Wondering what happens with Port Canaveral being Closed

[BeachChik]

https://newsnyork.com/cruise-passengers-stuck-in-nyc-after-hurricane-cancels-trip/

 

Just proves that people will complain no matter what. They should have taken the full refund instead of sailing and complaining. I have no sympathy for them.

[cruiser fanatic]

New update:

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HURRICANE MATTHEW

Weather Update – 10/05/16 – 8:00 AM (EST)

 

We continue to closely monitor**the storm system and projected path of Hurricane Matthew and Tropical Storm Nicole which has now developed in the Atlantic.**Overnight, there has been a significant shift in the storm forecast.**We are in the process of adjusting our contingency plans accordingly and will post updates as soon as our plans have been finalized.**

 

Additionally, to stay up to date on any changes that may affect your sailing, we encourage you to sign up for text alerts by texting the codes below to CRUISE (278473).

 

We apologize for the tremendous inconvenience the storm is causing and thank you for your understanding.

 

Carnival Sunshine**********************10/6******CCL1

Carnival Fantasy************************10/7******CCL2

Carnival Magic***************************10/8******CCL3

Carnival Sensation*********************10/6******CCL4

Carnival Pride*************************** 10/9******CCL5

Carnival Valor****************************10/8******CCL6

Carnival Ecstasy*********************** 10/8******CCL7

Carnival Victory*************************10/6******CCL8

Carnival Elation*************************10/8******CCL9

[Roseflyer]

Some of the storm track paths are now projecting that the hurricane will stall out off the cost of Florida or the Carolina's. The path is uncertain, but the hurricane could linger off the coast for a while longer. Even if Port Canaveral opens up, if the hurricane is just off shore, I doubt ships will be sailing to the port this weekend.

[Kathy Loves Cats]

John Heald made some very interesting points on his video this morning. He went into detail on compensation and what they do with the horses at Half Moon Key. Very interesting.

[Florings]

The last time one of the ports on the east coast of Florida was closed (a few years ago), the ship sailed into Port of Tampa on the Gulf Coast and bussed the people back to their cars. But that only works for Fantasy and Spirit class ships - the others are too large to go under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

 

The hurricane is scheduled to pass Florida on Thursday, into Friday. Unless there is a direct hit that causes major damage to the ports, I would think they will reopen Friday night - and certainly Saturday. Forecast sunny skies on Saturday!

[lsp]

We were scheduled to fly home from London after getting off the Splendor the day before Ike it. Houston was closed so we managed to get a flight into Dallas, rented a car and arrived in Houston 15 minutes before the lights went out and the storm hit. Not the way we wanted to end our cruise but it was still an adventure. One good thing, we had no traffic at all driving I-45 from Dallas, and no highway patrol. Everyone was going the opposite direction.

[loganvillemommy]

I wonder what happens now with Port Canaveral being closed. I know a lot of boats were returning Friday through Sunday, We were suppose to go out from there on Saturday on the Magic. Do you think Carnival with change ports or stay out at Sea and delay other cruises? I know others have it a lot harder facing the storm but still can't help but wonder what our days ahead may hold.

 

We're supposed to be on the Magic with you. In my particular situation, we'll kind of come out ok if this cruise is cancelled, but will still be disappointed. I just want all to be safe. I signed up for the texts through Carnival, and am hoping for the best. Hotels in the area are starting to cancel reservations in the Cocoa Beach area.

Following CC and FB have been very helpful.

[gagirl2006]

We'll be ok if it is canceled too (I'm assuming/hoping there is a full refund?) BUT if it sails we'll have to get down there! I'm worried about driving conditions in that case. Of course that is if the port opens.

[put me on a ship]

Thanks or the update , are you the owner :D.

 

Nope, but lived here long enough, and been through this enough, to know the causeways will not be open Friday afternoon. IF they are, it will be for residents only. :)

[BoDidly]

Nope, but lived here long enough, and been through this enough, to know the causeways will not be open Friday afternoon. IF they are, it will be for residents only. :)

 

That's right, be safe .

