Key Aspects:
- Carnival Panorama experienced a power outage early into its 8-night sailing to the Mexican Riviera.
- During the outage, some passengers were trapped in the onboard elevators.
- Thankfully, power has been restored, and crew members have rescued anyone who was stuck.
Carnival Panorama is kicking off its 8-night voyage to the Mexican Riviera with something unusual: a ship-wide power outage.
While sailing near Cabo San Lucas on June 8, 2026, the 133,500-gross ton vessel experienced a power outage.
Making matters worse, it’s believed that several passengers found themselves stuck in the ship’s elevators during the unexpected situation.
“Don’t panic, the power is down. They are working on it. No elevator service right now. I’m just hanging out in the elevator area waiting,” one guest posted on Facebook, along with photos and videos of the out-of-order elevators.
“Panorama just lost all power right by Cabo – people stuck in the elevators,” another guest shared.
A public announcement made by Cruise Director Zack Paiement‑Dockrill, which was recorded and shared on TikTok by (@Sharvon), confirmed the situation.
“We are experiencing a power outage, which is affecting the entire ship. The elevators and our hotel system are currently out of service and our technicians are working hard to resolve the issue,” Paiement‑Dockrill advised.
Listen to the full announcement below:
Guests Rescued From Elevators
It’s unclear how long the power outage lasted, but per current guests, the 4,008-guest ship has resumed normal operations. As soon as power was back, crew members began checking elevators for trapped guests.
In the earlier ship-wide announcement, which would have been heard in the elevators, anyone who was stuck was encouraged to sound the car’s alarm so that the technical team would know they were there and could offer assistance.
“If there’s anyone in the elevator, please activate the alarm and our technical team will work to assist you,” Paiement‑Dockrill said in his announcement.
But as power returned, current passengers spotted elevator doors opening and closing independently again and watched crew members check the cars for guests.
“They are now knocking on the elevator doors to see if anyone is stuck,” one current passenger updated.
Cruise Hive reached out to Carnival for an update and additional details on the situation, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Why Does This Keep Happening?
Carnival Panorama’s power outage comes less than a week after Caribbean Princess, which sails under the Carnival-owned Princess Cruises brand, lost power while cruising in the Bahamas on June 5, 2026.
Holland America Line’s Zaandam also experienced propulsion issues in Alaska during the first week of June, which forced the ship to skip several ports. For reference, Holland America Line is another Carnival-owned brand.
As the cause behind these issues is unknown, it’s impossible to determine if these situations may be connected in any way or if this is merely a weird coincidence.
However, Carnival’s Vista-class ships (including Carnival Panorama) have developed a reputation for power and propulsion issues, which are related to its Azipod propulsion system.
While Azipod engines are supposed to be more fuel efficient and add enhanced maneuverability, they are also known for being technically complex and occasionally temperamental.
Carnival Panorama has previously experienced propulsion and speed issues in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with at least four sailings cancelled due to the technical difficulties in 2023.
But whatever the issue was in this case seems to have been resolved. As of the time of publication, the 2019-launched ship is cruising at normal speeds of around 18 knots.
The vessel arrived as normal in Puerto Vallarta on June 9, which is the first port call on the itinerary. Before returning to Long Beach on June 14, the ship is also scheduled to visit Mazatlan, La Paz, and Cabo San Lucas.
