When it comes to delays, Carnival Liberty has just been hit with a double whammy as she nears the end of her current 7-night Eastern Caribbean voyage. 

The Conquest-class vessel will be delayed in its return to New Orleans, Louisiana, after diverting to disembark an ailing guest and then developing propulsion issues soon after. 

While the ship was initially supposed to dock at 8 a.m. local time on the morning of December 1, 2024, she is now expected to arrive sometime in the afternoon. 

The 2,974-guest ship originally called on Key West, Florida, as the first stop of the sailing on November 26. But due to a medical emergency onboard, the vessel circled back on November 29 to allow an ailing passenger to receive urgent treatment from a local hospital. 

“As you know, last night, Friday, November 29, we had to deviate course to Key West to disembark a guest who needed urgent medical care ashore,” reads a letter from Carnival Liberty Captain Arik Mazzi. 

The distance between Key West and New Orleans is only a few hundred nautical miles – which a cruise ship can easily sail in a day, especially as November 30 was already a planned sea day. 

However, the 110,00-gross ton ship also developed propulsion issues after the diversion – which has caused a significant slow down. 

“In addition, the ship has developed an issue that is impacting our sailing speed. Combined, these matters are affecting our timely return to New Orleans tomorrow, Sunday, December 1,” continued Captain Mazzi’s letter.

While the Captain was unable to provide an accurate arrival time just yet, he assured current guests that Carnival’s engineers were already hard at work to address the issue and that he would follow up with updates on progress and timing on the evening of November 30. 

It’s unclear if Carnival will be offering any compensation for the delay, but the major cruise lines will often automatically reschedule airfare booked through the cruise line or reimburse change fees for travel that is directly impacted by the delay. 

The other two calls on the itinerary – which were on Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas – took place on November 27 and November 28, before the medical evacuation and propulsion issues occurred. 

Will the Next Sailing be Impacted?

As is the usual practice among the major cruise lines, Carnival Liberty was supposed to disembark her current passengers in the morning and be ready to embark on a new sailing the same evening. 

In this case, the next sailing is a 14-night, round-trip cruise through the Panama Canal – calling on destinations like Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; Cartagena, Colombia;  Colon, Panama;  Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; and Cozumel, Mexico. 

The 2005-launched ship was supposed to set sail at 5:00 p.m. local time, but her departure will almost certainly be pushed back by several hours at least due to the delay.

Depending on the length of the delay once in port, it’s also possible that some port calls could be skipped or rearranged.

Read Also: 10 Worst Cruise Fails You Can Prepare For

It’s important to note that this is assuming that the engineering team will be able to resolve the unspecified propulsion issues in time for the next sailing to go ahead – although the onboard engineering team is already collaborating with engineers on land to make the fix. 

But depending on the nature of the issue, there’s always a chance that Carnival Liberty will need to remain in port for longer than expected – or even cancel bookings in order to make repairs. 

For example, Carnival Vista had to cancel a sailing for emergency repairs in September – and then suffered more propulsion-related delays in October. 

More recently, Princess Cruises – which is owned by Carnival – had to cancel three sailings in a row for Regal Princess due to ongoing power problems.

That said, Carnival Liberty isn’t known for engine or propulsion problems and has remained up to date on routine maintenance through scheduled dry dock visits.

She was most recently in dry dock in 2021 – during which time she received a new livery – and is scheduled to return for standard maintenance and inspections in Summer 2025.

Every cruise passenger has ideas of how to run a cruise line more efficiently and what crew members ought to do to ensure a better onboard experience. Guests rarely know all the behind-the-scenes details of ship operations, however, and not every suggestion guests may make is possible to fulfill.

This is the case with one traveler’s outrage and insistence at a recent situation aboard Carnival Valor, an incident that obviously infuriated them and caused them to reach out to the cruise line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald.

“I just wanted to ask why Carnival doesn’t have a worker stationed in the self service laundry rooms. They should be telling people that do laundry on a cruise ship to set a timer or something so their clean laundry doesn’t sit in the washing machine or dryer for hours on end,” the guest suggested.

The guest is obviously upset about the situation in the ship’s launderette, as they go on to exclaim “It is not fair! It is not right!” before further explaining.

“While doing laundry on Valor, there were people that put their laundry in the machines, and didn’t return for HOURS,” the guest continued. “This was the last sea day, I got so mad that I literally took the stuff out of the machines and put it on the floor! Where were the Carnival crew?”

It is true that there are no crew members routinely stationed in onboard self-service laundry rooms, a staffing suggestion that Heald confirmed will not be changed.

“Can I start by saying that I know very little about the rules that apply in a self service launderette,” he said. “Obviously we cannot have a staff member sitting in the laundry watching what happens.”

Most individuals who regularly use self-service, unattended laundry rooms understand the unwritten rule that if their clothing is left unattended for a long period, it may be moved out of a machine – either washer or dryer – so another person can use it.

This can be a touchy action for some people, however, who may be reluctant to touch another traveler’s laundry and potentially risk an unpleasant altercation. Even if the laundry is clean, some people may also be a bit squeamish about touching some unknown “unmentionables.”

Other commenters did respond to the original poster, agreeing that signage urging quick removal of items would be helpful in the laundry rooms onboard Carnival cruise ships.

Other suggestions are that crew members could at least check for unattended items that would then be moved to guest services, or perhaps laundry timers could be integrated into the Carnival Hub app as reminders.

