The Dutch Coast Guard was involved in the rescue of a guest from the Carnival Celebration earlier today, August 18. The guest had suffered a medical emergency after the Excel-class vessel had left the Dutch Caribbean Island of Curacao. 

Due to the delay that the operation has caused, Carnival Celebration will possibly be arriving late in Miami for the following cruise.

Guest Disembarked by Helicopter from Carnival Celebration

Carnival Cruise Line has put out an urgent embarkation message for guests booked on the Carnival Celebration sailing departing August 20.

The ship could be returning back to Miami late, following a medical debark by helicopter on August 18. The medical emergency onboard Carnival Celebration prompted a speedy rescue operation involving the Dutch Coast Guard. 

Carnival Celebration had just completed a visit to the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba on August 15, Bonaire on August 16, and Curacao on August 17. She was making her way to Miami when the incident occurred onboard.

Although the cruise ship has resumed her course back to her homeport of Miami, the 183,521 gross tons vessel will likely arrive in Miami later than scheduled. Typically, arrival would be early, around 8:00 AM.

The late arrival could affect her subsequent cruise, a seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise, and guests sailing onboard who might need to re-arrange their flights.

Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, posted a message on his Facebook account detailing the rescue operation: “Early this morning, Carnival Celebration deviated course to disembark a guest who needed urgent medical care ashore. As a result, the ship will return to Miami later than scheduled, and embarkation for your cruise will be revised.”

“Of course, we must say a huge thank you to the medical team on the ship for all their diligence and care and consideration. We wish the guest a full and speedy recovery,” Heald added.

Heald continued by saying that the cruise line will monitor Carnival Celebration’s progress throughout the day, and provide further updates by 4:00 PM Eastern Time.

The seven-day cruise sailing to the eastern Caribbean on August 20 will call on Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Philipsburg, St. Maarten.

Guests booked onboard the August 20 sailing will need to keep in close contact with Carnival Cruise Line, to be kept informed about any possible delays to their embarkation time on Sunday.

Several Helicopter Rescues in the Past Months

The rescue of a guest onboard Carnival Celebration by the Coast Guard by helicopter is something we’ve seen more often in recent months. 

On April 29, 2023, we saw the United States Coast Guard (USCG) in action. They faced treacherous conditions to airlift a guest from Carnival Dream.

The severity of the situation became all too apparent when the initial rescue attempt had to be aborted; the aircrew was nearly forced into the water’s surface due to the adverse conditions. 

Undeterred, a second crew later capitalized on a brief weather respite to complete the critical medical evacuation.

Fast-forward to Friday, May 19, 2023, and the USCG was again called into action. An aircrew from Air Station Astoria was dispatched to conduct a medical evacuation from Celebrity Eclipse. The Solstice-class cruise ship was approximately 100 miles (160 kilometers) off the northern Oregon coast at that time. 

Celebrity Eclipse was en route on a repositioning cruise, transitioning from Honolulu to Vancouver, when a guest onboard showed stroke-like symptoms and had to be airlifted to a medical facility ashore.

Due to expected poor weather arriving earlier than anticipated, Carnival Pride will need to depart Cork, Ireland sooner than expected on Friday, August 18, 2023. Carnival Cruise Line is attempting to contact passengers and urging them to be back to the ship no later than 5 p.m.

Carnival Pride to Leave Port Early

Carnival Pride is visiting Cobh (Cork), Ireland today, but deteriorating weather is forcing the ship to leave the port earlier than the originally scheduled departure time of 7 p.m. At this time, the cruise line is reaching out to guests to alert them to be back aboard no later than 5 p.m.

“This is an update for Carnival Pride’s guests only. If you are ashore in Cork, Ireland, please return to the ship by 5:00 PM,” said John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador via social media. “Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate this evening, and the ship will have to sail earlier than planned.”

Previously, the all-aboard time for guests was to have been 6:30 p.m., in preparation for the 7 p.m. departure.

Undoubtedly, multiple methods are being used to alert guests to the changed departure time. This may include updates in the Carnival Hub app, text messages, emails, and announcements onboard (for guests who may have been planning a later time to leave the ship and explore the port).

The cruise line is also likely reaching out to all Carnival shore excursions currently underway in Cork to alert them to the departure adjustment, and tour operators will subsequently cut excursions short if necessary to return to the ship on time. Tour operators will also spread the word to those guests on excursions.

