Key Aspects:
- A popular wine festival and a road paving project will both impact travel to Norfolk for guests boarding Carnival Sunshine on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
- Carnival has notified guests about potential traffic delays and noted that everyone must be onboard the ship by the final boarding time on their boarding passes.
- There is no change to Carnival Sunshine‘s 4 p.m. departure time or the 8-night Canada itinerary.
Carnival Cruise Line guests setting sail aboard Carnival Sunshine on Saturday, October 17, 2026 will face a double whammy of traffic disruptions in Norfolk as they head to the cruise terminal for embarkation. The cruise line has sent out a traffic alert to make sure all guests are aware of the challenges and how best to ensure they do not miss the ship.
“Norfolk’s Wine Festival will occur on the day of your embarkation, resulting in street closures and heavier than normal traffic in some areas. Additionally, the eastbound Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (I-64 toward Norfolk) will be closed for scheduled roadwork,” the notification email explained.
The Town Point Virginia Fall Wine Festival is held at Town Point Park on Waterside Drive in downtown Norfolk, less than a quarter-mile east of the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center. The 2026 festival is on Saturday and Sunday, October 17-18, and thousands of people generally attend the annual festival.
While the festival’s events, including wine tasting, live music, and shopping, run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, traffic is likely to pick up earlier in the morning as the event is set up and visitors begin to arrive. This is exactly when thousands of cruise guests will also be approaching the cruise port.
Further complicating downtown Norfolk traffic is the closure of the eastbound lanes of Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, the section of I-64 leading from Hampton to the cruise port. This is typically the most direct route between Richmond International Airport and the cruise terminal, normally a roughly 90-minute drive.
The ongoing roadwork is a planned repaving project. According to the City of Norfolk, the work will begin at 9 p.m. Friday and continue through 5 a.m. Monday.
Road repaving in existing tunnels has been ongoing each weekend beginning October 2, with only one direction closed at a time. From October 16-19, the eastbound lanes toward Norfolk will be closed. This will especially impact cruise guests boarding Carnival Sunshine.
Recommended Travel Adjustments
Carnival Cruise Line says signs will be directing guests toward the cruise terminal and law enforcement will be guiding traffic in some locations.
Guests are advised to allow ample time in their travel plans in case of potential delays, as well as to stay updated about local traffic conditions on embarkation day.
The cruise line does remind guests, however, that everyone must be onboard as planned, even with traffic delays.
“In preparation for departure, all guests must be on board according to the final boarding time specified on the boarding pass,” the email said.
Carnival Cruise Line has been clear in the past that ships will not delay departure for guests who may be stuck in traffic. Cruise Hive reported on one such incident in August 2025, when a family missed their cruise aboard Carnival Glory due to a traffic accident that caused delays as they were heading to Port Canaveral.
While the family was not involved in the accident, they were still responsible for arriving at the cruise terminal on time.
Carnival’s website is clear that the US Department of Homeland Security determines when a cruise line must submit a final manifest. The cruise line sets the final boarding time to accommodate that requirement.
“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,” the website explains. “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 3,002-guest Carnival Sunshine is scheduled to depart Norfolk, Virginia at 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 17 for her 8-night Canada itinerary, with visits planned to Halifax, Charlottetown, and Sydney before returning to Norfolk on Sunday, October 25.
At this time, there is no change to the ship’s scheduled departure time or her overall itinerary, and no other cruise ships are scheduled for Norfolk this weekend.
