Guests aboard Carnival Pride en route to Bermuda have been notified that their itinerary has been shifted ahead of likely poor weather from Tropical Storm Ernesto.

While the ship will still be enjoying her Bermuda visit, the times in port will be a day earlier than originally planned just to stay safely ahead of the storm.

Carnival Pride departed Baltimore, Maryland on Sunday, August 11, 2024 for a 7-night roundtrip Bermuda sailing. The original itinerary had the ship enjoying two full days at sea before arriving at Kings Wharf, Bermuda at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, August 14, for a lengthy stay until noon on Friday, August 16.

Letters delivered to guests’ staterooms have informed everyone of a change in that schedule, however.

“In partnership with our Fleet Operations Center in Miami, we are actively monitoring a tropical depression which is moving in a north-westerly direction towards the Caribbean. Later this week, it is set to turn and travel upwards in the Atlantic, possibly impacting weather in Bermuda,” the letter explained. “To stay ahead of the storm, we have revised our plans for visiting the island.”

Carnival Pride will now arrive in Bermuda at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 13, and depart at 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 15. While this shortens the ship’s time in port by four hours, it does still provide passengers with a substantial visit to explore the unique destination.

Any shore excursions booked through Carnival Cruise Line for the ship’s time in Bermuda will be automatically revised to fit the new schedule, and guests will be notified of those adjustments.

At the new time of Carnival Pride‘s visit to Bermuda, Tropical Storm Ernesto should still be well away from the island, as it is not forecast to reach Bermuda until Saturday.

Because the wind fields of such storms can often extend well away from the center, however, it is wise for Carnival Cruise Line to accelerate the ship’s itinerary to stay well outside any potential rough weather.

“In the event we encounter any added movement to the ship, our highly trained and experienced officers and I will do everything possible to minimize any discomfort,” the letter, signed by the ship’s master Captain Renato Bendinelli, continued.

Guests are urged to take extra precautions when moving around the ship, including using handrails. If the weather worsens, crew members will also secure outside deck furniture and the outer deck areas will be closed. Nevertheless, all onboard activities and entertainment remain fully operational.

Read Also: What to Do Onboard a Cruise Ship in Bad Weather

At this time, there is no delay anticipated for Carnival Pride to return to Baltimore as planned on Sunday, August 18. Likewise, there is no deviation for the ship’s next sailing, a 14-night Greenland sailing, though that itinerary may be impacted if the tropical storm continues north once it passes Bermuda.

The 86,071-gross-ton, Spirit-class Carnival Pride can host 2,680 travelers at double occupancy, and is also home to just over 900 international crew members.

Tropical Storm Update

The tropical depression officially strengthened into Tropical Storm Ernesto on Monday afternoon, according to the latest updates from the National Hurricane Center, with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour.

The center of the storm is located approximately 530 miles east-southeast of Puerto Rico and moving west at 28 miles per hour.

Tropical storm warnings are already in effect throughout the eastern Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. The storm is expected to gradually turn to the north over the next few days, well east of the Bahamas, but eastern Caribbean cruise itineraries are already being impacted.

As the storm shifts north, it will most likely strengthen into a hurricane, though the maximum strength is yet unpredictable. The storm is expected to gradually turn back to the east late in the week, and may come very close to or even directly impact Bermuda over the coming weekend, depending on the exact track and speed.

Any cruise traveler with a Bermuda itinerary over the next few days should stay in close contact with their cruise line about updates and remain flexible with their expectations as weather-related changes are never within the cruise line’s control.

Every cruise line does, however, keep safety as the top priority and work to ensure travelers remain as comfortable as possible.

There is a famous saying that suggests bad things always come in threes – and now there have been three man overboard incidents within three days from three separate cruise lines. 

The most recent situation unfolded onboard Carnival Dream on August 9, 2024, when an unidentified crew member fell overboard at approximately 2:30 a.m. local time. 

The Dream-class vessel was located about 82 nautical miles northeast of Rio Lagartos, Mexico, at the time the employee entered the water. 

