Small fire on Grand Princess alters Hawaiian cruise

Per Gene Sloan, the Grand Princess suffered a small engine fire on Monday. This forced the ship to cancel a planned stop in Hilo. After regaining power, the ship sailed to Honolulu so the fire could be investigated. Princess has yet to announce what other stops on the 15-day cruise will be missed.

USA Today has latest on Haimark cancellation

When you book a fledgling cruise line, cancellations are always a fear. It looks like that fear came true for some Haimark passengers. USA Today is reporting that the small ship line started cancelling trips in November. It is supposedly related to the company's recent bankruptcy filing.

Cancellations can happen with the major cruise lines too, but with those companies there is a better chance to get a refund and many more cruise alternatives where you can redeem your cancellation credit.

As a reminder, if you are booking on a small line or you have some concerns about the future of your trip, there are plenty of travel insurance providers.

Regent's around-the-world cruise popular despite pricetag

When Regent Seven Seas announced their 128-day around the world cruise, some wondered if there were enough cruise fans who could afford the $54,000+ per person price. The answer was a resounding "yes." In less than one day Regent sold more than 70% of the cabins on the 2017 voyage. For a couple that is a $100,000 for one all suite cabin. With all the time remaining, the company won't have any trouble selling the remaining suites. Who knows maybe if people wait they might get a bargain...you know maybe a cabin for $99,000!

Silversea joins free Wi-Fi movement

When Viking Cruises announced they would include free Wi-Fi on the Viking Star, we wondered if other lines would follow. According to USA Today, Silversea Cruises also plans on rolling out a free wireless program in 2016. The luxury line won't go as far as Viking did in their initial introduction. Passengers will be eligible for one free hour a day. (Certain top suites will get include unlimited wireless.)

Expanding wi-fi and wireless options is a must for all cruise lines. The move by Silversea will likely be followed by another line soon. Long-term, this will be good for all cruise lines as it will bring in new passengers and serve as a huge marketing tool.

No more cruise to nowhere

Cruise Critic and USA Today's Cruise Log have the latest on the end of "cruises to nowhere." Although the law has been on the books for years, the United States is cracking down on these short cruises that depart from a U.S. port, sail into international waters and then return to the United States without a stop in a foreign country. Ships registered in the U.S. can still do these short trips, but the vast majority of ships from the major cruise companies are registered elsewhere.

This is good news for the Bahamas. As cruise companies adjust their 2016 schedules to the new enforcement, a few of these itineraries will now probably add a short stay in the island nation near Florida.

Norwegian Cruise Line expand's room service fee policy

As we predicted, more ships are adding room service fee. As USA Today reports, Norwegian Cruise Line will now include the $7.95 on all 13 of their ships. Certain cabins and suites will be exempt from the charges and all passengers can still order coffee and a continental breakfast to the room for free.

Norwegian explained their April test was successful, hence the rollout to the entire fleet. If their test proved valuable, we predict the other cruise companies' tests will also be a success. Room service fees are here to stay.

USA Today gives extensive look at Anthem of the Seas

Royal Caribbean's newest ship continues to make headlines. USA Today's Gene Sloan posted a series of articles and reviews of the new ship that just after sailing on it this weekend. The Anthem of the Seas is one of RCL's Quantum ships -- with some of the newest features and entertainment options, yet still has details unique to the ship (like an interactive chandelier).

Sloan was also one of the first to try out the ship's new skydiving simulator.

This links includes Sloan's photo tour of RCL's 23rd ship.

Kids can sail free on Crystal Cruises

Crystal Cruises is always going to have a hard time getting noticed among the family cruise crowd. Disney, Carnival and Royal Caribbean will always have more kids-centric offerings. One way to get families to your ship is offering them a free cruise. As USA Today announced, Crystal Cruises is running a "kids sail free" promotion. The sale will be offered on select sailings for both the Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony and requires the "child" to share a cabin with two adults. As with many promotions, there is always fine print, but this seems like a great value for families looking for a good cruise deal.