Key Aspects:
- Carnival Spirit required repairs while in Hawaii and is delayed in returning to Seattle, which pushes back her October 8 embarkation by a full day to October 9.
- The next cruise, a 16-night (now 15-night) repositioning sailing from Seattle to Mobile, is shortened by a day and the visit to Cabo San Lucas is cancelled.
- No change has been made to the ship’s full Panama Canal transit on Monday, October 19, and no other itinerary changes have been confirmed.
Guests eager to set sail aboard Carnival Spirit on Thursday, October 8, 2026 will now need to wait one more day before boarding the 88,500-gross-ton ship. Carnival Cruise Line has notified guests of the delay and how it will impact their itinerary for the 16-night (now 15-night) repositioning cruise.
“Saturday, October 3, Carnival Spirit had to extend time in Hawaii to address a repair issue that required additional time to complete,” the cruise line explained in a notification email. “As a result, the ship’s return to Seattle will be delayed until Friday, October 9, resulting in a shortening of your cruise by one day.”
Carnival Spirit will now depart Seattle on Friday, October 9, 2026. In addition to the one-day delay, this is also causing an itinerary change so the ship can make her Panama Canal transit as planned.
“Because we will be sailing later than scheduled, and, to keep our time slot for crossing the Panama Canal, we will not be able to visit Cabo San Lucas, Mexico,” the cruise line confirmed.
The ship was to have visited Cabo San Lucas from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13. That day will now be a day at sea as Carnival Spirit makes her way to Costa Rica for the call to Puntarenas on Saturday, October 17, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. That visit remains on schedule, as does the ship’s canal transit on Monday, October 19.
Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, confirmed Carnival Spirit will indeed keep her Panama Canal transit as planned. Multiple guests reached out to Heald concerned about the transit, which is a highlight of the repositioning voyage.
“People have already written to me about it, will [the delay] affect our Panama Canal transit?” he noted in a video update. “No, we still have our slot booked for that.”
The nature of the “repair issue” that required Carnival Spirit to remain longer in Hawaii has not been disclosed. AIS tracking, however, shows the ship moving at 22 knots (25 miles per hour) on Monday as she returns to Seattle, which is close to her top cruising speed.
Compensation Offered
Because of the loss of a cruise day and a port visit, Carnival Cruise Line is offering compensation to impacted guests.
All guests will receive a one-day, pro-rated refund of the cruise fare that will be returned to the original form of payment. A full refund will also be provided for any pre-paid shore excursions for Cabo San Lucas that were purchased through the cruise line. That excursion refund will be added to guests’ onboard Sail & Sign accounts no later than the end of the day on Saturday, October 10.
If guests bought pre-paid packages for drinks or WiFi access, or if they pre-paid their gratuities, they will receive a one-day, pro-rated refund of those charges that will also be posted to their onboard accounts by the end of the day on October 10.
As a gesture of appreciation for guests’ understanding of the situation, Carnival Cruise Line is also providing a $250 (USD) onboard credit per stateroom.
Carnival Cruise Line will also reimburse any non-refundable airfare change fees or travel-related expenses up to $200 per person. Receipts must be submitted for reimbursement consideration. If guests booked airfare through the cruise line’s FLY2FUN program, any flight adjustments will be made automatically and guests will be contacted individually with details.
At this time, there are no confirmed changes for embarkation of the repositioning sailing other than the one-day delay, but Carnival Cruise Line has stated that it will reach out to guests by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 6, with further details.
Guests should stay in close contact with the cruise line to be alerted to any additional updates as soon as they are available.
