Four guests from Carnival Dream were injured by a vehicle that crashed through a gate at Port of Galveston on Saturday, December 2, 2023 during debarkation. All the guests were members of the same family, but were expected to travel home on Sunday following medical care.

Car Crashes Gate at Port of Galveston

While guests were debarking Carnival Dream following a 6-night Western Caribbean sailing that visited Costa Maya, Roatan, and Cozumel, a car accidentally crashed through a metal fence and struck a family of six.

Four of the family members were struck by the vehicle and transported to the hospital, with two requiring overnight observation. Few details are available about how the accident occurred.

“The Port of Galveston Police Department is investigating an auto-pedestrian accident involving a private vehicle Saturday morning at Cruise Terminal 28. Four pedestrians were struck and transported to the hospital,” a release from Port of Galveston read.

Carnival Cruise Line also confirmed the accident and how the affected guests are being supported.

“There was an auto accident at the Galveston Cruise Terminal today, when a driver ran through a gate, apparently accelerating when meaning to reverse. Six members of the same family that had just debarked from Carnival Dream were impacted,” Carnival explained in a statement provided to 2 News in Houston.

“Two were admitted to UTMB Hospital for observation, but all are expected to travel home on Sunday. Carnival’s Care Team is supporting the family, including making hotel arrangements.”

It is unknown why the driver of the vehicle failed to reverse and instead drove forward through the barrier, but the incident is sure to be thoroughly investigated.

The identities of those injured have not been disclosed, nor have the nature of their injuries, to protect their privacy and the privacy of their family members and friends.

The 130,000-gross-ton Carnival Dream was not affected by the incident and departed on time for her next sailing, an 8-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary visiting Key West as well as three ports in the Bahamas – Freeport, Half Moon Cay, and Nassau – before returning to Galveston on Sunday, December 10.

The ship can welcome 3,646 guests at double occupancy, or as many as 4,631 passengers when fully booked with all berths filled.

Terminal Traffic Confusion

The time when one cruise is debarking and another cruise preparing for embarkation is the craziest and most hectic at any cruise terminal. Traffic is flowing both in and out of the terminal area, including not only private drivers but also ride share vehicles, hotel and airport shuttles, taxis, carpools, and more.

Furthermore, pedestrian traffic with both debarking and embarking guests moving in and out of the terminal, heading for parking lots or garages, hailing vehicles, collecting luggage, and more can create a very confusing and potentially dangerous situation.

This can be exacerbated if there is any ongoing road construction or road closures, depending on how traffic may need to be temporarily rerouted, especially on busy cruise days.

On Saturday, two cruise ships were docked in Galveston. In addition to Carnival Dream, Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas was also in port to welcome new guests.

There is no indication at this time that the incident in Galveston was anything but an unfortunate accident, though the situation will certainly be reviewed to see if there were any unusual circumstances that could have contributed to the crash.

The damaged fence will certainly be repaired, and additional signage or barriers may be installed if they are found to be necessary.

Cruise Hive’s thoughts are with the injured guests, as well as other travelers upset at the incident and crew members and port employees affected by the accident.

Carnival Panorama has successfully made her way up the Columbia River to Portland, Oregon, where she will now undergo dry dock to fix her engine issue before she can return to service.

Along the way, the ship – without her funnel – passed beneath two low bridges that she would not have been able to safely clear had her funnel not been removed for the trip.

Carnival Panorama Reaches Dry Dock

After a very careful trip up the Columbia River and into the Willamette River, Carnival Panorama has reached the shipyard in Portland, Oregon where she will undergo repairs to her engines that will permit her to resume sailing at her maximum speeds.

To reach the dry dock facility, the ship’s iconic “whale tail” funnel had to be removed, which was done in Victoria, British Columbia on Thursday, November 30, 2023. The Victoria shipyard had the necessary equipment to remove the funnel, and will reattach it after the engine repairs are complete.

To be clear, the ship’s funnel is not damaged in any way, but it was too tall to safely clear low bridges over the Columbia River between the Pacific Ocean and the shipyard. The exact height of the ship – with the funnel attached – is not precise, as a cruise ship’s height above the waterline will vary based on how heavily loaded the vessel may be at any given time.

