Following a lengthy delay that stretched into the early afternoon due to heavy fog, Carnival Paradise was finally able to enter Tampa Bay just after 2 p.m. on Thursday, December 19.

The ship had originally been scheduled to return to Port Tampa Bay at approximately 8 a.m., but was unable to enter the bay when heavy fog made visibility all but impossible.

This complicates navigation up the bay, and the US Coast Guard closed the channel until the fog cleared and marine traffic could safely resume.

Instead, Carnival Paradise spent the morning and early afternoon just outside Tampa Bay, first circling in a holding pattern and later just waiting for the fog to clear.

In the meantime, Carnival Cruise Line communicated to incoming guests about the delay, but was unable to offer a firm time for embarkation for the next sailing, a 4-night Western Caribbean sailing with a visit to Cozumel, Mexico.

Just after 2 p.m., the ship was able to begin her journey back toward the cruise terminal, which takes 3-4 hours, depending on the ship’s exact position and other local traffic. By 6 p.m., Carnival Paradise was able to dock as planned – 10 hours later than originally planned.

As the ship got underway, incoming guests were notified about their revised embarkation time and offered guidance about arriving at the cruise terminal, albeit much later than they may have liked.

“We know you are eager to get on board for the start of your weekend getaway. The day has been long, and we truly appreciate the patience and understanding you are showing during this weather-related delay,” the email notification read.

“The ship will be arriving early evening and we must allow debarking guests to leave the cruise terminal and parking facility before we can accommodate your arrival. We kindly ask for your cooperation with the revised schedule.”

The original cruise terminal arrival appointments that guests selected had ranged from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Due to the extensive delay, however, all appointments are now shifted significantly, with the first appointments not starting until 8 p.m.

All passengers must be checked in at the cruise terminal no later than 11 p.m. in preparation for departure. It is expected that the ship will depart shortly after embarkation is finished.

While this is a much later departure than expected, the first day of the sailing is a day at sea. It is common for cruise ships to sail more slowly during sea days to offer lower winds for outdoor deck activities. This makes it easy for the vessel to adjust her speed to compensate for the delay as she heads for Mexico.

“We expect to keep our visit to Cozumel as scheduled,” the email confirmed.

Carnival Paradise should be in Cozumel from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 21.

Onboard this evening, dinner will be offered as open seating – no assigned tables or times – in the main dining rooms as well as the Lido Marketplace buffet so all guests can enjoy a delicious meal. Announcements will be made when staterooms are ready for guests.

Compensation Offered for Lengthy Delay

Because of the loss of nearly the entire first day of the 4-night voyage, Carnival Cruise Line is offering all incoming guests a $25 on board credit that will be posted to individual Sail and Sign accounts. This covers the Thursday lunch that guests would otherwise have been able to enjoy onboard if embarkation had happened as scheduled.

Furthermore, a one-day, pro-rated refund of all pre-cruise packages will also be processed. This includes any pre-paid gratuities, drink packages, and Wi-Fi packages.

Read Also: What Is the Carnival CHEERS! Package?

It should be noted that weather-related delays are outside the cruise line’s control and the company is not obligated to provide any credits for such difficulties. Most cruise lines, however, do offer some compensation to ease travelers’ frustration.

Fog-related delays are common in Tampa during the winter months, when air and water temperatures as well as high humidity quickly foster conditions for very thick fog. Fog can also be a challenge for the Port of Jacksonville, which also has a lengthy stretch of river ships that must carefully navigate to reach the cruise terminal.

Unfortunately, such delays are impossible to predict, particularly since cruisers often book their oceangoing getaways months if not years in advance.

To be prepared, travelers should always plan for any onward travel, such as flights, later in the day or even the next day if possible, or consider travel insurance that may help reimburse for delay-related expenses.

The holiday season is a crazy time, and many people are eager to take advantage of any assistance they can find with preparations – including gift wrapping services that can save time and hassle.

One cruise guest is upset, however, that such a service is not offered onboard Carnival ships during the holiday season, as they plan to bring gifts to exchange during their Christmas cruise.

The irate traveler reached out to Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, about the lack of such a convenience and what they think this indicates about Carnival’s level of service to its guests.

“Why does Carnival not offer a gift wrapping service? We are joining on the Vista for Christmas. I am told on good authority that Carnival does not have gift wrapping,” the guest wrote.

