Key Aspects:
- Carnival Radiance will not visit Cabo San Lucas as planned on Friday, October 9 but will instead return directly to Long Beach, California.
- The cancelled port visit is due to the forecast track of Tropical Storm Rachel which the ship has to cross in order to return to the US.
- By cancelling the visit, Carnival Radiance can stay ahead of the roughest weather and return to Long Beach for debarkation on Sunday, October 11 on schedule.
Carnival Radiance will not be visiting her last port of call on the current 8-night Mexican Riviera sailing due to the influence of Tropical Storm Rachel and Tropical Storm Simon, both currently churning away in the eastern Pacific and impacting the Mexican coast.
Because the storms’ trajectory could cause rough sailing for the 2,984-guest ship, Carnival Cruise Line has opted to cancel the planned port visit to Cabo San Lucas that was to have been on Friday, October 9, 2026 from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This was to have been the last port visit for Carnival Radiance’s current itinerary.
The ship departed Long Beach, California on Saturday, October 3, and has already visited Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and La Paz.
Now, however, overall weather conditions and forecasted tracks, particularly for Tropical Storm Rachel, do not make it safe or comfortable for the voyage to continue as planned. Instead, Carnival Radiance will be heading straight back to California.
“The visit to Cabo San Lucas has been cancelled for Friday, October 9. The ship is expected to return to Long Beach as scheduled for Sunday, 10/11/2026,” Carnival Cruise Line’s weather update for 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 8, confirmed.
While this news will be disappointing to guests onboard who were hoping to enjoy Cabo San Lucas on Friday, it will also be reassuring to those expecting to board the ship on Sunday, as it means their sailing is not likely to be delayed unless there are further changes. At this time, there is no indication that any further adjustments will be necessary.
Tropical Storm Rachel Update
While Tropical Storm Simon’s waves will likely reach Cabo San Lucas, their impact will be relatively minor as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects that storm to make landfall on the Mexican mainland more than 300 miles away from the Baja Peninsula. Any impact to Cabo San Lucas would not likely arrive until Sunday morning.
Instead, it is the track of Tropical Storm Rachel (previously a Category 3 hurricane but now downgraded) that is of more concern to Carnival Radiance.
According to the 2 p.m. (PDT) storm update on Thursday, October 8, Tropical Storm Rachel is currently located about 935 miles west of Cabo San Lucas and is moving west-northwest at three miles per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. A sharp turn to the northeast is expected on Friday and Saturday.
The storm will not directly impact the port and there are no coastal watches or warnings currently in effect, but they may be implemented later on Thursday evening. Nevertheless, the storm’s track does head toward the peninsula over the weekend, directly into the path Carnival Radiance must take to return to southern California. Tropical Storm Rachel’s center is expected to be closest to the coast late Saturday evening.
Read Also: Every Cruise Ship Impacted by Tropical Storm Rachel So Far
By cancelling the port visit to Cabo San Lucas and heading directly back to the US, the cruise ship will be able to move through the storm’s forecast path well ahead of the worst expected weather.
AIS tracking shows Carnival Radiance still docked in La Paz, as the ship is not scheduled to depart until 6 p.m. local time.
Carnival Cruise Line has not confirmed any further itinerary updates for the two other ships sailing from Long Beach at this time, Carnival Firenze and Carnival Panorama. Neither vessel is far enough south in their current itineraries to be impacted by Tropical Storm Rachel.
