A bomb threat that was called in to PortMiami on Monday, March 3, 2025 disrupted traffic around the port for several hours. This ultimately delayed thousands of cruisers either leaving the port area or heading to start their cruise vacations.

According to WSVN News, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office responded to the port at approximately 9:15 a.m. after the threat was received. Details about the intent of the threat – whether it was targeted to a cruise ship, cargo vessel, cruise terminal, or specific individual – have not been made public.

While the exact security response has not been detailed to ensure proper protocols are not compromised, searches, road closures, and other steps were undoubtedly taken to ensure the safety of guests, port employees, and the cruise ships in port that morning.

The most significant impact to traffic in the area was the temporary closure of the PortMiami Tunnel, which directly connects I-395 (the MacArthur Causeway) to the port and the cruise terminals.

Five cruise ships from four different cruise lines were in PortMiami on Monday. Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, MSC Cruises’ MSC Divina, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Joy, and Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Sunrise and Carnival Conquest all homeport from Miami and were both debarking and embarking guests when the threat occurred.

Ultimately, the incident was deemed a hoax, with no credible danger to the port or anyone in the vicinity.

Nevertheless, due to the security response, both departing and arriving cruise passengers experienced significant delays as they moved through the port region.

This caused great anxiety for some guests who feared possibly missing their cruise terminal arrival times, and could have risked missing out on their sailings altogether.

By 1:30 p.m., port operations has resumed as normal. This is well before cruise ships would have begun departing for their next itineraries.

There were no significant impacts to ship operations and all cruise ships were able to depart PortMiami as scheduled to begin their various sailings.

Similarly, there has been no ongoing disruption to port operations following the initial security response. Security does remain heightened in the area to ensure the port’s safety, and such precautions will continue as long as deemed necessary.

Bomb threats do not commonly involve cruise ships, but such incidents do happen. The most notable occurred in January 2024, when a 19-year-old Michigan man made a false bomb threat against Carnival Sunrise.

The threat was made via email just after the ship had left PortMiami. The emergency response included thoroughly searching the ship and escorting the vessel to the dock in Jamaica.

The man was indicted for the false threat and could face five years in prison as well as thousands of dollars of restitution if found guilty.

Undoubtedly, a full investigation will be made into this most recent incident at PortMiami, with severe consequences for anyone responsible for the hoax.

Avoiding Port Delays

While no cruise traveler could have predicted or planned for Monday’s disruption at PortMiami, there are ways to minimize the risk of missing one’s cruise due to such unanticipated delays.

Arriving at the homeport city a day or two before setting sail is essential, especially for guests who fly to the city and might have to contend with delayed or cancelled flights.

Read Also: Miami Cruise Port Parking – Where to Park Guide

Choosing a hotel close to the cruise port can also minimize the impact of any traffic disruptions by having less distance to go between the hotel and the cruise terminal, just in case.

Planning for ride shares, taxis, or otherwise driving to the port should involve noting multiple routes in case of road closures, and leaving early can give travelers a few extra minutes in case of traffic backups or rerouting.

A wide range of unique incidents can impact traffic around a homeport as busy as Miami. Different annual marathons and music festivals can cause road closures and extra traffic, while emergency situations can also create challenges – such as when a seaplane crashed in the PortMiami channel, causing delays for several hours.

The initial post-pandemic years brought record-breaking cruise arrivals to Vancouver, the British Columbia port that plays a vital role in the Alaska cruise market, but officials say cruise tourism will slightly cool in 2025.

The port’s season officially began on March 5, 2025 and continues into October. Predictions are for 1.2 million cruise passengers to pass through the port’s terminal, Canada Place, onboard 301 cruise ships.

In 2024, port data shows that 1.32 million cruise guests transited Canada Place on 327 cruise ships. That was a record-breaking year following another boom year, 2023, when the port welcomed 1.25 million passengers.

Even in light of the lower estimates for 2025, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority remains upbeat about the coming season.

“We are thrilled to see Vancouver’s cruise sector continue to thrive—attracting visitors from across the globe for a once-in-a-lifetime Alaska experience while injecting more than $1 billion into our local economy,” said Captain Shri Madiwal, Vice President of Operations and Supply Chain at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. 

“I want to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in Vancouver cruise—to so successfully service upwards of 300 ship calls and 1 million passenger visits every year is a huge feat and one that supports jobs and businesses across the region,” added Madiwal.

The first ship to call at Canada Place, on March 5, 2025, is Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wonder. The 2,700-guest ship visited Vancouver at the end of a Hawaii cruise and departed the same day for San Diego. 

The ship will sail California coastal cruises until early May, when she will return to Vancouver and homeport there through mid-September 2025, sailing 5- to 9-night Alaska itineraries.

The Alaska season is a major economic driver for the Vancouver region, supporting some 17,000 jobs and representing an influx of about $3 million each time a cruise ship calls at the port.

