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.
