With poor weather impacting a number of ships in The Bahamas and Bermuda over the weekend, several ships adjusted itineraries and port visits to steer clear of the worst swells and gusty winds.

For Carnival Sunshine, these adjustments meant a Bahamas sailing turned into a cruise to nowhere with no ports of call, but guests received excellent compensation for their radically altered cruise.

Carnival Sunshine Cancels Visit to Nassau

Carnival Sunshine is currently sailing a 4-night cruise from Charleston, South Carolina, with just one planned port of call – Nassau in The Bahamas. That visit had been scheduled for Saturday, January 14, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Guests were notified onboard, however, that the visit was not possible due to poor weather. “We are not able to visit Nassau today due to unfavorable weather that would make docking unsafe,” the letter delivered to guests said. “We know you were looking forward to your time in port and apologize for this change of plans.”

During the time Carnival Sunshine was to have been docked, Nassau was experiencing steady winds at about 20-25 miles per hour (32-40 kilometers per hour), with gusts as high as 40 mph (64 kph).

These conditions created unstable conditions on the dock, making it unsafe for guests to cross the gangway to get on or off the ship, or to walk down the dock into the downtown area.

Furthermore, many of the most popular excursions, such as snorkeling trips or dolphin encounters, would have been impossible in the choppy water.

Since the ship did not stop at the port, all shore excursions, as well as taxes and port fees, were automatically refunded to guests’ Sail & Sign accounts.

Cancelling the port of call is the second alteration to Carnival Sunshine‘s current sailing. Prior to setting sail, guests had been informed of a change in embarkation time in Charleston, and had to adjust their arrival times one hour earlier than originally planned.

Fortunately, no further delays or changes to the cruise are expected, and Carnival Sunshine should arrive back in Charleston as expected on Monday, January 16.

Compensation Offered

Because the single-port cruise has now become a cruise-to-nowhere without any port visits, Carnival Cruise Line is offering generous compensation to guests.

In addition to the automatic refunds of fees, taxes, and shore tours, guests are receiving $100 (USD) per stateroom of onboard credit, which can be used for drinks, spa treatments, specialty dining, photos, and onboard shopping. That is not the only compensation guests on this cruise are receiving, however.

“We also want you to return to experience the cruise we had intended for you,” the letter read. “So, we are extending a 50% future cruise credit for you to use towards another Carnival Cruise.” The letter was signed by the ship’s master, Captain Leonardo Contarino.

The future cruise credit (FCC) is based on the fare guests paid for this voyage, and is unable to be used for a deposit on a new cruise but can be applied to additional payments for the fare. The FCC must be redeemed by January 31, 2024, and can be used for any departure from any homeport and on any ship in the Carnival fleet.

Many Ships Impacted by Weather

Carnival Sunshine is not the only ship that has been impacted by the strong cold front that moved through The Bahamas over the weekend.

Two Royal Caribbean ships, Liberty of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas, had to skip visiting CocoCay on Saturday because of rough waves and wind gusts that made the dock unsafe.

Several other ships, including Disney Wish, Norwegian Pearl, Carnival Liberty, and Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas, also had to skip Nassau on Saturday.

Earlier in the storm’s track, Norwegian Gem had to drastically shorten its port time in Bermuda to avoid the worst weather conditions.

Poor weather can affect any cruise ship on any itinerary at any time of year. Cruise guests should always stay in touch with their cruise line for updates as their sailing date approaches, and remain flexible in their vacation expectations in case changes are necessary.

Carnival Cruise Line has reached out to guests setting sail on Carnival Sunshine on January 16, 2023, to notify them that the ship will be leaving early, and guests’ boarding times have been adjusted accordingly.

This could be troublesome for guests who planned to arrive at the port at the last minute, but there are a few days for travelers to modify their plans for an on-time arrival.

Carnival Sunshine to Leave Early

Carnival Sunshine is homeported from Charleston, South Carolina, offering a variety of roundtrip cruises to The Bahamas and the occasional longer Eastern Caribbean itinerary.

It is the January 16, 2023, departure date for a 10-night Eastern Caribbean cruise that is impacted by this departure change, and the ship will now be setting sail at 5 p.m. rather than the originally scheduled 6 p.m. sail away time.

Guests have been contacted via email about the change in time, and encouraged to recheck the cruise line’s website for their updated boarding pass and updated final boarding time.

“We have modified the departure time for your sailing and will now be leaving the Port of Charleston at 5:00 PM (ET),” the email read. “All Guests must be on board by 4:00 PM (ET).”

It is standard procedure for guests to need to be onboard the ship an hour before setting sail, so the cruise line can be sure all guests have properly completed the muster drill, all cargo and luggage are properly loaded, and the ship has appropriate clearance to depart the port.

Guests who have planned to arrive at the port at the last minute – a common tactic to avoid crowds at the terminal – will need to be especially careful to arrive at the appropriate earlier time so as not to miss the ship.

This could be troublesome if guests have booked air travel, but there are still several days to arrange for changed flights or to reserve earlier ride shares or other transportation if necessary.

Why an Earlier Departure?

Carnival Cruise Line has offered no explanation about why Carnival Sunshine must depart the port early, but it is worth noting that similar Eastern Caribbean itineraries later in 2023 already have an earlier departure time.

The May 13 and September 16 departures, for example, are scheduled to sail away at 4 p.m. The December 4 departure, however, also has a 6 p.m. departure time for a 10-night Eastern Caribbean sailing. Guests booked on that cruise may want to check with the cruise line closer to the sailing date to confirm their departure time.

The first port of call on the January 16 cruise is a visit to St. Thomas, after the ship will already have spent two days at sea. St. Thomas is the first of five ports Carnival Sunshine will visit in five consecutive days, before spending two more days at sea and returning to Charleston on Thursday, January 26.

At this time, there have been no additional changes to the ship’s itinerary, port visit times, or its planned arrival back in South Carolina.

There could be several reasons why Carnival Sunshine may need to leave early on Monday. It is possible that marine traffic conflicts at the port have required a schedule shift for the vessel, or else staffing concerns at the port might require shortened hours for port personnel.

Poor weather could also be a consideration for an earlier departure if storms are expected in the evening, but the weather forecast for Charleston on Monday has a less than 15% chance of rain throughout the day and into the evening, and only light winds – no conditions that should impact the cruise port or the ship’s ability to safely navigate from the dock.

Early departures are relatively rare for cruise ships. More often, ships are late departing due to issues such as fog delaying the ship’s return to port, as happened with three cruise ships delayed in Tampa on January 2, or crowding at the cruise terminal that delays passenger processing, as has happened recently with the new cruise terminal in Galveston.

In recent weeks, Norwegian Cruise Line has also adjusted some port departure and arrival times in the name of better fuel efficiency to lower emissions.

Because so many factors can influence a ship’s arrival and departure times, cruisers should always plan for extra time in their travels and stay in close touch with their cruise line for updated information as their sailing date approaches.