Vancouver continues to attract more cruise ships each year. In 2025, eight ships will make their maiden calls to Canada Place — Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jade; Silversea Cruises’ Silver Moon; Oceania Cruises’ Riviera; Seabourn’s Seabourn Quest; Viking’s Viking Venus; Villa Vie Residences’ Villa Vie Odyssey; and Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas.

Almost all of the major cruise lines, from premium to luxury to expedition, will visit Vancouver in 2025, including Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Explora Journeys, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd, Crystal, Ponant, and Hurtigruten Expeditions.

Vancouver is a significant jumping off point for Inside Passage itineraries that typically visit the popular southeastern Alaska ports of Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway.

“We want every passenger embarking or disembarking in Vancouver to have a memorable experience while they’re in our city,” said Royce Chwin, President and CEO of Destination Vancouver. 

Most Cruise Ships Use Shore Power Offered by Vancouver

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is committed to reducing pollution through the use of shore power technologies.

In fact, the port is a partner in the Pacific Northwest to Alaska Cruise-led Green Corridor project, which is working toward the goal of having four cruise ships powered using green methanol on the Alaska to British Columbia/Washington State route by 2032.

Read Also: Must-Know Things About the Vancouver Cruise Terminal

The Vancouver port already offers shore power connections to cruise ships via its hydro-powered electric grid. According to port data, 80% of cruise ships that called in 2024 were equipped to hook into shore power.

Since installing the technology in 2009, Vancouver has helped to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 45,000 tons. Using a shoreside electrical source enables cruise ships to turn off their engines and use local power to keep hotel operations running.

On the afternoon of Monday, March 3, 2025, a shore excursion took a turn for the worse for dozens of cruise passengers when their tour bus was hit by another bus carrying Italian students on a visit to the capital of Catalonia. 

At least 53 people were injured in the collision, with four – including a child – currently hospitalized in critical condition.

While there will be a more formal investigation into what exactly happened, what we do know is the two buses collided on Barcelona’s busy Avinguda Diagonal, which provides access to the popular Sagrada Familia church. 

It appears that the bus transporting the Italian students – who were visiting from Messina (Sicily) – swerved to try to avoid a pedestrian who was crossing the street illegally and ended up hitting the parked tour bus that was transporting the cruise passengers.

The cruisers’ bus was operated by Autocares Julià, and per a statement from a company spokesperson, was parked in an authorized area for passenger drop-off and pick-up at Central Diagonal Avenue.

Worth Reading: 55 Passengers Evacuated From Burning Bus Following Cruise

At around 3 p.m. local time, the parked bus was in the process of loading cruise guests when it was hit with enough force to be pushed onto the sidewalk, where it then hit a tree and a lamppost. 

A 60-year-old pedestrian was also hit, although it’s unclear if they were the person who triggered this unfortunate chain of events by crossing the street outside of the designated areas or just an unlucky bystander.

The scene of the crash quickly became chaotic – with 19 ambulances, 10 firefighter units, and several police officers deployed to the scene to triage and care for the injured. 

“There are four critically injured, including a minor, and three less seriously injured. The rest have suffered less serious injuries for which they are being treated in various hospitals in Barcelona,” Deputy Mayor Albert Batlle, who was on the scene, told news outlets. 

The injured were transported to local hospitals as needed, and the buses were removed from the scene by around 7:30 p.m. that evening. 

The Impact on Cruising

Of course, the most immediate impact on the cruise industry will be to the cruise passengers who were on the bus. 

According to the Autocares Julià spokesperson, their bus was carrying cruisers of various nationalities, but most passengers were either British, German, or Italian.

“They were on a cruise liner which had arrived in Barcelona earlier today and was due to leave in the next few hours. I don’t know whether there are any British tourists among the most seriously hurt. It is too early to say at this stage,” he said in a statement obtained by The Mirror shortly after the accident.

It’s unclear which cruise ship the guests were sailing with, as both Windstar Cruises’ Star Legend and Costa Cruises’ Costa Toscana called on the Barcelona Cruise Port that day.

Either way, it’s likely that at least some of the guests missed their cruise ship due to the need for medical treatment and/or to obtain a new form of transportation back to the pier.

This means they will need to either fly to the next port of call to re-board their ship or to coordinate with the cruise line to reclaim their luggage and make their way home.

Considering the unusual nature of a crash like this, both of the cruise lines would likely already be trying their best to support their impacted guests.

Read Also: From Mishaps to Maydays – Cruise Ship Accidents

From a port perspective, it’s possible that the collision may reignite the fire behind Barcelona’s push to limit cruise ships. 

“Very concerned and awaiting the situation of the accident between two buses in Barcelona. I am in permanent contact with Mayor Jaume Collboni and the emergency services, whom I thank for their quick action. All my support to those affected,” Catalonian regional president Salvador Illa posted on X. 

Since October of 2023, Barcelona has imposed limitations on where cruise ships can dock to lessen pollution and congestion. 

Since then, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni has expressed his support of curbing over tourism further with stricter cruise ship limitations – and with this tourist bus crash one of several to occur lately – Mayor Collboni’s cause may be strengthened.