As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida, multiple cruise ships from multiple lines are issuing itinerary changes and cancellations as needed to keep all vessels, guests, and crew members safe.
The following updates are the confirmed changes directly from cruise lines, and include all vessels currently sailing in the Gulf of Mexico and other areas to be impacted by the storm.
Carnival Cruise Line
With ships based from four Florida homeports as well as Galveston, it is no surprise that several Carnival cruise ships must now change course to steer clear of Hurricane Milton. This includes ships that may also experience impacts from the storm later in the week, after it has crossed the Florida peninsula.
Carnival Paradise
Carnival Paradise is homeported from Tampa currently on a 4-night sailing to Cozumel, Mexico. The visit to Cozumel was not possible, and instead, the ship substituted Costa Maya as an alternative port.
Port Tampa Bay has been closed at Port Condition Zulu since 8 a.m. on Tuesday, October 8, however, and the ship will be unable to return as planned on October 10 – just when Hurricane Milton is predicted to be impacting Tampa Bay the most.
The October 10 sailing was to have been another 4-night Cozumel sailing but will now need to be shortened or possibly cancelled depending on when Port Tampa Bay is able to reopen. This is similar to what happened to the ship’s planned September 26 departure following the extended port closure after Hurricane Helene.
Carnival Elation
Carnival Elation from Port of Jacksonville departed on a 5-night sailing on October 5 with plans to visit Nassau and Princess Cays. Those visits were successful, but due to the storm’s track and development, the ship will be unable to return to Jacksonville as planned.
Carnival Cruise Line has notified booked guests on Carnival Elation‘s October 10 departure that the sailing must be shortened, but without firm detail as to how quite yet as plans are still being finalized.
The October 10 sailing was to have been a 4-night Bahamas sailing visiting Freeport and Nassau, and it is likely that one of those ports will now be dropped. Guests who no longer wish to sail on that shortened itinerary will receive a 100% future cruise credit for another Carnival sailing.
Carnival Pride
Carnival Pride‘s current 7-night sailing to Bermuda, which departed Cape Liberty, New Jersey on Sunday, October 6, was the first of the cruise line’s ships to change itinerary due to Hurricane Milton.
The ship’s planned visit to King’s Wharf, Bermuda was moved up a day and shortened by six hours in order to keep the ship clear of expected impacts to the tropical destination. The return to Cape Liberty and the next sailing are not impacted at this time.
Other Carnival Ships Being Monitored
Several other Carnival cruise ships are currently being closely monitored, but as yet have no significant itinerary changes for their current or next sailings. This may change as the storm development is continually tracked and updated.
The ships being monitored are Carnival Liberty from New Orleans; Carnival Glory from Port Canaveral; Carnival Sunrise from PortMiami, Carnival Breeze from Galveston, and Carnival Sunshine from Charleston.
All guests booked on any of these vessels are asked to sign up for text alerts and email updates to stay informed about any delays, adjustments, or cancellations in the days ahead.
Celebrity Cruises – Celebrity Reflection
Celebrity Reflection departed Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on October 7 for a 4-night sailing including visits to Key West and Perfect Day at CocoCay. Due to the hurricane’s anticipated path, however, the ship will not visit Key West but instead will spend a longer time in Nassau as a substitute.
The ship’s return to Port Everglades on October 11 is not expected to be impacted, but that may change in the days to come.
Disney Cruise Line – Disney Wish
At this time, only one ship from Disney Cruise Line is impacted by the storm. The October 11, 2024 departure of Disney Wish has been completely cancelled due to the forecasted impact on the ship’s homeport, Port Canaveral.
That sailing was to have been a 3-night Bahamas “Halloween on the High Seas” itinerary visiting Nassau and Castaway Cay, but will not be possible with delays due to port closure.
In addition to a full refund, all booked guests are also receiving a 20% future cruise discount as a gesture of goodwill.
Margaritaville at Sea
While the kitschy, heavily themed cruise line only offers sailings aboard two ships at this time, both vessels have been impacted by Hurricane Milton.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander
Based from Port Tampa Bay, Margaritaville at Sea Islander moved up her departure date from October 8 to October 7 to stay ahead of the storm, giving booked guests the unexpected bonus of an extra day of cruising. However, the ship’s itinerary was adjusted as the original Key West and Cozumel port visits were not possible due to the storm’s position and track.
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise is homeported from Port of Palm Beach. Unfortunately, the day before embarkation, it was necessary to cancel the ship’s October 9 sailing, a 2-night Bahamas getaway to Freeport, as the port is unlikely to reopen until October 11.
For now, there are no updates to the 3-night sailing scheduled to depart on October 11, but guests will be notified if that changes.
