Carnival Cruise Line continues to celebrate its American patriotism with a brand new red, white, and blue hull on the Carnival Panorama, the last of the cruise line’s 27 ships to receive the new look.
Completing her dry dock in Singapore on October 11, 2024, the refurbished ship is departing on a 25-day transpacific cruise to Long Beach, California on October 12, where “America’s Cruise Line” will unveil the 133,500-gross-ton ship’s new enhancements to the States.
John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, expressed his enthusiasm for the refreshed vessel on his social media, saying, “As you can see, she looks absolutely fabulous in her new livery.”
Carnival Panorama’s recent dry dock at Sembawang Shipyard included a variety of additions, including a nonsmoking casino located near the main casino on Deck 4’s Mezzanine.
The ship also saw the opening of an Effy Fine Jewelry store on the mezzanine, adding a new shopping experience to the refreshed Fun Shops.
Additionally, a new mini golf course has been installed on Deck 12’s Sports Square, giving families and groups another activity option while at sea. A new Carnival Adventures area has also been added for short excursion purchases.
Guests interested in capturing memories can visit the newly established Dream Studio, where professional photographers are available for scheduled photo shoots.
Beyond these guest-facing enhancements, Carnival Panorama received several new technical updates for smoother operations during its voyages, as well as new carpeting, decking, and tiling across the ship.
“The ship is looking absolutely fabulous,” repeated Heald, who wished passengers of the transpacific cruise “the very best of times.”
Carnival Cruise Line began adding red, white, and blue hulls to its fleet with its 180,000-gross-ton Mardi Gras launch in 2020. So enamored with the look, it followed the new ship with Carnival Magic as the first to receive the new livery during dry dock.
“When we first saw the hull design for Mardi Gras, we knew it was something special, and, particularly as we [got] ready to celebrate our 50th birthday [in 2022],” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
She continued, “We’re delighted to incorporate this stunning livery as a signature exterior design element across our fleet.”
The hull design pays tribute to maritime tradition with a deep navy blue, inspired by officers’ uniforms, complemented by bold red and white accents spanning the entire length of each ship. Every ship received the new look when going into dry dock.
As Carnival Panorama completes the new branding for the cruise line, the 4,008-passenger vessel’s first cruise following its renovations will depart from Singapore and make an inaugural call in Manila, Philippines – a first for Carnival Cruise Line.
That stop, on October 18, follows visits to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Carnival Panorama then sails to Guam in the Mariana Islands and Honolulu, Hawaii, with a total of 18 sea days sprinkled in between its arrival in Long Beach on November 5, 2024.
Carnival Panorama then kicks off a series of 5- to 7-night roundtrip voyages to Mexico on the same day. The vessel will spend time in Cabo San Lucas, Ensenada, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and La Paz on its various itineraries sailing through May 3, 2025.
The third ship in Royal Caribbean’s ground-breaking Icon class celebrated a major construction milestone as the vessel’s keel was laid at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.
The keel-laying, on October 7, 2024, marks the start of the ship’s hull assembly. The ship, which has not yet been named by the cruise line, is temporarily referred to as Icon 3, following the January 2024 debut of the first in the series, Icon of the Seas, and the scheduled introduction of the second, Star of the Seas, coming in August 2025.
Icon 3’s launch date is planned for sometime in 2026. During the ship’s keel-laying, a large steel block was lowered into the vessel by crane and set down on trestles, enabling the construction of the hull to begin.
Coins, said to bring good luck to the ship, had been positioned under the steel block by shipyard and cruise line officials in a maritime tradition said to have started in Roman times.
“Icon 3 is a very important vessel for both the shipyard and the partner network. During its construction process, we get to see what a combination of high-level know-how and sister ship experience can achieve today,” Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku, posted.
“Icon 3 will be an all-encompassing holiday experience to the tourism market, which is impatiently waiting for it,” added Meyer.
Work on the new Icon-class ship got under way with her steel-cutting ceremony on January 12, 2024.
