A medical emergency on Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Jubilee forced the cruise ship to briefly turn back towards Galveston, Texas, late Sunday night, December 1, 2024. Just days later, Carnival Pride also encountered a medical emergency off the coast of North Carolina, requiring Coast Guard intervention.
The first incident occurred hours after the 183,521-gross-ton ship carrying up to 5,400 passengers had departed from Galveston for a 7-night Western Caribbean voyage.
Having departed from its homeport at 4 p.m. on November 30, 2024, passengers noticed on cruise trackers that the ship had reversed its course en route to Cozumel, Mexico, and was heading back to port.
A passenger on board shared that an announcement was made around midnight, alerting guests that Carnival Jubilee was heading back to Galveston for a medical emergency.
The US Coast Guard Heartland later confirmed it coordinated the evacuation of a 64-year-old male experiencing appendicitis-like symptoms.
“Watchstanders coordinated with an Air Station Houston crew to medevac a 64-year-old male experiencing appendicitis-like symptoms from a cruise ship near Galveston,” the Coast Guard shared.
The operation involved helicopter teams from Air Station House and an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft for Air Station Corpus Christi.
By 3 a.m. on December 1, Carnival Jubilee had resumed its original course and is now continuing its planned itinerary, currently with a call in Costa Maya, Mexico, on December 3. The passenger’s condition remains undisclosed.
Another Emergency Aboard Pride
Two days later, at 1:26 a.m. on December 3, 2024, the 88,500-gross-ton Carnival Pride, sailing a 7-night Bahamian cruise from Baltimore, encountered its own medical emergency.
The 2,134-guest ship, which set off from Baltimore on December 1, was sailing off the coast of North Carolina’s Outer Banks when it was forced to turn towards shore due to an undisclosed medical emergency.
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The US Coast Guard safely evacuated a male passenger and transported him to a local hospital, where he underwent successful surgery.
“Thank you so much for the Coast Guard getting us off and up to the hospital,” shared the passenger’s wife on social media. “Surgery was needed and was successful. It was our first cruise ever. We didn’t make it too far, but we are definitely coming back.”
She went on to express her appreciation to Carnival Pride’s medical team, saying, “Thank you all greatly for the teamwork and knowledge of the staff and medical team during our medical emergency. The hospital was greatly impressed by the medical team’s response.”
Carnival Pride resumed its course following the medevac and is expected to arrive as scheduled in Nassau, Bahamas, on December 4.
The two incidents come on the heels of two other medical evacuations aboard Carnival Corporation-owned ships. On November 29, 2024, the US Coast Guard evacuated a 66-year-old female passenger from Holland America Line’s Koningsdam off the coast of Mexico.
The ship was on her last sea day as it concluded a 7-night Baja Peninsula voyage when the passenger experienced stroke symptoms. She was airlifted and transferred to a hospital in San Diego.
On the same day, and also the last day of a 7-night Mexican Riviera voyage, another guest was airlifted from Carnival Panorama. Prior to the incident, passengers reported that the crew was requesting blood donors.
While the emergencies were certainly not the best way to begin or end a cruise, the swift responses in each case highlight the collaboration between Carnival Corporation ships and the US Coast Guard, not to mention the high level of emergency preparedness found on each cruise ship.
