Carnival Ship Heading Home as Tampa Port Reopens

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Carnival Paradise is finally heading home days after her current sailing was to have ended, now that Port Tampa Bay is beginning to reopen.

Now that the cruise ship is cleared to return to the terminal, Carnival Cruise Line executives are confident the vessel will be able to dock soon and embark on her next sailing as planned from her designated homeport.

The news follows several days of rearranging, shifting, and adjustments in the wake of Hurricane Milton. While the Fantasy class vessel was able to depart on her October 6, 2024 sailing without difficulty, the fast development and strengthening of the storm kept her at sea much longer than anticipated.

Now, however, Carnival Paradise is able to head home to Tampa and it is anticipated that her upcoming October 14, 2024 sailing will be able to embark as scheduled from Tampa on Monday.

“We remain in close contact with officials in Tampa, and we are very optimistic that the port will reopen sometime this weekend,” the text alert from Carnival read. “This would allow us to operate your cruise from Tampa, as scheduled.”

The alert does note that further details will be forthcoming before the planned Monday embarkation.

“Carnival Paradise is on her way home to Tampa and we hope to have good some news about the port re-opening later today,” Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, confirmed.

As of Saturday morning, October 12, Port Tampa Bay had partially reopened and is prioritizing which vessels are able to return as operations resume. Fuel-carrying vessels are the first priority, as the port supplies more than 43% of the fuel to the Sunshine State.

The Much-Much-Longer-Than-Expected Carnival Paradise Cruise

The ship’s current sailing was to have been just a 4-night, Western Caribbean itinerary with a visit to Cozumel, Mexico that departed on Sunday, October 6. Because the storm was already developing at that time, the ship instead visited Costa Maya.

The following cruise, an identical 4-night itinerary to Cozumel, was scheduled to depart on October 10, but was ultimately cancelled as Port Tampa Bay closed for the very dangerous hurricane.

Instead, Carnival Paradise remained at sea, safely away from the storm’s influence, but without a confirmed time when she would be able to return to her homeport on the west coast of Florida.

Carnival Paradise Cruise Ship
Carnival Paradise Cruise Ship

To get onboard passengers on their way, the ship sailed to PortMiami for debarkation, giving travelers the option to debark with complimentary shuttles returning to Tampa or to stay onboard until the ship returns back to Tampa (or Port Canaveral as a possible alternative).

According to Heald, 1,785 guests opted to debark Carnival Paradise while in Miami. The remaining 579 passengers have stayed onboard and will instead debark when the ship reaches her homeport again.

“Thank you to everyone who sailed on for those extra days and I know the crew will have done everything they could to serve and entertain you,” Heald commented.

Carnival Paradise can welcome 2,124 travelers at double occupancy, or up to 2,697 guests when fully booked with all berths filled. Also onboard are more than 900 international crew members to help make every voyage memorable – and this latest one is sure to be even more memorable than most.

Read Also: Carnival Ships by Size – Biggest to Smallest

Satellite tracking data now shows Carnival Paradise en route to Port Tampa Bay, currently sailing southwest of Key West and enjoying a day at sea.

At this time, the ship’s October 14 departure – a 5-night Western Caribbean itinerary to Grand Cayman and Cozumel – is planned to move forward without disruption, but booked guests should remain in contact with Carnival Cruise Line for updates as necessary.

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Melissa Mayntz
Melissa Mayntz
Melissa has been offering her expertise on cruises since 2017 and reporting on cruise news since 2021. her work has been featured in newspapers, blogs, and websites on a wide range of subjects, but cruises remain her favorite topic to cover. She has been on more than 40 voyages to the Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, and more, and always has at least one more sailing booked on the horizon.

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