MSC Cruises
While MSC Cruises only has two ships operating from Florida homeports at this time, both vessels have some impacts due to Hurricane Milton and booked guests should stay informed.
MSC Seashore
MSC Seashore is homeported from Port Canaveral and departed on her current sailing, a 4-night Bahamas itinerary, on October 6, visiting Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve as well as Nassau as planned.
Because the ship is due to return to her homeport on October 10, however, it is likely to be extended and remain at sea due to port closure. The next cruise, a 3-night Bahamas itinerary to, may also be impacted.
MSC Magnifica
Homeported from PortMiami, MSC Magnifica departed on a 4-night Bahamas sailing on October 7, with visits planned to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and Nassau. The visit to Nassau was scheduled for October 10, but has been cancelled with Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic added to the itinerary as an alternative.
The ship’s return to Miami on October 11 is not expected to be impacted, nor are there any changes at this time for the following sailing, a 3-night itinerary to Key West and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. Booked guests should still stay in close contact, however.
Princess Cruises – Sun Princess
Princess Cruises’ newest ship and first in the Sphere class, Sun Princess, is unable to arrive with her planned fanfare at Port Everglades due to Hurricane Milton.
Instead of her planned arrival in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, October 9 to mark the successful completion of her inaugural transatlantic crossing, the ship will remain at sea until the port safely resumes full operations.
While this will extend the current sailing, future sailings will not be impacted as Sun Princess is not welcoming her first Florida-based guests until Monday, October 14, for a 5-night cruise to Puerto Plata and Grand Turk.
Royal Caribbean
Several ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet have significant hurricane-related changes at this time, including vessels homeported from PortMiami, Port Tampa Bay, Galveston, Port Canaveral, and Cape Liberty.
Grandeur of the Seas
Sailing from Port Tampa Bay, Grandeur of the Seas completely altered her 5-night, October 7 departure itinerary to avoid Hurricane Milton. Instead of visiting Costa Maya and Cozumel for the Western Caribbean sailing, the ship is visiting Nassau as the only port destination.
The ship is scheduled to return to Tampa on October 12, but that timing is subject to change based on the port’s closure and eventual reopening plans after safety inspections are completed and operations are restored.
Harmony of the Seas
On her 6-night Western Caribbean sailing from Galveston that departed the Lone Star State on October 6, Harmony of the Seas was unable to visit Costa Maya on October 8 as originally planned. The ship will also skip the call to Roatan on October 9.
This leaves just the visit to Cozumel, Mexico on October 10 intact, with the rest of the voyage spent at sea. While it is not ideal to have just a single port of call on a 6-night cruise, Royal Caribbean is providing all guests with a one day refund of their cruise fare as refundable onboard credit for compensation, along with refunds for any pre-paid shore tours booked through the cruise line that are no longer possible.
Icon of the Seas
The largest cruise ship in the world, Icon of the Seas will skip her planned October 11 visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay, the cruise line’s private island destination in the Bahamas, on her current 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise. Instead, the ship will enjoy a day at sea.
This sailing departed PortMiami on October 5, the ship’s first cruise following emergency repairs. At this time, there are no expected changes to her return to Florida on October 12 for the conclusion of the voyage.
Symphony of the Seas
Surprisingly, even ships from homeports well away from the storm also have changes, as is the case with Symphony of the Seas. The ship departed Cape Liberty, New Jersey on October 6 for a 7-night Bahamas cruise.
The ship’s planned visit to Port Canaveral on October 8 has been cancelled, as have the calls to Perfect Day at CocoCay as well as Nassau. Instead, the ship is visiting Puerto Plata as well as Labadee, the cruise line’s private destination in Haiti.
Utopia of the Seas
Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Utopia of the Seas is sailing from Port Canaveral straight into her first hurricane season. On her current 4-night Bahamas cruise to Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay, the ship swapped the days of the port visits to ensure smoother sailing.
It is also likely that the ship’s return to Port Canaveral on October 11 could be delayed, depending on when the port reopens after the storm passes.
Wonder of the Seas
Also sailing from Port Canaveral, Wonder of the Seas departed on October 6 and made her visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay as planned the following day.
To stay away from the storm’s influence, however, the visit to Cozumel on October 9 was cancelled with Falmouth, Jamaica used as an alternative port of call instead. Furthermore, the planned visits to Roatan and Costa Maya are likewise cancelled, replaced with a sea day and a later visit to Cozumel on October 11.
Wonder of the Seas is due back at Port Canaveral at the conclusion of her 7-night sailing on October 13.
This page will be further updated with additional itinerary changes, port adjustments, and cancellations related to Hurricane Milton as they are confirmed.
Stay tuned to Cruise Hive for all the latest storm news impacting cruise ports, ships, and homeports throughout the season.