The Icon-class ships are the biggest in the cruise industry, with Icon of the Seas, homeported in Miami, currently operating as the largest at 250,880-gross tons. She accommodates 5,600 guests at double occupancy, and sails alternating 7-day Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages.
The second in the series, Star of the Seas, will be slightly larger than Icon of the Seas when she enters service in August 2025. Also being built at the Meyer Turku shipyard, Star of the Seas celebrated her float-out from her construction bay on October 3, 2024.
The ship will be based in Port Canaveral, sailing Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises. Star of the Seas already has experienced construction delays. In February 2024, Royal Caribbean revealed that her debut would be postponed by about two weeks.
Coin Ceremony for Third Icon Class Ship
Star of the Seas’ original launch date of August 17, 2025 was pushed back to August 31, 2025. Booked guests and travel agents were notified of the cancellation of her first voyage.
Icon 3 will not be the final ship in the Icon series. Royal Caribbean, in August 2024, announced it had reached an agreement with Meyer Turku for a fourth ship and options for a fifth and sixth in the series.
Icon 3 Expected to Feature Best of the Class
While details of Icon 3’s design have yet to be announced, it is almost guaranteed to feature the public spaces and amenities of Icon of the Seas.
Like Icon of the Seas, the 20-deck Icon-class ship will likely feature the Aqua Dome, the largest waterpark in the industry, with multiple thrill rides and water-based experiences for all ages.
Besides Aqua Dome, the ship has seven other neighborhoods: Chill Island, Thrill Island, The Hideaway, Surfside, Royal Promenade, Central Park, and The Suite Neighborhood. The zones are geared to family or adult activities, shopping and dining, and private, exclusive areas for guests booking suites.
Thrill Island, for example, will offer six waterslides, a surf simulator, the Crown’s Edge Ropes Course that swings out over the water, a rock climbing wall, and a sports court.
In addition to entertainment and activity areas, Icon-class ships are constructed with environmentally responsible power technologies, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) and fuel cells, which reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
With Port Tampa Bay remaining closed following the devastating impact of Hurricane Milton, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Paradise may not be able to return to her homeport for the debarkation of her latest sailing and embarkation of her next guests.
The ship departed Tampa on Sunday, October 6, 2024 on what was to have been a 4-night Western Caribbean sailing to Cozumel, Mexico. Hurricane Milton had other plans, however, and the ship will remain at sea longer in order to reach an open, operational homeport.
The ship’s next sailing – planned to depart Tampa on Thursday, October 10 – has already been cancelled, which gives the cruise line time to make alternative arrangements to debark the up to 2,124 travelers onboard.
Now, Carnival Cruise Line has notified guests on the October 14 departure that Carnival Paradise may be embarking not from Tampa after all, but could instead embark from Port Canaveral. The two cruise homeports are roughly 130 miles apart, approximately a 2-3 hour drive, depending on local traffic.
The final decision has not yet been made, but it will be determined when Port Tampa Bay is able to reopen safely. Following the storm, power outages, localized flooding, and some building damage are already being assessed around the port facilities.
At the moment, Carnival Paradise is heading for PortMiami to debark guests from the October 6 sailing. A complimentary shuttle will return travelers to the Tampa cruise terminal if desired, or guests may reboard the ship to remain onboard as a hotel option until Monday, October 14.
Guests onboard have been provided with a questionnaire about their debarkation plans, including whether or not they will remain onboard the ship and if they require a transfer to Tampa.
All services aboard Carnival Paradise are fully functional, including hotel, restaurant, and entertainment operations. Travelers who opt to remain onboard the ship will still be able to enjoy all the 71,925-gross-ton vessel offers.
Cruise Lines Scrambling for Alternatives
All cruise lines are working hard to make shifts and adjustments following Hurricane Milton’s devastating impact on the Sunshine State, with cruises delayed, homeports closed, and itineraries cancelled.
