Carnival Vista is suffering from ongoing propulsion problems, forcing the cancelation of one of its ports of call for the ship’s current itinerary.
In compensation, port times for other visits on this sailing have been extended, and guests are being provided with on board credit to enjoy the ship more.
Grand Cayman Canceled
Carnival Vista is currently sailing a 7-night Western Caribbean itinerary, having departed from Galveston, Texas on Saturday, May 14.
The original schedule began with two days at sea, followed by visiting Montego Bay on Tuesday, Grand Cayman on Wednesday, Cozumel on Thursday, another day at sea, and returning to Galveston on May 21.
On Monday, guests were notified that the ship is experiencing engine issues and it would be necessary to cancel the call to Grand Cayman. Early in the day, the captain made a PA announcement about the issue, but details of the change were not finalized until later.
A letter delivered to guests’ staterooms Monday evening read “due to technical issues affecting the ship’s cruising speed, we will need to cancel a port of call this cruise. Although we will be unable to visit Grand Cayman on Wednesday, we have modified our times in port to maximize your enjoyment ashore.”
Tuesday’s visit to Jamaica has also been dramatically impacted. The original schedule had the ship docked from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving guests eight hours to enjoy the popular tropical destination. Now, Carnival Vista will be late to Montego Bay, arriving at 2 p.m. and departing at 8 p.m., for a visit of just six hours.
Thursday’s visit to Cozumel, however, has been extended. Instead of visiting from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., guests will now be able to explore the vibrant Mexican island from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., two hours longer than originally planned.
Guests are receiving onboard credit as compensation for the missed port, and the hard-working crew will undoubtedly put together additional activities for the new day at sea.
The extra time onboard will also let guests better enjoy all the Vista-class ship has to offer, including the award-winning SkyRide, the WaterWorks aquapark, the calming adults-only Serenity retreat, and more.
History of Problems
This is not the first time Carnival Vista has experienced propulsion issues that have impacted its cruising speed. In 2019, the ship required engine repairs that were tended to during a first-of-its-kind floating dry dock in Freeport.
At that time, several cruises had altered itineraries before the ship was able to be brought in for repairs, and multiple cruises were canceled for the repair timeframe.
The repairs went quicker than expected, however, and Carnival Vista was able to return to service a week earlier than initially anticipated.
It seems, however, that the engine issues are ongoing, as the current propulsion difficulties are very similar to the 2019 problems. At this time, however, there is no plan to cancel sailings or remove the ship from service for repairs.
Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald addressed guests’ concerns about Carnival Vista on his Facebook page in a recent post, stating “there are no plans for a dry dock and canceled cruises because of this. We have a technician coming to the ship who is specifically going to work on the problem.”
Similar Problems in the Fleet
Carnival Vista was the first of the Vista-class ships built for Carnival Cruise Line, and entered service in 2016. The two sister ships of the class, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Panorama, jointed the fleet in 2018 and 2019 respectively, and both have experienced similar propulsion problems.
In late 2021, Carnival Horizon had several sailings canceled for repairs, while Carnival Panorama suffered similar maximum speed issues and altered itineraries in August 2021.