The ship, which holds up to 3,646 guests and 1,367 crew members, was on her way from Cozumel, Mexico, to Galveston, Texas, to conclude a 6-day Western Caribbean sailing, which also called on Costa Maya and Belize City. 

Quick action was taken to notify the relevant authorities to try to rescue the female crew member once it became clear she was not onboard, but she has since been declared missing at sea. 

“Carnival Cruise Line can confirm that a team member on Carnival Dream who did not report to work on Friday is presumed missing at sea. The U.S. and Mexican Coast Guards have been notified and the Carnival Care Team is in contact with her family and supporting colleagues on board,” a Carnival spokesperson told Cruise Hive. 

It’s unclear if anyone saw the crew member go overboard, and if her absence was noticed prior to her failure to report to her onboard job later in the morning. 

Without immediate action, man overboard incidents can become much more dangerous – as the current may change the person’s location, making it like searching for a needle in a haystack, or the person may have critical injuries depending on where and how they fell. 

Carnival Dream Continues Cruising

The U.S. and Mexican Coast Guards were able to assess and manage the situation, while the 130,000-gross ton ship continued to make her way back to her homeport of Galveston for an on-time disembarkation on August 10, 2024. 

“Carnival Dream arrived in Galveston as scheduled Saturday morning and is now on her next cruise. Our thoughts remain with our team member, her family and her friends and colleagues on board,” said the Carnival Spokesperson. 

She embarked the same day on an 8-day Eastern Caribbean sailing to Key West, Florida; Freeport, Bahamas; Nassau, Bahamas; and Half Moon Cay, Carnival’s private island destination in the Bahamas.

But despite the recent events of the past few days, Carnival Dream’s next guests shouldn’t worry too much about their safety.

Cruise ships are really quite safe, as modern vessels have railings and other measures in place to keep their guests safely on deck – with only around 20-30 man overboard incidents reported annually out of the millions who cruise each year.

Unfortunately, the majority of these man overboard incidents take place after someone felt the need to jump – meaning guests have to intentionally try to end up in the water. However, it’s unclear how this Carnival employee wound up in the ocean.

Read Also: Carnival Crew Member Falls From Ship During Emergency Drill

In the event someone does end up in the water, the crew members have emergency protocols in place to try to achieve the best possible outcome – and the procedures are practiced through regular drills. 

Most cruise ships also have security cameras – and many have special infrared cameras that capture body heat – that will sound the alarm if a passenger or crew member goes overboard, even if there are no witnesses around when the incident takes place. 

Along with Carnival Dream, crew members onboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Spirit and Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas have had to put their training to use during their own man overboard crises over the past few days. 

On August 8, a Taiwanese cruise guest tragically died after falling overboard from Norwegian Spirit while the ship was en route to the port of Keelung (Chilung), Taiwan. 

Despite immediately launching lifeboats and coordinating with the local coast guard, the male passenger was not able to be saved and was pronounced dead at the scene. 

On August 9 – the same day the Carnival crew member went missing – a passenger onboard Explorer of the Seas fell into the Adriatic Sea, east of the Croatian island of Vis. 

The Voyager-class cruise ship turned around to remain at the scene and help with the search, but as of now, the missing guest has not been found. 

Cruise guests boarding Carnival Vista for an 8-night Southern Caribbean itinerary learned as they embarked the ship on Saturday, August 10, 2024 that they will not, in fact, be visiting the planned ports of call.

Text messages were sent to guests in the early afternoon – even as some passengers were already onboard – about the change of plans.

Carnival Vista is due to depart Port Canaveral on a Southern Caribbean cruise with visits scheduled for Aruba, Curacao, and Grand Turk. Due to mechanical problems, however, the planned itinerary is no longer possible.

“The ship is experiencing an issue that is affecting its maximum cruising speed. Our engineers are working on a repair plan,” the text notification read. “While we will be able to sail, it is necessary for us to revise our itinerary.”

