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Port Canaveral, Palm Beach, JAXPORT are open

Three more Florida cruise homeports reopened for vessel operations Friday with the sixth and final one, Port Tampa Bay, likely to start taking vital petroleum ships Saturday and cruise ships Sunday.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

October 12, 2024

2 Min Read
MSC Seashore returned to Port Canaveral Friday, one day late, and the ship's regular schedule will resume with the Oct. 13 cruisePHOTO: MICHEL VERDURE

At a Glance

  • Tampa-based Carnival Paradise put into PortMiami
  • Serenade and Grandeur of the Seas expected in Tampa Sunday
  • After some shortened next cruises, itineraries should get back on track

PortMiami and Port Everglades, which reopened Thursday, both had busy cruise turnaround days Friday.

Port Tampa Bay

Tampa, which supplies nearly half of the state with fuel for vehicles and airplanes, had power restored to its fuel terminals Friday and some operators began discharging to trucks that will deliver fuel to gas stations for the public. The operational fuel terminals were going to remain open through the night, and port officials hoped all seven of them would be able to discharge fuel on Saturday.

The first ships back are expected to be carrying petroleum products.

Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Margaritaville

As earlier reported, cruise ships delayed by Hurricane Milton made other plans, with Carnival Paradise having disembarked passengers at PortMiami Friday. They could either take free shuttles back to Tampa or reboard and remain on Carnival Paradise until it returns to Tampa, expected no later than Monday.

Carnival Cruise Line hopes the ship will be able to embark its next cruise from Tampa on Oct. 14 and will advise passengers in advance.

As for Royal Caribbean's three Tampa-based ships, Serenade of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas were both expected back Sunday, with each ship planned to embark Oct. 13 for a revised itinerary. And Enchantment of the Seas is to turn around in Tampa on Monday, with embarkation for a revised Oct. 14 cruise.

Related:Miami, Everglades open, other Florida homeports not yet

Margaritaville at Sea Islander's return is also delayed until Monday, with arrival expected at noon. The Oct. 13 cruise will now sail Oct. 14 with an adjusted schedule: a sea day, a call at Cozumel and a sea day, arriving back at Tampa Oct. 18.

Port of Palm Beach

With the Port of Palm Beach resuming vessel operations, Margaritaville at Sea Paradise arrived later than usual on Friday and had a delayed departure for Freeport, Grand Bahama.

Port Canaveral

MSC Seashore returned to Port Canaveral Friday, one day late, and the ship's regular schedule will resume with the Oct. 13 cruise.

Carnival Glory's delayed turnaround at Port Canaveral is set to take place Saturday, at Cruise Terminal 10, with the shortened Oct. 12 cruise to sail to Freeport.

As earlier reported, Royal Caribbean's delayed Adventure of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas were also expected to turn around Saturday.

JAXPORT

Carnival Elation was expected to dock early Saturday morning, with its next cruise planned to sail Oct. 12 as a two-day getaway with no port calls.

Charleston, South Carolina

Carnival Sunshine was expected to return to Charleston Saturday afternoon, with the Oct. 12 cruise to operate as planned. However, passengers were asked to delay their terminal arrival appointments by six hours; everyone must be checked in by 8 p.m.

Passengers on any impacted Carnival sailings can get the latest information by signing up for text alerts — text CCL6 to CRUISE (278473).

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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