Cruise & Ferry
Why an astronaut just christened Royal Caribbean’s biggest cruise ship
Kellie Gerardi’s travel quirks and must-haves on Great American Vacation
Kellie Gerardi opens up about travel habits, window shade debates, and her must-have charger on Royal Caribbean.
- Research astronaut Kellie Gerardi, one of USA TODAY’s 2025 Women of the Year, was named godmother of Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Star of the Seas.
- Gerardi, the 90th woman to visit space, shared her favorite travel memories and experiences.
Royal Caribbean International’s newest cruise ship is named Star of the Seas, so it’s only fitting that its godmother is an astronaut.
Kellie Gerardi, a research astronaut and payload specialist who was the 90th woman to visit space, officially named the ship during a ceremony earlier this month. Cruise lines select godmothers – and sometimes godfathers – to sponsor new ships as part of a maritime tradition intended to bring luck and safe passage to the vessel and its passengers.
Cruise ship godparents participate in a ceremony to officially name the ship. Historically, they have also broken a bottle of Champagne on the vessel’s bow as part of its christening (though that’s typically done by button or lever these days). Their responsibilities generally end there, though they may continue working with the cruise line.
Gerardi, who was also named one of USA TODAY’s 2025 Women of the Year, shared what it was like to visit space, her favorite places to travel back on earth, her unpopular travel opinion and more from onboard the cruise ship. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Question: Do you have a favorite travel memory?
Kellie Gerardi: You know, I’ve traveled a lot for work, all over the place. But I think for me, any favorite travel memory is time when I really get to have that quality time with family. My daughter (Delta Victoria) is with me today, and even just walking up to this ship from the parking lot and seeing her jaw on the floor, both of our jaws, but hers in particular, and getting to experience that through her eyes – anytime I get that moment, that spark, it just absolutely fills my soul.
Have you taken cruises as a family?
Delta has only been on one cruise before, so this is going to be her second cruise, and she just has no idea how lucky she is. I’m like, “You are stepping on board the world’s newest and largest cruise ship. Your mom is getting to participate in this incredible time-honored tradition and this naming ceremony.” Second grade hasn’t even been in session for one full week yet, and she’s already, you know, on a deck somewhere eating ice cream today. So, I’m like, “You need a reality check soon,” but she’s loving it.
Space travel – I would be remiss if I didn’t ask about that. It’s a type of trip that most people have not done, but I wanted to ask what it was like to see the world from that perspective.
It was such an extraordinary honor. … To have dreamed of something for your entire life – in my case, I really had this North star of a career goal of wanting to be a part of opening up access to space for the next generation of scientists, and using space as a laboratory to benefit humanity. To be able to participate in that in my own lifetime, and get to be a part of that, and then the deep sense of humility and just profundity of seeing that view with my own eyes is something that I think will be my mental screensaver for the rest of my life. It’s just so precious to me. And I was well prepared on the science side. I spent more than a decade here on Earth in microgravity flight campaigns, so I felt very confident on the science side. I don’t think I was fully prepared for the emotional side of human spaceflight. And I think that’s something that I’ll always hold very, very close to my heart.
You’re on a ship now, but do you have a preferred way to travel, whether it’s cruises, flying, road trips?
Gosh, I love travel in all forms. I mean, space travel is obviously pretty exhilarating and pretty special, and I would rank it pretty high, but this is an entirely different and almost equally appreciated sort of scenario, because I get to have my family here with me, and we get to do something adventurous and something memorable and something so out of the ordinary. So, planes, trains, spacecraft, automobiles, you name it. I’m a travel junkie, so I appreciate it all.
When you are flying on a plane, do you prefer an aisle or a window seat?
Window always. … I love a window seat. People have asked me, “Does it get old traveling on a normal airliner after you’ve been to space?” And I’m always so surprised by that question, because to me, just human flight in any form is so exhilarating and so special. So, I’m someone who is always that first person, perhaps annoyingly sometimes, opening the window shade during takeoff, watching us lift off and sail onward into the clouds and really appreciating that moment and all of the engineering and decades of innovation that led to that ability.
Destination-wise, do you have any places that you really love to go or anywhere that you’re really wanting to go that you haven’t been?
I was born and raised in Jupiter, Florida, which is very on brand for someone with my passions in life. I would say one of my other favorite places is Vermont, especially in the fall. My family has spent a lot of time there growing up, and my mom is there right now, and so I’ve always loved visiting that, especially during fall. We don’t get a lot of seasons in Florida. We’ve sort of got one season pretty consistently, and so the ability to experience that transition of seasons – I would say upstate, you know, East Coast is probably a very happy place for me.
Do you have any travel must-haves?
