Key Aspects:

• A recent Carnival Cruise Line guest made the mistake of flying to their cruise port on embarkation day.
• Due to flight delays, they missed their flight and went through 24 hours of angst before they were able to meet the ship during a port call.
• The guest shared what they learned during the stressful experience in case it might help others who find themselves in the same unfortunate situation.

If you’re thinking about flying to your cruise port on embarkation day, please heed my warning that this is never a good idea.

At best, your cruise will start with a ton of stress (which really defeats the purpose of a vacation), and at worst, you might miss your cruise ship entirely.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to one recent Carnival guest who missed embarkation for their recent British Isles sailing after flight delays ruined their attempt to fly into the port on the first day of their sailing.

“We recently got back from the British Isles cruise and due to poor planning we missed embarkation day…We foolishly tried to fly in day if and due to flight delays, our window of time between landing and the bus leaving the airport was not enough time,” they admitted on Reddit.

Commendably, the cruiser did take accountability for their mistake, before trying to educate others on what happened next should they ever find themselves in the same boat (pun intended).

This guest was able to join the unspecified Carnival ship during a later port call in Cobh-Cork, Ireland, but spent a stressful 24 hours in limbo trying to work out the details first.

As far as dealing with the cruise line, their best tips were to save proof of the flight delays and ask for a supervisor sooner than they did.

“It wasn’t until the 3rd call that I got to speak to a supervisor. They did not give me a direct phone number, but I did get an email,” they said.

“Once I got an email, communication updates became easier and whenever I spoke to a new customer service representative, I was able to say who I emailed and it was easier to get updates.”

They were ultimately very laudatory about the quality of the customer service they received from the cruise line during this stressful situation.

Missing a Cruise Ship: What You Don’t Think About

One lesson that this guest learned, which we can all take to heart, is that having physical copies of important documents like passports, cruise ship boarding passes, and visas is absolutely essential.

In the age of smartphones, many people opt for digital documents, which can lead to delays in this type of scenario.

“Make sure you have all your boarding documents and passports. 2 of the folks traveling in our party forgot their printed boarding documents and it held everything up when trying to board and it was an unnecessary stressor,” the recent guest explained.

During disembarkation, the passenger and their group also had to go through extra steps with Customs and Border Control because they didn’t go through the normal identity verification process on day one.

This means their group also was not eligible for express or self-assisted disembarkation, which is the fastest way to depart and often a must for passengers with an early flight home.

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Additionally, guests who fail to arrive at the cruise terminal on time are responsible for making their own arrangements and paying their own way if they are given the green light to meet up with their ship later.

Travel insurance may help cover the expenses depending on the policy, but guests may first need to shell out a good chunk of change for hotels and last minute transportation before being reimbursed.

Guests also cannot expect to be refunded any of their cruise fare, as their tardiness is at no fault of the cruise line.

Of course, the most cost efficient option is to never miss your cruise ship in the first place. Arriving in your port city at least one day early (unless you already live there) is always a good rule of thumb.

It is always a sad and tragic situation when a cruise guest passes away, and it was doubly sad on Celebration Key on Friday, August 15, 2025 with two separate drowning incidents less than one month after the port opened.

Lifeguards and emergency personnel at Carnival Cruise Line’s private Bahamian destination responded immediately to both situations, but in each case, the guests sadly passed away.

While little information has been released at this time, the cruise line did supply a statement to Cruise Hive confirming the individual events.

“Our lifeguards and medical team responded to two separate water emergency incidents at Celebration Key on Friday — one in the lagoon and one at the beach. Sadly, both guests have passed away,” Carnival confirmed.

According to Our News Bahamas, both guests were American citizens. One was a 79-year-old man, the other a 74-year-old woman.

One guest was snorkeling from the beach, while the other passed while enjoying one of the port’s freshwater lagoons. It is not clear whether the incident happened in the family-friendly Starfish Lagoon or the more laid back, adult-friendly Oasis Lagoon.

No further information about either guest has been released, though Carnival Cruise Line and Bahamian authorities are undoubtedly conducting a full investigation into each incident.

It is possible that each drowning may have been precipitated by medical incidents, or the guests may have overreached their own capabilities while in the water.