Port Tampa Bay is the most strongly impacted, as the storm made landfall as a Category 3 major hurricane at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9, at Siesta Key – less than 25 miles south of Tampa Bay.
Because the extensive channel now requires thorough assessment and inspections, as well as local flooding and damage near the cruise terminal, it may be several days before the port can resume normal passenger operations, leaving cruise lines seeking alternatives.
Princess Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Margaritaville at Sea, and Celebrity Cruises have likewise had to make different adjustments for their own cruise operations out of various Florida homeports.
As of Thursday evening, while the storm has now been downgraded to a post-tropical-storm, Port Tampa Bay remains closed, as does the Port of Jacksonville.
Port Canaveral has begun its initial post-storm assessment and landside operations have reopened, but all marine operations remain closed.
The three southernmost and least impacted of Florida’s cruise homeports – Port Everglades, Port of Palm Beach, and PortMiami – have all fully reopened for all operations, and are doing their best to assist cruise lines with alternative arrangements wherever possible.
Because such arrangements can be fluid, cruise travelers are strongly urged to sign up for text and email alerts directly from their cruise line to stay updated on the most current delays, adjustments, and options for their individual cruise vacations.
While Hurricane Milton has now been downgraded to a post-tropical-cyclone and moved into the Atlantic, away from the Florida coast, cruise lines have a great deal of aftermath to contend with.
For Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Elation, the ship’s Jacksonville homeport remains closed at this time and the ship will be unable to return as planned on Thursday, October 10, or even Friday, October 11.
The exact reopening time for the north Florida homeport is not yet confirmed, but the ship is expected to be able to return to the cruise terminal on Saturday, October 12.
The continued delay is due to rough seas and strong winds in the Jacksonville area that are impacting how safe the St. Johns River is for the ship to navigate.
This means that Carnival Elation‘s next sailing, originally planned as a 4-night Bahamas voyage departing on Thursday, October 10, cannot operate as scheduled. Rather than cancelling the cruise, Carnival Cruise Line is opting to offer the sailing as a much shorter cruise to nowhere.
“We are now planning to operate his voyage as a 2-day cruise, departing Saturday, October 12. Given the shortened duration, there will be no port visit,”the notification read.
The itinerary was planned to visit Freeport on Friday, October 11 followed by Nassau on Saturday, October 12. Given the distance from Jacksonville to the Bahamas, however – roughly 450 miles – it is not possible for the ship to reach the planned ports on such a severely shortened schedule.
Instead, the ship will depart Jacksonville and spend the time at sea with all the onboard amenities, entertainment, restaurants, and activities operating as normal.
If guests do choose to set sail with the shortened itinerary, they will receive a 50% refund for all pre-paid amenities, including gratuities, drink packages, and Wi-Fi packages. All pre-paid shore tours booked through Carnival Cruise Line will also be fully refunded for both Freeport and Nassau.
Guests will also receive a $100 onboard credit (per stateroom), as well as a 50% refund of their cruise fare. That refund, however, may take up to three weeks to process back to the original form of payment.
Any travelers who prefer not to join the now-shortened cruise to nowhere will receive a full refund for their cruise fare and all pre-purchased items.
To be clear, there is no damage to Carnival Elation and the ship is fully functional. The decision to shorten the next cruise so dramatically is made with respect to port operations and when the Port of Jacksonville can safely reopen and resume full operations.
Carnival Elation Cruise to Nowhere (Photo Credit: SeregaSibTravel)
As of Thursday evening, satellite tracking data showsCarnival Elation enjoying extra time at sea, sailing south of Florida where waters are calmer and not impacted by the storm.
Onboard, guests can continue to enjoy all the ship’s features while the 900 international crew members strive to provide the best possible service despite these exceptionally trying circumstances.
Why Is the Homeport Still Closed?
The Port of Jacksonville is uniquely located on the northeastern Florida coast, but the cruise terminal is actually about 13 miles upriver along the St. Johns River rather than on the coast. This upriver location creates extra challenges for ship navigability.
