Guests aboard Carnival Splendor have received a major adjustment to their itinerary on the second day of sailing. Adverse weather in the forecast has led to a port cancellation and changes to two other ports of call.

The 3,012-passenger ship departed from Sydney, Australia on October 12, 2026 for a 10-night New Zealand sailing. This voyage was scheduled to call at Napier, Tauranga, Auckland, and the Bay of Islands before returning to Sydney on October 22.

On October 13, however, guests received a notice from Captain Mario Imbimbo explaining that unfavorable weather conditions in the forecast necessitated an itinerary adjustment. As a result, the scheduled October 16 call in Napier has been cancelled.

“A weather system that is forecast to bring unfavourable conditions is expected to impact the Napier area over the next few days,” the notice read. “With your safety and comfort in mind, we have made the decision to cancel our visit to Napier.”

Instead, Carnival Splendor will call at Tauranga one day early on October 16. At 11.5 hours in port, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., the call at Tauranga is now 3.5 hours longer than the original 8-hour Napier call and half an hour longer than the original 11-hour Tauranga call on October 17.

Carnival Splendor will then continue to Auckland, arriving a day early on October 17 at 8:00 a.m. This port call has now become an overnight visit, staying until its original departure time of 6:30 p.m. on October 18.

This visit has more than tripled from its originally planned 10-hour-and-15-minute call. Guests will now have 34.5 hours to explore the New Zealand port.

The scheduled call in the Bay of Islands on October 19 remains unchanged, arriving at 7:00 a.m. and departing at 4:00 p.m. The return to Sydney on October 22 is likewise unchanged.

Carnival is also refunding Napier excursions booked through Carnival to guests’ Sail & Sign accounts. Tours scheduled for the original calls to Tauranga and Auckland have been adjusted to reflect the revised itinerary.

What Weather Led to the Change?

The notice sent to guests did not specify what weather conditions led to this change. However, forecasts for Hawkes bay on October 16 from MetService show swells rising to 4 meters with wind gusts up to 46 miles per hour.

Safe wind speeds for docking depend on the exact conditions at the particular port. Ultimately, whether an itinerary adjustment is necessary is up to the discretion of the ship’s captain. 

Captain Imbimbo and Carnival’s Fleet Operations Center determined, in this case, that the conditions presented too much risk to continue as scheduled. In the notice sent to guests, the captain apologized for the change and expressed that the safety of those onboard is always a priority over maintaining the itinerary.

“I know you may be disappointed to miss our visit to Napier, and I am sorry the weather has disrupted our plans,” the notice said. “While these changes are never ideal, your safety must always come first.”

Carnival Splendor has faced difficulties with New Zealand weather before. In March 2026, Cruise Hive reported when guests aboard a similar 10-night New Zealand voyage aboard the ship were warned that weather in the region could impact their sailing.

The Concordia-class ship, which entered service in 2008, is based year-round out of Sydney. It offers regular 2- to 10-night sailings visiting destinations throughout Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu.

Carnival Panorama‘s 8-night Mexican Riviera itinerary that departed Long Beach, California on Saturday, October 10, 2026 has had significant changes from the original plan, due to the influence of Hurricane Simon.

Guests onboard have been kept updated on the changes and have now received confirmation letters about the situation, noting an alternative port that has been added to the itinerary.

Originally, the cruise was to have visited Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday, October 13; followed by Mazatlan on Wednesday, October 14; La Paz on Thursday, October 15; and Cabo San Lucas on Friday, October 16.

Because of Hurricane Simon’s position off the Pacific Coast of Mexico, however, the itinerary was altered. The ship was to have visited Cabo San Lucas first on Monday, October 12, but that turned out not to be possible.

“We’re sorry we were not able to visit Cabo San Lucas yesterday, as weather conditions made it unsafe to operate water shuttles,” the letter, delivered to guests on Tuesday, October 13, explained. “Weather permitting, we will make another attempt to visit Cabo San Lucas, Wednesday, October 14, from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM.”

There are several spots where cruise ships may anchor at Cabo San Lucas for water shuttle operations. At times, anchorages closer to the dock may be safe enough for water shuttles, but anchorages further out could be deemed too rough or unstable. Whether a ship can safely visit or not depends on which anchorage is available for which vessel.

Carnival Panorama was able to visit La Paz on Tuesday, and AIS tracking on Wednesday morning confirmed the ship was successful in reaching Cabo San Lucas for that day’s visit. This is not the end of the itinerary adjustments for the sailing, however.

“Regrettably, due to Hurricane Simon’s location, we will not be able to visit Puerto Vallarta or Mazatlan,” the letter confirmed. “Instead, we have arranged a visit to Ensenada on Saturday, October 17, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.”

The letter also noted that any shore excursions purchased through Carnival Cruise Line for the now-cancelled visits to Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan will be automatically cancelled and refunded to guests’ onboard Sail & Sign accounts. If guests had booked tours for Cabo San Lucas, those arrangements were shifted to Wednesday’s visit.

Guests can purchase tours for Ensenada through the Carnival Hub app or by visiting the Carnival Adventures or Guest Services desks forward on Deck 3 (Lobby Deck). The Carnival Adventures desk is located on the port side of the Panorama Atrium, while the Guest Services desk is on the starboard side.

Hurricane Simon May Impact More Ships

According to the Wednesday morning update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Simon has maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour, making it a strong Category 1 storm, weakened from its Category 4 strength over the weekend.

The expected track of the storm has shifted, as several days ago it was expected to make landfall on the Mexican mainland east of the Baja Peninsula.

Now, the updated track shows the storm moving toward the Baja Peninsula. The storm may skirt just to the west of the peninsula or could make landfall on the peninsula itself over the weekend.

Because Hurricane Simon is moving very slowly at just 2 mph, there are currently no coastal watches or warnings in effect. Watches are issued 48 hours before tropical-storm-force winds are expected, while warnings are issued 36 hours in advance.

“Simon is a very small hurricane. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 10 miles (20 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles (55 km),” the NHC explained.

Nevertheless, the storm will still be felt in ways that could impact further ships with itineraries that include Cabo San Lucas.

“Swells generated by Simon will affect portions of the coast of west-central Mexico and Baja California Sur during the next few days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the discussion said.

Cruise Hive has already reported on changes to Royal Caribbean’s current sailing of Voyager of the Seas due to Hurricane Simon.

Voyager of the Seas is expected to be back in Cabo San Lucas on Sunday, October 18 as part of her next cruise, a 6-night itinerary which departs Los Angeles on Friday, October 16. Carnival Firenze is scheduled for the port on Friday, October 16, while both Discovery Princess and Brilliant Lady are scheduled for the port on Monday, October 19.

By Monday the storm is expected to have weakened to a tropical depression, but may still be causing rough weather along the peninsula. Booked guests should stay in close communication with their cruise line for any adjustments or updates as they are confirmed.