“Really John! I am not able to pack a few gifts already wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper so what is Carnival expecting me to do!!? … This is very disappointing and this is very poor service.”

Heald has been answering a variety of holiday-related questions in the past few weeks, from the ship’s seasonal decorating schedules to Christmas activities onboard to special dining menus and more.

This particular guest will be further disappointed to learn that a gift wrapping service is not available onboard. They can, however, still bring wrapped gifts to exchange on their cruise.

“I thought I would share this because while we do not have a gift wrapping service on the ship you can bring pre-wrapped gifts on board, that is not a concern,” Heald confirmed. “Please make sure you don’t wrap any toy weapon or anything that can could be mistaken for something like that but you can bring them wrapped.”

Carnival Vista is departing Port Canaveral on her Christmas cruise on Sunday, December 22, 2024. The 6-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary will be visiting Half Moon Cay on Christmas Eve, Grant Turk on Christmas Day, and Amber Cove on Boxing Day before return to Florida on December 28.

Cruising With Christmas Gifts

It should be noted that if passengers are flying to their cruise embarkation port, they will need to ensure any gifts they pack in their luggage comply with TSA and security guidelines.

As for wrapping, if gifts may be a security concern at either the airport or the cruise port, they will need to be unwrapped to be checked.

“We know that passengers will be traveling with gifts, and that’s okay,” the TSA has stated. “However, we strongly recommend that instead of wrapping gifts with paper and tape that the gifts be placed in gift bags or gift boxes with tissue paper. That way, if the item triggers an alarm, our officers can easily resolve the alarm without needing to unwrap the gift.”

Cruise guests who are driving to their ship can more easily bring along wrapped gifts, but gift bags are a more convenient and security-friendly wrapping option recommended by many experienced travelers.

“Bring gift bags and put them in. No scissors or tape needed.”

“Bring gift bags and some tissue paper in your suitcases. It will not add too much weight and put your gifts in those things.”

“Bring gift bags and tissue (leave them flat) and fix them when you get on board.”

Read Also: Carnival Cruise Line Clarifies Strict Policy for Crew Member Gifts

Other travelers have different solutions for Christmas cruise gift exchanges. Many cruisers leave gifts at home and deal with presents either before or after their sailing. If they do want to exchange gifts onboard, they choose just 1-2 small gifts for the holiday tradition.

Now, if Carnival Cruise Line were to offer cruise-themed gift wrap, bags, and bows onboard for sale during the holiday season, that would make all the difference for a festive Christmas cruise!

Guests aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Paradise are getting a slightly longer cruise vacation than they anticipated, as the vessel is now delayed in returning to Port Tampa Bay due to heavy fog.

The weather conditions have made it impossible for the vessel to enter Tampa Bay on schedule, and instead, Carnival Paradise is holding position outside the bay as she waits for the fog to clear.

“Due to heavy fog, the arrival of the Carnival Paradise has been delayed. The decision to delay the arrival was made in an abundance of caution by the U.S. Coast Guard, due to low visibility in the area,” a statement from Port Tampa Bay reads.

The ship is returning from a 5-night Western Caribbean sailing that departed Florida on December 14, with visits to Roatan and Cozumel.

Typically, when a cruise ship returns to a homeport, the vessel would dock in the early morning hours around 5-6 a.m. This permits ample time for the ship to be secured and cleared through customs and immigration, and for debarkation to begin from 7-8 a.m.

At this time, there is no confirmed time for Carnival Paradise to arrive back at the cruise terminal. Once the ship is able to enter Tampa Bay, it takes approximately three hours to navigate to the terminal and dock successfully.

Guests scheduled to board Carnival Paradise today to begin the next sailing – a 4-night itinerary to Cozumel, Mexico – have been alerted to the delay and advised to sign up for text alerts for updates as the situation changes.

Furthermore, incoming guests will need to delay their arrival to the cruise terminal in order to ensure a smooth debarkation. Time will also be needed for debarking guests to exit the cruise terminal and adjacent parking structures before arriving travelers can easily be accommodated.

Any onboard credit or other compensation for the delay will be determined once the situation has resolved, depending on when the vessel is able to dock and welcome her next guests.

