Key Aspects:

• A family missed their cruise on Carnival Glory when a traffic jam made them late to the cruise terminal.
• Carnival Cruise Line does not offer refunds for this situation – all guests must arrive at the cruise terminal on time or they will be denied boarding.
• The guidance on when cruise terminals close is set but the federal government, not the cruise line.

I’m a nervous traveler at the best of times, and nothing makes me more nervous than a traffic backlog on the way to the cruise terminal on embarkation day.

Granted, I live just 20 minutes away from the best cruise port in the world, Port Canaveral. Even then, a bad traffic accident or unexpected detour could cause significant delays.

But what if cruise guests are delayed so much that they miss their terminal arrival appointment altogether and they’re not permitted to board the ship?

One family looking forward to their sailing aboard Carnival Glory found out the hard way that there’s nothing the cruise line can or will do.

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The upset guest reached out to John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, with their tale of traffic woes.

“We missed the ship and it wasn’t our fault. We drove from Senoia, Georgia to get on the Glory. There was a wreck on I-75. We arrived 50 minutes before the boat was leaving. The Glory was still there but the doors to the terminal were closed,” the guest described.

“There were no Carnival reps, we were left stranded, nobody helped us. How do we get our money back?”

While the cruise departure date was not mentioned, Carnival Glory is homeported from Port Canaveral, offering 3- and 4-night Bahamas sailings.

The guest mentions that a relative of theirs suggested they contact Heald with their complaint and to get a full refund.

While John Heald does handle all types of guest complaints, from difficulties with onboard operations to the raging debate about butter or margarine, the policy on refunds is very clear.

He is not unsympathetic to their disappointment, but neither will he be offering them a refund for their missed Carnival Glory sailing.

“I know the stress you must have been under driving and there being a wreck, a car accident I’m guessing, delaying the traffic,” he said.

Heald explains that guests must arrive on time in order to board their ship. In fact, a federal law determines when the terminal must close and no more guests are permitted to board.

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That the ship was still docked only means that luggage and supplies may still be in the process of being loaded onboard, or the ship may be waiting for the harbor pilot to grant permission for the vessel to depart.

Heald likened the situation to flights, when the aircraft doors are closed before departure. This is a security and procedural issue, and once those doors are closed, no late passengers are permitted aboard.

He goes on to note that this is a time when there’s nothing Carnival Cruise Line can do about any sort of refund.

“Cruise insurance is not necessary – until it is,” he concluded.

Why Can’t Guests Board a Cruise Ship Late?

It is important to remember that a departing cruise ship isn’t just leaving a homeport for a pleasure sailing, it is a vessel transporting thousands of passengers out of the country. For this reason, every cruise line must be in full compliance with federal laws.

Carnival Cruise Line’s website explains:

“US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires Carnival Cruise Line to submit a final departure manifest with specific guest information at least 60 minutes prior to departure.”

Even if guests were to arrive just a few minutes after that deadline, they would not be properly checked in and on that final departure manifest, and therefore would not be permitted to board.

“In preparation for departure, all guests must be on board by the Final Boarding time printed on the boarding pass or they will not be permitted to sail,” the website states.

This information is also found on the Carnival Hub app and in the Guest Ticket Contract that all travelers agree to when they book a Carnival cruise. The issue of refunds is also noted in that contract, but not in a way these travelers would find helpful:

“No refunds will be made in the event of ‘no shows,'” the contract clearly states.

Read Also: Boarding a Cruise Ship – All You Should Know

Heald’s mention of travel insurance is apt. Some policies (depending on individual terms and conditions) would refund a cruise due to circumstances outside the traveler’s control, such as a traffic jam that made them too late to board their ship.

Experienced cruisers will also emphasize the importance of arriving at the cruise homeport a day or two before sailing, just in case of such stressful circumstances.

Far better to be late to one’s pre-cruise hotel stay and miss out on a nice dinner or evening at the pool rather than be late to the cruise terminal and miss the entire cruise vacation.

