Carnival Glory is having an inglorious cruise indeed as every port of call on the current 4-night Bahamas itinerary has been cancelled. With no ability to schedule alternative ports, the ship has ended up at sea for the entire sailing.
The 110,000-gross-ton, Conquest class ship departed Port Canaveral, Florida on Monday, March 3, 2025 in anticipation of a fun Bahamas getaway.
Unfortunately, poor weather had other ideas and the ship has been unable to make either of her two planned ports of call – Nassau on Tuesday, March 4 and Princess Cays on Wednesday, March 5.
High winds and heavy swells in Nassau early in the week meant the ship could not safely navigate to the docks for that port visit. Princess Cays, on the other hand, is a tender port that requires the use of smaller boats to shuttle guests between the larger cruise ship and the docks.
With heavy swells remaining in the area on Wednesday, it was not safe or advisable for tender boats to be used. The gangways would have been too unstable, and the short boat ride between the ship and the docks would have been very unpleasant even for guests with the strongest seagoing stomachs.
The ship’s captain as well as Carnival Cruise Line fleet headquarters attempted to arrange for a visit to Freeport on Thursday. As Carnival Glory approached the port however, it became clear that the weather conditions were still too rough for safe docking, and the ship turned back out to sea.
Because Carnival Glory is due to return to Port Canaveral on Friday, March 7, there will be no other port attempts and no substitute or alternative ports are possible.
Instead, the entire sailing has become a cruise to nowhere with travelers enjoying every day of the voyage at sea.
Guest Reaction Onboard
Well, maybe “enjoying” is too strong a word – at least for some travelers.
Some guests currently aboard Carnival Glory report on Reddit a lot of upset travelers and long lines at the Guest Services desk on Deck 3 (Lobby Deck).
“All three ports being canceled seems to have EVERYONE fuming on our side of the boat,” one poster commented. “Neighbors and people walking around me angry and heading to guest services to demand refunds.”
This is quite the difference from the reaction aboard Carnival Pride, which is also missing a port visit today.
While it is understandable that guests would be upset at missing every port visit on the sailing, Carnival Cruise Line does reserve the right to cancel or change any voyage at any time for any reason, as outlined in Section 8(d) of the Cruise Ticket Contract.
“Carnival may change the duration and/or itinerary of the cruise at any time,” the contract reads.
This includes the ability to “omit or change any or all port calls … with or without notice, for any reason whatsoever” including poor weather and general safety.
An unstable ship, excessively windy or slippery docks, and the risks of pier damage or damage to the ship itself, certain qualifies as a safety concern.
Furthermore, while some cruise lines do occasionally offer some onboard credit or other compensation in the case of multiple port changes, Carnival Cruise Line is not obligated to do so.
“Carnival shall have no liability for any compensation or other damages in such circumstances for any change in itinerary [or] ports of call,” the contract continues.
Read Also: What to Do Onboard a Cruise Ship in Bad Weather
When bad weather disrupts a cruise and cancels ports of call, the onboard team tries to add extra activities, games, and contests to the daily schedule so there is something fun for everyone to do.
Guests onboard Carnival Glory should check the Carnival Hub app and listen to onboard announcements to learn what extra fun is being offered throughout the day, as new activities will be offered as soon as they can be arranged.
At this time, there are no expected changes to the ship’s return to Port Canaveral for debarkation on Friday, and there should be no impact to Carnival Glory‘s next sailing.
