Guests who are planning to board Carnival Sunshine to embark on a Bahamas cruise on August 8, 2024, may want to pay close attention to their emails and text messages. 

The Sunshine-class ship is slated to embark from Charleston, South Carolina, on Thursday evening – which unfortunately coincides with when the East Coast port is expected to be slammed by Tropical Storm Debby.

John Heald, Carnival’s Brand Ambassador, shared a message from the cruise line on his Facebook page on August 6, 2024, to help spread the word.

Worth Reading: Storm Causes Significant Delay for Charleston-Based Carnival Ship

“Our Fleet Operations Center is actively monitoring Tropical Storm Debby, which is now located off the Georgia and South Carolina coastline. The storm is forecasted to move inland in the upcoming days, impacting the Charleston area Thursday,” read the message from the cruise line. 

“Although forecasts can change, at this time, based on the current track, we are expecting Debby to affect our scheduled departure from Charleston,” continued the memo.

It’s currently unclear how much the 4-night sailing will be impacted, but the 27-ship cruise line will continue to monitor the forecast and make adjustments accordingly, with the safety and comfort of its guests and crew members as the top priority. 

Assuming all goes to plan, the sailing includes one port call – scheduled for August 10, 2024, at Nassau, Bahamas. 

The 3,0006-passenger vessel also isn’t the only Carnival cruise ship to be impacted by Debby’s wrath. 

Carnival Paradise had a delayed return to Florida’s Port Tampa Bay, which was temporarily closed due to the storm. As a result, the subsequent sailing – a 6-night Western Caribbean Cruise that was supposed to embark on August 5, 2024 – has been shortened. 

Looking at the other cruise lines, Margaritaville at Sea Islander remained stuck at sea until storm conditions passed and couldn’t disembark her sailing as planned in Tampa Bay on Sunday, August 4. 

Indeed, Tropical Storm Debby made landfall near the town of Steinhatchee, Florida, over the Big Bend Coast, as a Category 1 hurricane on the morning of Monday, August 5, 2024. 

Similarly, Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas had to cancel its scheduled call on Port Canaveral (Orlando) Florida, on Sunday, August 4. 

South Carolina Ports Brace for Severe Weather

As in Florida, the South Carolina Ports Authority will likely shut down operations at its ports while the Tropical Storm passes through, which is expected to make a second landfall in South Carolina on the morning of August 8 and last through at least August 9. 

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHS), the storm is expected to bring potentially catastrophic precipitation and flooding – with parts of the Carolinas and Georgia anticipating up to 25 inches of rain.

“Dangerous storm surge and tropical storm conditions will spread northward along the southeast U.S. coast from northwestern Georgia to North Carolina through Thursday. Storm surge and tropical storm watches and warnings are in effect for portions of these areas,” reads the most recent update from the NHS, which was posted at 11 a.m. EST on Tuesday, August 6. 

“Potentially historic heavy rainfall across eastern South Carolina through Friday will likely result in areas of catastrophic flooding,” continued the update.

Sustained winds are expected to reach around 40 mph and will be paired with stronger gusts. The impacted areas may also be impacted by flash flooding, loss of power, and downed trees and power lines – even in the days after the storm passes. 

So far, the South Carolina Ports Authority has not announced an official closure, but will be operating with reduced hours at the Port of Charleston and at Inland Port Dillon on Wednesday, August 7, in anticipation of Debby’s arrival. 

The gates will close to maritime traffic by 2 p.m. local time at both locations – with additional operational updates expected soon as the storm looms closer. 

Generally, it’s not difficult to follow the dress code onboard cruise ships. Most of the time, cruisers are simply asked to adhere to “cruise casual” standards when dining onboard. 

For example, guests aren’t allowed to only wear their swimwear in the buffet or main dining rooms. Instead, men need to wear a shirt and ladies need to wear a coverup of some sort. 

That said, comfortable and easy attire like shorts, T-shirts, jeans, and sundresses are generally all acceptable. 

