Guests setting sail aboard Margaritaville at Sea Islander on New Year’s Eve will be departing Port Tampa Bay later than anticipated. Fog has delayed the ship’s return to the cruise terminal, resulting in an approximately four-hour delay for embarking guests.
Margaritaville at Sea has reached out to guests to notify them of the delay and provide instructions for how to proceed later in the day.
Initially, heavy fog closed channel access to Port Tampa Bay on Monday evening, December 30, at roughly 8 p.m. and the channel remained closed overnight. Because cruise ships generally return to their homeport terminals in the very early morning hours, this meant Margaritaville at Sea Islander was unable to sail up the channel on schedule.
Depending on the ship and other marine traffic, it can take vessels 2-3 hours to sail from the entrance to Tampa Bay all the way to the cruise terminals.
Margaritaville at Sea did notify guests of the closure on Monday evening, just to ensure clarity and a smooth process for everyone.
“Due to forecasted dense fog in the Tampa Bay area, the Port of Tampa Bay has temporarily closed access to the channel leading to Terminal 6,” the evening notification read. “Please refrain from arriving at the Port during your originally assigned time window, as the Port will remain closed until further notice.”
Fortunately, the fog cleared during the morning hours and the port was able to reopen after a roughly 12-hour closure. The cruise line then updated guests about the adjusted procedures for Tuesday’s embarkation.
“Margaritaville at Sea Islander is expected to arrive at Port Tampa Bay on Tuesday afternoon, December 31, 2024, at approximately 12:00pm to begin guest disembarkation,” they said. “Based on current estimates, embarkation procedures will run on a four-hour delay versus normally scheduled processes.”
This means that arrivals to the cruise terminal will begin at 2 p.m. Guests are asked to adjust their arrival time (printed on their boarding pass) by four hours.
Furthermore, the cruise line will not be able to accept checked luggage after 5 p.m. If passengers arrive after that time, they will need to carry on all their bags without assistance.
“Please be advised, terminal operations will close at 6:00 p.m., and no guests will be permitted to enter the terminal after this time,” the notification concluded.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander will be departing this evening on a 5-night New Year’s cruise with plans to visit Key West and Progreso, Mexico before returning to Port Tampa Bay on Sunday, January 5, 2025.
The 85,619-gross-ton, Spirit-class vessel is the only cruise ship scheduled for Port Tampa Bay on New Year’s Eve. She can welcome 2,114 travelers based on double occupancy, or up to 2,680 guests when fully booked.
In addition to Margaritaville at Sea, ships from Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Celebrity Cruises are all currently homeported from Tampa. Booked guests should always stay alert to possible fog delays.
Fog a Common Winter Hazard for Cruise Ships
High humidity and overnight cooling often generate dense fog at cruise ports, especially during the winter months. This makes delays a common difficulty at homeports such as Port Tampa Bay, Galveston, New Orleans, and Port of Jacksonville.
Cruise homeports that require vessels to navigate up river or bay channels are especially vulnerable to fog, which can make maneuvering tricky. When the fog is too thick, channels are closed and ships are unable to enter.
Read Also: What to Do Onboard a Cruise Ship in Bad Weather
This has a knock-on effect for both debarking guests as well as those looking forward to beginning their cruise vacation. Delays are common and can range from just a couple hours to nearly a full day.
Cruise lines always work to keep ships on schedule as much as possible, but safety is always the top priority and crews will work diligently to be as efficient as possible when delays are necessary.
