20 Things Disappearing from Cruising in 2026

Cruising in 2026 looks nothing like it did even 7 years ago. After 100+ cruises, we’ve watched these changes happen in real time, and we’re walking through everything that’s disappearing from cruising, what’s already gone, and what you need to know before your next sailing.

1. Lobster Night in the Main Dining Room

Few things defined the classic cruise experience quite like lobster night in the main dining room. That one night toward the end of the cruise when the tail showed up on the menu, and it was such a special treat.

That era is largely over on most mainstream lines. Many have moved lobster to specialty restaurants, or it appears as a premium add-on rather than an included treat.

Norwegian has removed lobster from the main dining room across the fleet. Princess offers it inconsistently on Gala Nights, depending on the ship and itinerary. Even Disney’s newest ship, Disney Destiny, no longer features lobster in its most upscale dining room.

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity typically offer a lobster tail one night per cruise, but a second tail comes with an extra charge. Carnival also adds fees for more than two entrees.

Some premium lines still include lobster, but if you are sailing a mainstream brand and expecting an unlimited lobster feast, you may walk away disappointed.

2. In-Person Muster Drills

In the old days, crew herded every passenger to their muster station, life jacket in hand, standing shoulder to shoulder in the heat. A crew member checked off your name while someone demonstrated how to buckle a life vest. On a good day, it took thirty minutes.

That experience is essentially gone on most cruise lines, and this is one change we are fully celebrating. Today, most major cruise lines offer an e-muster instead. You watch a safety video on your stateroom TV or through the cruise line’s app, then make a quick stop at your muster station for a brief check-in. The whole process takes about ten to fifteen minutes.

The notable exception is Disney Cruise Line, which still conducts a traditional in-person muster drill. Compliance remains mandatory everywhere, and the ship will not sail until every passenger checks in. But the days of standing in a crowded, sweaty stairwell on embarkation day are largely behind us.

3. Free Cabin Upgrades

Once upon a time, cruise lines would surprise loyal guests with an unexpected room upgrade. You would book an oceanview cabin and get a notification before your sailing that you had been moved to a balcony, or even from a balcony to a suite, at no extra charge. It was one of cruising’s great unexpected pleasures.

Today, the “upgrade fairy” has been replaced by an algorithm. Now, most major cruise lines use automated bid-based systems to fill premium cabins. Royal Caribbean has RoyalUp. Celebrity has MoveUp. Norwegian has the Upgrade Advantage Program. You get the point. Weeks before your cruise, you receive an email inviting you to bid on a better cabin.

The result is that cruise lines now monetize what used to be a complimentary perk. Those nicer cabins that once went to loyal or lucky cruisers are now a revenue opportunity. Technically, you can still score an upgrade. But nothing about submitting a bid and paying more money feels quite as magical.

4. Turndown Service

Not that long ago, your stateroom attendant serviced your cabin twice a day.

In the morning, they cleaned and refreshed your room. In the evening, you would return from dinner to find your bed turned down, a towel animal on the pillow, and sometimes even a small chocolate. It was a little touch, but it made the cabin feel like a true retreat.

Today, most mainstream cruise lines have moved to once-a-day cabin service. Depending on timing, that single visit might not happen until the evening. Cruise lines have quietly reduced the number of stateroom attendants onboard while increasing the number of cabins each attendant handles. Your attendant is not being less attentive; they are just managing more rooms in the same amount of time.

Turndown service is just one of the many small, personal touches disappearing from cruising that loyal, experienced guests notice most.

5. Formal Nights

There was a time when formal night was an elegant event. Men dusted off tuxedos or suits. Women packed gowns or cocktail dresses. The cruise ship’s atrium became a sea of sequins and bow ties, with guests lining up to take formal portraits on the staircase. For many cruisers, it was one of the highlights of the entire voyage.

That tradition is fading fast. Royal Caribbean rebranded formal night to “Dress Your Best” night. Celebrity Cruises uses the term “Evening Chic,” which, in practice, can mean anything from a cocktail dress to a nice pair of pants. Norwegian Cruise Line takes an even more casual approach now with Norwegian’s Night Out – however you interpret that.

On most mainstream lines today, dress codes on special nights are suggestions more than requirements. To be fair, not everyone mourns the loss of formal night. But for those who loved the ritual of dressing up and the atmosphere it created, it is a very different experience in 2026.

A few lines still hold the tradition. Cunard remains the gold standard for formal nights at sea. Holland America Line has its own Dressy Night, and Princess Cruises still hosts formal and Gala nights on many sailings.

