Carnival Vista’s mechanical woes continue to disrupt travel plans as Carnival Cruise Line has cancelled its September 7 voyage from Port Canaveral, Florida, due to unresolved speed issues.
Passengers, who have been eagerly awaiting updates after the cruise line adjusted its itinerary on its current 8-night Eastern Caribbean voyage that departed on August 24, are now facing the disappointment of last-minute changes, as the cruise line works to correct the technical faults that have hampered the ship’s propulsion.
In a message to affected guests on August 27, 2024, Colleen Oliverio, vice president of guest services – Contact Centers at Carnival Cruise Line, explained engineers have been unable to resolve the issues plaguing the 133,596-gross-ton vessel.
After a delayed start to its current roundtrip cruise, Carnival Vista arrived at its first call in the Dominican Republic without issue.
However, trouble affecting the ship’s speed returned, forcing the 3,934-passenger ship to reduce times in its calls in Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, in an effort to return to Florida by September 1.
Captain Francesco Florentino told passengers onboard that the crew was working on a plan to make repairs. “We will be able to keep the remaining ports of call on our itinerary,” he said. “But will make some modest adjustments to our time in port to allow us to return to Port Canaveral in good time.”
Read Also: What Is Wrong With Carnival’s Vista Class Ships?
However, engineers have not been able to resolve the issue and Oliverio alerted passengers booked on the September 7, 2024, cruise to Aruba, Curacao, and Turks and Caicos, that the ship has been removed from service.
“Our engineers have been working to address an issue that is limiting Carnival Vista’s cruising speed,” Oliverio wrote.
“We were hopeful that the issue had been resolved with some recent work, but we are not quite there, and, unfortunately, we must remove the ship from service to complete some additional repairs, resulting in the cancellation of your upcoming cruise.”
She continued, “We apologize for the unanticipated disruption to your vacation plans and are disappointed that we will not be able to deliver the cruise we had planned for you.”
Speed Issues Lead to Cancellations
The issues affecting the eight-year-old Carnival Vista first surfaced at the end of its August 4th sailing and appeared yet again during its August 10 voyage. The latter’s itinerary also needed to be adjusted to accommodate its speed dilemma.
With its newest troubles, the cancellation will hopefully allow the cruise line, owned by Carnival Corporation, to properly repair the ship.
Passengers booked for the now cancelled September 7 sailing will receive a 100 percent refund for their cruise fare, along with reimbursement for any pre-purchased shore excursions and FUNShop items, to their original form of payment.
As a measure of good faith, the cruise line has also extended a 100 percent Future Cruise Credit (FCC) to all guests, which can be used on any sailing booked by August 31, 2025.
Additionally, guests who booked non-refundable airfare independently are advised to seek adjustments directly with their airline.
Carnival will reimburse up to $200 per person for air change fees, provided proper documentation is submitted. However, this reimbursement will not be provided if compensation is received through travel insurance or other sources.