The entire length of the river leading to the cruise terminal must be inspected for any possible safety hazards following any hurricane or tropical storm that initiates a port closure.
Floating debris, channel shallowing, underwater hazards, and other potential obstacles must be assessed or cleared before a ship can return to the cruise terminal. Furthermore, the terminal itself must be able to operate efficiently with appropriate power and staffing.
The Port of Jacksonville does plan to reopen on Friday morning, October 11, but that is not the time the cruise terminal will be ready to receive guests for embarkation or debarkation processing. That reopening is yet to be determined.
Guests booked on Carnival Elation will want to opt in for text alerts from Carnival Cruise Line to receive the most updated information as soon as it is available.
Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas can’t catch a break.
After departing for a 5-night cruise from Tampa on October 7, 2024, the 73,817-gross-ton ship had to alter its course from Mexico to the Bahamas to avoid what was then-Tropical Storm Milton, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on October 5.
As Milton gained strength and, at several points, reached Category 5 status, it headed straight for Tampa with a vengeance, forcing Port Tampa Bay to close.
The ship, fearful of damage to the port, made a contingency plan to return its passengers to shore on October 12 from either Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale or PortMiami, bussing guests back to Tampa.
However, now that Milton has passed, Royal Caribbean will instead return to Tampa a day later than expected and has altered the ship’s itinerary yet again by adding an additional day in Nassau, Bahamas, on October 11 and spending another day at sea on October 12.
As a result, Grandeur of the Seas will be delayed in returning to Tampa in time for its upcoming October 12, 2024, sailing. While passengers on the current voyage get an extra day, the following 5-night roundtrip Western Caribbean cruise to Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico, will be cut short a day.
The 2,440-passenger ship will now set sail on Sunday, October 13, 2024, skipping its call in Costa Maya. It will cruise directly to Cozumel as its only port of call before returning to Tampa, as scheduled, on October 17, 2024.
“Along with our Chief Meteorologist, Craig Setzer, we have been tracking the aftermath of Hurricane Milton’s impact to Port Tampa Bay. As a result, our previous sailing will be delayed,”Royal Caribbean wrote in a letter to passengers.
“We’re terribly sorry for this last-minute change caused by the weather,” it continued.
The cruise line also noted its return to port is fluid and that times are not yet finalized, although the letter suggested the ship aims to arrive in Tampa by 7 a.m., and anticipates a 4 p.m. departure.
October 14 and 16 will be days at sea, and October 15th’s call in Cozumel will extend from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., as originally scheduled.
Compensation and Refunds
With the shortened duration, Royal Caribbean is offering refunds to passengers on the affected voyage. Guests will receive a refund equivalent to one day of their cruise fare, credited back as an onboard credit.
Additionally, the cruise line announced passengers will receive a prorated refund for any pre-purchased packages, including beverage plans, dining, VOOM Internet access, and pre-paid gratuities, as a way “to give us another opportunity to make it up to you.”
Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas (Photo Credit: Michael L Brown)
“All Onboard Credits can be used anywhere onboard, and any remaining refundable amounts at the end of our sailing will be refunded to the card on file up to 14 business days from final disembarkation,” wrote Royal Caribbean.
Any excursions booked through the cruise line in Costa Maya will also be refunded. Passengers who booked independent excursions will need to contact their providers to cancel and receive refunds.
As Cozumel’s schedule remains intact, pre-booked excursions remain unchanged.
Guests facing any out-of-pocket expenses, such as hotel expenses needed for the additional day in Tampa, can use the cruise line’s letter for insurance purposes.
As Hurricane Milton sweeps into the Atlantic Ocean after a devastating full day of destruction across the state of Florida, relief has washed over the passengers and crew aboard Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess.
After departing from Southampton, England, on September 23, 2024, on its first transatlantic cruise, the newest – and largest – ship in the Princess Cruises fleet was expected to arrive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on October 9 after enjoying calls in the Canary Islands.
