meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Cruise Radio: Weekly Cruise News & Travel Tips

Star of the Seas Review, World's Largest Cruise Ship + Cruise News | Royal Caribbean

Cruise Radio: Weekly Cruise News & Travel Tips

Doug Parker

Places & Travel, Society & Culture

4.8636 Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2026

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of Cruise Radio, host Doug Parker and staff writer Richard Simms discuss the latest cruise industry news.

Topics include: 

  • Norwegian Cruise Line's first overnight docking at Great Stirrup Cay.
  • The impact of Winter Storm Fern on cruise itineraries, and the importance of travel insurance.
  • Royal Caribbean debuts cruise ship earlier than planned
  • MSC developing a Freeport cruise port on Grand Bahamas Island.
  • Norwegian's new policy requiring early arrivals for air program guests.
  • Cruise ship Scenic Eclipse receiving icebreaker assistance in Antarctica.
  • Carnival crew member labor disputes in Australia. 

The episode also features Kevin's review of Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Star of the Seas, showcasing family-friendly amenities, food & dining, and the value of cruising on a large, modern ship in 2026 as a family.

Sponsor

Cruise line protection is designed to help if you can't take your cruise. 

Third-party travel insurance helps protect you during the trip. Including medical care, delays, and unexpected issues.

Compare plans and save up to 30% at TripInsurance.com.

Follow Cruise Radio's Socials:

LinkedIn  | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube  | Twitter | Patreon

About Cruise Radio: Cruise Radio has been delivering cruise news, ship reviews, and money-saving tips weekly since 2009.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This is Cruise Radio.

0:02.0

I cruise a lot and I always sail with travel insurance.

0:05.3

You should too.

0:06.2

Get a free quote today at tripinsurance.com.

0:09.3

Here we go.

0:11.2

Broadcasting from the Tripinsurance.com studios in Jacksonville, Florida.

0:15.5

This is Cruise Radio.

0:17.3

Hey, how's it going?

0:18.0

My name is Doug Parker.

0:19.0

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of Cruise Radio, a review of Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Star of the Seas today. But first, staff writer Richard Sims is here with Cruise News. Hey, Richard.

0:31.9

Hey, Doug. Kick it things off with a very lucky group of Norwegian cruise line passengers.

0:44.3

Yeah, so for several years, Norwegian has talked about the possibility of doing overnight visits to Great Sturke.

0:49.1

And it sort of feels like they've been moving in that direction for quite a while.

0:55.9

For example, if you look at Silver Cove, which is the high-end section of the private destination that they opened a few years back,

1:05.1

one of the things they have over there are cabanas, which some of them actually feature a full bedroom, living room, and bath,

1:12.4

which, you know, not really something you need if you're just going to be spending four or five hours on the island. And way back when they first opened Silver Cove, they kind of talked about the possibility that, you know,

1:18.2

maybe somewhere down the line, they might do overnight visits to the private island, which would

1:23.2

mean, you know, makes sense to have a fully functioning bedroom and bathroom and all that.

1:30.4

Well, it finally happened this week, although it wasn't a true overnight on the island.

1:36.1

So here's what happened.

1:37.6

Norwegian Encore had to deal with a medical emergency, which caused them to make an itinerary change.

1:43.1

It meant they didn't arrive at Great Sturrup Key until around 4 p.m.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Doug Parker, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Doug Parker and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.