On formal night – which typically happens at least one per sailing to allow guests to dress up and pose for once-in-a-lifetime pictures – ups the ante beyond a typical meal. 

While the days of dressing to the nines with tuxedos and long evening dresses or ball gowns have largely become a thing of the past, guests are still encouraged to look their best – such as with nice button down tops or a fancier blouse and skirt. 

Of course, a nice pair of shoes, such as a loafer, fashion boot, high heel, or dress sandal can complete the look. But what happens if you’re not able to wear standard “formal night” shoes? 

An anonymous guest sought out Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald for advice after she was bashed online for her formal footwear choices, which she selected in order to accommodate a medical condition. 

“I have a condition with my feet that does not allow me to wear any dress shoe or tennis shoe. Not for a long period of time anyway. I wear flip flops and sparkly style sandal style flip flops at dinner each night in the MDR and if we go to the steak restaurant for supper,” the recent guest messaged Heald on Facebook. 

“I was called ‘trash’ and worse.’ I do not understand why people just cannot deal with it or turn the other way. My flip flops have a cushioned bottom on the inside also so they don’t make noise unless they get wet. I was told that I should not wear these because I am a rule breaker and wearing my shoes is ‘disgusting.’ Help please John, what is the answer,” continued the passenger. 

Heald’s sympathetic response encouraged the cruiser not to worry so much about what other passengers may think. 

“The answer is wear them. Your feet are under the table, nobody can really see them and if they can and your trotters are encased in a pair of sparkling sandals or a pair of knee high rumpy pumpy boots made of Cleveland leather…who cares, really,” replied Heald. 

The comments section proved that Heald’s followers are largely in agreement with the brand ambassador. 

Comfort Comes First – Until Crocs Are Involved

In the less than 24 hours since Heald shared the shoe controversy to his Facebook page, the post has garnered more than 1,700 comments – the majority of which sided with Heald and the distraught messenger.

“I also have a medical condition making wearing heels a non-option. I’m medically handicapped due to it. Wear the sandals. Someone will always have an opinion. Let them walk (or stroll) a mile in our shoes and they will realize that’s the least of our concerns,” said one empathetic commenter. 

“Wear what makes you comfortable. This is your vacation,” added another. 

“I don’t understand why people need others’ approval. She needs to walk in that steakhouse like she owns it!!!,” replied a third. 

Read Also: How to Truly Enjoy Your Dining on 3 Major Cruise Lines

That said, not all sandals are created equal. While commenters were generally supportive of the first cruiser, some had less love for passengers who dare to don Crocs Sandals – stirring up a whole new controversy.

“On your shoe post there are people saying they wear Crocs on formal night. IMHO, crocs are just too ugly to wear unless you’re under the age of ten, or have foot problems that make wearing any other shoes extremely uncomfortable. Just saying,” wrote a person named David, who Heald called out in a secondary post. 

“Thanks mate, I don’t usually post the names of people but in this case I had to so I could say, please David get a pair of Crocs so I can call you …Davy CROCKett…Oh FFS. Hands up. Who has a pair of Crocs that they wear on their cruises?,” Heald wrote below David’s message. 

The post, which has over 1,500 comments after just about 10 hours, has earned a mixed response. Many cruisers sided with David, and made their distaste for Crocs known.  

“Never owned a pair and never intend to. And I’m with OP. If you have a medical problem…ok. But I’m sure, like many other things…people that are perfectly fine will just say they have a problem,” replied one person. 

“I hate the way classic crocs look and I am sad they have made a come back,” added another user. 

On the other side of the spectrum, some responders were big fans of Crocs. 

“I pretty much live in croc flops. My son lives in crocs. IYKYK. Mind ya business!,” wrote one commenter. 

But even among those who did like Crocs, many felt that they did not belong in the main dining room – and certainly not on formal night. 

“I have multiple pairs and styles of Crocs that I wear, but I would not wear any into MDR,” one commenter asserted. 

And finally, another sector felt it was none of their business what other passengers chose to wear or found comfortable. 

