Angry mayor accosts Royal Caribbean cruise ship
In what looked like a publicity stunt, the mayor of a sought-after summer cruise destination boarded a police boat with a TV news crew on July 3 as Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas arrived for its planned call in the port.
Although the ship's stop in the port was long-planned and cleared, it went against a new cruise ship ban on ships carrying more than 2,500 passengers that just took effect in the region.Set on enforcing the new ban he passionately championed, Christian Estrosi, the Mayor of Nice, France, set out to personally send the ship out of the region's Villefranche harbor.
For months, Estrosi has spoken out against monstrous 'floating hotels,' which he says bring both pollution to Nice and passengers who don't spend enough money in the city to justify being welcomed there.
Estrosi's influence recently helped lead the neighboring French Riviera city of Cannes to vote to follow Nice in blocking larger cruise ships from its port beginning in 2026. However, the confrontation he staged in Villefranche harbor proved that his influence on the cruise industry is not nearly as strong as it is on his region.
Doug Parker shared more details on Estrosi's bizarre cruise ship confrontation, as well as some sad news from a Norwegian cruise in Alaska, on the July 5th edition of Cruise News Today.Missing Norwegian Cruise Line passenger found dead in Alaska
Transcript:
This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker.
Here's your cruise news for Saturday, July 5th. Authorities in Alaska say the body of a 62-year-old cruise passenger who went missing during a hike in Juneau has been located.
Dr. Buenafe, a passenger aboard Norwegian Bliss, was last seen on Tuesday morning around 7:30 a.m. heading up to the Mount Roberts Tramway for a solo hike. Now when she failed to return, a multi-agency search began. Her body was located on Thursday roughly 1,700 feet below Gold Ridge.
A good reminder to share your plans with family and friends and carry backup communication in remote areas. Our thoughts are certainly with Dr. Buenafe's family.Mayor of Nice, France angrily confronts Royal Caribbean ship
And get out of our port — interesting story here. The mayor of Nice, France, Christian Estrosi, was denied access to Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas after attempting to expel the cruise ship from the harbor on July 3rd.
Yeah, this is how it happened. He tried to make his way on the ship by way of a police boat in the harbor of Villefranche on Thursday when security staff, well, they denied him boarding.He was trying to hand the captain a letter citing new local restrictions limiting ships to only 2,500 passengers or less while this vessel had 3,100 on it. A guest on board the ship told our tip line that everything else went fine and there was no disruption.
The Cruise Line International Association says that the call was pre-approved and accuses the mayor of acting unlawfully. Royal Caribbean says visitor access must follow formal protocols, which is notifying the ship well in advance. A roundtable meeting is on the way.And the photo of the week comes from Brad. He was on Enchanted Princess shooting this photo of Disney Dream as they both steamed towards Cozumel. Great photo here, Brad. You can send yours in: photos@cruiseradio.net.
And cruise stocks ended higher on Thursday. Carnival Corporation: up 1%, 29.96. Royal Caribbean: up 2.6%, 334.48. Norwegian: up 3%, 21.98. And Viking: up 2%, 55.46.
If you have a lead on a story, let us know: tips@cruiseradio.net.
Have yourself a great weekend. I'm Doug Parker with Cruise News Today.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
, or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
This story was originally reported by TravelHost on Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
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