While Helene has currently been downgraded to a post-tropical storm following wreaking havoc on Florida and much of the southeast after making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, not all cruise homeports have yet reopened.
This has led Carnival Cruise Line to make a very difficult decision that will undoubtedly be disappointing to many travelers.
Because Port Tampa Bay has not yet reopened after the storm, Carnival Paradise has been unable to return to her homeport as planned. Originally, the ship departed on what was to have been a 5-night Western Caribbean sailing on Saturday, September 21.
That cruise was scheduled to return to Florida on Thursday, September 26, but the port was closed as the massive and rapidly strengthening storm passed offshore up the west coast.
While then-Hurricane Helene was fast moving, she also brought strong storm surge and heavy rains to the region, complicating reopening issues for Port Tampa Bay.
While the ship remained safely offshore, guests onboard have had the unexpected bonus of a longer cruise, while guests eagerly waiting for their cruise have not been so fortunate.
Now, Carnival Cruise Line has reached out to upcoming guests to confirm that their sailing, originally the September 26 departure date, must be cancelled.
“Thanks for your patience while you waited for updates about your cruise. Port officials have informed us that we will not be able to return to Tampa until tomorrow afternoon, Saturday, 9/28,” the email notification explained. “This would not allow us enough time to deliver the experience we had planned for you. So, disappointingly, we must cancel the sailing.”
All passengers booked on that sailing will be issued a full refund and further details will be emailed as they are confirmed.
The September 26 sailing was to have been just a 4-night cruise visiting Cozumel. With the extensive delay – and the ship’s docking time is not yet confirmed but may be late Saturday afternoon – there is no way to reach the port of call, and in total, guests would likely have less than 48 hours onboard the ship.
While the 71,925-gross-ton, Fantasy-class Carnival Paradise is one of Carnival Cruise Line’s smallest ships, travelers would certainly want more than such a short time to enjoy their cruise vacation.
Was There Another Option?
Cancelling an entire sailing is never a cruise line’s first choice for a resolution in a difficult situation, but in this case, it has become the only viable option.
With the extensive delay, there is no way Carnival Paradise could have reached Cozumel to enjoy that originally scheduled port of call. Even sailing at top speed, it would take the ship more than 23 hours to sail the 590 miles from Port Tampa Bay to Cozumel. This means 48 hours are necessary for the roundtrip voyage.
Assuming the ship could depart at noon on Saturday, the earliest possible time for docking “Saturday afternoon,” there is no physical way for the vessel to reach Cozumel while still returning to Tampa by 8 a.m. on Monday, September 30 as planned.
Even if Carnival Paradise diverted to visit Nassau instead – the closest available Bahamas port of call – that is actually further away than Cozumel, at 625 miles, and therefore also not possible.
Visiting Key West might be an option – that destination is just 260 miles away and could be reached in roughly 11 hours – but US law requires cruise ships that depart from and return to the same homeport must visit a foreign port of call. In this case, this is not possible in any direction.
It might have been possible for the ship to get an exemption and offer a cruise to nowhere without any ports of call, but the extremely short time frame for the sailing makes even that last-ditch alternative less desirable.
Read Also: What Is a Cruise to Nowhere?
At this time, there are no changes anticipated for the ship’s next sailing, her September 30 departure. That cruise is a 6-night Western Caribbean sailing with visits planned for Belize, Roatan, and Cozumel, and should go ahead as planned and without delay.
