While thousands of cruise passengers await word about their upcoming cruises over the next few days as now-Hurricane Milton stays on course for Florida, Carnival Cruise Line has issued its first itinerary change – for a cruise not going anywhere near the Gulf of Mexico.
The change is for the Sunday, October 6, 2024 departure of Carnival Pride, a 7-night Bermuda sailing roundtrip from Baltimore, Maryland.
In anticipation of Hurricane Milton’s course and intensity after crossing the Florida peninsula, Carnival has moved the ship’s visit to Bermuda earlier than originally planned. Guests onboard have been notified via letters delivered to their staterooms.
“Forecasts for the storm show it moving in a generally northeasterly direction, across Florida and into the Atlantic, possibly impacting conditions in Bermuda later this week,” the letter read. “Given this track, we have made the decision to modify our itinerary to visit Bermuda from 3:00 PM, Tuesday, October 8, to 1:00 PM, Thursday, October 10.”
The original itinerary for Carnival Pride was to have the ship visiting King’s Wharf, Bermuda from 8 a.m. on Wednesday, October 9 through 12 p.m. on Friday, October 11.
The changed itinerary gives guests 46 hours in Bermuda rather than the previously planned 52 hours, a loss of six hours of port time. There are no other ports of call on the sailing, but the shortened visit is necessary to ensure the ship can safely move away from any potential storm impact.
Any shore tours pre-purchased through Carnival Cruise Line will be automatically shifted to the new visit time. If tours cannot be accommodated at the new time, guests will receive individual notifications.
There is no expected impact to the 86,071-gross-ton, Spirit-class ship’s return to Baltimore. Carnival Pride can welcome 2,124 travelers, and is also home to over 900 international crew members.
No Carnival Changes for Florida Homeports
Even while Hurricane Milton continues to strengthen in the western Gulf of Mexico, Carnival Cruise Line has not yet confirmed changes for most vessels at this time.
This news comes as Royal Caribbean has already proactively altered itineraries from multiple homeports facing impacts and Margaritaville at Sea has moved up embarkation for its Tampa-based vessel.
Likewise, Virgin Voyages has also updated guests that there may be changes to Valiant Lady‘s current sailing, though these are not confirmed yet.
Despite having ships sailing from 5 potentially impacted homeports, Carnival Cruise Line is not yet making changes for its cruises. This includes the following departures:
- Carnival Paradise from Port Tampa Bay – October 6 departure, a 4-night itinerary to Cozumel
- Carnival Valor from Port New Orleans – October 5 cruise, a 5-night Western Caribbean cruise to Costa Maya and Cozumel
- Carnival Liberty from Port New Orleans – October 6 sailing, a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise with visits to Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel
- Carnival Elation from Jacksonville – October 5 departure, a 5-night Bahamas cruise to Nassau and Princess Cays
- Carnival Glory from Port Canaveral – October 7 cruise, a 4-night Bahamas sailing to Bimini and Nassau
- Carnival Sunrise from PortMiami – October 5 sailing, a 4-night cruise, an Eastern Caribbean itinerary visiting Nassau, Half Moon Cay, and Grand Turk
Guests onboard each ship will be made aware of changes as they are confirmed. Likewise, travelers booked on the next sailings for each ship will be notified if any delays may be necessary.
Additional cruises from Mobile, Galveston, or even Miami might also be impacted in the days to come depending on exact cruise routes and the storm’s eventual track over the next week.
Carnival Cruise Line has urged guests on the potentially impacted itineraries to sign up for text and email alerts to receive notifications as quickly as possible.
“I sincerely hope that you all stay safe and well,” said John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador. “We will, of course, continue to update you.”
Some guests are unhappy at the lack of early notifications, however, considering the storm’s definite impact coming to the Sunshine State. The earlier travelers are aware of changes, the more easily they can adjust their plans to accommodate such changes.
This distress is especially acute following so closely after Hurricane Helene when the cruise line also held off confirmations and notifications until the last minute, leaving many travelers guessing about whether or not their cruise might move forward.
However, the cruise line also has to be sure any alternative ports for the various ships are confirmed, which can be challenging with multiple cruise lines updating similar itineraries throughout the region.
Cruise Hive will report on itinerary changes, delays, and cancellations for all cruise lines as such operational adjustments are confirmed. Safety is always the first priority, and all cruise lines will take whatever steps they feel are necessary to keep their ships, guests, and crew members safe.