Furthermore, local tides and water levels based on recent rains, snow melt, runoff, drought, recent dredging, and other factors can all impact how “tall” a ship may be compared to bridges or other structures.

Read Also: Carnival Cruise Ship Visiting Multiple Shipyards for Repairs

The trip up the river stretched roughly 105 miles (169 kilometers), nearly all of it on the Columbia River until the ship reached Portland and moved into the Willamette River, where the shipyard is located.

Carnival Panorama reached the shipyard just after 3 p.m. on Saturday, December 2, and the repairs to her engines will begin as soon as possible.

About the Bridges

The two low bridges Carnival Panorama had to clear on the Columbia River are the Astoria-Megler Bridge over the lower portion of the river in Astoria, and the Lewis and Clark Bridge between Longview, Washington and Rainier, Oregon.

Both bridges were built long before tall cruise ships were in service – the Astoria-Megler Bridge opened in 1966, while the Lewis and Clark Bridge opened in 1930. You can watch some footage of the ship going under the bridge below:

Both bridges have relatively low clearances at just 196 feet (60 meters) at high tide for the Astoria-Megler Bridge, and 210 feet (64 m) for the Lewis and Clark Bridge.

To make it safely under those bridges, Carnival Panorama‘s funnel as well as her forward antenna needed to be removed to lower the ship’s total height.

“I should say that the Whale Tail was actually designed to be removed,” explained John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador.

After the engine repairs are complete, Carnival Panorama will make her way back down the Columbia River, passing under the bridges again, and will return to Victoria to have her funnel reinstalled.

At that time, the ship will set sail full speed ahead for Long Beach, California to resume service, ready to welcome guests for her December 23, 2023 departure – a holiday cruise that will be a very welcome gift for guests who have been nervous about whether the ship would be able to get underway again for that very special sailing.

Heald has assured guests that the ship will be ready for that cruise, but booked guests may still want to stay in close contact with Carnival Cruise Line or their travel agents to be alerted to any further updates or announcements that may impact their cruise departure.

Carnival Cruise Line has announced changes to its Wi-Fi package pricing, with rates increasing from Friday, December 8, 2023. Booked guests do have a few days to lock in lower rates if they pre-pay for an internet package before the rate increase takes effect.

Internet Prices Increasing on All Carnival Cruise Ships

Carnival Cruise Line has emailed booked guests and affiliated travel partners to alert them to an upcoming increase in Wi-Fi internet packages across the Carnival fleet, with new pricing starting on Friday, December 8, 2023.

All package prices will increase for both pre-cruise and onboard purchases. The rate changes are as follows (all in USD):

Social Plan

This is Carnival’s least expensive plan, allowing guests to stay connected to family and friends back home via social media and apps, including Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and several others. This plan also includes access to the most popular airline websites in case travelers need to check in for flights or make travel arrangements.

Current pricing is $12.75 per day when purchased before sailing, or $15 per day when purchased onboard. From December 8, the rate will increase to a pre-cruise price of $15.30 per day and $18 per day when purchased onboard, an increase of 20% regardless of when the package is purchased.

Guests should note that the Social Plan does not include access to email, streaming services, video chats, or most websites.

Value Plan

The most popular Wi-Fi plan is the Value Plan, which includes not only social media and airline websites, but also news, sports, weather, banking, and entertainment sites – though not streaming services. The speed for the package is faster, and guests can easily post pictures using the Value Plan.

Before the increase, this plan is $17.00 per day when purchased pre-cruise, or $20.00 per day when purchased onboard. After December 8, the price will increase to $19.55 per day when bought before sailing, or $23.00 per day when bought onboard after embarkation. This is an increase of 15% over the current pricing.

Premium Plan

The fasted internet speeds with the most access to social networking, email, websites, and apps, including several types of video calling and conferencing, the Premium Plan is a great option for passengers who must stay connected while at sea, either for their own enjoyment or for some work requirements or other obligations, though video and music streaming are still not supported.