It is possible the Spirit-class ship will also blow its horn to alert guests near the dock area, though not all travelers may be familiar with this signal or know that it is intended to encourage everyone to return to the vessel.

Severe Weather Expected

Cobh is located in southern Ireland, off the Celtic Sea, and the entire region is inundated with poor weather today. The severity of the weather is expected to increase significantly after 5 p.m., and may not improve for several hours. Localized flooding is expected.

The strength and direction of winds are of particular importance to cruise operations, as strong winds can push a ship and prevent it from sailing safely in tight spaces. Winds can also cause ships to break their mooring ropes and move adrift.

Winds today in Cobh are from the east-southeast, which means they are likely pushing Carnival Pride against the dock. This means it is unlikely the ship will break loose, but stronger gusts may make thruster maneuvering impossible – which is necessary for the ship to depart.

Wind speeds are reported at 20-25 miles per hour (32-40 kilometers per hour), and are expected to increase to 28 mph (45 kph) over the next couple of hours. Gusts may be measured as high as 45-50 mph (72-80 kph).

Local residents in the area are reporting the poor weather conditions as more similar to a fall or winter storm rather than what should be a summer day.

The 88,500-gross ton Carnival Pride features 12 decks which presents a significant profile for winds to push against, dramatically impacting how efficiently the ship can maneuver. The ship can welcome 2,124 guests at double occupancy, or as many as 2,680 travelers when fully booked.

Carnival Pride is homeported in Dover, UK for the summer, offering a mix of European itineraries with destinations in Ireland, England, Scotland, Iceland, and more. The ship will reposition to Civitavecchia (Rome) in early September to offer additional Mediterranean sailings, before returning to Tampa, Florida in late October to spend the winter in the Caribbean.

Carnival Cruise Line has begun opening new bookings for its 2025-26 ship deployments, beginning with the rapidly growing homeport of Galveston, Texas. Three of the line’s ships will be based from the Lone Star State, including the soon-to-be newest ship in the Carnival fleet, Carnival Jubilee.

New 2025-26 Cruises Announced for Galveston

Three Carnival cruise ships will be homeported in Galveston for sailings in 2025 and 2026, offering a range of itineraries from 4-8 nights and visiting ports of call throughout Mexico and the Caribbean.

The announcement of these sailings is the first of Carnival’s upcoming itineraries available for booking, giving travelers a great opportunity to reserve amazing cruises well in advance, with the best prices and selection.

Two of the vessels to set sail from Galveston are both Dream class – Carnival Breeze and Carnival Dream – while the third is the cruise line’s newest ship, Carnival Jubilee, which will debut from Texas in December 2023.

“Galveston is one of our most popular homeports, and the addition of Carnival Jubilee brings not only an all-new cruise experience and increased capacity – it also gives us the opportunity to freshen our offerings for the other popular ships homeported there, Carnival Dream and Carnival Breeze,” said Fred Stein, Carnival’s vice president of revenue planning and deployment.

While both Carnival Dream and Carnival Breeze are already homeported year-round from Galveston, the ships will begin offering fresh, new itineraries in spring 2025.

Carnival Dream, for example, will offer 6- and 8-night sailings with both Western Caribbean and Eastern Caribbean itineraries, giving guests a choice for their tropical getaway. Depending on the departure date and exact itinerary, destinations will include Belize, Roatan, Mexico, Key West, and the Bahamas. Departures are offered on Saturdays and Sundays.

Guests interested in shorter getaways will want to check out new options aboard Carnival Breeze, including 4- and 5-night sailings visiting Cozumel and Progreso, both top destinations in Mexico. These shorter sailings have departure dates on Saturdays, Mondays, and Thursdays for either weekend or weekday getaways.

New Sailings for Carnival Jubilee

Cruises from Galveston that are sure to generate the most interest will be aboard the new Carnival Jubilee, third in the Excel-class of vessels and sister ship to the immensely popular Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration.

Carnival Jubilee will be offering 7-night sailings to the Western Caribbean, calling on Roatan and two of the most popular Mexican destinations – Costa Maya and Cozumel.

At all three ports, guests can indulge in beach breaks, explore the Mayan culture, dive into crystal clear waters, and much more. The cruises aboard Carnival Jubilee are Saturday departures, providing the ultimate convenience for travelers.

