Carnival Cruise Line Cancels Three Cruises Due to Tropical Storm Harvey

Tropical Storm Harvey continues to wreak havoc with cruise lines and now Carnival Cruise Line has canceled three sailings out of Galveston.

Carnival currently has three cruise ships waiting for the Port of Galveston to reopen, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Breeze, and Carnival Valor.  The cruise line posted the following update at 9:00 am regarding the situation with the Port of Galveston.

“Unfortunately, extreme flooding conditions caused by the storm continue to impact the Galveston and greater Houston areas. As a result, officials from the Port of Galveston and United States Coast Guard cannot predict with any certainty when the port will re-open, but they now expect it will remain closed until late this week.

All three ships will perform a stop in New Orleans during the next two days to allow guests to disembark if they wish to make independent arrangements to return home, or another location.  Alternatively, if their schedule allows, guests can elect to sail back to Galveston with us.  Our ships will depart New Orleans Tuesday/Wednesday and expect to be in position to enter the Port of Galveston as soon as it re-opens, later in the week.

Based on the uncertainty of the port closure, the August 26th sailings of Carnival Valor and Carnival Freedom, and the August 27th departure of Carnival Breeze, will now be cancelled.

A full refund will be automatically processed, including any pre-purchased Carnival Adventures, Fun Shop purchases and beverage packages.  The refund will be processed to the original form of payment within three weeks.  Additionally, a 25% future cruise credit will be applied to their next reservation with Carnival if booked within the next 60 days.

We sincerely apologize to all our Galveston guests for the disruption to their vacation plans and thank them for their patience and understanding.   We look forward to welcoming them on a Carnival cruise in the future.

On behalf of Carnival Cruise Line, our thoughts and prayers remain with those in the affected communities.”

Previous Update (Sunday) from Carnival Cruise Line:

“While Hurricane Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm yesterday, the storm continues to generate significant rainfall in Galveston and Houston, which has caused severe flooding.  The heavy rains are impacting the roads leading in and out of Galveston. The port announced it will be closed for at least the next 24 hours, so our earliest potential opportunity to debark current guests is on Tuesday.  As you can imagine, this is a fluid situation and we have no way of knowing if the port opening could be delayed further.  We will continue to maintain close contact with port officials in Galveston monitoring conditions on Galveston Island, and within neighboring areas including Houston, and will provide ongoing updates as we receive additional information.  At present, we intend to operate shortened itineraries on Carnival Freedom and Carnival Breeze once we are able to dock in Galveston, weather and local conditions permitting.

Carnival Freedom – is currently in position to enter the Port of Galveston as soon as the port reopens.

Carnival Breeze – is on its way to New Orleans to make a short technical stop to replenish water and provisions on Monday.  She will then resume her course to Galveston.

More information for guests who were scheduled to sail on Carnival Freedom and Carnival Breeze on 8/26 and 8/27 will be provided as soon as we have a more definitive estimate of the ships’ arrival into Galveston.

Guests who opt to sail on the shortened itineraries will receive a pro-rated refund of their cruise fare as well as an onboard credit posted to their Sail & Sign account.   Specific details on the itinerary and onboard credit amount will be determined once our plans for these voyages are finalized.  Additionally, anyone who purchased our beverage packages will also receive a pro-rated adjustment.  These refunds will be processed to the original form of payment within three weeks. Pre-purchased Carnival Adventures for cancelled ports, as well as any taxes, fees and port expenses will be refunded to your onboard Sail & Sign account.  Gratuities will also be adjusted to reflect the shortened duration.

Please do not proceed to the cruise terminal until you have received notification from us with additional details. 

We regret the impact the storm has had on your vacation plans. Should you wish to cancel and receive a future cruise credit*, please call 1-800-CARNIVAL, contact your Personal Vacation Planner at 1-800-819-3902, or your travel agent. A refund for any pre-purchased Carnival Adventures or Fun Shop purchases will be processed within three weeks to the original form of payment.

Carnival Valor –  Unfortunately, as a result of the delay caused by the weather and considering the short duration of this 5 day cruise, it will now be necessary to cancel this voyage.    A full refund will be automatically processed, including any pre-purchased Carnival Adventures, Fun Shop purchases and beverage packages.  The refund will be processed to the original form of payment within three weeks.  We would love nothing more than to welcome you on a future Carnival cruise where we will apply a 25% future cruise credit*.

We sincerely apologize to all our Galveston guests for the disruption to your vacation plans and are grateful for your patience and understanding.  On behalf of Carnival Cruise Line, our thoughts and prayers remain with those in the affected communities.

To stay up to date, please sign up for text alerts by texting the codes below to CRUISE (278473).

Carnival Freedom 08/26/17 – CCL1
Carnival Breeze 08/27/17 – CCL3

*The future cruise credit is based on the cruise fare paid for this voyage, is non-transferable, cannot be used as a deposit or applied to a chartered sailing, and has no cash value. The credit must be redeemed by September 27, 2017 on a sailing prior to February 27, 2019. There is no refund for unused portions of the credit or for any cancellation penalties that may be assessed. After you have booked your cruise, please use the link below to provide us with the new booking information so we can process your credit.”

Cruise Fever will continue to monitor the situation in Galveston and will have all updates when they are announced by cruise lines.