6. Cruise Ship Dress Codes

Dress codes on cruise ships have not disappeared entirely. But enforcement? That is a different story. Walk through the main dining room on almost any mainstream ship today and you will see shorts, flip flops, and baseball caps without a second glance from anyone.

Some lines have leaned into the relaxed approach entirely. Virgin Voyages has a notably laid-back dress code with no formal nights and no real restrictions.

Others have tried to push back, with mixed results. In early 2026, Norwegian Cruise Line announced a new smart-casual dress code for six specialty restaurants at dinner, banning shorts, flip flops, tank tops, and hoodies. The backlash was immediate and fierce, and the cruise line has since relaxed it.

Lines that still enforce dress standards, like Viking Ocean Cruises with its elegant-casual policy, tend to be more premium or destination-focused products.

For everyone else, the era of being turned away at the dining room door for wearing shorts or a shirt with no collar is largely behind us. And as Norwegian just learned, trying to bring it back is a risky proposition.

7. Tipping Envelopes

If you cruised before the mid-2000s, you remember the tipping envelope ritual. Toward the end of your cruise, your stateroom attendant would leave small envelopes on your bed. You would tuck in some cash for your waiter, your assistant waiter, and your room steward. It was a personal, tangible way to say thank you to the crew members who made your vacation special.

That tradition is essentially gone. The rare exception is Disney Cruise Line; although, they provide vouchers for guests to put in the envelopes.

Today, virtually every major cruise line automatically adds a daily gratuity to your onboard account, running around $15 to $20 per person per day on lines like Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival. On luxury lines, gratuities are often included in the fare, though Viking still charges a daily gratuity on top of its premium cruise fares. The auto-gratuity system is more efficient and ensures that crew members who work behind the scenes receive a share as well.

Some guests still tip additionally in cash for exceptional service, and that personal touch has not disappeared entirely.

Auto-gratuities can technically be removed at guest services. Though, we strongly advise against it. The crew works incredibly hard, and these charges form a core part of their compensation. If you can afford to cruise, you can afford to tip.

8. Spotty WiFi

Few things have changed on cruise ships as dramatically as internet connectivity. Not that long ago, cruise ship internet was a cruel joke. You paid a premium rate for a connection that could barely load an email. Many cruisers simply gave up and embraced the disconnect, not entirely by choice.

That experience is largely in the past, thanks to one word: Starlink. SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service has completely transformed connectivity at sea. Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, and most others have rolled out Starlink across their fleets. Streaming, video calls, and social media are now realistic expectations. Just a couple of years ago, we successfully conducted Microsoft Teams meetings and video calls from Antarctica.

The tradeoff is that cruise lines know it works now, and WiFi package prices have climbed accordingly. Of course, disconnecting is still possible, but it is now a deliberate choice rather than a forced one.

9. Unlimited Drink Packages

The word unlimited is evolving quite a bit these days on cruise ships. Not long ago, a drink package meant exactly what it sounded like. You paid a daily rate and ordered drinks all day without counting or worrying.

Today, the fine print tells a very different story.

MSC Cruises now caps its drink package at 15 alcoholic beverages per day. Norwegian’s open bar package does not include specialty coffees or bottled water. Princess Cruises has introduced a daily limit of 15 drinks on its Princess Plus package, counting both alcoholic and premium non-alcoholic drinks combined.

Royal Caribbean just introduced a $5 surcharge for its souvenir soda cup for guests who already purchased the Deluxe Beverage Package, meaning Freestyle machine access now costs extra.

To be fair, the limits on alcohol consumption are unlikely to affect the average cruiser. Most people are not consuming 15 drinks a day. But it is a pattern worth understanding before you book.

10. Included Room Service

There was a time when room service was one of those wonderful cruise perks. A late-night snack, a lazy breakfast on your balcony, a midnight BLT, all included with no delivery fee. That is no longer the case on most mainstream cruise lines.

Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, and others have all added charges for room service orders. Holland America Line does still offer a complimentary hot breakfast through room service, and Disney Cruise Line, Viking, and Oceania still include it as well. Princess Cruises includes room service delivery as part of its Premier package.

For everyone else, free room service is another perk disappearing. Factor those fees into your budget, or take advantage of the many complimentary dining venues onboard instead.

11. Free Onboard Amusements

Not long ago, the pitch for a cruise was simple. You paid one price, and everything onboard was included. That all-inclusive spirit was one of cruising’s greatest selling points. That pitch is getting harder to make nowadays given all the upcharges once onboard.

