Carnival Cruise Line has cancelled Carnival Magic's scheduled St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., port call this week due to a delayed departure on Saturday from Port Canaveral, as well as a propulsion issue.
All guests sailing on the current seven-night eastern Caribbean cruise have received a $50 onboard credit to their Sign & Sail account.
The ship is now operating a three-port, seven-day itinerary visiting Grand Turk, Amber Cove and San Juan. The ship will also spend a day at sea en route back to Port Canaveral, arriving on Saturday.
Medical & Propulsion Issues
The line was forced to adjust the current schedule after Carnival Magic arrived late back to Port Canaveral on Saturday (about 12:30 p.m.) from its previous Caribbean voyage. Boarding for the current cruise didn’t start until about 3 p.m., so the ship was delayed leaving the port.
Due to the late arrival, guests on the current cruise were asked to disregard their scheduled boarding time. Carnival also has given each passenger a $15 onboard credit to compensate them for their lunch purchased on embarkation day.
Carnival Magic arrived late at Port Canaveral for two reasons. First, a passenger on last week's cruise was evacuated from the ship on Friday due to a medical situation. That required that the ship divert to Cozumel, Mexico, so the guest could receive medical care.
Second, a propulsion issue developed that affected the vessel’s maximum speed. In discussing the situation, Vance Gulliksen, a Carnival spokesman, said “Carnival sincerely apologizes for this disruption to our guests’ vacation plans.”
Carnival also issued an update to guests sailing on this week’s cruise about the propulsion situation, explaining that “while our team completes the necessary work, we will be unable to sustain the speed required to deliver a four-port itinerary. Consequently, we will need to cancel our call to St. Thomas. We know how much you were looking forward to your visit to this port of call and sincerely apologize for this unexpected change.”
Also the line has told guests that any pre-purchased shore excursions for St. Thomas and corresponding government fees and taxes will be refunded to their onboard accounts.
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