Carnival Ship Delays Departure Due to Storm, Will Skip Port Visit
Guests boarding Carnival Sunshine in Norfolk, Virginia on Sunday, March 16, 2025 are not setting sail on their cruise as soon as they’d hoped.
Due to a passing cold front, poor weather in the region has delayed the ship’s departure until Monday morning and as a result, one of the Bahamas port of call visits has been cancelled.
Guests were informed of the need to delay the ship’s departure just the day before embarkation, though the full impact to the ship’s 6-night Bahamas itinerary was not yet known.
“Our Fleet Operations Center is actively monitoring an easterly-moving cold front that is likely to impact the Norfolk area Sunday afternoon into evening time,” the email notification explained. “The front is producing unfavorable conditions, including strong winds and rain, that could make it unsafe for us to depart as scheduled.”
True to the prediction, local radar weather tracking showed strong thunderstorms and heavy rain throughout the Norfolk region on Sunday afternoon and into the nighttime hours.
Furthermore, Windy.com indicated strong winds from 25-30 knots (29-35 miles per hour) at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, where Carnival Sunshine would have to pass to reach the Atlantic Ocean.
These conditions make delicate navigation to begin the voyage unsafe, and would also make for very uncomfortable sailing conditions for guests.
Instead, satellite tracking data confirms that Carnival Sunshine has remained docked in Norfolk through Sunday evening and into the night. The ship will be departing on Monday morning, once conditions improve for easier sailing.
The ship’s embarkation on Sunday was not impacted despite the unpleasant weather, and guests were welcomed onboard for their first Guy’s burger, a slice of Funfetti cheesecake, and plenty of entertainment and activities even without a sailaway party.
Port Visit Cancelled – But Which One?
Guests onboard the ship have also confirmed the delay as well as the cancellation of one of the planned port visits in the Bahamas.
Carnival Sunshine had originally been scheduled to spend Monday, March 17 at sea on her way to the Bahamas, with visits to Nassau, Bimini, and Freeport planned for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, respectively. Another day at sea on Friday will bring the ship back to her Old Dominion homeport on Saturday, March 22.
Now, however, it is not possible for the ship to reach all three ports of call as planned. Initially, announcements onboard indicated that Bimini would be cancelled, but instead it was ultimately decided that Nassau would be cancelled while Bimini and Freeport would remain on the schedule.
Further updates on the exact port timing will be made available as the scheduling is finalized, which also depends on exactly when the weather clears and the ship can depart Norfolk.
It is also possible that as port operations are confirmed, further changes may be necessary. By skipping Nassau, however, the ship should be able to retain her original times for visiting Bimini (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) on Wednesday and Freeport (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.) on Thursday. Any change in times will be communicated to guests onboard as soon as possible.
Any pre-paid Carnival shore excursions booked for a cancelled port of call (whether it is Nassau or Bimini that is ultimately cancelled) will be automatically refunded.
Read Also: What to Do Onboard a Cruise Ship in Bad Weather
These types of itinerary changes are not uncommon, particularly when strong storm fronts impact cruise homeports.
Carnival Sunshine just began sailing from Virginia in mid-February, and already this is the second time such a departure delay has happened due to weather. In fact, exactly one month ago, the ship’s February 16 departure was delayed from Sunday to Monday.
Similar delays – both leaving the homeport and returning at the end of a sailing – also happened while Carnival Sunshine was homeported from Charleston, South Carolina.
Carnival Ship Delays Departure Due to Storm, Will Skip Port Visit