As Hurricane Milton makes its way toward the west coast of Florida with Port Tampa Bay likely to sustain a high impact from the very strong storm, Carnival Cruise Line has notified guests that the October 10 departure of Carnival Paradise must unfortunately be cancelled.

Guests were notified of this late on Wednesday, October 8, two days before the planned embarkation, giving some advance warning of the change.

“Forecasts are predicting that the hurricane will have significant impact on the [Port Tampa Bay] area, and storm conditions are likely to still be present Thursday, October 10,” the email explained. “Once the storm passes, officials must conduct a post-storm assessment before we can be cleared to safely return to port. We are anticipating this process will take some time to complete.”

Port Tampa Bay is now at Port Condition Zulu, set by the US Coast Guard as of 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning, October 8, 2024. At that time, all vessel traffic to the port ceased and ships – whether cruise liners, cargo vessels, or private watercraft – are not able to use the port.

Only once the storm has passed the area and conditions have improved so personnel can work safely will inspections be able to be carried out. Because of the unique geography of Tampa Bay and the length of the channel, it could take several days for full inspections to be completed.

“To prioritize your safety and wellbeing, we have made the decision to cancel the [October 10] voyage,” Carnival Cruise Line confirmed. “We know this is disappointing and we are truly sorry for the disruption to your vacation plans.”

All guests will receive a full refund for their cruise fare as well as all port fees, taxes, and other related charges. Likewise, all pre-paid items – gratuities, drink packages, internet access, spa reservations, etc. – will be fully refunded.

Refunds will be processed automatically and impacted guests do not need to take any action, but patience is advised. Refunds may take up to three weeks to process through individual financial institutions.

The now-cancelled October 10 departure for Carnival Paradise was to have been a 4-night Western Caribbean cruise, visiting Cozumel, Mexico as the ship’s only port of call.

Given the distance between Port Tampa Bay and Cozumel – approximately 600 miles – it is not possible for the ship to reach her destination if the cruise must be shortened, particularly if Port Tampa Bay does not reopen very soon after the storm passes.

This is similar to the situation that developed with the influence of Hurricane Helene, which caused local flooding and the port closure, ultimately cancelling Carnival Paradise’s September 26 departure.

Hurricane Milton Update

As of 11 a.m. (ET) Wednesday morning, October 9, 2024, the National Hurricane Center reports that Hurricane Milton is located roughly 190 miles southwest of Tampa, moving northeast at 17 miles per hour (mph). A shift to a more eastern track is expected on Thursday or Friday.

Maximum sustained wind speeds are reported at 145 mph, putting the storm firmly as a Category 4 major hurricane at this time. Higher gusts are being noted, and significant storm surge and localized flooding is expected with 6-12 inches of rain.

“Milton is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the west-central coast of Florida tonight, and remain at hurricane strength while it moves across the Florida peninsula through Thursday,” said Forecaster Berg in the update discussion.

Hurricane strength winds extend outward 35 miles from the storm’s eye, with tropical storm force winds outward up to 175 miles. Tornadoes are also likely to form, particularly across the southern part of the Florida peninsula.

Read Also: List of All Cruise Ships Impacted by Hurricane Milton

More than 15 different cruise ships from different lines and homeports have been affected by the storm, and additional impacts are likely in the days to come.

All cruise travelers should stay in close contact with their cruise line for the most recent updates on any cancellations, delays, or itinerary adjustments.

While it’s not uncommon to catch a glimpse of the local wildlife during your cruise, most people are spotting marine animals or birds from the decks – not inside their cruise cabin.

However, many Carnival guests were surprised when hundreds of birds infiltrated their cruise ship, and in some cases, even flew into guest cabins. 

An impacted guest who goes by @chanellbethley on Instagram and Facebook posted a video of dozens of small birds (if not more) flying around her stateroom. You can watch the video below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by C H A N E L L B. (@chanellbethley)

“That’s their room now,” she captioned the clip, which has been viewed thousands of times across social media platforms.

Carnival has not confirmed the specific ship where this occurred and the poster of the video did not specify.

However, people in the comments have said the odd incident unfolded on either Carnival Freedom or Carnival Glory – or perhaps both ships experienced a similar avian phenomenon. 

Many comments reported that the incident occurred on Carnival Freedom during the weekend of October 5-6, 2024.

The Conquest-class ship would have been in the middle of a 4-night sailing to Nassau, Bahamas, and Princess Cays, a private island destination that is exclusive to Princess Cruises and its sister brands, which includes Carnival.

“I was on that cruise. The Carnival Freedom. On Sunday night, small palm sized birds were flying all around the ship. They were getting stuck in the nets of the sports courts and getting inside the ship through the lido doors,” one person shared on Instagram.

“This is completely real, was just on Carnival Freedom the other day and they were all over. And someone opened their balcony door and ended up with over 200 in their room,” another social media user confirmed. 

Per several reports, the birds weren’t just confined to the couple’s stateroom – but rather hundreds could be found all over the ship – from the outside decks and balconies to the interior hallways. 

However, others said the video was likely from Carnival Glory – which was operating a 3-night cruise to Nassau, Bahamas, at the same time.

