Guests setting sail on the February 2, 2025 departures of Carnival Celebration and Carnival Magic have received an email notification that there may be some traffic congestion and street closures as they head to the cruise terminal in Miami on Sunday.

The Miami Marathon will be run that day, with the route passing close to the Port of Miami. While this is not causing a direct delay in either ship’s departure, it can impact how cruise passengers reach their cruise terminal.

“Miami will be hosting the Miami Marathon on the day of your embarkation,” the email said. “The marathon’s route will pass near the Port of Miami, resulting in some street closures and heavier than normal traffic in some areas.”

The starting point for both the full marathon and the accompanying half marathon is at the Kaseya Center arena on Biscayne Boulevard, while the finish line is at Bayfront Park.

The race starts with staggered times beginning at 6 a.m. and the finish line will remain open until 2 p.m. Winning runners typically have times between 2 hours and 2 hours, 30 minutes, but of course participants have a wide range of finish times.

More than 15,000 runners are expected to participate. There will also be medical personnel, volunteers, vendors, spectators, and officials coordinating the event along the way.

Because the race’s course crosses through downtown Miami as well as along the MacArthur Causeway alongside the Port of Miami, traffic in the area can be challenging on race day.

Carnival is urging passengers to consider extra time as they make their way to the cruise port, as well as checking traffic as they get close to the area to ensure they can avoid any road closures. Planning alternate routes can be helpful as well.

If guests have arranged transfer services through Carnival Cruise Line, those transfer times may be impacted but travelers will be notified if necessary.

“We are working closely with our transportation provider to offset any potential delays,” the notification said.

The cruise line’s official Brand Ambassador, John Heald, also shared the marathon information as a reminder to incoming guests.

“This is a yearly event so do not worry too much but do give yourself enough time to get to the ship and for your fun to begin,” he said.

To be clear, there is no expected delay to either ship’s departure. Carnival Celebration will be beginning a 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary visiting Amber Cove, San Juan, and St. Thomas, while Carnival Magic will be starting a 6-night Eastern Caribbean cruise to Amber Cove, Grand Turk, and Princess Cays.

Other Ships Likely Impacted

In addition to the two Carnival ships, four other cruise ships from four other cruise lines are also homeporting from PortMiami on February 2.

Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore, and MSC Cruises’ MSC Seaside are also all in port that day.

Guests onboard any of the ships may see increased travel times to the port, and guests debarking from all six vessels may likewise encounter delays as they leave their ships and exit the parking areas.

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

In addition to allowing extra time to drive to the cruise terminals that day, guests who have arranged for rideshare services or other transportation may want to adjust their pickup times accordingly.

It is not uncommon for local events to cause traffic concerns for cruise terminals. In Tampa, the annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest can create delays, while at Port Canaveral, regular rocket launches can increase traffic and impact cruise travelers.

Ensuring that the correct paperwork and documentation is in order to set sail can be nerve-wracking for cruise passengers, especially since missing just one piece of paperwork might mean being denied boarding.

Unfortunately, social media rumors often spread quickly about supposed documentation requirements, which can increase travelers’ anxiety if they aren’t sure what the truth may be.

The most recent such rumor is the idea that a traveler’s middle name is required on documentation or they will not be permitted onboard their ship. A concerned guest reached out to Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, to check on this rumor.

“John, according to some people on [social media], a new requirement is that your middle name is now required on the cruise documents or else you cannot sail,” the guest explained. “People confirmed the call center is saying this is true. Why have you not told anyone? Many say like me they have not received the e-mail!”

First of all, guests should not trust rumors from social media threads, groups, or pages without verifying the information for themselves. Even posts that claim others have “confirmed” information with the authorities should be treated cautiously and verified individually.

Heald, who often helps upcoming Carnival cruise passengers understand what documentation is required for sailing, has gotten this question multiple times and took the opportunity to dispel the rumor completely.

“As you are one of 11 people who have asked this in the last 24 hours please let me say that there has been no recent correspondence from Carnival regarding this and therefore no changes,” Heald noted. “I thought it best I mention this even though I really do not understand how, if this was correct, that we would implement this as some do not have a middle name.”

Many frequent Carnival guests chimed in discussing other middle name problems, such as having more than one middle name or having just an initial rather than a full middle name – none of which have ever been a problem, as it’s not required.