A portable charger is just my must-have. It’s kind of a joke in my family. I’m just always on low battery constantly. I’m just always draining my battery, maybe physically, metaphorically, literally, so I always have a portable charger with me. … I try to have all of the essentials for my daughter, just to make travel really easy and convenient as a family. Snacks are a must for all of us, and so I make sure we’re well-stocked there, well-hydrated and always with a little bit of entertainment, whether that’s a fun book for her, something to do.
Do you have any travel pet peeves or unpopular travel opinions?
I’m probably someone who overly documents everything, and I know there’s a lot of pressure, especially nowadays, to unplug and really be present in the moment. But I actually am that rare person who will go home and look at my camera roll and re-watch something that could have equally been enjoyed in the present, but I like having that memory. And I think with a 7-year-old with me, it’s really fun to be able to re-live that again together as a family, and re-experience special things. So I am that person often with my phone out and, you know, trying to just inconspicuously preserve that memory.
Is there anything that you’ve loved so far or are really looking forward to doing on Star?
Before I ever even knew that I was going to be given this incredible honor, my daughter had shown me so many YouTube videos of Star, and one of the things that she was most enamored with was the zip line (at Crown’s Edge). And I broke the news to her that, unfortunately, for safety reasons, there’s a weight limit on that. … I told her that when we were on the way here today, and there’s quiet in the back of the car. And then I look back miles later, and she is like shoveling candy into her mouth, as though to try to bulk up for the zip line. And I said, “That is not how this works.” And so, it’s just like a funny moment, but what stood out to me from that is that I think Star is a truly (multigenerational) ship insofar as there are so many things for any age to enjoy, and then there are so many things to come back and look forward to. So, we have our pick of every pool, slide, and fun thing today. And then in a year or two, as she gets a little older, there’s still going to be more to look forward to.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
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.
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.
Cruise & Ferry
Can cruising be emission-free? Havila Voyages plans the world’s longest climate-neutral cruise
Norwegian cruise line Havila Voyages has revealed plans to launch what could become the world’s longest climate-neutral cruise as early as this autumn.
The proposed 12-day voyage will follow the coastal route from Bergen to Kirkenes and back, covering a distance of 9,260 kilometres.
The climate-neutral cruise is part of a collaboration between Havila Voyages and marine technology provider HAV Group. The goal is to eventually achieve zero emissions.
“Right now, we are in the planning phase to test a full round voyage on the coastal route this fall, using biogas in combination with our large battery packs,” Bent Martini, CEO of Havila Voyages, said at the annual Arendalsuka political conference in Norway last week.
“We are in dialogue with suppliers to secure sufficient volumes to be able to fill the tanks 100 per cent with biogas, and we believe we will succeed.”
If these plans are successful, the cruise ship in question could sail the entire coastal route from Bergen to Kirkenes and back.
Related
What is a climate-neutral cruise?
Havila Voyages’ says its ships can already sail emission-free for four hours using battery packs. The upcoming test will use a combination of biogas – a renewable fuel derived from organic waste – and battery storage to achieve climate neutrality along the entire route.
Climate neutral means offsetting or balancing the total greenhouse gas emissions of the voyage, whereas emissions-free would mean no emissions at all from the journey.
The company aims to make its full 12-day Bergen–Kirkenes–Bergen itinerary emission-free by 2030.
Cruise lines double down on sustainability
Havila Voyages’ initiative comes amid intensifying pressure on the cruise industry to decarbonise. Cruise ships are among the highest-emitting modes of transport, with emissions per passenger kilometre that exceed planes, ferries and trains.
According to the International Council on Clean Transportation’s global shipping emissions inventory, the world’s biggest and most efficient cruise ships emitted approximately 250 grams of carbon dioxide per passenger-kilometre in 2022.
A long-haul flight emits around 80 grams of carbon dioxide per passenger-kilometre, a national rail service 41 grams and ferries around 19g.
Related
This has led to rising calls from governments, passengers and lobby groups for cruise ships to develop more environmentally-friendly solutions. In response, cruise companies are developing new technology in an attempt to clean up their act.
Norwegian firm, Hurtigruten, is developing a zero-emission cruise ship due to launch in 2030, which will use a 60-megawatt battery pack.
Similarly, Viking is currently building the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship, called Viking Libra, in partnership with Italian shipyard Fincantieri, which will be delivered late next year.
Martini urged stronger environmental regulation from Norwegian authorities to accelerate the green transition on the Bergen–Kirkenes–Bergen route.
“If Norwegian authorities are serious about their environmental ambitions, the ships on the coastal route can be a beacon for the green transition in shipping and create synergies for other parts of the industry,” he said.
“Technology exists, and the opportunities are there. It’s about the willingness to make the necessary investments. With strict environmental requirements from the authorities, those who want to operate the coastal route will be forced to deliver.”
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