Carnival Cruise Line issued a guest advisory showing revised embarkation times for those booked on Carnival Legend’s next cruise.

The ship, which was homeported in Baltimore before this week’s tragic bridge collapse, is temporarily based in Norfolk, which has caused schedule changes and ground transportation challenges for some booked guests.

Carnival Legend Pushes Back Boarding Times

Carnival Cruise Line has alerted guests booked on Carnival Legend’s March 31, 2024 departure that embarkation times have been pushed back by two hours. This is to allow sufficient time for guests to travel to the ship’s new, temporary homeport of Norfolk, which is about 230 miles south of Baltimore and a 4-hour drive, depending on traffic.

On March 27, 2024, the cruise line announced that Carnival Legend would operate from Norfolk, since the Port of Baltimore has been closed since March 26, 2024, when the cargo ship Dali lost power and rammed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to fully collapse. The tragedy has caused the deaths of six people and shut down the fifth-largest port on the US East Coast.

Carnival Legend’s current sailing departed Baltimore on March 24, 2024, and will now conclude in Norfolk rather than Baltimore. The cruise line is providing buses to transport guests on that sailing back to Baltimore.

The embarkation advisory regarding the ship’s March 31, 2024 departure includes the new embarkation times as well as the address of the Norfolk terminal and information about parking, for those guests who intend to drive themselves to the new embarkation port.

The line also will provide limited bus service for guests who need assistance. The revised embarkation schedule shows a delay of two hours for each 30-minute time slot.

For instance, guests who were to embark between noon and 12:30 p.m. now will embark between 2 and 2:30 p.m.; those scheduled to embark between 12:30 and 1 p.m. will now board the ship between 2:30 and 3 p.m., etc. All guests must be aboard the ship in Norfolk by 7:30 p.m.

“We are making arrangements for a limited number of buses to transport guests who need assistance with transportation between Baltimore and Norfolk. Shuttle service will begin at approximately 10:30 a.m. and the final shuttle will depart Baltimore at 2:30 p.m.,” Colleen Oliverio, vice president of guest services for Carnival Cruise Line, wrote in the guest advisory.

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She added that transportation will also be available from Norfolk to Baltimore at the conclusion of the sailing. The advisory requested booked guests complete a survey indicating their interest in bus transportation. The survey was due back to the cruise line by 5 p.m. on March 28 so that an appropriate number of shuttle buses could be arranged.

The advisory included a welcome bit of news for guests — a $100 onboard credit per stateroom to assuage cruisers’ frustration with the changes.

“We know this is an unexpected change of plans and we appreciate your understanding. The entire Carnival Legend team is looking forward to welcoming you aboard for a fun and memorable cruise,” Oliverio added.

The March 31, 2024, cruise aboard Carnival Legend is a 7-day Eastern Caribbean voyage with port calls at Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; Half Moon Cay, Bahamas; and Freeport, Grand Bahama Island.

Royal Caribbean Ship Also Impacted by Port Closure

Carnival Cruise Line is not the only brand coping with the fallout at the Port of Baltimore. Royal Caribbean has one ship based at the port, the 2,416-guest Vision of the Seas, which left the port on March 23, 2024, on a 12-night Caribbean sailing. The cruise was due to return to Baltimore on April 4, 2024, but will instead conclude in Norfolk.

Also, Royal Caribbean has switched Vision of the Seas’ homeport to Norfolk, temporarily. Cruisers planning to sail on the ship’s next two 8-night Bahamas cruises, departing on April 4 and April 12, will embark and debark in Norfolk.

Carnival Cruise Line has achieved a new milestone in guest services by extending its Digital Debarkation program to every ship in its North American fleet.

North American Carnival Sailings Employ Digital Debarkation

After much anticipation, Carnival Cruise Line has released its Digital Debark program across the entire North American fleet. The release comes after successful trials and positive guest feedback on select ships.

Available via the Carnival Hub app, Digital Debark enables passengers to schedule their debarkation time, reducing crowds and wait times on the final morning of the cruise. It also provides passengers with more control over when they choose to leave the ship.

John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador, enthusiastically announced the full fleet rollout. “We now have the digital debarkation system available on every ship sailing from North America.”

Digital Debark began testing out the new service in late November on Carnival Spirit sailings from Mobile, Alabama; Carnival Conquest sailings from Miami; Carnival Dream sailings from Galveston, Texas; and Carnival Elation voyages from Jacksonville, Florida.

It was met with such success that Carnival Cruise Line expanded it to more ships in December, appearing on Carnival Sunrise out of Charlestown, South Carolina; Carnival Dream out of Galveston, Texas; and Mardi Gras out of Port Canaveral (Orlando), before expanding to Carnival Breeze out of Fort Lauderdale and Carnival Panorama out of Los Angeles.

