While Hurricane Milton has now been downgraded to a post-tropical-cyclone and moved into the Atlantic, away from the Florida coast, cruise lines have a great deal of aftermath to contend with.
For Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Elation, the ship’s Jacksonville homeport remains closed at this time and the ship will be unable to return as planned on Thursday, October 10, or even Friday, October 11.
The exact reopening time for the north Florida homeport is not yet confirmed, but the ship is expected to be able to return to the cruise terminal on Saturday, October 12.
The continued delay is due to rough seas and strong winds in the Jacksonville area that are impacting how safe the St. Johns River is for the ship to navigate.
This means that Carnival Elation‘s next sailing, originally planned as a 4-night Bahamas voyage departing on Thursday, October 10, cannot operate as scheduled. Rather than cancelling the cruise, Carnival Cruise Line is opting to offer the sailing as a much shorter cruise to nowhere.
“We are now planning to operate his voyage as a 2-day cruise, departing Saturday, October 12. Given the shortened duration, there will be no port visit,” the notification read.
The itinerary was planned to visit Freeport on Friday, October 11 followed by Nassau on Saturday, October 12. Given the distance from Jacksonville to the Bahamas, however – roughly 450 miles – it is not possible for the ship to reach the planned ports on such a severely shortened schedule.
Instead, the ship will depart Jacksonville and spend the time at sea with all the onboard amenities, entertainment, restaurants, and activities operating as normal.
If guests do choose to set sail with the shortened itinerary, they will receive a 50% refund for all pre-paid amenities, including gratuities, drink packages, and Wi-Fi packages. All pre-paid shore tours booked through Carnival Cruise Line will also be fully refunded for both Freeport and Nassau.
Guests will also receive a $100 onboard credit (per stateroom), as well as a 50% refund of their cruise fare. That refund, however, may take up to three weeks to process back to the original form of payment.
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Any travelers who prefer not to join the now-shortened cruise to nowhere will receive a full refund for their cruise fare and all pre-purchased items.
To be clear, there is no damage to Carnival Elation and the ship is fully functional. The decision to shorten the next cruise so dramatically is made with respect to port operations and when the Port of Jacksonville can safely reopen and resume full operations.
As of Thursday evening, satellite tracking data shows Carnival Elation enjoying extra time at sea, sailing south of Florida where waters are calmer and not impacted by the storm.
Onboard, guests can continue to enjoy all the ship’s features while the 900 international crew members strive to provide the best possible service despite these exceptionally trying circumstances.
Why Is the Homeport Still Closed?
The Port of Jacksonville is uniquely located on the northeastern Florida coast, but the cruise terminal is actually about 13 miles upriver along the St. Johns River rather than on the coast. This upriver location creates extra challenges for ship navigability.
The entire length of the river leading to the cruise terminal must be inspected for any possible safety hazards following any hurricane or tropical storm that initiates a port closure.
Floating debris, channel shallowing, underwater hazards, and other potential obstacles must be assessed or cleared before a ship can return to the cruise terminal. Furthermore, the terminal itself must be able to operate efficiently with appropriate power and staffing.
The Port of Jacksonville does plan to reopen on Friday morning, October 11, but that is not the time the cruise terminal will be ready to receive guests for embarkation or debarkation processing. That reopening is yet to be determined.
Guests booked on Carnival Elation will want to opt in for text alerts from Carnival Cruise Line to receive the most updated information as soon as it is available.