Key Aspects:
- Carnival Celebration rescued five people from a makeshift boat on February 16.
- They were brought onboard after the Carnival came alongside and pulled them to safety.
- The Carnival ship has continued with its 7-night Western Caribbean cruise with no impact.
Even though cruise ships are very focused on offering a memorable cruise vacation, there are times when more serious situations arise, and a ship must shift its focus to maritime safety. This was the case with the 5,362-passenger Carnival Celebration.
During the ship’s February 15 Caribbean sailing, the Carnival Celebration came to the rescue of five people aboard a makeshift boat. According to a passenger who contacted Cruise Hive, the rescue took place at approximately 10:00 PM on Tuesday. However, Carnival confirmed it took place on the night of February 16.
One passenger told Cruise Hive, whose cabin was right above and watching it all unfold, said, “Well, the Carnival Celebration rescued 5 Cuban immigrants on Tuesday night. It was around 10ish at night. It was almost directly under our balcony.“
The small makeshift boat was apparently taking on water, and the five people onboard were trying to paddle as fast as they could. The Carnival Celebration managed to get alongside the boat to pull them to safety.
“They were bailing water as fast as possible with what looked like a 5 gallon ice cream container. They were paddling faster than I’ve ever seen anyone paddle. We watched them have to take their shirts off, I’m guessing they checked for guns, and hauled them in one by one. We went inside their boat was still attached with 2 ropes but we don’t know what happened to their boat,” the Carnival Celebration passenger said to Cruise Hive.
The rescue took place as the Excel-class ship was en route to its scheduled port of call at Cozumel, Mexico, with an arrival on the morning of February 17, 2026.
At this time, the Carnival ship is still on course for its next scheduled visit to the cruise line’s private destination of Celebration Key in the Bahamas, with an arrival on Saturday, February 21. The 7-night Western Caribbean cruise is set to come to an end back in Miami, Florida, on February 22.
Cruise Hive has reached out to Carnival Cruise Line for further details. The cruise line stated:
“While en route to Cozumel on February 16, Carnival Celebration responded to a small vessel in distress and successfully completed a rescue at sea. Five individuals were brought safely onboard, and the U.S. Coast Guard was notified and provided guidance throughout the operation.“
Not the First Rescue by Carnival Celebration
It’s not the first rescue in the Caribbean by the large 182,800 gross ton ship, and will likely not be the last!
Also in February, but in 2024, the vessel spotted a small craft that was overloaded with 20 Cuban refugees located just north of Cuba. At the time, the Carnival ship was on the final sea day, heading back to Miami, Florida.
In this case, Carnival Celebration just assisted and did not bring them aboard, but instead informed the US Coast Guard after providing food and water.
All cruise ships, in addition to other types of ships, follow the rules of the sea to provide assistance to any person in danger. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), “Every State shall require the master of a ship flying its flag, in so far as he can do so without serious danger to the ship, the crew or the passengers, to render assistance to any person found at sea in danger of being lost.“
Carnival Celebration is one of the newest in the fleet and entered service in November 2022. Less than two months after entering service, the ship was involved in its first refugee operation. A small makeshift raft was spotted with five people onboard, and they were using the raft’s oars to navigate.
Thankfully, the Carnival cruise ship brought them aboard to provide food and water, then continued on its way back home, arriving in Miami on January 3, 2023.
Editorial Note: This article has been updated to reflect date inconsistencies between passenger reports and official statements.
