8 Cruise Ships Forced to Change Plans as Powerful Nor’easter Slams East Coast

As a strong nor’easter churns along the East Coast, at least eight cruise ships have already had to make some changes.

If you’re sailing out of New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, Norfolk, or Boston in the next few days, you’ll want to keep a close eye on your cruise line app and email.

What’s Going on with the Storm

This isn’t your typical fall hurricane. It’s a classic nor’easter that started gaining some strength off the Mid-Atlantic and has been slowly moving north.

As of this weekend, it’s already causing coastal flooding, high surf, and gusty winds from the Mid-Atlantic up through New England. Seas along the Eastern seaboard have stayed rough, which is exactly why cruise lines are adjusting plans to keep passengers safe and comfortable.

Carnival Venezia Leaving Bermuda Early

Carnival’s Italian-themed ship has been dealing with the weather for several days.

On the sailing that was in Bermuda earlier in the week, the captain of Carnival Venezia issued a letter telling guests they would leave the island earlier than planned.

Instead of a later afternoon departure, the ship adjusted to arrive at 8:30 AM and sail away at 3:00 PM, with everyone required back on board by 2:30 PM.

That was obviously not a lot of time in port and cut into some excursion plans.

“We understand that leaving Bermuda earlier than planned is a bit disappointing, and we sincerely appreciate your understanding, but know you share our commitment to prioritizing safety,” the letter stated.

The return trip itself wasn’t exactly a smooth ride. Passengers reported breaking dishes in the dining room and some motion sickness as the ship slowed down and adjusted course for calmer waters.

Arrival in New York on September 24 was delayed. The next sailing (the five-night Bermuda trip) also saw a delayed embarkation, and the Bermuda call was reduced to a single-day visit from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, instead of the original overnight stay.

Carnival Venezia is scheduled to sail out of New York at least until October, offering 4- to 8-night cruises.

Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas Heads to Warmer Waters

This remains one of the bigger itinerary changes of the storm.

Vision of the Seas was heading back to Baltimore when the weather forced a delay. Arrival time was pushed to around 2:00 PM on September 24 instead of the normal early morning.

The 9-night Canada & New England sailing that was supposed to leave Baltimore on September 24 was completely changed.

Instead of Boston, Portland, Saint John, and Halifax, the ship headed south to Port Canaveral, Nassau, and Grand Bahama Island. Passengers stayed on the ship overnight in Baltimore and sailed at 3:00 PM on Friday, September 25. Embarkation times were pushed back several hours as well.

Prepaid shore excursions for the original ports are being refunded as onboard credit.

Norwegian Escape Leaves Halifax Early

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Escape made a weather-related adjustment while on its 7-night Canada & New England cruise (which departed New York on September 19).

The ship was scheduled for a full day in Halifax on September 24, with a late-evening departure around 10:00 PM. Instead, the captain issued a letter informing guests the ship would leave several hours early due to the developing nor’easter. It departed around 5:00–6:40 PM local time.

The earlier departure allowed the ship to get ahead of the worst conditions. It arrived in New York late Friday evening (well ahead of the original Saturday morning arrival) and guests debarked as planned on Saturday morning.

Oasis of the Seas Delayed and Adjusted

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas has had to make some changes on both ends of the turnaround.

The previous sailing arrived about 10 hours late into Cape Liberty, New Jersey (around 4:00 PM on Sunday, September 27) with debarkation beginning at approximately 4:30 PM.

Because of the late return, embarkation for the September 27 sailing did not begin until 8:00 PM (with the latest arrivals scheduled through 10:30 PM).

The itinerary for this sailing has also changed: the planned call at Port Canaveral (Orlando) on Tuesday, September 29 has been canceled and replaced with a sea day.

The ship will now arrive earlier in Nassau (7:30 AM–5:30 PM).

Carnival Sunshine Delayed and Shortened

Carnival Sunshine, sailing out of Norfolk, Virginia, diverted farther out to sea to stay in calmer waters.

The ship is expected to arrive back in Norfolk one day late, on Monday, September 28. As a result, the next cruise (originally a 6-night Bahamas sailing departing September 27) has been pushed to September 28 and shortened to a 5-night voyage.

Bimini has been canceled. The Nassau call is moved as well (1:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Wednesday, September 30), while the visit to Celebration Key remains on the schedule.

Valiant Lady Faces Major Turnaround Delays

Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady is the latest ship confirmed to have some itinerary changes because of the storm.

The previous sailing is delayed arriving into New York until 4:00 PM on Sunday, with disembarkation not expected to begin until 5:00 PM at the earliest.

For the September 27 sailing, embarkation has been pushed to 8:00 PM to midnight on Sunday, with an additional boarding window from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM on Monday, September 28. The ship plans to depart at noon on Monday.

The Bermuda call has been reduced to a single day (9:00 AM–4:00 PM). Guests are being offered $200 in non-refundable Sailor Loot (onboard credit) plus $200 in Future Cruise Credit.

Other Ships Seeing Impacts

A few more vessels have also been affected:

• Carnival Pride (Baltimore) is arriving later than scheduled, which is impacting embarkation times for the September 27 sailing.
• Independence of the Seas stayed overnight in New Jersey and pushed its departure to Sunday. The planned overnight stay in Bermuda has been shortened to a single day on Tuesday, September 29.

Other ships that were being watched earlier (Including Norwegian Breakaway, Queen Mary 2, and Crystal Symphony) had not issued major new public itinerary changes as of Sunday evening, but guests on those sailings should still monitor their apps and emails closely.

If you’re booked on any East Coast sailing in the next week, check your cruise line’s app and email frequently.

*Article updated on 9/27/26 to reflect additional ships impacted by the nor’easter, including Valiant Lady and further adjustments to Oasis of the Seas and Independence of the Seas.