After a two-day closure that forced cruise lines to delay returns to port and cancel voyages, Port Canaveral has reopened today, October 11, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. local time, returning to normal operations.
The US Coast Guard Captain of the Port lifted all restrictions, allowing waterside and landside activities to proceed.
“As of 11:30 AM, the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port has set Port Condition Four for Port Canaveral. The Port is OPEN with NO restrictions. Waterside and landside operations are normal,” Port Canaveral shared.
However, the Port’s Jetty Park day-use areas and beach will reopen on October 12, while the Jetty Park Campground and Fishing Pier will remain closed until further notice.
Port Canaveral, which serves as a key homeport for Orlando and Central Florida, closed on October 9, 2024, ahead of Hurricane Milton’s arrival. It remained closed after the storm for an “assessment of the roadways and waterway.”
The closure had a ripple effect on several cruise itineraries, including Disney Cruise Line’s October 11, 2024, “Halloween on the High Seas” cruise on Disney Wish, which was cancelled.
The 3-night Bahamas itinerary, which included stops at Nassau and the Disney’s Castaway Cay, was fully refunded, with impacted passengers receiving a 20 percent discount on future sailings.
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MSC Cruises also faced disruptions, with MSC Seashore’s October 10, 2024, return to the port delayed. The ship’s subsequent 3-night Bahamas cruise was cancelled, and the line provided full refunds to booked guests.
Guests onboard the current voyage, which departed on October 6, 2024, to Nassau and the cruise line’s Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, remained at sea longer than planned while waiting for the port to reopen.
Royal Caribbean’s fleet also encountered itinerary changes. Utopia of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas, each initially slated to return on October 11, 2024, rescheduled their arrivals to October 12 due to the delayed port reopening.
This impacted the ship’s following cruises. Utopia of the Seas’ 3-night cruise to the Bahamas is now slated to depart on October 13, 2024. Its Nassau stop has been removed from the revised itinerary, and the ship will sail only to the cruise line’s private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Adventure of the Seas’ 8-night voyage to the Southern Caribbean has been pushed back to October 12, with a call to Willemstad in Curacao removed from the lineup. The ship will sail directly to Oranjestad, Aruba; Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic; and Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Meanwhile, Wonder of the Seas, which adjusted its route mid-cruise due to the storm, is set to return to Port Canaveral on October 13, 2024, as scheduled. Its subsequent sailing is also not impacted and will enjoy its full 7-night Eastern Caribbean schedule.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Glory, originally scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on October 11, plans to dock on October 12, 2024. The lengthened return also led to adjustments for the subsequent sailing, a 3-night cruise to the Bahamas.
Welcoming Back Homeported Ships
With operations underway, the second busiest port in Florida can now accommodate the 10 ships homeporting at Port Canaveral, which carry more than 39,000 passengers.
For Carnival Cruise Line, this means Carnival Freedom, Mardi Gras, Carnival Vista, and Carnival Glory will be back on schedule next week, and Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Fantasy and Disney Wish will resume their Halloween-themed voyages.
MSC Cruises MSC Seashore and Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, Utopia of the Seas, and Adventure of the Seas will also return to normal operations starting next week.
