Carnival Cruise Line warns of embarkation delays due to "IT issues"

Carnival passengers faced lengthy embarkation delays over the weekend and into Monday after the cruise line reported IT issues that impacted multiple systems.

On Sunday, February 8, one TikToker revealed that due to the issue, all guests embarking on Carnival Celebration at PortMiami had to go through a paper boarding process. 

"Hanging in there! It’s a bit of a wait today at the terminal due to a tech outage. Can’t wait to finally see the ship," Madison Benson (@madibbenson27) captioned the five-second clip. 

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According to a Reddit post on the r/CarnivalCruiseFans thread, passengers boarding Carnival Celebration were asked to arrive two hours later than their selected arrival appointment. 

"We are managing a system-related matter that is impacting our debarkation and embarkation operations and your check-in time is being pushed back," the notice read.

"Please arrive two hours later than your pre-selected terminal arrival appointment. We are planning for all guests to be on board by 4:30 PM. We are sorry for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding."

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Carnival Celebration's sailaway was subsequently delayed, with TikTok user Stina (@stinadoesmyhair) sharing that they were still in Miami around 8:00 p.m. EST. 

"So, apparently, there is [an] issue with the computer system to where it's affecting our internet, the HUB app, [and] a lot of the things we need... The casino is not open [either]... I think we are the only boat left," she explains. 

Like Benson, Stina also had trouble embarking and claimed that it took them an extra two hours to finally make it on board. 

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Another guest shared that Carnival Sunshine's embarkation in Norfolk was also delayed, writing, "Carnival Sunshine embarkation delayed 2 hours because of some systems problem."

Embarkation had already been delayed one day due to inclement weather that shut down the cruise port, forcing the Sunshine Class ship to remain at sea an extra day and return on Feb. 8. 

Other reports indicate that passengers had just as much trouble disembarking Carnival ships over the weekend as a result of the frustrating IT problems. 

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"Got off the Panorama today. Took 3 hours to clear customs in Long Beach. It took some people close to 6 hours to get off the ship and clear customs," Timely-Jackfruit-804 commented on Reddit.

The IT issues continued into Monday, with guests aboard at least three ships — Carnival Breeze, Carnival Glory, and Carnival Freedom — informed that their pre-selected arrival times were pushed back to later. 

For example, those embarking on Carnival Breeze’s 5-night Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston, Texas, were asked to arrive two hours later. 

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Carnival acknowledged the issues on their website with a brief statement that reads, "Carnival is experiencing some IT issues that occurred during planned maintenance, resulting in the delay of debarkation and embarkation of guests, as well as slowing down some other technology tools. Navigation and safety systems are working. We appreciate our guests' patience and encourage embarking guests to watch their emails, text, and phone call messages for updates."

The IT issues have also impacted guests already on board

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Cruises are supposed to be convenient and easy. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing technological issues, many passengers have reported difficulty accessing the HUB mobile app and even using the ship's elevators.

"Currently on the Vista and the Carnival app is mostly [non-functional], however, [the] internet has been going strong all day," ITGuy11 said on Reddit. 

atjh0503 added, "Currently on Venezia. Was supposed to set sail an hour ago. Hub app isn’t working, elevators are down, it’s crazy."

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Some guests have gone as far as to say that the internet has been down, making it impossible to check in with loved ones at home or access social media.