship forever – Cruises – Travel

You can now retire at sea with a special kind of passport. A cruise line is allowing passengers to be a part of a permanent residence-at-sea programme.
Villa Vie Residences launched its Odyssey cruise last October, taking passengers on a journey across 425 ports in 147 countries over three and a half years.
The residential cruise has become a popular choice for those who want to live on a cruise long-term, but now even more passengers can join the adventure with the “Golden Passport.”
Villa Vie already gives its passengers the opportunity to own, rent or lease life cabins onboard—but the Golden Passport caters specially to the retired.
The Golden Passport allows people to have a lifetime villa with just a one-time payment. The package also includes dining, WiFi, activities, housekeeping and laundry, and residents also have access to annual medical check ups.
How much is a Golden Passport?
The pricing model varies depending on age, starting at $99,999 for those aged 90 or above. The most pricey tier costs $399,999 for those between 55 and 60.
Residents are allowed to have family and friends on board by paying a $129 fee per day. Each voyage goes on between three and three and a half years, but residents can stay on the ship for even longer.
Various people have already swapped a retirement home for the residential sailing program on the Odyssey.
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“Life moves quickly, and the regret most people share is that they didn’t travel the world when they had the chance,” said Kathy Villalba, CEO of Villa Vie Residences in a press statement. “The Golden Passport makes that dream possible—and affordable—in a way the cruise and travel industries have never seen before.”
Mike Petterson, Founder of Villa Vie Residences added, “As people retire, one of their biggest fears is outliving their money. With the Golden Passport, that uncertainty disappears—one payment secures a lifetime of adventure.”
Cruise & Ferry
Disney Cruise Line Passengers Thrown Into Panic Over False Alarm

The Disney Wish cruise ship promotes itself as a wish come true, inviting passengers to “experience enchantment” in the fantastic worlds of Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar. But for a brief moment on Tuesday, the world of enchantment turned into one of panic.
The ship, which first set sail in 2022, sounded its “man overboard” alarm after allegedly sighting someone in danger as it made its way through the seas. Crew members acted swiftly as guests became fearful that someone might be in danger. However, thankfully, it later turned out to be a false alarm. Passengers rejoiced, despite the inconvenience caused, and even got rewarded for being patient.
Man Overboard Alarm Rang Out On Disney Cruise
A Disney Wish passenger made a Reddit post on Tuesday night titled “Man Overboard Alarm On Wish.” The user said that about an hour after the ship departed from Nassau in The Bahamas, the crew sounded the man overboard alarm.
“They started throwing life preservers over the port side and started turning around. Not sure if anyone has heard anything but we have a port side balcony and didn’t see anyone in the water,” the user wrote.
Another said crew members woke up all passengers and asked them to meet at a muster point to do a roll call. The Reddit user said passengers were told that once it was confirmed that everyone was on board, the boat would resume its course.
A moderator chimed in, saying it was a developing story that will be closely monitored, and warned that jokes about the matter were not an option.
“This is not the time for ill-conceived humor, sarcasm, or nastiness. It will not be tolerated. Keep calm and Cruise on. Thanks. Your Magical Moderation Team,” the moderator wrote.
It’s not the first time something like this has happened on a Disney cruise ship, either. In June, a child fell off the Disney Dream, and her father jumped in to save her. The crew also swiftly assisted them. Thankfully, both of them were okay in the end.
But as news of this most recent event broke online via the Reddit post, many comments showed sympathy as users collectively hoped the person overboard would be quickly located and saved.
“Please let this poor person be ok. The poor family. How agonizing for them,” one user wrote.
Others hoped “reinforcements” would show up soon to assist in the search.
“Well, a Disney cruise ship is not the best vessel to continue a search effort. So I imagine once reinforcements show up, the best thing to do is leave the area to let the professionals handle the situation,” another user wrote.
However, this was not needed after all, as it was a false alarm.
Ship’s Captain Said “Man” Seen Overboard Was Likely Debris
Passengers continued to update the public via Reddit as the night progressed. Some comments claimed to be from passengers who “saw a drunk passenger jump overboard,” but many of those who had been keeping people updated dismissed those claims immediately.
Later on, passengers revealed that everyone was accounted for. But this was not done without hiccups. Passengers also complained that one family had not been accounted for in over 20 minutes.
“Their last name and stateroom number were announced repeatedly. They were apparently eventually accounted for after like 30 minutes. I don’t foresee them being popular for the rest of the trip,” one user wrote.
Several others also returned to the original post to express their relief that no one was, in fact, overboard. The passengers said the captain made an announcement on the ship saying it was “most likely” a large piece of debris that was seen in the water, confirming it was a false alarm. But in addition to this relief, passengers also got a credit boost.
“As consolation for the interruption of the events last night, everyone was comped $150 (in credit) to their accounts, so that’s a nice surprise. Just glad everyone’s safe!” a user wrote.
Users then shared a message on the cruise line’s mobile app that was sent to all passengers the following day.
“A report of a possible man overboard last evening prompted immediate activation of safety protocols earlier this evening, including a full muster drill and deployment of rescue vessels. We’re pleased to report that all guests and crew are safe and accounted for,” the message read.
It added that it appreciated everyone’s “calm cooperation” in ensuring the safety of all on board, and apologized for the inconvenience. The credit, the ship added, was “in appreciation of” the passengers’ patience.
So, after all the panic, the ship was able to resume its course to Disney’s private island in The Bahamas, Castaway Cay.
Cruise & Ferry
Rotterdam canoe protest briefly blocks cruise ship arrival