[mking8288]

Safety first and this is still the hurricane season, Sandy didn't travel north to "call" upon NYC until late October, 2012 - I called it our early Halloween specials.

 

This brings up an important reminder, the subject of power/electricity and fuel - besides the obvious, drinking water & food, whether you are shelter in place or evacuated to higher elevations and out of harm's way. Whether you are driving your own or renting a car to do a one-way trip, have cash available as bank's ATM networks could be down, gas stations unable to pump fuel because of down power lines and no electricity.

 

There are reports of stations running out of fuel down in parts ?? of Florida as some folks are leaving to get out of town ahead of any voluntary or mandatory evacuation.

 

Effects of Matthew are far beyond the ports, whether it remained open or will be closed for a period of time, as airlines will likely begin to cancel flights in/out of the area for "easier/faster" post-storm recovery operations. Ground support personnel & airline crews faced the same challenges like everyone else in getting to work safely post-storm to report for duty, our nephews were housed at JFK by their employer for 2 nights once the terminal reopened & the massive cleanup was underway in 2012 after Sandy - and, the network of food & essential supplies - typically from tractor trailers need to reach the ports for provisioning; as, there's limited options for them to stock up in the Bahamas, Caribbeans or Mexico ports.

 

Good luck, safe travel and please, drive carefully if you must.

[put me on a ship]

That's right, be safe .

 

I sure hope so. We are doing everything we can to secure our home and businesses.

[sotuffexecutive]

Yea I was not overly concerned until this am. I am approx. 30 minutes from Port Canaveral. Now expected to hit our area as Cat. 4. Just heard that Cape Canaveral Hospital is evacuating now so the area is taking this very seriously.

 

Basically had hurricane kit ready for the season months ago. Only thing I lack is extra gasoline. Had to hit 4 stations last night before I found gas and then only had premium and was limiting how much you could pump.

 

Glad we booked a Dec. cruise now out of Miami instead of a BD one or I would be booked for this week end probably.

[LostPuppy]

I wonder what happens now with Port Canaveral being closed. I know a lot of boats were returning Friday through Sunday, We were suppose to go out from there on Saturday on the Magic. Do you think Carnival with change ports or stay out at Sea and delay other cruises? I know others have it a lot harder facing the storm but still can't help but wonder what our days ahead may hold.

While I cannot foretell what Carnival will do in this instance, I can relate my experience with scheduling changes due to a hurricane.

 

We were on a CCL ship (Liberty/Freedom/Valor, I lose track) when the POM was closed due to hurricane Sandy. We ended up cruising in circles off the coast for another day and a half till the port was opened. During this time they opened up the phone lines for free to allow passengers to make any necessary travel changes.

 

The ship pulled in around six the second night and CCL provided buses to take us to a hotel where we got a free meal and room. The next day, off to the airport and home. It was a very painless event and thought CCL handled it well. One bonus was we got two "free" sea days to get us closer to Diamond status.

 

So in summary, I think any CCL ships will stay at sea till the port opens, then shorten the upcoming cruise to get back on their normal schedule.

[tstahura88]

I was booked on the Valor, leaving Saturday. I'm thinking it's canceled. The reports look like they have a lot more to worry about than our cruises right now.

 

I'm on that cruise as well and it looks like we have some hope. Carnivals update this morning listed the Valor as a possibly itinerary change, but as of the most recent update (posted below) it looks like it is no longer on the list of cruises they expect to change. From the descriptions they give here it sounds like they expect the port to be reopened by Friday night or early Saturday. I hope the Bahamas (as well as everyone else affected by the storm) don't get damaged too badly. Anyway, fingers crossed!

 

 

HURRICANE MATTHEW

 

 

 

HURRICANE MATTHEW

Weather Update – 10/05/16 – 12:30 PM (EST)

 

We continue to closely monitor the storm system and projected path of Hurricane Matthew and Tropical Storm Nicole which has now developed in the Atlantic.

 

Carnival Sensation – 10/6/16 departure

PortMiami will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. We remain in close contact with port officials regarding their plans to reopen once the storm has passed. We anticipate a further update from port officials on Thursday and will update you accordingly.

