Key Aspects:
- Carnival has contacted guests for Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Pride about weather impacts on their cruises.
- Carnival Sunshine will be delayed a day returning to Norfolk and itinerary changes are possible but not yet confirmed.
- Carnival Pride has no changes yet but may be impacted on her return to Baltimore on Sunday, February 8.
With rough winter weather continuing to impact the eastern US this weekend, two Carnival cruise ships are now feeling the effect on their schedules. Guests for both Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Pride are being alerted to the situation and advised on what steps to take and what to expect for their upcoming sailings.
Carnival Sunshine
Just one day after alerting guests that lower-than-typical temperatures would make embarkation a chilly operation in Norfolk, Carnival has now confirmed that Carnival Sunshine will not be able to return to her Virginia homeport on Saturday, February 7 as planned.
“Sadly due to unfavorable weather, the Port of Norfolk will be closed Saturday, February 7, and the ship will be delayed returning from the current voyage,” the email notification explained. “We are now expecting to arrive some time Sunday, February 8.”
By necessity, this will shorten the next voyage from an 8-night sailing to a 7-night itinerary. Carnival will provide a further operational update no later than 3 p.m. on Saturday with details on embarkation and itinerary changes.
The original 8-night itinerary was to have visited Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, and Amber Cove. At this time, it is unknown whether all three port visits will still be possible.
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Whether Carnival Sunshine can preserve her port visits will largely depend on exactly when the ship is able to arrive, which is not yet confirmed.
Because of the unfortunate timing of rough weather over the past few weeks, Carnival Sunshine has had multiple itinerary disruptions on consecutive voyages.
The ship’s current less-than-sunny sailing, which departed February 1, shifted her route to avoid poor weather, which forced the cancellation of her visit to Bimini. The visits to Nassau and Celebration Key were adjusted slightly to compensate.
On the previous sailing, which left Norfolk on January 24, the ship returned to Virginia a day early to beat the rough weather to the port, though guests could choose to stay onboard until their original debarkation time.
Carnival Pride
Carnival Pride is returning to Baltimore, Maryland from a 7-night Bahamas cruise on Sunday, February 8 and is due to begin another similar weeklong sailing that day.
While there are not yet any confirmed changes for Carnival Pride, the cruise line is being proactive in alerting guests of the possibility of adjustments.
“Our Fleet Operations Center is monitoring weather reports and unfavorable conditions are forecasted as the ship returns home,” the email said. “These conditions may delay the arrival and, possibly, impact your embarkation.”
The email reiterates that there are no changes yet, but urges guests to sign up for text alerts to stay updated as quickly as possible should there be any adjustments.
As with Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Pride has also been affected by rough weather recently.
When Winter Storm Fern impacted much of the eastern US in late January, Carnival Pride returned to Baltimore one day late, shortening her January 25 (delayed to January 26) departure to a 6-night cruise. This caused the ship to skip the planned visit to Bimini for that sailing.
A similar situation may develop if the ship is delayed this weekend. The February 8 cruise is scheduled to visit Half Moon Cay, Nassau, and Celebration Key, and it may be necessary to cancel a port visit if any delay is extensive.
