Due to a strong east coast storm, the Carnival Pride won’t be arriving back into her homeport until a day later and impacting the following cruise.
Carnival Pride Delayed and Port of Call Canceled
The Carnival cruise ship which should already be ending a 14-day Caribbean cruise has been forced to remain at sea due to a strong U.S. east coast storm. The ship is sailing at a reduced speed behind the storm and as a result, is not able to arrive back at her homeport in Baltimore as scheduled on Sunday morning.
We did a post about this developing news yesterday but now there has been a new update from Carnival Cruise Line and the Coast Guard.
Even though Cape Henry has been reopened by the Coast Guard the storm which is currently impacting parts of the US northeastern coast is blocking the vessel from returning back as scheduled. Guests on the current cruise are having an extra day at sea and those scheduled to embark on the next cruise will have an altered itinerary which is one day less.
Here are the details which the Miami-based cruise line has sent out to guests for the next sailing which was supposed to depart Baltimore on Sunday:
Dear Carnival Pride Guest,
We have an update for you regarding the ship’s return to Baltimore and our plans for your cruise.
We have been informed by the U.S. Coast Guard that Cape Henry has reopened. Due to strong winds and high swells, Carnival Pride continues to cruise at a reduced speed in order to stay safely behind the storm.
The ship is expected to return to port Monday morning. We will operate a six day cruise to Nassau and Freeport, on scheduled days (Princess Cays will be canceled).
We sincerely apologize for this disruption to your vacation plans. Guests will receive a one day prorated refund of their cruise fare and any pre-purchased gratuities, beverage and Wi-Fi packages. Refunds will be processed to the original form of payment within three weeks. Additionally, pre-purchased Carnival shore excursions, as well as the taxes, fees and port expenses for Princess Cays, will be automatically refunded to your Sail & Sign account.
Please make plans to arrive for embarkation on Monday within the Arrival Appointments you had pre-selected. All guests must be on board by 4:00 PM. We will depart shortly after embarkation is completed.
Our team will contact guests who purchased flights via our Fly2Fun program to reschedule their arrangements. Any guests with independent air may present this letter to their airline carrier in case it is helpful in mitigating any change fees.
We know how much you are looking forward to your cruise and regret this unexpected change. Should you wish to cancel and receive a 100% future cruise credit, you may do so by calling 1-800-CARNIVAL.*
Thank you for your patience and understanding. Carnival Pride’s officers, staff and crew are looking forward to welcoming you on board.
Carnival Pride is currently off the South Carolina Coast keeping guests and crew safe behind the storm. Winds are up to around 40 MPH which is also causing heavy rainfall and high swells.
The 7-day sailing which was scheduled to depart on Sunday will now change to a 6-day itinerary which will only include calls to Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas. The call to the private destination of Princess Cays which is also in the Bahamas has been canceled.
You can find out all about the Carnival Pride cruise ship right here.
This will no doubt cause issues with travel plans for thousands of guests with changing flights and hotel arrangements. Those embarking on Monday are being told to do so as normal and they will be receiving refunds for the reduced itinerary. Shore excursions will be refunded which were booked through the cruise line too.
Any guests wanting to cancel their cruise will receive a 100% future cruise credit with Carnival Cruise Line. The cruise line has also apologized for the changes.
Carnival Pride is 88,500 gross tons and has a guest capacity of over 2,100 at double occupancy. Passengers onboard right now are experiencing terrible weather conditions and we do hope everyone can still enjoy their cruise.
The storm is also impacting two Royal Caribbean cruise ships which you can read about here.