Cruise travelers should never expect compensation for events outside the cruise line’s control, such as weather-related delays, but most cruise lines do try to offer some goodwill gestures whenever possible.

Carnival Paradise is the only ship scheduled to return to Port Tampa Bay on Thursday, though fog can impact the port on any day. The winter months are especially prone to heavy fog and such delays are not uncommon.

The 71,925-gross-ton, Fantasy class Carnival Paradise can welcome 2,124 travelers at double occupancy or up to 2,697 guests when fully booked. During the holiday season, the ship is undoubtedly sailing close to full capacity.

What Happens Onboard During Delays

While incoming cruise travelers may now be deciding what to do in Tampa as they await Carnival Paradise‘s arrival for their voyage to begin, the experience onboard the ship is somewhat different.

Despite the delay, all onboard operations remain fully functional and the Fun Squad and cruise director will be arranging some additional activities to entertain guests. Meals will also continue as scheduled.

Depending on the length of the delay, free internet access may be offered to all guests to facilitate changing travel plans, airline reservations, or contacting family members and friends about the situation.

Read Also: The 10 Roughest Seas in the World for Cruise Ships

Passengers will be asked to vacate their staterooms once the ship’s arrival time to the cruise terminal is better known, and waiting areas in various lounges and public spaces will be available. This will give the housekeeping teams time to clean and refresh staterooms in anticipation of embarking guests.

While it can be frustrating to experience such a delay, the ship’s crew makes every effort to ensure everyone aboard still enjoys their (extra) time aboard, however long it may be.

It’s been a rough week for guests trying to book their next Carnival cruise and onboard amenities. 

On Saturday, December 14, 2024, guests were not able to access the Carnival Cruise Line website or the HUB app due to “technical maintenance updates” that went on for much longer than anticipated.

The maintenance was supposed to be completed overnight – with the website back online by 6 a.m. EST on December 14. However, the outage lasted well into the afternoon.

This prevented guests from booking new sailings, making payments toward their cruise, pre-booking amenities, and completing their online check-in, which was particularly worrisome for guests embarking on their sailings in the next few days. 

But while the website is back online, future guests are still unable to use their onboard credits (OBC) to pre-book amenities to use onboard – which includes things like internet packages and the popular Cheers! Drink Package. 

While onboard credits issued during Carnival sailings don’t typically carry over to the next voyage, certain booking promotions come with onboard credits – which guests can put towards onboard amenities and experiences prior to embarking. 

According to Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald, Carnival is aware of the issue and is working to resolve it. 

“My sincere apologies again for the delay in the ability for you to use the OBC for pre cruise purchases. I don’t have any news yet but I promise the Beards are working very hard to get this repaired on our website. Many of you who have written to me have vented your frustration as this has been like this for a week or more,” Heald posted on his public Facebook page. 

That said, there is no estimate as to when the onboard credits will be available again for advance purchases as of the time of publication. 

Most in the comments section concurred that this service was still unavailable to them – with the exception of one gentleman who said his onboard credits became usable again as of December 18. 

Immediate Sailings to Honor Pre-Cruise Pricing

Guests who wait to use their onboard credits until they are onboard their ship won’t miss out. As the name suggests, these credits can be used during the cruise and are good for the duration of the sailing. 

The bigger issue at hand is that pre-purchasing amenities – including the internet and Cheers! Drink package – comes with discounts as an incentive to buy them early. 

Naturally, guests would like to stretch their onboard credits as far as possible – and would rather put them toward the discounted prices than the more expensive onboard prices.

Read Also: Carnival Cruise Gift Cards: What You Need to Know

That said, Heald announced that Carnival would be honoring the pre-cruise prices onboard for at least the Cheers! Package for guests setting sail in the next few days who weren’t able to pre-purchase with their onboard credits. 

“Can I remind those sailing today or over the next few days that if you have been unable to use your OBC for the Cheers pre cruise price, or indeed your Gift Card then you can use this once on board the ship and purchase it at the pre cruise price as well,” said Heald.

The brand ambassador promised to follow up with any updates – and hopefully good news – soon. 

While it’s understandably frustrating when things don’t work as they should, sometimes glitches happen – especially on a massive and constantly-evolving website like Carnival’s. 

Even as recently as just about six months ago, Carnival had to repair another glitch on its website that made the timing for online check-in confusing due to time zone issues.