Worth Reading: Local Authorities Provide Update on Celebration Key Incidents

Two ships, Mardi Gras and Carnival Elation, were visiting Celebration Key on Friday. The cruise line has noted that one guest was from each vessel.

“One guest was sailing with family on Mardi Gras and one guest was sailing with family on Carnival Elation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the guests and their families and our Care Team is providing assistance,” the statement read.

It is not known which guest was a passenger on which ship.

Carnival Elation is currently sailing a 4-night Bahamas itinerary from Jacksonville, Florida. The ship departed on Thursday, August 14, and was at Celebration Key from 2:30-8:30 p.m. on Friday. The private port was the ship’s first destination on the cruise.

Meanwhile, Mardi Gras is sailing a 6-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary that departed Port Canaveral on Sunday, August 10. The visit to Celebration Key from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. was the Excel-class ship’s last port for the voyage.

Both ships have continued on their sailings. Cruise Hive’s thoughts are with the family members, friends, and crews aboard both vessels at this very difficult time.

Drownings Do Happen on Cruise Vacations

These are not only drowning incidents reported recently. On Friday, August 8, an elderly Vietnamese couple tragically drowned on Milos in Greece amidst strong winds and rough waves.

Though the couple was not swimming at the time, the woman was knocked into the water by the winds and the man jumped after her in a rescue attempt. Sadly, both individuals passed.

Drownings can happen when travelers overestimate their swimming abilities or are unfamiliar with currents, waves, and other factors as they enjoy tropical destinations.

In September 2023, a 26-year-old guest drowned on MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve, MSC Cruises’ private island in the Bahamas. It is possible an underlying medical condition was a factor in that incident.

In May 2023, a guest aboard Carnival Splendor drowned while swimming at Mystery Island in Vanuatu. A medical incident was believed to contribute to that tragic situation as well.

Cruise guests should always be cautious about their swimming abilities in unfamiliar waters and be sure to swim with companions in case of an emergency.

Key Aspects:

• Carnival Sunshine has changed its itinerary to skip Bermuda and will visit the Bahamas instead, remaining well away from Hurricane Erin.
• Carnival Cruise Line continues to monitor the storm closely and will alert guests on other ships if itinerary adjustments are necessary.
• Vision of the Seas and Disney Treasure have likewise confirmed changes to remain away from the Category 4 storm.

Guests boarding Carnival Sunshine on Sunday, August 17, 2025 in Norfolk, Virginia will not be taking the Bermuda cruise they expected.

Instead, the ship will be heading to the Bahamas to steer clear of Hurricane Erin, which has quickly strengthened to a Category 4 storm.

Carnival Cruise Line reached out to guests to alert them to the change. Now, the ship will visit both Celebration Key and Nassau instead.

“The team at our Fleet Operations Center in Miami is working with the captains on our ships to monitor Hurricane Erin,” the cruise line explained.

“Due to the storm’s forecasted path, Carnival Sunshine has canceled its Bermuda calls on August 20 and 21. The ship will instead visit Celebration Key on August 19 and Nassau on August 20 before returning to Norfolk as scheduled on August 23.”

Any pre-booked shore tours for Bermuda should be automatically cancelled and refunded. Tour options for Celebration Key and Nassau will be available through the Carnival Hub app as well as onboard at the Carnival Adventures Desk on Deck 3 (Lobby Deck), portside near the Sunshine Atrium.

Worth Reading: Another Two Carnival Cruise Ships Forced to Adjust Due to Hurricane Erin

To be clear, there is no change in the ship’s departure from Norfolk on Sunday nor her return at the end of the 6-night cruise.

Safety is always the top consideration and Carnival Cruise Line will continue monitoring Hurricane Erin for possible impacts to different ships in the coming days.

“Safety is our priority, and we will continue to track the storm, factor in guidance from the National Hurricane Center, U.S. Coast Guard and local port authorities to provide timely updates,” the cruise line emphasized.

“Guests on upcoming sailings are encouraged to opt in to text alerts during check-in and monitor their email for potential updates from Carnival.”

Carnival Sunshine (formerly Carnival Destiny) is homeported from Norfolk year-round offering 6- and 8-night sailings to Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Eastern Caribbean. The ship can welcome 3,000 passengers aboard and is also home to more than 1,100 crew members.

Hurricane Erin Update

Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified overnight on Friday and throughout Saturday. As of the 8 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, she is a major Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour.