 

If PortMiami re-opens on Friday, we are currently planning for Carnival Sensation’s October 6th sailing to now depart on Friday, October 7th as a three-day cruise, visiting Nassau on Saturday for an overnight stay.

 

Guest who sail will receive a pro-rated refund equal to the amount of one day of their cruise fare as well as a refund for pre-purchased Carnival shore excursions for Key West and Cozumel. Refunds will be automatically processed to the original form of payment within three weeks. Gratuities will be adjusted to reflect the shortened cruise.

 

We certainly understand the impact this unexpected change has on your travel plans. Should you wish to cancel, you may do so with a full refund by calling 1-800-CARNIVAL.

 

Carnival Victory – 10/6/16 departure

Port Canaveral will be closed to all marine traffic as of noon today. If the storm track changes, we plan to operate a two-day cruise on Friday with a call to Freeport, subject to a post-storm assessment by port officials.

 

In the event we operate a two-day cruise, a pro-rated refund equal to the amount of one day and pre-purchased shore excursions for Nassau will be processed to your original form of payment within three weeks. Gratuities will be adjusted to reflect the shortened duration.

 

We certainly understand the impact this unexpected change has on your travel plans. Should you wish to cancel, you may do so with a full refund by calling 1-800-CARNIVAL.

 

 

Carnival Fantasy – 10/7/16 departure

PortMiami will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. We remain in close contact with port officials regarding their plans to reopen once the storm has passed. We anticipate a further update from port officials on Thursday and will update you accordingly.

 

If the port reopens on Friday, we will operate the scheduled itinerary with an overnight call in Nassau, pending a post-storm assessment of the port.

 

We apologize for the tremendous inconvenience the storm is causing and thank you for your understanding.

 

Additionally, to stay up to date on any changes that may affect your sailing, we encourage you to sign up for text alerts by texting the codes below to CRUISE (278473).

 

Carnival Fantasy 10/7 CCL2

Carnival Sensation 10/6 CCL4

Carnival Victory 10/6 CCL8

Edited October 5, 2016 by tstahura88

[Izzziee]

Has the carnival magic cruise been moved to Sunday? On the latest update, they are listing the sail date as the 9th, but our tickets say 8th

[mmaner72]

Has the carnival magic cruise been moved to Sunday? On the latest update, they are listing the sail date as the 9th, but our tickets say 8th

 

Im wondering the same thing. Didnt mention anything changed but said the 9th. Confused....

[put me on a ship]

Has the carnival magic cruise been moved to Sunday? On the latest update, they are listing the sail date as the 9th, but our tickets say 8th

 

The Valor and the Magic are both listed as 10/9 departures on the latest update, and they both are scheduled for the 8th. A little confusing, since it says the 9th is the original departure date.

[mimgan3]

I wonder what happens now with Port Canaveral being closed. I know a lot of boats were returning Friday through Sunday, We were suppose to go out from there on Saturday on the Magic. Do you think Carnival with change ports or stay out at Sea and delay other cruises? I know others have it a lot harder facing the storm but still can't help but wonder what our days ahead may hold.

 

Hey there, Bare with me, story is a little long. In September of 2004, the year Florida got hit 3 straight weekends, we were booked on the RCCL Mariner of the Seas, departing September 26th which was a Sunday. We drove down that year on Friday, from North Carolina, and somewhere just before we arrived in Georgia, we learned that Hurricane Jeanne was going to make landfall, and it was aimed directly at Port Canaveral. We made a couple phone calls to RCCL and to our hotel. The hotel informed us that Cocoa was being evacuated and that we didn't have anywhere to stay.

 

We made it to one of the travel centers on I-95 to pick up some of those little mags that have all the hotels in them, and was able to find a place in Orlando. Even though we had gone 50-60 miles inland, Jeanne was packing a pretty mean punch and we lost power around 5 Friday afternoon. Fortunately the hotel had a back up generator, so we didn't stay in the dark long. We made it through the night, battling wind and rain, and fortunately, Saturday brought about clear and sunny skies.

