Cruise lines are often tweaking itineraries up until the last minute, especially as they receive updated information about factors like weather and port traffic.
The latest sailing to be impacted by last-minute changes is Carnival Venezia’s upcoming 6-night cruise to King’s Wharf, Bermuda, which is due to embark from Manhattan, New York, on Saturday, September 21, 2024.
However, only the embarkation process will be delayed. The family friendly cruise line has asked guests to arrive at the port one hour later than planned for undisclosed reasons.
For context, Carnival staggers arrivals on embarkation day to avoid overcrowding in the cruise terminal and long wait times. Guests schedule arrival appointments in advance when they complete their online check in.
“Embarkation for your cruise has been revised. Please delay your Terminal Arrival Appointment by one hour (for example, 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM appointment will become 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM),” reads a letter from the cruise line to impacted guests.
The letter also states that all passengers must be on board no later than 3:30 p.m. ET, which implies the departure time has also been shifted back.
Carnival’s policy is that guests must be onboard at least one hour prior to setting sail, which would call for a 4:30 p.m. departure. However, cruise tracking data, which may not have been updated yet, currently indicates the 5,260-guest ship will only be in the port until 4 p.m.
But guests can rest assured that the overnight call on King’s Wharf that begins on September 23, 2024, should not be impacted – as the ship can make up time during the first day of the voyage, which is a sea day.
The Reason Behind the Delay
While Carnival did not give a specific reason behind the revised embarkation, it likely has to do with potential inclement weather.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NOAA), there are three possible storms forming in the next few days – two of which are in the Atlantic Ocean and one of which is in the Gulf of Mexico.
While this may not directly impact the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, one of the potential storm systems is quite close to Bermuda, and may impact the route the 135,225-gross ton vessel takes to return to New York from its current 7-night voyage to Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada, and King’s Wharf.
Indeed, it’s not uncommon for the captain and his officers to pick alternate routes to avoid stormy weather and potential rough seas.
Similarly, Royal Caribbean has altered the itinerary for Vision of the Seas’ current voyage – which is a 9-night cruise to Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada; and Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; that embarked on September 19.
According to guests onboard, the cruise will head south instead of north to visit Charleston, South Carolina; Miami, Florida; and the Bahamas due to inclement weather – although this has not been confirmed by the cruise line.
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That said, it seems like Carnival has been in a season of changes lately. Not only has the cruise line altered several future itineraries for sailings in 2025 and 2026, but it also recently adjusted the disembarkation for Carnival Freedom.
The Conquest-class ship, which typically always uses Terminal 6 at Port Canaveral, Florida, switched to Terminal 5 for disembarkation at the end of a 4-night Bahamas sailing that embarked on September 5, 2024.
The change has already been repeated for at least one other sailing in the month of September. Thankfully, it doesn’t create a huge hassle for guests, as the two terminals are within walking distance of each other.