Key Aspects:

• Food trucks and restaurants on Celebration Key will now open at 10 a.m. when ships with shorter visits are in port.
• This change comes following guest feedback and examining itinerary schedules for ships from more distant homeports.
• Celebration Key has 14 food trucks offering diverse menus featuring both classic favorites and Bahamian specialties.

Less than a month after its grand opening, Carnival Cruise Line is making operational adjustments to Celebration Key in a way guests will appreciate. In particular, guests sailing on Carnival Pride will benefit from the tweaking.

It is the hours for the various food trucks and restaurants at the destination that the cruise line is adjusting, with good cause. Since Celebration Key opened, the 14 food trucks and numerous casual and full-service restaurants have begun serving Island Eats and other delicious options at 11:30 a.m.

For most ships, this is a perfectly reasonable time for guests to enjoy chicken wings, cheeseburgers, tacos, wraps, mini donuts, caesar salads, and more.

For one particular ship with unique timing to the destination, however, that might be leaving lunch a bit late compared to the overall port time.

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This has come to the attention of John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, and he announced the change in a daily Facebook video.

“A quick thing about Carnival Pride and maybe one or two other ships that have a shorter time at Celebration Key,” he said. “Now, obviously it takes longer to get all the way up to Baltimore than it does just to cross and up a little bit into one of the Florida home ports.”

Numerous guests have written to Heald, noting that when the food doesn’t open until 11:30 a.m., that doesn’t give a lot of time for everyone to enjoy a meal, then return to the ship for an earlier departure.

Carnival Pride sails from Baltimore and her 7-night Bahamas cruises visit Celebration Key, but only from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

With dining service not starting until 11:30 a.m., that means guests can enjoy just 90 minutes of food service at most, depending on the all-aboard time.

In comparison, Carnival Celebration sails from Miami and visits Celebration Key from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m., giving guests much more flexibility for onshore dining.

Similarly, ships sailing from Port Canaveral, including Carnival Freedom and Mardi Gras, are at Celebration Key from 7 or 8 a.m. generally until 4 p.m. or 5 p.m.

Now, however, food service is being adjusted to better accommodate ships with shorter port visits.

“All the restaurants, the food trucks, the food hall, everything there, are now going to be opening as of today, for the shorter [visits], from 10 a.m.,” Heald confirmed.

“That should give you enough chance to enjoy all the food options and not have to rush back to the ship after doing so.”

Heald does not indicate that there will be any opening hours change for ships that remain in port longer. Nevertheless, this news will be welcome for the thousands of guests who might not have quite as long to enjoy Celebration Key.

Food Options at Celebration Key

Carnival’s new private destination on Grand Bahama Island is using restaurants as well as a food truck model of service rather than the classic all-you-can-eat island barbecue (which, quite frankly, every other island does).

Read Also: Carnival Cruise Line Releases New Celebration Key Menus

To that end, there are 14 different food truck stations, all offering unique and flavorful options. This provides more selections and vastly different tastes for guests to enjoy, such as:

• Streatery Sushiva – Orange chicken roll or a Crazy California roll, plus other fusion tastes with tuna, conch, shrimp, and more
• Mini Donut King – Classic plain, glazed, powdered sugar, and cinnamon sugar as well as specialty donuts like pina colada and guava cheesecake
• Grand Bahama Taco Co. – Jerk chicken, fried fish, steak, and cheese tacos and quesadillas with Bahamian coleslaw or jerk mayo
• Flippin’ Fritters – Conch, shrimp, and corn fritters as well as lobster, veggie, and sweet options with different dipping sauces

In addition, several restaurants are available with even more options, such as Gill’s Grill with both land and sea family-friendly choices and the Surf N’ Sauce BBQ & Brews restaurant with its outdoor smoker.

These are just a few of the tasty bites available at Celebration Key. Guests can select one meal from a food truck’s “Island Eats” menu for free, and other menu options are available for different prices.

Carnival’s one-meal-only dining plan at Celebration Key has caused some controversy, but portions are generous and guests can always purchase additional food if they wish.

Heald has explained that many of the food vendors at Celebration Key are independent operators, hence why the “Island Eats” menus are more limited. Guests’ Sail and Sign cards are valid at Celebration Key, however, and charges can be made directly to their onboard accounts.