Carnival’s Bolt roller coaster is an upcharge experience. Norwegian charges guests to use the race track on several ships. Even mini-golf costs an extra $5 per person on Norwegian Aqua and Norwegian Luna. Royal Caribbean’s Crown’s Edge experience on Icon and Star of the Seas also carries an additional fee. Escape rooms, specialty fitness classes, and other onboard activities are just more examples of the increased nickel-and-diming.

That said, today’s ships do offer more activities than ever before. Trivia, game shows, sports courts, waterparks, and live entertainment all remain complimentary on most ships. And the quality of these offerings has never been better.

It is just that the cruise lines have identified the most exciting new attractions as revenue opportunities, and the all-inclusive promise is quietly shrinking. So, just research your specific ship before you sail and account for those extras.

12. Rigid Dining

For decades, cruise dining meant an assigned table, assigned seating time, and assigned waiter. Early seating or late seating. Six o’clock or eight thirty. Same faces every single night. That rigid structure is also evolving, and honestly, good riddance.

Norwegian Cruise Line pioneered Freestyle Dining in the early 2000s, and today virtually every major line has followed. Royal Caribbean has My Time Dining. Princess has Dine My Way. Celebrity, Carnival, MSC, and Holland America all offer their own flexible dining options. More restaurants, more choices, more freedom.

The one thing worth acknowledging is what was lost along the way. With fixed dining, you got to know your waiter and assistant waiter over the course of the cruise. By night three, they knew your preferences, your name, and your favorite cocktail. That personal connection is harder to replicate when you dine at a different venue every night.

But overall, flexible dining ranks among the cruise industry’s genuine improvements for the modern traveler. And many cruise lines do allow you to request a specific waiter’s section even with this flexible dining option.

13. Refundable Rates

In the not too distant past, booking a cruise came with a reassuring safety net. You put down a deposit, and if plans changed, you got your money back. The advertised price was the refundable price. That simplicity is largely gone.

Cruise lines have steadily shifted toward non-refundable deposit structures as their default booking option. The advertised fare, often the lowest price you see, is almost always non-refundable. Princess Cruises was one of the last major lines to make this shift, moving to a non-refundable default rate just last year.

If you want flexibility to cancel and recover your deposit, you now have to actively seek a refundable rate and pay a premium for it. This makes travel insurance, particularly cancel for any reason coverage, more important than it has ever been. Read the cancellation policy carefully before you book. Know exactly what you are committing to and under what circumstances you can recover your money.

14. All You Can Eat Main Dining Room

Another thing disappearing from cruising is the freedom to order without limits in the main dining room. Two entrees? No problem. Didn’t love your first choice? Order something else. Nobody was counting and nobody was charging. That freedom isn’t quite there anymore.

Norwegian now charges a $5 fee for additional entrees. Carnival allows two entrees before an additional charge kicks in. MSC has implemented similar restrictions. Royal Caribbean charges for additional lobster tails on Gala Night, as we noted earlier.

On most lines, appetizers and desserts still remain unlimited. The restrictions are primarily focused on entrees. For most cruisers, one entree per night is sufficient. But for those who loved the freedom of ordering two dishes to compare, that choice now comes at a price on several major lines.

15. The Daily Printed Newsletter

If you have been cruising for any length of time, you know the ritual. Every evening, your stateroom attendant would slip a printed newsletter under your door or leave it on your bed during turndown service. The Royal Caribbean Cruise Compass. The Princess Patter. The Carnival Fun Times. You would flip through it over a nightcap or before retiring to bed and plan your next day. That nightly ritual is mostly gone.

Most major cruise lines have moved their daily newsletters to a digital format through the cruise line’s app. If you want a printed copy, you can request one at guest services, though availability is not always guaranteed.

The cruise lines frame the change as an eco-friendly initiative. But it is difficult to take that argument seriously when your cabin still receives daily promotional materials for onboard shopping events.

For many cruisers, particularly those comfortable with technology, the app works just fine. But for experienced sailors who loved that nightly ritual, something else has been lost.

16. Stale Cruise Entertainment

There was a time when cruise entertainment meant a comedian, a magician, and a revue show the ship had been running for fifteen years. That era is over, and this is one disappearing act worth cheering for.

Royal Caribbean ships feature full Broadway productions, aqua theater shows, and ice skating spectaculars.

Norwegian has shifted to original productions built around iconic artists like Prince and Elton John. Carnival’s Playlist Productions are a step forward from generic revue shows, and even MSC is raising the bar with rock concerts and large-scale spectacles on its newest ships. Celebrity, Virgin Voyages, and Princess have all developed signature shows too that give each line its own distinct identity.