No one anticipated Milton’s arrival on the same day. On October 8, 2024, the cruise line informed guests that it would not be able to arrive in port, as scheduled.
“As a result of our inability to access the port, the ship now will remain safely at sea well away from the storm. We will continue to monitor the storm’s path closely and ensure that we remain well away from any dangerous weather, prioritizing guests’ safety and comfort,”the cruise line said.
Now, as the skies begin to clear following the fast-moving Category 3 hurricane, Sun Princess has been given the all-clear to make her much-anticipated arrival. The ship will sail into Fort Lauderdale on Friday, October 11, 2024, after 10 full days at sea.
According to the Port Everglades ship schedule, as of publication, Sun Princess is scheduled to arrive at the pilot pick-up point at 3 a.m. This will be welcome news for passengers who did not expect to remain at sea even longer. The ship will then make its way to the terminal for disembarkation.
The 177,882-gross-ton, 4,300-passenger Sun Princess initially debuted as Princess Cruises’ first Sphere-class vessel in Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, on February 29, 2024. After a season in the Mediterranean, Sun Princess has been repositioning to its new homeport in Port Everglades to spend a winter season in the Caribbean.
With her arrival now set, Sun Princess will spend a few days in port for media events to introduce the Carnival Corporation ship to the Americas and then depart on her first voyage from Port Everglades on October 14, 2024.
The sailing will be a 5-night roundtrip voyage to Carnival’s private destination in the Dominican Republic, Amber Cove, and Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos.
Sun Princess will offer various Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries through March 2025, including calls in the Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Belize, Honduras, and Mexico. After this, the ship will enjoy a second summer season in Europe.
Port Everglades Is Open
Hurricane Milton, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on October 5, 2024, beelined toward Florida with peak wind speeds of 180 miles per hour, forcing several Florida-based cruise ships to alter their itineraries to avoid the storm.
Aerial View of Port Everglades (Photo Credit: Todamo)
Ahead of the storm’s landfall on October 9, 2024, Port Tampa Bay, JAXPORT, Port Canaveral, Port Palm Beach, Port Everglades, and PortMiami closed to sea traffic. This shuttered cruises in Florida, forced cancellations, and left some passengers onboard delayed ships like the Sun Princess.
However, the Coast Guard has given Port Everglades the go-ahead to resume operations, and the port is fully operational as of October 10, 2024. The Port of Palm Beach and PortMiami have also been reopened.
JAXPORT in Jacksonville, Port Canaveral near Orlando, and Port Tampa Bay, which lost power, remain closed. These ports are assessing damage from the storm and will reopen when channel surveys are conducted and completed.
The Panama Canal, an engineering masterpiece that connects the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, officially opened its 2024-25 season as it welcomed a Royal Caribbean ship making her transit through the 51-mile waterway.
The 2,140-guest Brilliance of the Seas made a full transit of the Panama Canal on October 7, 2024, about 10 days into her 15-day voyage from Los Angeles to New Orleans.
The ship represents the first of an estimated 225 transits through the canal during the full season, which runs from October to May.
It appears to be an increase compared to 201 transits in the 2023-24 season, although data from the Panama Canal Authority was provided only through July 2024, so that number could be higher when August and September are factored in.
The Authority data shows that during the previous season, 2022-23, there were 210 Panamax and 41 Neopanamax cruise ship transits, for a total of 251.
Panamax ships are vessels with a length of up to 965 feet, a width of 106 feet, and a draft of 39.5 feet. Neopanamax ships are larger, but still meet the size restrictions to transit the canal. They include vessels up to 1,215 feet in length, 168.14 feet in width, and a draft of 50 feet.
In the 2024-25 season, 54 Neopanamax ships are slated to transit, including several Norwegian Cruise Line mega-ships such as the 4,000-guest Norwegian Bliss, the 3,700-guest Norwegian Joy, and the 4,000-guest Norwegian Encore.