 

We woke to start trying to find out where things stood with the cruise. We spent most of the day getting no definitive answers, and after the frustration levels began to rise to near breaking point, we finally got some answers late Saturday afternoon. Because the Mariner of the Seas had been diverted to avoid the storm, she wouldn't be returning until Tuesday, which was two day past the original embarkation. Passengers were given an option. You could forego the cruise and receive a full refund, but of course if you chose this option, your airfare changes and expenses were on you.

 

Option 2, you could sail on the shortened completely changed itinerary, receive and OBC of $500.00 per stateroom, and a voucher for 50% off of a future cruise to be taken with 12 months. We chose this option, since this was our one vacation this year, and we didn't want to drive back home without having seen that beautiful blue water.

 

I'm getting there, I promise. Obviously we all feel better knowing what's going on, so we leave to go and get dinner. Upon returning to the hotel, we walk into our room to find that we have a message on the phone. RCCL has called to inform us the the Mariner can't return to Port Canaveral due to the water levels. Best explanation that I seem to remember was, when these storms come, they somehow suck too much water out of the channel, so large ships such as the Mariner of the Seas could come back in, and we'd be updated later.

 

Fast forward to Sunday, and we get info that the ship will be returning to the Port of Miami on Tuesday morning, and that all the passengers that are taking the cruise should report to Port Canaveral as planned. Once we arrived, RCCL had a fleet of Motor Coaches that shuttled us all down to Miami. They took us down, stopping about midway for everyone to get off for lunch and restroom breaks.

 

Fortunately while we were sailing, the water levels returned to normal and we were able to debark in Port Canaveral.

 

I shared all of that for a two-fold reason. First to try an answer your question about what happens when the Port closes, and two, tell you what happens in these situations if you have "INSURANCE".

 

We had paid $2600.00 for a triple Balcony cabin, and after the reimbursement for the Trip Delay, Trip Interruption, Cost of the Hotel for 2 additional nights, and all the food and drink we consumed. That and the $500.00 OBC, this cruise ended up costing up about $200.00. That and having the 50% future cruise credit, and a few inconveniences made it all worth it.

 

BUY THE INSURANCE!!!

 

Best of luck to all of you sailing this weekend, and hopefully things will work out well.

 

Mimgan

[Izzziee]

Has the carnival magic cruise been moved to Sunday? On the latest update, they are listing the sail date as the 9th, but our tickets say 8th

 

Magic is showing as 8th now :)

[put me on a ship]

Update: Orlando is also under a hurricane warning. East Coast is in serious trouble. And they are saying it's possible Matthew will strengthen back to a Cat 4. There is also a good chance it will loop around and come back next week or so.:eek::eek::eek::eek:

 

Now I am officially scared. We live in Melbourne.

[summer50]

I live in Palm Beach County and believe me, no one will be sitting on the deck having a martini Friday..........this is a category 4 storm and it is not going anywhere except up the coast of Florida if not directly onto the peninsula of Florida. By the way, Carnival has no control over the ports openings or closures. That is determined by each Port Authority......

[peachy92]

Finally an update on Splendor:

 

Carnival Splendor – 10/8/16 Departure

The Carnival Splendor cruise departing Oct. 8 remains as scheduled. At this time, there are no changes to the ship’s itinerary.

Should any changes become necessary, we will provide an update accordingly.

At least knowing this make me feel better.

[JaniceB]

Mimgan3 they have to suck the sand out of the channel at Port Canaveral I believe every day to keep it open.

 

I hope everyone who wants to travel to FL realizes that people who are evacuating need a hotel room so they will be very hard to find and you might be taking them from someone who really needs one and causing more traffic on the road.

[BoDidly]

Mimgan3 they have to suck the sand out of the channel at Port Canaveral I believe every day to keep it open.

 

I hope everyone who wants to travel to FL realizes that people who are evacuating need a hotel room so they will be very hard to find and you might be taking them from someone who really needs one and causing more traffic on the road.

 

What do you suggest they do ?