Read Also: Carnival Cruise Line Has Good News for Guests Who Use Wi-Fi

Currently, Carnival’s Premium Wi-Fi Plan is available for $18.70 per day before cruises, or $22.00 per day onboard. From December 8, the new pricing will be $21.25 per day for pre-cruise purchases, or $25 per day when purchased onboard the ship. Either way, this is a 13.6% increase for the package price.

Savings Can Be Locked In

Booked guests – or those who complete a booking prior to Friday, December 8 – can still lock in the lower rates by pre-paying for internet packages before the rate increase goes into effect, regardless of when their cruise sets sail.

“Make sure to add your Wi-Fi package early to lock in the current package price for your upcoming cruise,” the notification email read.

Pre-booking before the price increase can be a significant savings depending on the package travelers choose and the length of their sailing, as longer cruises and stronger internet packages command higher savings.

These price increases follow similar price increases Carnival Cruise Line implemented in mid-October for Australia cruises.

Guests interested in booking internet packages should note that all packages must be purchased for the full length of a cruise, and are not available on a day-by-day basis.

Furthermore, no internet plan is necessary to use the Carnival Hub App, which is essential for keeping up with onboard activities, menus, showtimes, and announcements during each cruise.

Carnival Panorama is once again on the move toward Portland, Oregon for dry dock repairs to resolve her engine issues, but without one key feature – the ship’s iconic whale tail funnel has been removed.

This is good news for guests booked on the ship’s next scheduled sailing, her Christmas cruise departure on December 23, 2023. That cruise is still planned on time after the repairs are completed and the funnel is reinstalled.

Carnival Panorama Funnel Removed

After several days of waiting for the proper equipment and engineers to be available, Carnival Panorama has had her winged funnel removed in Victoria, British Columbia. The funnel was removed on November 30, 2023, but will be reinstalled before the ship welcomes guests again.

While the ship will be undergoing dry dock repairs in Oregon, it was only in Victoria where the appropriate equipment was available to remove the ship’s funnel so she can fit underneath bridges to reach the dry dock facility in Portland.

“The Whale Tale has been taken off successfully last night and the ship left for her dry dock in Astoria. Remember, she could not pass under the bridge in Astoria with it on so, off it came,” explained John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador. “And I should say that the Whale Tail was actually designed to be removed.”

This is similar to how Carnival Freedom‘s whale tale was removed after the fire in May 2022 that damaged the funnel’s starboard wing. The wings were safely removed, and the ship continued to sail with a modified straight funnel until it was able to be replaced during a October 2023 dry dock in Cadiz, Spain.

Satellite tracking now shows the 133,500-gross-ton Vista-class Carnival Panorama underway toward Portland, moving at 12 knots (14 miles per hour / 22 kilometers per hour) with a scheduled arrival of approximately 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 2.

Once the repairs to Carnival Panorama‘s engines are complete, she will need to return to Victoria to have her funnel reinstalled before she will then return to her homeport in Long Beach, California.

Christmas Cruise Still Scheduled to Sail

The removal of the funnel will be welcome news to guests booked on Carnival Panorama‘s December 23 departure, a 7-night Mexican Riviera cruise from Long Beach visiting Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas.

Many guests will have booked the Christmas cruise – as well as the following week’s New Year’s sailing – as a special holiday treat and a wonderful family travel tradition to celebrate the season, and of course it would be very disappointing if those cruises were to be cancelled.

Guests booked on either of those sailings should remain in close contact with Carnival Cruise Line or their travel agent in case there are any further cancellations or updates.

So far, a total of six cruises have been cancelled for the ship since she developed engine problems in early November. Because her maximum cruising speed is impacted, it has not been possible for Carnival Panorama to complete her planned itineraries. At the time the problems surfaced, two ports of call had to be cancelled for the ship to return to Long Beach on schedule.

The ship has had similar engine problems in the past, and seems to have the same propulsion difficulties as her Vista-class sister ships, Carnival Vista and Carnival Horizon. All three vessels have had similar technical problems at different times with the Azipod propulsion system.

Here’s hoping that this emergency dry dock will correct the issues for Carnival Panorama and she will have smooth sailings moving forward with her whale tail intact, as she welcomes 4,008 guests aboard for each cruise at double occupancy, or as many as 5,097 travelers when fully booked for amazing cruise vacations.