P&O Cruises ship Ventura was held up in Rotterdam this week during a scheduled port call as activist group Extinction Rebellion took to the water to protest cruise ship traffic.
A group of about 15 protestors in canoes managed to briefly block Ventura’s docking in the city.
The delay was only brief, with police breaking up the blockade after about 30 minutes. Police say they arrested two people.
Ventura, which left Southampton the day before, was able to dock safely without incident.
Rotterdam was the only scheduled port call on the short cruise.
Extinction Rebellion has been protesting cruise ships in the Netherlands for the past couple of years using a variety of tactics.
It describes its actions as a ‘campaign of peaceful civil disobedience.’
Last month it blocked entry of the Celebrity Eclipse in Amsterdam, causing a delay of over two hours.
Last year Extinction Rebellion chained themselves to a bridge which opens a lock for cruise ships to enter Amsterdam.
This caused a Royal Caribbean ship to dock at another pier outside the city and delayed other ships for several hours.
“If the government still does not ban cruises, then we will stop them ourselves,” it said on social media after the latest protest.
Cruise & Ferry
Rough weather causes Carnival cruise ship to tilt

Rough weather causes havoc onboard Carnival cruise ship
A Carnival Cruise Line ship was caught in rough weather during a Mexican Riviera voyage, tilting sharply as wind and rain battered the vessel.
unbranded – Newsworthy
- A Carnival Panorama cruise ship tilted during rough weather in the Mexican Riviera on August 20.
- The listing was likely caused by wind and rain, a rare occurrence that cruise ships are designed to handle.
Rough weather hit a Carnival Cruise Line ship during a Mexican Riviera cruise, causing the ship to tilt.
Matt Lupoli, a spokesperson for the cruise line, told USA TODAY that the ship “encountered wind and rain that led to a listing” – or leaning to one side – on Aug. 20. Passenger video footage from the Carnival Panorama appears to show broken dishes in the dining room, items strewn on the floor in an onboard shop and water spilling from an elevator, amid lightning strikes outside.
The ship was sailing an eight-day cruise from Los Angeles to Mexico at the time, according to CruiseMapper.
“The incident was over quickly and as the captain maneuvered to calmer seas, crew members quickly turned their attention to assisting guests and clean up,” Lupoli said in an email. “A small number of guests were checked by our medical team on board. There were no serious injuries and no significant impact to the ship’s systems and features. The ship’s itinerary was not affected and it’s now sailing its next voyage.”
Listing is caused by a shift in weight and balance, according to Joanna Kuther, a travel agent and owner of Port Side Travel Consultants. “In the case of a cruise ship that does not carry cargo, it is usually weather-induced,” she told USA TODAY in an email.
How to find the best price, perks when booking a cruise
Find the cruise that works for your budget with these tips.
Problem Solved
While there have been other similar incidents in recent years, including on Carnival Sunshine in 2023, Kuther said they are “very rare” and crew members are well-trained on how to keep vessels stable during storms.
“While with all of the weather forecasting available, ships will do all they can to avoid bad weather (but) sometimes it is simply unavoidable,” she said. “The ships are prepared from the way they are built and engineered to be able to handle these types of situations.”
Contributing: Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
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