The last of the major Florida homeports is now open for business after Hurricane Idalia swept through the state. By 5:45 pm on August 31, 2023, Port Tampa Bay was officially reopened and normal operations resumed.
That means Tony and the lovely Jenny B will be back home today after an extra day at sea. That also means passengers waiting to board Carnival Paradise will be taking a shortened cruise to nowhere. The 4-night Western Caribbean cruise that was to embark on Thursday, August 31, 2023, will now be a 3-day cruise with no ports of call and two days at sea.
The email from Carnival Cruise Line detailing the changes read, “As we shared earlier, our plan is to operate your voyage as a 3-day cruise, departing tomorrow, September 1. Unfortunately, given the shortened duration, there are no nearby ports we could visit. This is not what we had planned for your vacation and we share your disappointment.”
Guests booked on the Carnival Paradise who chose to take the cruise to nowhere were offered significant compensation. First, they will receive a one-day refund of their cruise fare and whatever packages they may have prepaid. They will also receive a full refund of any prepaid Carnival shore excursions and port fees for Cozumel. Guests will receive a 50% future cruise credit for any future Carnival Cruise along with $200 onboard credit per stateroom on their Sail & Sign account.
Booked guests were also offered the option to cancel their cruise for a full refund. That option had to be communicated by 10pm Thursday night. Passengers who canceled were given a full refund as well as a 100% future cruise credit.
While the new itinerary on Carnival Paradise is going nowhere, it’s still a cruise on Carnival Paradise. And who doesn’t love a couple sea days on a cruise ship?