The departure of Carnival Liberty's 14-night Panama Canal cruise was delayed by one day after the 110,00 gross registered ton ship was diverted because of a medical emergency and then developing propulsion issues.
After calling at Key West, Florida, during her 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise, Carnival Liberty had to divert course to Florida three days later on Nov. 29 to allow an ailing guest to receive medical treatment from a local hospital.
Shortly thereafter, the 2,974-passenger vessel developed a propulsion issue, causing the ship to slow down en route to New Orleans, Louisiana.
"...the ship has developed an issue that is impacting our sail speed. Combined [with the medical diversion], these matters are affecting our timely return to New Orleans tomorrow, Sunday, December 1," read a letter from Captain Mazzi.
Carnival Liberty ended up being delayed even further, as shared on a TikTok posted by @cruisingwithjenn.
"While the ship has the required speed to get into New Orleans at the time we had communicated Saturday evening, our journey up the [Mississippi River] is being delayed due to unexpected traffic," said the ship's Cruise Director over the PA system.
"As a result, we are now expecting to dock around 6:00pm and plan to begin disembarking shortly thereafter."
The following 14-night cruise started its embarkation process at 8:45pm
Instead of arriving between 10:00am and 2:00pm, guests were welcomed onboard between 8:45pm and 11:45pm. Boarding finally concluded around midnight.
Because passengers were stranded in New Orleans that afternoon and evening, they had to pay for their lunches and dinners out of pocket. Carnival offered each guest $25 in onboard credits due to the unexpected inconvenience.
According to Cruise Mapper, the ship is now underway after remaining in New Orleans overnight. Carnival Liberty was initially scheduled to depart at around 5:00pm.
Ports of call on the 14-night itinerary include Grand Cayman; Aruba; Curaçao; Cartagena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Limón, Costa Rica; and Cozumel, Mexico.
Read more: The extra step you should take so you aren't delayed getting onboard a Carnival cruise
Compensation
Passengers on the 7-night Eastern Caribbean sailing were reimbursed up to $200 per person for related travel expenses for their journey home. The Lido Marketplace buffet was also kept open for dinner, and Carnival didn't charge guests an extra day of parking or gratuities.
Many comments on @cruisingwithjenn's TikTok show frustration with the low reimbursement amount. "$200 is a joke. If you can't get a later flight, it will barely cover a room. Not to mention meals, the change fee, [and] the [difference] in fare. I'm sure people will say at least [it's] something but [it's] not enough," wrote christinaderr505.
Stephanie added, "i feel for the people who missed flights home. The 200 per person isn't going to be enough to [cover] the change fee and the difference in airfare for a flight they likely booked 3-6 months ago."
Guests embarking on the 14-night cruise on Dec. 1 missed the first day onboard because of the delay. As such, Carnival Cruise Line provided a pro-rated one-day refund of the cruise fare, as well as all pre-paid add-ons, such as drink packages, Wi-Fi, and gratuities.
Refunds will be processed back to the original form of payment and may take up to three weeks to process after the cruise ends.
Carnival Liberty kept the Main Dining Room and Lido Marketplace buffet open as guests boarded for dinner. Rather than sticking to assigned dining times, the restaurants were available on a first-come, first-served basis for open seating.
As mentioned earlier, Carnival provided each guest with $25 in onboard credit to help make up for the fact they had to pay for unexpected meals in New Orleans.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
