Key Aspects:
- Another winter storm could impact a Carnival Cruise Line ship’s departure from Baltimore on February 1, 2026.
- Brand Ambassador John Heald advised guests to sign up for the line’s text alert service.
- It is possible that the storm could impact embarkation or departure times.
The potential for severe weather to again impact cruise itineraries sailing from US East Coast ports threatens to impact departure times for some ships, including Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Pride.
The 2,124-guest Spirit-class ship homeports in Baltimore, Maryland, a destination currently in the crosshairs of a winter nor’easter predicted to affect the region the weekend of January 31-February 1, 2026.
The ship is sailing a 7-night Bahamas cruise that is set to conclude in Baltimore on February 1. Carnival Pride is scheduled to depart that same day on another 7-night Bahamas itinerary, but will that embarkation go off as planned if this latest storm hits?
That’s the question John Heald, brand ambassador for Carnival Cruise Line, addressed on his Facebook page, where he strongly suggested that booked guests stay alert to information the cruise line might be sending out.
“For those of you excited (and so you should be) to cruise on Carnival Pride on Sunday I ask you to please check your emails for an important message. Adverse weather conditions are expected for Baltimore and in the region, and this could impact operation plans on embarkation day,” posted John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador.
“For now, there are no changes, but we will continue to monitor the situation and keep guests updated if adjustments become necessary,” Heald added.
Heald’s January 30 message recommended that guests sign up for the line’s text alert service. In the case of a delayed embarkation, guests’ boarding times could be changed, the ship’s departure could be postponed, or other revisions might be made.
In fact, guests currently onboard Carnival Pride lost one day of their sailing due to the massive snowstorm that hit the East Coast on January 25, 2026. Winter Storm Fern caused the ship to return to Baltimore a day late, on January 26 rather than on January 25.
Guests on the January 25 departure could not embark until the 26th. As a result, one port call, to Bimini, Bahamas, was cancelled.
There is no indication yet that Carnival Pride will arrive back in Baltimore later than scheduled, so the February 1 cruise could be unaffected by the weather. However, the National Weather Service has issued a Cold Weather Advisory, a Gale Warning, and a Heavy Freezing Spray warning for January 30-31, 2026.
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The itinerary promises to take guests away from the Arctic temperatures of the mid-Atlantic region and bring them to the balmy shores of the Bahamas, with port calls at Nassau, Princess Cays, and Celebration Key.
Other Ships Rush Back to Port as Storm Nears
Other cruise ships are impacted by the incoming storm. The 3,002-guest Carnival Sunshine, based in Norfolk, Virginia, also is smack in the middle of the storm’s projected path.
The ship is sailing an 8-night itinerary that departed on January 24, 2026 and was scheduled to return to Norfolk on February 1, 2026. But due to the forecast, the ship cancelled a call to Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, and instead is returning to her homeport a day early, on January 31, 2026.
Guests will not be required to disembark that day, although the option will be open to them. Arriving back at port a day in advance will hopefully enable the ship’s February 1 departure to leave as scheduled.
Other cruise lines are also dealing with storm-related changes. Norwegian Cruise Line’s 3,903-guest Norwegian Breakaway, for instance, is cutting short her 11-night Caribbean cruise to return early to her homeport in New York.
Under the revised itinerary, the ship will arrive at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal on February 1 rather than the scheduled February 3. As a result, a port call to St. Thomas on January 30 was nixed.