“I have to say that what other people are wearing has never played a role in my cruise enjoyment. Unless it’s a lack of deodorant, abundance of perfume. That has definitely been an issue on my elevator enjoyment,” said one woman.

“How about we just don’t judge each other. What anyone else wears has no effect on me or my cruise,” added someone else. 

At the end of the day, guests should elect to wear the shoes that make them feel good. If there are any questions about dress code stipulations, it’s best to refer to the cruise line website or check with crew members onboard rather than turning to other guests – who may potentially offer strong opinions over correct information.

While Port Tampa Bay has reopened after successful inspections following Hurricane Debby’s passage, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Paradise is slightly delayed from her expected arrival for debarkation and embarking the next, now-shortened sailing.

The cruise line alerted guests on Tuesday morning, August 6, that it would be necessary to shift their arrival times to the cruise port.

Originally, Carnival Paradise was scheduled to leave for her next sailing on Monday, August 5, 2024. Because of the port’s storm-related closure, however, that sailing was delayed a full day and shortened from a 6-night to a 5-night cruise.

Now, guests have been advised of another brief delay. Text alerts and automated phone calls have been sent to all booked guests.

“For embarkation Tuesday, August 6, 2024, guests should arrive for check-in two hours later than their pre-selected terminal arrival appointments,” the notification read. “All guests must be on board by 4:00 PM for departure shortly thereafter.”

For example, if a guest had a chosen an 11-11:30 a.m. cruise terminal arrival time when they completed their check-in, their new arrival time would now be 1-1:30 p.m.

“Thank you everyone for please adhering to this request and that way we can get you on the ship ready for the brilliant crew to bring you the FUN you have been waiting for,” said John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador.

Satellite tracking data confirmed that Carnival Paradise was still approaching the cruise terminal at 9:30 a.m. Typically when cruise ships return to their homeport, they arrive alongside the dock at 5-6 a.m. for customs and immigration processing, with debarkation beginning within a couple of hours.

The nature of the further delay this morning has not been specified. It is possible that fog caused some navigational difficulties in Tampa Bay, which is common and can last for several hours.

It is also possible that the post-storm inspections took longer than initially expected, or that some minor repairs to port facilities were necessary before ships could be cleared to return.

Nevertheless, the 71,925-gross-ton, Fantasy class cruise ship is ready to welcome her next group of guests. While the cruise has been shortened and the itinerary adjusted – Mahogany Bay, Roatan is cancelled as a port of call – Carnival Paradise‘s 920 international crew members are ready to ensure everyone aboard has as much fun as possible.

Compensation Offered for Shortened Sailing

Because Carnival Paradise has been so dramatically impacted by Port Tampa Bay’s closure and the passing storm, guests are receiving significant compensation.

All travelers on what was to have been the August 5, 2024 departure (now August 6) are receiving a one-day, prorated refund of their cruise fare.

Similarly, a one-day refund of any pre-paid packages based on cruise length, including gratuities, the Cheers! or Bottomless Bubbles drink packages, and WiFi access is also being provided.

Carnival Cruise Line is also giving a $100 (USD) per stateroom onboard credit as a courtesy to all guests.

Any guests with airline change fees or non-refundable costs associated with the change in cruise departure can submit their original tickets and change fee receipts for reimbursement consideration.

Carnival Cruise Line will pay up to $200 per person for those expenses. Guests who booked airfare through the cruise line’s FLY2FUN program have had their flights changed automatically without additional charges.

Read Also: How a Hurricane Could Affect Your Cruise

Finally, if passengers are unable to sail on the now-shortened cruise, they will receive a 100% future cruise credit for the fare and a full refund of any pre-purchased items, subject to terms and conditions.

Carnival Paradise is homeported year-round from Tampa, Florida. She offers 4-, 5-, and 6-night Western Caribbean cruises, calling on Roatan, Cozumel, Belize, and Grand Cayman, depending on the cruise length and departure date.

The ship also offers occasional Bahamas itineraries, and will be one of the first ships to visit the new Celebration Key when it opens in August 2025.