This is just shy of the 157 mph designation for a Category 5 hurricane.

Currently located 150 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the storm is moving west at 15 mph. She is expected to begin a northwest turn on Sunday, then steer even further north early next week.

“The center of Erin is expected to move just north of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico through Sunday, and pass to the east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas Sunday night and Monday,” the forecast discussion reads.

Hurricane-force winds are being felt as far as 30 miles from the storm’s eye, while tropical storm winds extend up to 185 miles.

This means that even far from the storm, the impact of strong winds and waves is likely to disrupt cruise ships and port operations.

Carnival Sunshine is now the third ship to confirm itinerary changes to stay well away from Hurricane Erin. Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas sailing from Baltimore adjusted her itinerary several days ago to avoid Bermuda.

Disney Treasure has also completely changed her itinerary this coming week from an Eastern Caribbean sailing to a Western Caribbean route to remain far from the storm.

Additional ships may have changes over the next few days and booked guests should stay alert for notifications from their cruise lines.

Key Aspects:

• The Royal Bahamas Police has released an updated statement on the two deaths at Celebration Key on Friday, August 15.
• The two incidents were not related and the guests were from different ships, Mardi Gras and Carnival Elation.
• The investigations continue and full autopsies will be performed to determine the exact causes of death.

Carnival cruise fans were shocked to learn of two guests passing on the same day at Celebration Key on Friday, August 15, 2025. Now, local authorities have provided more details about the incidents.

The Royal Bahamas Police on Grand Bahama has issued a release about the pair of drownings. It is important note that these were separate, unrelated incidents.

Official investigations are standard procedure and seek to determine if all proper safety protocols were followed.

The first incident occurred just before noon when a 79-year-old male guest was found unresponsive while snorkeling at the beach.

“A lifeguard assisted him from the water, and CPR was administered, but to no avail,” the report clarified.

The second incident was just after 2:30 p.m. when a 74-year-old woman was found unresponsive in the island’s large freshwater pool, which Carnival Cruise Line calls a “lagoon.”

Again, the woman was assisted from the water and CPR was performed, but without success.

Both guests have been reported as American citizens. Carnival Cruise Line previously confirmed that one guest from each ship at Celebration Key that day, Mardi Gras and Carnival Elation.

“One guest was sailing with family on Mardi Gras and one guest was sailing with family on Carnival Elation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the guests and their families and our Care Team is providing assistance,” Carnival Cruise Line stated.

Mardi Gras was in port from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., while Carnival Elation was in port from 2-8 p.m.

There has been much social media speculation about the exact causes of death for each guest, such as a heart attack or an aneurysm. To be clear, these are unconfirmed speculations, as final investigations have not yet been completed.

“An autopsy will be performed on both victims to assist with determining the exact cause of death,” the police report reads. “The investigation continues in both matters.”

Medical emergencies such as heart attacks, strokes, and aneurysms can impact guests in different ways. Because both guests were in the water, any emergency could immediately impact breathing and muscle activity, resulting in drowning.

Further details about the individuals, including names and other identifying information, are unlikely to be released in order to protect their privacy as well as the privacy of their family members and traveling parties.

Both Mardi Gras and Carnival Elation have continued on their itineraries, a 6-night Eastern Caribbean cruise and a 4-night Bahamas sailing, respectively.

Is Celebration Key or Carnival Cruise Line at Fault?

Emergency medical incidents can happen absolutely everywhere, from theme parks and sporting events to concerts, at the grocery store, at home, or yes, even on cruise ships or their private islands.

Read Also: Do Cruise Ships Have Morgues?

Carnival Cruise Line’s lifeguards and emergency personnel reacted to each incident immediately, implementing appropriate responses and lifesaving measures. It is a sad outcome that such responses were unable to save either guest.

This is not the first time cruise guests have passed while enjoying port visits. Similar incidents have happened at MSC Cruises’ MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve, at Mystery Island in Vanuatu, and on the Greek island of Milos, among others.

Each incident is a tragic event for the families involved, as well as a sad and troubling day for other cruise guests and crew members.

Cruise Hive’s thoughts are with everyone impacted by such incidents, wherever and whenever they happen. Cruise vacations should always be fun and filled with good memories, not tragic endings.