Hurricane Helene Forces Cruise Delays and Port Closures in Florida
Doug Parker
- September 26, 2024
As Hurricane Helene strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico, several cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, and Royal Caribbean, are experiencing disruptions.
Both companies have had to delay ships returning to Florida ports as the storm approaches, and several embarkation and itinerary changes are now in effect.
Carnival Ships Remain at Sea
Carnival Cruise Line’s two smallest ships, Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise , have both had their return delayed due to the closure of their homeports. Carnival Elation, homeported in Jacksonville, and Carnival Paradise, based in Tampa, are safely staying at sea to avoid the storm.
Guests booked on the following sailings of each ship, originally scheduled to depart on Thursday, September 26, have been informed that their cruises will not operate as planned.
We expect updates on when these ships can return and new sailing dates by 1 p.m. on Thursday, September 26.
The cruise line is closely monitoring the storm and awaiting post-storm port inspections to determine when operations can resume. Once the situation becomes clearer, compensation details will also be shared.
Royal Caribbean Ships Also Delayed
Royal Caribbean is also dealing with several disruptions. Serenade of the Seas, currently homeported in Tampa, is extending its voyage by two days due to the closure of Port Tampa Bay.
Read More: Serenade of the Seas Completes World Cruise
The ship will return on Sunday, September 29, and guests are compensated with complimentary Wi-Fi, drink package discounts, loyalty points, and reimbursement for altered flight plans. This delay has a cascading effect on the next cruise, which will now embark later but still conclude as initially scheduled on October 6.
Sailing from Port Canaveral, Utopia of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas are experiencing delays. Utopia of the Seas will return later than planned, with embarkation for its next sailing adjusted to start at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, September 27.
Adventure of the Seas will also be delayed due to the port’s closure but expects no changes to its itinerary.
MSC Seashore , based in Port Canaveral, will return a day late and arrive Friday when the port reopen s.
Port Closures and Hurricane Path
Jacksonville Port Authority and Port Tampa Bay closed to cruise traffic on the evening of September 25, as the U.S. Coast Guard set Port Condition Zulu, indicating gale-force winds were expected within 12 hours.
Port Canaveral is also closed, and delays are expected through the weekend. The hurricane’s extensive wind field means many areas will experience impacts even if the storm doesn’t make direct landfall.
Hurricane Helene is forecast to strengthen as it approaches the Florida coast, possibly reaching Category 3 or 4 intensity by landfall.
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Carnival Updates Status of Ships Affected by Helene
- September 27, 2024
In a new statement shared on its website, Carnival Cruise Line updated the status of ships in its fleet that were affected by Hurricane Helene.
According to the company, eight vessels needed to change their itineraries due to the tropical storm, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this week.
“Overnight, Hurricane Helene made landfall in northern Florida, and our Fleet Operations Center in Miami continues to actively monitor the situation,” Carnival said.
“As always, the safety of our guests and crew remains our priority and our ships are sailing a safe distance from unfavorable weather caused by the storm,” the cruise line added.
After having a visit to Cozumel canceled on Tuesday, the Carnival Paradise is set to return to its homeport in Tampa today.
“The ship is in position to sail back to Port Tampa Bay when clearance is received, once the port reopens and a post-storm assessment is completed,” the company said, noting that the vessel was initially set to return to Florida on Thursday.
Paradise’s upcoming cruise is delayed, Carnival added. Additional details about operational plans for the ship and options for the guests are set to be released soon.
“The Carnival Elation was not able to return to its homeport of Jacksonville on Thursday, September 26. The ship is in position to sail back to JAXPort when clearance is received, once the port reopens and a post-storm assessment is completed,” the company explained.
Originally a four-night cruise, Elation’s upcoming sailing will now operate as a three-night cruise to Freeport departing today.
The Carnival Glory was delayed by a several hours on its return to Port Canaveral, docking early afternoon on Friday.
Operating short cruises, the Carnival Sunrise arrived at PortMiami as scheduled Thursday but remained docked until weather conditions improved early Friday.
The delay is not expected to affect the itinerary of the vessel’s upcoming cruise, Carnival said, with a visit to Half Moon Cay on Saturday set to take place as planned.
Other four ships, the Carnival Freedom, the Carnival Valor, the Carnival Breeze and the Carnival Horizon, made minor changes to their itineraries, canceling or replacing ports of call in the Western Caribbean and the Bahamas.
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- Hurricane Helene forces CCL-Carnival to reroute multiple cruise...
Hurricane Helene forces CCL-Carnival to reroute multiple cruise ships
As Hurricane Helene approaches the Gulf of Mexico and Florida, several cruise lines have announced itinerary adjustments in response to the storm’s potential impact.
CCL-Carnival Cruise Line has modified the schedules of 5 vessels, according to a recent update.
Affected CCL ships include Carnival Paradise , Carnival Valor , Carnival Breeze , and Carnival Horizon , all of which canceled planned calls at Cozumel . Additionally, Carnival Horizon canceled a visit to Grand Cayman .
To accommodate these changes, Carnival Paradise was rerouted to Costa Maya (Tuesday, September 24th), while Carnival Horizon will visit Amber Cove Dominicana (Thursday, September 26th).
Carnival Valor, with no alternative port options, returns to Port NOLA New Orleans .
Helene's approach may also impact USA port schedules.
Carnival Paradise is slated to dock in Tampa Bay Florida , and Carnival Elation is scheduled for Jacksonville FL , though their returns could be delayed by the storm’s path.
On Florida’s Atlantic coast, Port Canaveral remains operational, but the US Coast Guard has set Port Condition "X-RAY" as a precaution, indicating normal operations with the expectation of future updates as Helene nears.
Hurricane Helene is forecast to make landfall in Florida late Thursday.
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