Instead of her Southern Caribbean destinations, the 133,596-gross-ton Carnival Vista will instead enjoy a Bahamas itinerary with stops to Nassau, Princess Cays, Freeport, and Half Moon Cay. The exact times of those visits are still being determined.

By visiting the Bahamas instead of the Southern Caribbean, Carnival Vista can travel at a much slower speed. This will allow onboard engineers to work on the ship’s propulsion system while the vessel is still moving, as individual engines can be taken out of service for repair work. Furthermore, longer time in port may permit additional technical work during the cruise.

Guests are being provided with options and compensation. All travelers who choose to remain on Carnival Vista to enjoy the modified cruise will receive a $400 (USD) onboard credit per stateroom.

Carnival Cruise Line stated to Cruise Hive: “Due to a technical issue affecting the ship’s cruising speed, Carnival Vista has revised the itinerary for its eight-day Southern Caribbean cruise departing Saturday from Port Canaveral.

“The ship will sail a revised itinerary visiting Nassau; Princess Cays; Freeport; and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas.  We have communicated directly with guests on board regarding their options for the sailing.  We appreciate their understanding and sincerely apologize for the necessary change,” Carnival added.

If passengers prefer to disembark instead, they will receive a 100% future cruise credit of their cruise fare, along with a full refund for pre-purchased items such as prepaid gratuities, drink packages, or internet access.

As a matter of course, all guests will receive a full refund of any pre-paid shore excursions booked through Carnival Cruise Line for the now-cancelled calls to Aruba, Curacao, and Grand Turk.

Guests who do set sail on the Bahamas cruise will be able to book appropriate tours through the Carnival Hub app or at the Carnival Adventures desk portside on Deck 3 in the Vista Lobby.

Details of the technical problem impacting the ship’s cruising speed have not been announced, but guests on the previous sailing have noted on social media that the ship seemed to arrive at Port Canaveral later than expected.

While Carnival Vista was to have departed Port Canaveral at 4 p.m. on Saturday to head for Aruba, satellite tracking data shows the ship still docked more than two hours after that departure time.

Furthermore, her destination is now listed as Nassau, arriving at 10 a.m. on Monday, August 12, indicating a full day at sea before she will arrive at the capital of the Bahamas, just 310 miles from Port Canaveral.

Read Also: What Is Wrong With Carnival’s Vista Class Ships?

It should be noted that only the ship’s propulsion is impacted at this time. All onboard services are functioning properly, including hotel, restaurant, and entertainment operations, including all the ship’s amenities.

This is not the first time the lead ship of the troubled Vista class has had propulsion difficulties. The ship has had engine trouble several times over the years, including in 2016, 2019, and 2022.

Guest Reactions

Passengers onboard Carnival Vista are obviously distressed at such a dramatic itinerary change, especially as Southern Caribbean itineraries are quite rare and sought after as bucket-list sailings. Many guests booked this specific sailing for the opportunity to visit Aruba.

Furthermore, Southern Caribbean cruises are often much higher priced than Bahamas sailings. The onboard credit compensation does not necessarily make up for the price difference, especially for families.

Some guests are most upset at the timing, believing that Carnival Cruise Line should have provided notification sooner, before travelers made their way to the homeport. It is unclear, however, how recently these propulsion problems may have developed.

Another strong complaint is the idea that Carnival must have “known” about the change earlier, but chose to purposefully wait until guests had embarked before making the change announcement.

What is more likely, however, is that the cruise line waited to make the announcement until new port plans were in place, in order to provide guests with as much information as possible.

Not all reactions are negative, however. Some travelers note that there is no “bad” day on a cruise, and with at least some passengers debarking, the ship will be less crowded and will have shorter lines.

The opportunity to visit two private islands – Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays – is also exciting to some travelers, and certainly creates a unique cruise experience.

If you were onboard this sailing, would you happily set sail for the Bahamas or would you leave the ship? Share your thoughts on the Cruise Hive boards!