Carnival Cruise Line suffered a series of IT issues over the weekend and early this week, impacting everything from debarkation to embarkation, Wi-Fi, casino operations, and Sail & Sign onboard payment methods.
While the disruptions have now been resolved, Christine Duffy, Carnival's President, issued an official letter apologizing for the inconvenience and promising compensation for affected guests.
"I want to express our appreciation for your patience and understanding as we worked through the technology disruption that took many systems offline the last couple [of] days," the letter, dated February 10, 2026, begins.
Read more: Carnival Cruise Line warns of embarkation delays due to "IT issues"
"While our navigation and safety systems have always been fully operational, we know that things that impact our [guests], like WiFi, the casino slot machines, and the HUB App, weren't available, and it also made the embarkation and debarkation process longer than usual for some of you."
Continuing on, Duffy confirmed that everything was back online and those who purchased WiFi will be refunded for the days it was unavailable. The amount will vary based on the purchased plans and days without connectivity. However, the most expensive Carnival WiFi package starts at $25.50 per day when purchased in advance.
"Thanks for being great Carnival guests. We appreciate you and look forward to seeing you back on board again very soon," she concludes.
Carnival passengers faced lengthy embarkation delays over the weekend and into Monday
Cruisers took to social media over the weekend to share their experiences, with some even posting videos of long embarkation lines outside the cruise terminal.
"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) wrote on TikTok as she waited to board Carnival Celebration in PortMiami on Sunday, Feb. 8.
Another user shared that the ship's sailaway was delayed as a result of the IT issues. According to a video posted by TikToker Stina (@stinadoesmyhair), the Excel Class ship was still in port 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 explained.
Other ships, including Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Panorama, had delayed embarkation and disembarkation processes, too.
"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," said one Redditor.
It wasn't smooth sailing once on the ship, though, as the IT issues impacted onboard systems, ranging from the casino to WiFi and even the HUB mobile application.
"Currently on Venezia. Was supposed to set sail an hour ago. Hub app isn’t working, elevators are down, it’s crazy," someone else shared on Reddit.
Another cruiser added, "My internet is working but a lot of people are not. The app is 90% not working."
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