“Pretty sure this was Carnival Glory this past weekend 10/4-7. Hundreds of them. They were falling to their deaths on the deck so it had to be weather related…maybe the hurricane coming? They were trying to find safety in the rooms and halls. I was there,” someone else commented.

Considering both ships are currently sailing in the Bahamas and homeporting out of Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida, it’s very possible they were in close enough proximity to both be visited by the birds. 

Where Did the Birds Come From?

Obviously hundreds of birds infiltrating a cruise ship (or two) is an unusual circumstance – but weather conditions in the Atlantic Ocean – where both ships are currently deployed – are also strange at the moment. 

The most likely theory is that the birds became confused while migrating to avoid Hurricane Milton. Just as humans have evacuated Florida to avoid the wrath of the Category 5 storm, birds have also fled in search of better weather. 

Per Bird Watcher’s Digest (BWD Magazine), birds can detect changes in the weather far in advance and do adjust where and how they fly to account for it.

Others onboard said that the incident unfolded after crew members disturbed a nest in a lifeboat – but it seems less likely that this would result in potentially hundreds of birds flying through the ship. 

That said, the cruise lines are no strangers to visits from their flying friends – but not usually indoors or at this scale. 

In June of this year, Carnival actually had to remind guests to stop feeding seagulls because it encouraged the birds to hang around the ship and leave messy droppings on the balconies and decks. 

Looking further back, Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas made headlines when a burrowing owl was spotted onboard during a two-week sailing in January of 2023.

The adorable stowaway was assisted with its disembarkation by animal experts when the ship returned to Miami, Florida, at the end of the sailing, as releasing the owl in an unfamiliar habitat is unlawful and would likely result in its untimely demise. 

The spotting was exciting though – as burrowing owls are somewhat rare and listed as an endangered or threatened species in the US, depending on the specific state.

With Hurricane Milton on track to reach Florida by tomorrow evening, which will be Wednesday, October 9, 2024, the cruise ports are preparing to close until the dangerous storm has run its course. 

While this safety procedure isn’t unexpected, as the Category 5 storm will create unsafe docking conditions with flooding and wind gusts of over 100 mph, it does mean that cruise ships that are currently out at sea – such as Carnival Elation – won’t be able to return to port as scheduled. 

The Fantasy-class vessel is currently in the middle of a 5-night round-trip Bahamas cruise, which embarked from Jacksonville, Florida, on October 5, 2024, and includes calls on Nassau, Bahamas, and Princess Cays, the cruise line’s private island destination.

However, the 2,052-passenger ship won’t be able to return to her homeport as scheduled on October 10, 2024, as storm conditions are expected to be present and the Jacksonville Cruise Port will likely remain closed.

Instead, the 70,367-gross ton vessel will remain at sea – safely out of the path of the storm – until she is cleared to return to Jacksonville.

Unfortunately, this delay creates a domino effect that will cut into Carnival Elation’s subsequent voyage – which was intended to be a 4-night sailing to Freeport, Bahamas, and Nassau, Bahamas, that was originally scheduled to embark on the afternoon of October 10, 2024. 

“Given its current track, the port of Jacksonville will be closing tomorrow, Wednesday, October 9. Since storm conditions are likely to still be present in the area Thursday, October 10, it is now clear that the ship will not be able to return to Jacksonville as scheduled,” the cruise line wrote to guests of the October 10th voyage.

Carnival wasn’t able to provide a concrete plan for when the voyage would be able to set sail, as the situation is fluid – and decision-makers likely won’t know more until the storm has passed. 

“We must wait for officials to conduct a post-stom assessment to ensure it is safe for the ship to return. Once we receive clearance, we will be able to confirm plants for your voyage, which we now know will be a shortened version of the itinerary,” continued the update.

The 27-ship cruise line promised to provide further updates as soon as possible and apologized for the last-minute disruption to their guests’ vacation plans. 

This letter was also specifically to guests of Carnival Elation’s next voyage. The cruise line is assisting guests who are currently onboard separately.

What Does This Mean for Impacted Guests?

For now, all Carnival Elation’s impacted passengers can really do is cross their fingers and hope the delay isn’t too long. 

Depending on the extent of the damage to the port and the length of the delay, it’s possible that the 4-night voyage could be cancelled in its entirety – which is what already happened to Carnival Paradise. 

The cruise line had previously informed guests of Carnival Paradise’s October 10 sailing to wait for updates before heading to the port – as the ship’s scheduled return to Port Tampa Bay was unclear with the port expected to close.

But as of October 8, Carnival has confirmed that its second-oldest ship’s next sailing has been cancelled entirely due to the storm – which would have been a 4-night Western Caribbean cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. 

Read Also: List of All Cruise Ships Impacted by Hurricane Milton

But with the fate of Carnival Elation’s shortened voyage still up in the air, the cruise line is giving guests the option to cancel their reservation in exchange for a future credit if they would rather not deal with the uncertainty. 

“For guests who wish to cancel their reservations, we will offer a 100% future cruise credit (FCC) for use towards another Carnival Cruise. We will also process a full refund for all pre-purchased items for this voyage,” the cruise line offered.

Otherwise, the next course of action is to wait for further updates from the cruise line in the coming days.