Neopanamax ships that will make their inaugural transits include three Princess Cruises’ ships — Sapphire Princess, Crown Princess, and Grand Princess, plus Cunard’s Queen Anne, and Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam.
“Crossing from one ocean to the other through a fast and safe route like the Panama Canal is also a great attraction for the cruise industry, because of the wonder that our operation represents,” said Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, administrator of the Panama Canal.
“Last year we served more than 200 cruise ship transits, with tourists from various parts of the world, who included the Canal transit as part of their travel itineraries. We are very excited about the start of this cruise season and the experiences that thousands of tourists will have,” added Vásquez Morales.
Princess Cruises recently confirmed it will deploy three ships on Panama Canal itineraries this season.
In addition to the line’s ships making their inaugural visits, Ruby Princess and Emerald Princess, both with a capacity for 3,080 guests, and the 1,970-guest Coral Princess together will operate 26 departures that include a canal transit.
Full and partial transits are included on the ships’ rosters. A series of 12-day partial transit cruises roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, for example, aboard Emerald Princess are scheduled.
The sailings combine the transit with port calls in destinations such as Bonaire; Curacao; Cartegena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Limon, Costa Rica; Grand Cayman; and Aruba.
Canal Authority Points to Global Growth of Industry
Officials at the Authority are bullish on the future of the Panama Canal and its growing popularity among cruise passengers and cruise lines.
A statement from the Authority notes that in 2025, passenger demand for cruises worldwide is expected to grow by 6.9%, as the global fleet of ships rises to 460 vessels.
Royal Caribbean Ship in the Panama Canal (Photo Courtesy: Panama Port Authority)
“An increase in transits is expected this fiscal year due to the continued demand for vacation experiences, which still shows no signs of slowing down,” said Albano G. Aguilar, market analysis and forecasting specialist at the Panama Canal Authority.
In addition to the large ships that will operate full or partial canal transits this season, many smaller ships will bring guests to the Panama Canal. National Geographic’s 100-guest National Geographic Quest, Windstar Cruises’ 312-guest Star Pride, and Viking’s 930-guest Viking Mars are among them.
Fourteen cruise ships will make their maiden transits through the Panama Canal during the 2024-25 season, including several luxury ships such as Ponant Cruise Line’s 244-guest Le Lyrial, Silversea Cruises’ 728-guest Silver Ray, and Seabourn’s 604-guest Seabourn Encore.
While New Orleans was not directly impacted by Hurricane Milton as it barreled across the Gulf of Mexico, cruise ships homeported there are nonetheless feeling the effects of the massive storm, including Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Valor.
In light of operational changes due to the hurricane, Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed revised embarkation plans for guests booked to sail onboard Carnival Valor’s October 10, 2024 cruise from the Big Easy.
In a notice sent to booked guests on October 9, 2024, the cruise line issued new embarkation times that reflect the late arrival of the ship back to port from her 5-night Western Caribbean cruise that left New Orleans on October 5, 2024.
“Thank you for your patience while waiting for updates about our operational plans for your cruise. The ship will be arriving in New Orleans tomorrow afternoon, Thursday, October 10, and embarkation for your cruise has been revised,” the cruise line’s notice to guests stated.
The 2.980-guest Carnival Valor had been scheduled to return to the port in the morning on October 10, 2024, but instead will arrive in the afternoon. As a result, embarkation times have been pushed back by between four and five hours to enable guests on the ship’s current cruise to debark.
Guests originally scheduled to board Carnival Valor between 10 and 10:30 a.m., for instance, now will board between 3:30 and 4 p.m., while those who planned to board between noon and 12:30 p.m. will now embark between 5:30 and 6 p.m. The delayed embarkation schedule continues through the afternoon, with all guests required to be checked in no later than 6 p.m.
Carnival Cruise Line’s notice to guests also indicates that guests who arrive before their newly scheduled boarding time will not be allowed to embark and will be asked to return at their newly assigned time.