The program has now expanded to all ships sailing from North America, including the new Carnival Jubilee out of Galveston; Carnival Pride out of Baltimore; Carnival Glory out of New Orleans; Carnival Radiance out of Long Beach, California; Carnival Miracle out of Los Angeles; and Carnival Liberty, which sails out of Port Canaveral, and Carnival Magic, out of Miami.

Carnival Firenze, which was just transferred over from Costa, and Carnival Paradise from Tampa, which just completed its dry dock, have also received the program. Carnival Freedom, which recently suffered damage from a fire that cancelled two sailings, will also feature the program when it is repaired.

How Digital Debark Works

Through the Carnival Hub app, guests can now effortlessly plan their debarkation by selecting from two options in the My Planner feature. Both options provide approximate debarkation windows.

“Express Debarkation” works for those carrying their own luggage who wish to leave the ship early, while “Checked Luggage” provides options for passengers who need assistance with handling luggage.

Express Debarkation participants are reminded that no luggage tags are required as they will handle their luggage personally. For passengers choosing the Checked Luggage option, detailed instructions guide them through the process of luggage tag collection, including how many luggage tags are needed, placement times of luggage outside staterooms, and debarkation day procedures.

Each option allows guests to choose multiple travelers needed to disembark, including a simple option of selecting all guests in the same stateroom at once, as well as a way to ask for special assistance.

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Passengers will be given a choice of disembarkation times with 20-minute windows. Upon scheduling debarkation through the app, guests receive confirmation of their chosen time slot and any necessary instructions for their selected option.

It’s important to highlight that the Digital Debark system does not alter the debarkation process for passengers entitled to priority debarkation privileges.

This group comprises Diamond and Platinum members of the cruise line’s VIFP loyalty program, guests staying in suite accommodations, and those who have opted for the Faster to Fun program. These passengers will continue to receive onboard letters detailing their specific debarkation instructions.

Due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, Carnival Cruise Line has announced it is temporarily moving its operations from the city to Norfolk. This already impacts at least one Carnival cruise ship.

Carnival Moves Operations from Baltimore to Norfolk

With the situation developing in Baltimore with the collapsed bridge, along with search and rescue operations, Carnival Cruise Line has moved its port operations to Norfolk, Virginia. This comes as all traffic through the port has been halted.

“Our thoughts remain with the impacted families and first responders in Baltimore,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

“We appreciate the pledge made by President Biden today to dedicate all available resources to reopen Baltimore Harbor to marine traffic as soon as possible. As those plans are finalized, we will update our future cruise guests on when we will return home to Baltimore, but in the meantime, we appreciate the quick response and support from officials in Norfolk,” Duffy added.

This impacts guests of the Spirit-class Carnival Legend, including those on upcoming sailings. The current sailing, which departed Baltimore on March 24, will no longer return to the homeport as originally scheduled. The vessel will now return to Norfolk instead on Sunday, March 31.

The seven-night Bahamas itinerary still features all the original calls, including Bimini on March 27 and Freeport on March 29. When the Carnival Legend docks in Norfolk, the cruise line will provide passengers with a complimentary bus back to the Port of Baltimore, which is approximately 376km north (3.49-hour ride via vehicle).

How Will Carnival Pride Be Impacted?

Like Carnival Legend, Carnival Pride could also be impacted by the aftermath of the bridge collapse. Carnival Pride, one of the oldest ships in the fleet, is scheduled to sail to Baltimore in April after it concludes a series of Western Caribbean cruises based out of Tampa, Florida.

Beginning on April 7, the 2,124-guest ship is meant to embark on a 14-night Southern Caribbean sailing that visits Aruba, Barbados, Antigua, and St. Maarten before arriving in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 21. The Spirit-Class ship is then supposed to alternate between a series of 7-night Eastern Caribbean and Bahamas cruises roundtrip from Baltimore.

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Given the severity of the damage, it’s unclear when the Baltimore Cruise Port will reopen for cruise traffic, but it could be weeks to months. As of the time of publication, Carnival has not commented on whether Carnival Pride’s future sailings will be re-routed at this time.

What Caused The Bridge Collapse?

In the early morning of Tuesday, March 26, 2024, a large shipping vessel named Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which is an integral part of the port’s infrastructure. The incident unfolded shortly after midnight when Dali deviated from its course and hit the bridge.

The video of the collision shows the 948-foot-long container ship losing power in the moments before the crash. When the lights came back on, smoke exuded from the vessel. Perhaps because the ship also lost its navigational capacities during the power outage, it immediately crashed into the bridge, which collapsed upon impact.

The cause of the incident is currently under investigation and the port is closed to cruise traffic until further notice. Search and rescue operations are also currently underway.