It is important to note that how one fills out booking information should match official, government-issued documents so there is no confusion or delay when checking in at the cruise terminal.

For example, cruise reservations should not be made with nicknames – “Betsy” instead of “Elizabeth” or “Bob” instead of “Robert” – as legal names must be listed on the ship’s official manifest.

Middle names, however, are not required. If a guest uses their middle name rather than their first name, they will need to remember to make reservations and bookings with their legal first name.

This is not a new policy but rather has been Carnival Cruise Line’s travel documentation policy for many years, which specifically discusses first and last names.

“It is important that the guest’s full name (first name and last name) on the cruise and airline tickets be the same as the guest’s unexpired, government-issued photo ID that will be used for travel identification,” the policy reads.

More Documentation Confusion

This confusion about whether or not middle names are required on cruise documentation (again, they aren’t!) comes as the Real ID deadline approaches for US travelers. Similarly, there have recently been updates to documentation requirements for visiting the UK and Europe.

All of these different paperwork requirements can be confusing to cruise travelers, on top of just understanding whether or not a passport is required to take a cruise.

Read Also: Do I Need a Passport to Go on a Cruise? – Full Guide

Ultimately, it is up to guests to understand what documentation is required for their cruise vacation and to ensure they have all the correct paperwork.

When in doubt, social media groups are not the best place to go for such critical information. Instead, contacting the cruise line directly is the best option to ensure accurate, updated information so every guest is properly prepared for their cruise vacation.

There are some things that should simply be common sense – such as closing your cabin door or pulling the curtains closed while in various states of undress. 

However, my 14-year-old self learned that this is not the case the hard way while sailing onboard Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas many years ago. 

I entered my interior stateroom, which overlooked the promenade, only to make eye contact with an elderly cruiser in the cabin window directly across from me, who was standing there stark naked. 

More than a decade later, with that image forever burned into my brain, the topic of closing one’s curtains, while undressed, is once again up for debate in the cruise community – this time on Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald’s Facebook page.

Heald received a complaint from a recent guest of Carnival Liberty, who didn’t realize that the Conquest-class ship would be docking close enough to another ship while in Cozumel, Mexico, for other cruisers to see into her stateroom.

“She had not drawn the balcony cabin curtains before going to bed and both her and her partner, woke up, stood up and started to potter about the cabin ‘ au natural” as they say in Cleveland, Ohio before realizing that guests on the Carnival Legend were enjoying the show,” Heald relayed in a Facebook post. 

Understandably embarrassed, the passenger told Heald that an announcement should have been made to remind guests to close their curtains before arriving in the port. 

“Her plea was to have the captain or cruise director announce if the ship was docking next to another ship to inform the guests to close their curtains. I am not sure we need to do this but it is perhaps a warning to close the curtains if you have a balcony or ocean view cabin,” Heald continued. 

While this is a largely impractical request, let this woman’s story serve as a cautionary tale to close your curtains if you don’t want to put on an accidental show while in port. 

Carnival Cruise Community Supports Modesty

While your cruise cabin should feel like you’re home away from home, it never hurts to take a beat to consider what your fellow passengers might be able to see – even in interior cabins that look into common spaces within the ship. 

Of course, docking near another ship may make your cabin visible – but certain lighting conditions can make the view clearer for both interior and exterior accommodations, such as when it’s dark outside but the lights in your stateroom are turned on. 

Among Heald’s Facebook followers, maintaining privacy was seen as something that should have been common sense and not something that would warrant a reminder.

“Folks with windows in their cabins could close their curtains at night and then open them up after they have clothes on. No need for the captain or cruise director to be involved. On Port day, they are busy,” one person commented.

“Apparently common sense is seriously lacking these days,” another added.

Read Also: 15 Mistakes to Avoid on a Carnival Cruise

That said, it’s not the first time passengers have accidentally provided the cruise community with a show while docked in port – and likely won’t be the last. 

During the christening ceremony for Explora Journeys Explora II on September 16, 2024, a couple was caught on camera becoming intimate on their (not so) private balcony.

This likely was even worse than just waking up exposed on a normal port day, as this unidentified duo, who were guests of the smaller ship’s maiden voyage, were caught in the buff during a formal event. 

At the end of 2024, Heald also had to reaffirm that topless sunbathing was not allowed on Carnival cruise ships and hadn’t been for many years.