The cruise line is posting a $25 credit to each guest’s onboard account to offset the cost of lunch on embarkation day because, under the original embarkation schedule, all cruisers would have been onboard Carnival Valor in time for lunch.
The cruise ship is returning to New Orleans from her Western Caribbean sailing that was to call at Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico. Due to the hurricane, the ship did not call at Cozumel but instead spent the day at sea.
Carnival Valor in New Orleans (Photo Credit: Ute Sonja Medley)
Carnival Valor’s October 10, 2024 departure, a 3-night Western Caribbean getaway, is due to make one port call, at Cozumel. The ship was originally scheduled to depart New Orleans at 3:30 p.m., but the departure now will be sometime after 6 p.m. The line has not announced the new sail-away time.
Ships Based in Sunshine State Face Multiple Challenges
Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc on the cruise schedules of Florida-based ships with routings in the Gulf of Mexico and the northern reaches of the Caribbean Sea, including the Bahamas. The monster storm slammed virtually the entire state on October 9 and 10, 2024, and made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane near Sarasota, Florida.
All six of Florida’s cruise ports — in Tampa, Jacksonville, Port Canaveral, Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami, had closed to all traffic in advance of the hurricane.
Besides Carnival Valor, several Carnival Cruise line ships were affected by the storm.
The 2,124-guest Carnival Paradise, for example, which is based at Port Tampa Bay, was due to return to port on October 10, 2024 following a 3-night Western Caribbean cruise. However, the ship’s next cruise, set to depart on October 10, 2024, was cancelled, since it is unclear when the port will reopen.
Other ships, such as the 2,200-guest Carnival Elation, based in Jacksonville, the 3,000-guest Carnival Glory, homeported in Port Canaveral, and Carnival Sunrise, which sails from Miami and accommodates 3,000 guests, will arrive at their respective ports later than scheduled.
After days of waiting for Hurricane Milton to arrive in Florida, which is still reeling from Hurricane Helene, the severe storm has officially made it to the Sunshine State on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.
As the storm drew closer, many of the cruise ports closed to maritime traffic for safety reasons – which will unfortunately prevent several Royal Caribbean ships at sea from returning from their current voyages on time.
This, of course, has a domino effect – and will delay multiple upcoming sailings. So far, Port of Tampa Bay, Port Canaveral, and Jacksonville’s JAXPORT have all shut down.
The Port of Palm Beach, Port Everglades, and PortMiami currently remain open – but on a very limited basis for absolutely essential functions and storm preparations (which doesn’t include cruising) and are likely to close completely very soon.
The storm, which was a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 180 mph as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico, was downgraded to a Category 3 storm shortly before reaching Florida’s West Coast.
However, according to the National Hurricane Center (NOAA), the storm is still very dangerous and already bringing torrential rains to Tampa Bay and wind gusts to Sarasota – with sustained winds of around 120 mph.
While modern ships are designed to handle rough watersand stormy weather, docking conditions would be unsafe and it’s in the best interest for the safety and comfort of all onboard to wait out at the storm from a safe distance.
Utopia of the Seas was due to disembark from her current 4-night Bahamas sailing in her homeport, Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida, on Friday, October 11, and set sail on a new 3-night cruise to Nassau, Bahamas, and CocoCay, the cruise line’s private island destination.
But as the second busiest cruise port in the world will still be closed, the Oasis-Class vessel’s return has been pushed back to Saturday, October 12.
This means the subsequent sailing will be shortened and the port call on Nassau will be skipped.
“Due to the closure of the Port Canaveral, our previous sailing will be delayed in returning. As a result, our sailing will now take place on Saturday, October 12, 2024, and we’ll have to skip our visit to Nassau, Bahamas,”the cruise line wrote in a letter to impacted guests.
The 5,668-guest ship’s current sailing has also been impacted by the storm already. Not only will cruisers be onboard a day longer than planned, but the order in which they visited the ports of call – CocoCay and Nassau – was reversed to avoid the path of the storm.
