Carnival VistaCarnival Cruise Line’s mechanical issues continue to disrupt travel plans, with the September 7 cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida, canceled due to unresolved speed issues.
Passengers who have been eagerly awaiting updates after the cruise line changed its itinerary on its current 8-night trip to the Eastern Caribbean which departed on August 24, now face disappointment over last-minute changes as the cruise line works to fix the technical defects that have hampered the ship’s propulsion.
In a message to affected guests on August 27, 2024 Colleen Oliverio, Vice President of Guest Services – Contact Center at Carnival Cruise Linestated that engineers were unable to solve the problems of the 133,596 gross ton ship.
After a delayed start of the current tour, Carnival Vista arrived in the Dominican Republic without any problems on his first attempt.
However, problems again arose that affected the ship’s speed, and the 3,934-passenger vessel was forced to shorten its calls in Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and the U.S. Virgin Islands in order to return to Florida by September 1.
Captain Francesco Florentino informed the passengers on board that the crew was working on a repair plan. “We will be able to maintain the remaining ports of call on our itinerary,” he said. “However, we will make some minor adjustments to our port time to ensure we can return to Port Canaveral on time.”
Read also: What’s going on with Carnival’s Vista-class ships?
However, engineers were unable to resolve the issue and Oliverio notified passengers booked on a September 7, 2024 cruise to Aruba, Curaçao and the Turks and Caicos Islands that the ship was being taken out of service.
“Our engineers have been working on solving a problem that Carnival Vistas travel speed”, Oliverio wrote.
“We had hoped that some recent work might resolve the issue, however we are not there yet and unfortunately will have to take the vessel out of service to make some additional repairs, resulting in the cancellation of your upcoming cruise.”
She continued: “We apologize for the unexpected disruption to your vacation plans and are disappointed that we cannot offer you the cruise you planned.”
Speed problems lead to cancellations
The problems of the eight-year-old carnival Vista first appeared at the end of his journey on August 4 and reappeared during his voyage on August 10The latter’s itinerary also had to be adjusted to take into account the speed dilemma.
Given the recent problems, the cancellation will hopefully give the Carnival Corporation-owned cruise line the opportunity to properly repair the ship.
Passengers who were booked for the now canceled cruise on September 7 will receive a 100 percent refund of their cruise fare, as well as a refund of all prepaid shore excursions and FUNShop items to their original method of payment.
As a sign of its goodwill, the cruise line has also offered all guests a 100 percent Future Cruise Credit (FCC), which can be used for all cruises booked up to August 31, 2025.
Guests who have booked a non-refundable flight themselves are also advised to request the adjustment directly with their airline.
Carnival will reimburse up to $200 per person for flight change fees, provided proper documentation is submitted, but this reimbursement will not be made if compensation is received through travel insurance or other sources.