What most respondents disagree with, however, is the idea that the original poster put the clean laundry on the floor rather than on a nearby table or on top of a machine.

Most cruise ship self-serve laundry rooms are small facilities, and there may not be a table available for items to be placed on. Similarly, the washers and dryers are often stacked to save space, and therefore clean items could not be put on top of a nearby machine.

While the original poster did not clarify when they were sailing aboard Carnival Valor, the 110,438-gross-ton, Conquest class ship is currently homeported from New Orleans, offering 4- and 5-night Western Caribbean itineraries.

Does Everyone Do Laundry While Cruising?

Heald followed up on the laundry room dilemma by featuring it in a poll, asking if travelers can enjoy a longer cruise without needing a laundry day.

Of the more than 23,000 votes cast in less than an hour, 30% (roughly 7,030) agree that “I could easily pack for a seven or eight day cruise knowing I would not have to do any laundry at all.”

Just 5% of voters (approximately 1,170) note that “I could never do a seven day or an eight day cruise without doing some kind of laundry or sending laundry to be done on the ship.”

In more than 40 cruises, I have only done laundry one time onboard, and that was an emergency stain situation that couldn’t wait until after traveling home. Some passengers, however, do not like putting dirty laundry back in their luggage or they prefer to pack less and wash clothes to rewear during longer cruises.

Read Also: Cruise Ship Laundry – What You Need to Know

To be clear, not all cruise ships have self-serve laundry facilities, and therefore doing one’s own laundry onboard may not always be an option. The Excel class vessels, including Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee, don’t currently have self-serve laundry rooms.

Guests can always, however, send out their laundry for the ship’s crew to wash, albeit for an additional charge. Both wash-and-fold services as well as more delicate dry cleaning services are available.

On Carnival ships, guests who have reached the Platinum or Diamond level in the VIFP loyalty program also have some complimentary wash-and-fold services as part of their perks, which many travelers appreciate.

While cruise lines continue to expand the types of items guests are prohibited to bring aboard ships, sometimes, there are exceptions to what are otherwise hard and fast rules.

While obvious prohibitions will not be lifted – such as Carnival’s recent ban on Bluetooth speakers – small exceptions can occasionally be made if guests have a good reason for needing the item.

Case in point: scissors. These common household items may seem innocuous, but larger scissors and shears can have dangerous, open cutting edges that might be used as weapons or otherwise pose a safety hazard.

One Carnival Cruise Line guest, however, has reached out to John Heald, the line’s official Brand Ambassador, about their need for smaller scissors during their sailing.

“I had my little scissors removed from [a] case. I went nuts, [I] knew I packed [them],” the guest explained.

The guest went on to list several ways their scissors are an essential travel item, such as for opening the seals on a mouthwash bottle, cutting open medication packaging, removing labels from new clothing, and more.

“How can I keep them, if I carry [the scissors] on with me?” they asked.

Carnival Cruise Line’s prohibited items list specifically lists scissors as an item guests are not permitted to bring onboard, but Heald had a slightly different response.

“If they are the size of nail scissors, they are absolutely allowed on board,” he confirmed. “Please put them in your carry-on bag and you will not have any problems.”

Of course, different security personnel might react differently to finding a pair of scissors in a traveler’s bag, no matter what their size. If the scissors are in the carry-on bag, however, the guest can easily explain what the implement is for and why it is needed.

Furthermore, the security crew member checking a carry-on bag can also assess the guest’s explanation on a case-by-case basis as they interact with them. If the scissors are in a checked bag, no such explanation or interaction is possible.

Heald does note, however, that occasional difficulties may still be possible.

“If you do [have problems] when you get on board, let me know and I will take care of it immediately for you,” he said.

Heald does not specify what size scissors might be permissible, nor does the cruise line’s prohibited items policy clarify any size requirements. The policy simply lists “knives, scissors, and open razors” as not permitted. One exception is listed for larger scissors, however.

“Large scissors used by scrapbook and quilting enthusiasts are at times permitted with prior notification from the Security Services Department but are held on board in the same manner as dive knives,” the policy explains.

Recreational dive knives, typically used by certified scuba divers in case of entanglement or to get the attention of a fellow diver (by rapping on air tanks), can range in size and style.

Onboard a Carnival cruise ship, these knives would be held at Guest Services or by the Chief Security Officer. When a guest has a dive excursion in a port of call, they would need to check their knife in and out so its whereabouts are tracked at all times.

What Scissors Can You Bring Onboard?

Though Heald does not give a precise size measurement for scissors that might be permitted onboard, a good rule of thumb is to follow typical Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines.

The TSA advises that any scissors are less than 4 inches from the pivot point (joint), so smaller scissors are best. Ideally, guests should choose scissors as small as possible for their travel needs, such as sewing snippets.

Furthermore, the scissors should be secure in a sheath, case, or wrap to ensure they are not a hazard to luggage handlers or security inspectors.

Read Also: What Can You Not Bring on a Cruise?

If possible, scissors with blunt points would be preferred, though this may not be possible depending on why a cruise traveler may need them. Blunted scissors, for example, would not be useful to pierce tough medication blister packs without crushing the pills.

Finally, travelers should never pack along any scissors with sentimental value. For example, while I enjoy taking my own craft projects on some cruises, I always leave my grandmother’s bird-shaped sewing scissors at home.

Have you set sail with scissors? Have they ever posed a problem? Share your experiences on the Cruise Hive boards!