Adventure of the Seas
Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas (Photo Credit: Microfile)
Like Utopia of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas is also homeporting in Florida’s Port Canaveraland will have to delay her return from October 11 to October 12.
The Voyager-class vessel is in the middle of a 6-nightEastern Caribbean itinerary, and was due to begin a longer 8-night Southern Caribbean cruise on October 11.
Due to the delayed start, the sailing will skip its first port of call on October 14, 2024, which would have been on Willemstad, Curacao, in exchange for a sea day to help make up lost time.
“We’ve had to shift our boarding day to Saturday, October 12, 2024, departing by 8:00pm. Unfortunately, this means that our itinerary has been revised and we’ll have to skip our visit to Willemstad, Curacao,”the cruise line updated.
However, the other ports of call will remain on the itinerary as planned – including Oranjestad, Aruba; Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic; and Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Independence of the Seas
The next change coming down the pipeline is for Independence of the Seas, which won’t be able to return to PortMiami as planned on October 10.
This means the Freedom-class cruise ship will now embark on its subsequent sailing – a 4-night cruise to Labadee, Haiti – a day late on October 11.
But because of the delay, it will now no longer be possible to visit Labadee – and the 4,375-passenger ship will call on CocoCay, Bahamas, instead.
“We’ll have to skip our visit to Labadee, Haiti and enjoy a Sea Day instead. To help make up for this last-minute change, we’ve added a stop to Perfect Day at CocoCay on Sunday, October 13th,” Royal Caribbean said.
This change is particularly sad, as the cruise line only recently began sailing back to Labadeeafter a months-long suspension due to unrest in Haiti.
Mariner of the Seas
Photo Credit: Melissa Mayntz
Mariner of the Seas isn’t quite as impacted as some of the other ships within Royal Caribbean’s fleet, as the Voyager-class vessel is homeporting out of Galveston, Texas.
However, the 4,000-passenger ship is in the middle of a 5-night Western Caribbean cruise, which brings her closer to Milton and will delay her return to Galveston as she alters course to avoid the storm.
That said, she will still arrive in the Texas port on October 10 as planned – just several hours later than expected.
While this will delay the embarkation process, the ship will still set sail on a 4-night Western Caribbean sailing on October 10 as planned – but with a later departure time. Guests were issued new arrival windows accordingly.
Assuming no further changes are made, there should be no impact on the one and only port call on October 12, which is a visit to Cozumel, Mexico.
According to guests onboard, the ship is skipping its planned call on Labadee for tomorrow, October 10, and expediting its return to Cape Liberty, New Jersey, to avoid Hurricane Milton. However, Royal Caribbean has not yet confirmed these changes publicly.
“Symphony of the Seas has cancelled Labadee for tomorrow. Captain announced they are full speed ahead back to Cape Liberty to get ahead of Milton,”a current passenger shared on Facebook.
Labadee was already a late addition to the itinerary. The cruise was supposed to call on CocoCay and Nassau, but switched to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and Labadee because of Hurricane Milton.
Compensation for Impacted Guests
While Royal Caribbean is not able to control the weather, it understands that these last-minute changes to long-awaited vacations are disappointing.
While compensation is being provided for some, what will be given is dependent on the nature of the change and the specific ship’s situation.
For the delays that remove a day from the cruise on Utopia of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, and Adventure of the Seas, the family-friendly brandwill prorate the sailing and provide a refund for the missed day in the form of an onboard credit.
They will also refund any pre-paid shore excursions in the same fashion. If any funds are remaining at the end of the sailing, the rest will be refunded to the card on file within 14 business days.
Additionally, Royal Caribbean will reimburse up to $200 for domestic airfare changes and $400 for international changes for change fees for flights and transfers booked outside of Royal Caribbean – at least for the Utopia on the Seas sailing.
Impacted cruisers are advised to check with the cruise line to see what their options are and what compensation will be provided, if any, for their specific situation.