“Building on our strong portfolio of options out of Texas will give our guests in that region great new options as they look ahead and plan for their future vacations,” said Stein of the new and varied itineraries.

In total, Galveston will be servicing as many as 40,000 Carnival cruise passengers each week with these new sailings, figuring for the full capacity of each ship – Carnival Dream (4,600), Carnival Breeze (4,700), and Carnival Jubilee (6,400) – as well as both embarking and debarking travelers.

Book Early for Best Savings

Experienced cruise travelers know that booking early has many benefits, and by choosing a 2025 or 2026 sailing now from Galveston will give guests the best prices as well as the greatest choice of departure dates, stateroom selections, and promotional deals.

Carnival will be announcing additional ship deployments and itineraries for 2025-2026 in the next few weeks, broadening their available options for cruisers around the globe from a variety of homeports.

The construction of the highly-acclaimed BOLT: Ultimate Sea Coaster is nearing completion aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, Carnival Jubilee, at a German shipyard. The popular thrill ride debuted on the vessel’s sister ships, Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration.

Test Runs Are Scheduled For October

Carnival Cruise Line’s award-winning adventure ride, BOLT: Ultimate Sea Coaster, is being installed on Carnival Jubilee at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

Construction of the thrill ride is slated for completion in September, followed by a series of test runs planned for October, just two months before the line’s third Excel-class ship enters service.

Operating on an 800-foot track, the ride carries two all-electric, two-person cars, with one rider controlling the speed of the car, which can reach 40 miles per hour. The track drops, twists, and turns 187 feet above the water line, and riders can experience a zero-gravity sensation.

The ride first appeared on Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras, when that ship launched in 2021, and again on Carnival Celebration, which entered service in 2022. More than 150,000 cruise guests have sampled the ride so far.

BOLT is the focal point of the ships’ Ultimate Playground spaces, and under its rules, children younger than 12 have to ride with someone 15 or older. Guests will find the ride on Deck 19.

Manufactured by Maurer Rides, based in Munich, Germany, BOLT was the recipient of an engineering award from Popular Science magazine. Its installation onboard the upcoming Carnival Jubilee began in July 2023, shortly before the ship was floated out of the shipyard on July 22.

Besides BOLT: Ultimate Sea Coaster, Carnival Jubilee’s Ultimate Playground has many more activities to offer guests of all ages, and lots of ways to stay cool.

The WaterWorks waterpark is home to several thrilling experiences such as Twister Waterslide, a spiraling slide spanning hundreds of feet, the Speedway Splash, with its racing action, the DrainPipe, and PowerDrencher, where buckets of cool water rain down on participants.

The playground zone also hosts SportSquare, where guests will find multiple sports courts for basketball, volleyball, and soccer, plus mini-golf, and the challenging Ropes Course. Guests also can indulge in pool, foosball, and ping-pong in this area.

When she enters service in December 2023, the 183,521-gross ton Carnival Jubilee will accommodate 5,374 guests and be home-ported in Galveston, Texas. The ship will operate a series of 7-night roundtrip cruises to Mahogany Bay, Honduras, Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.

Carnival Jubilee to Feature New Zones

Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, Carnival Jubilee, has new entertainment and dining spaces that the line has recently revealed. Among them are the Currents and Shores zones, both nautical-themed areas connected by a glass stairway.

Currents, on Decks 6 and 7, evokes an underwater world with large LED windows and a wave-shaped LED ceiling. New venues in Currents include Dr. Inks, Ph.D, a bar/lounge where the cocktails are inspired by sea creatures.

Shores, on Dec 8, offers a shoreside experience with boardwalks, piers, and beaches. Its Ferris wheel-inspired ceiling is enhanced with wood plank-styled floors, and tropical and festive decor.

Read Also: Leadership for Carnival Cruise Line’s Newest Ship Revealed

Dining venues in the zone include casual places for pizza and burgers, but also feature some of the line’s signature restaurants, such as Rudi’s Seagrill and Cucina del Capitano.

Other restaurants elsewhere on the ship will include The Bonsai Teppanyaki, Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse|Brewhouse, Guy’s Burger Joint, Emeril’s Bistro 717, and Fahrenheit 555, to name a few.