What you experience onboard today rivals what you would find in major cities on land.

That said, older ships in the fleet might not feature these larger scale productions. That’s why researching your specific ship before you book still matters.

17. Smoking in Public Areas

Not too long ago, walking a cruise ship from one end to the other inevitably meant navigating clouds of cigarette smoke. Casino floors were particularly notorious, and smoke drifting from a neighboring balcony was a frustratingly common complaint. That experience has largely disappeared, and most cruisers are grateful.

Most cruise lines have moved smoking to a single designated outdoor area. Casino smoking has been eliminated or significantly restricted on many mainstream lines too. Smoking in your cabin or on your private balcony is now prohibited across virtually every major cruise line, with violations resulting in significant fines. If you are a smoker, research your specific cruise line’s policy before you book. The rules vary, but the overall industry direction is clear. Smoking areas onboard are shrinking, and that trend is not reversing.

18. Rooms Without a View

Cabin design is one of the most exciting things that has changed on cruise ships in recent years. Where older ships were built with a large proportion of interior cabins, today’s newest vessels carry far more oceanview and balcony staterooms. More guests than ever can wake up to a view of the ocean right outside their window.

For those who still book interior cabins, the experience has improved significantly. Disney Cruise Line pioneered the virtual porthole, giving interior cabins a real-time video feed of the ocean. Royal Caribbean’s virtual balconies deliver a similar experience on some ships.

Celebrity’s Infinite Veranda cabins on Edge-class ships have reimagined the traditional oceanview and balcony cabin into a hybrid experience.

Beyond views, cabins across all categories have become more sophisticated. Better temperature control, mood lighting, more USB and power outlets, and televisions with live programming and on-demand movies mean even the most modestly priced stateroom today offers an experience that would have been considered premium just a decade ago.

19. Getting to Disconnect

There used to be something refreshing about going on a cruise: once the ship left port, you were genuinely unreachable. No emails, no news alerts, no notifications. The ocean created a natural boundary between you and the rest of the world, and for many cruisers, that mandatory disconnection was one of the most valuable parts of the experience. No way for work issues to creep into your vacation.

That is gone now. Starlink and ship-wide WiFi have made full connectivity the expectation rather than the exception. Of course, you can still choose to disconnect and not purchase a WiFi package. But completely detaching from your phone is no longer an option.

Cruise lines now require guests to use their apps for dining reservations, daily activity schedules, shore excursion bookings, onboard account access, virtual queues, and the muster drill. Your phone is now a required tool for navigating the modern cruise experience.

The technology itself is not the problem. The problem is that this connectivity has made it harder to mentally detach.

20. Courteous Guests

We saved this one for last, and it might be the most controversial item on the entire list. This one is not about what the cruise lines have taken away. It is about what we as passengers have lost together.

There was a time when an unspoken code of conduct existed onboard. Passengers were courteous, considerate, and respectful of shared spaces. People waited their turn for elevators. Pool deck chairs were occupied by people actually using them. Dress codes were followed without enforcement.

That etiquette has seemed to disappear in recent years. Chair hogging is one of the most frequently complained about issues across every major cruise line. Guests claim loungers with a towel and a flip flop at 7 AM and disappear for hours. Cutting in line at the buffet or show queues is a daily occurrence. Elevator etiquette has deteriorated, with guests rushing doors before others can exit.

Basic hygiene habits like washing hands at the buffet are ignored by far too many passengers. Noise complaints and rule violations have all increased alongside the growth in passenger volumes on the newest mega ships as well.

The good news is that most cruisers remain wonderful, friendly, and considerate travel companions. But unforunately, you will have to put up with some discourteous guests too.

What Has REALLY Changed on Cruise Ships

Cruising in 2026 looks very different from what it was a decade ago. Some of what has changed is leaps and bounds better. But other changes continue to chip away at what makes cruising so special in the first place.

Understanding what has changed, what is included, and what now costs extra is simply part of being a smart, informed cruiser in today’s environment. 

Cruising is still one of the best vacation values on the planet. The ships are bigger, bolder, and more ambitious than ever. But the savviest cruisers are the ones who know exactly what they are booking, what to expect onboard, and how to stay one step ahead of everyone else. And that is exactly what we are here to help you do.

Comments

Have you cruised recently? What have you seen disappear in cruising since you last set sail? Drop us an anchor below with the changes to cruising you have experienced over time.