Carnival Cruise Ship Return Delayed, Following Sailing Shortened By One Day

Carnival Legend experienced engine issues on Saturday afternoon off the coast of Florida, resulting in a delayed return to Baltimore. While the ship originally was slated to arrive on Sunday, the ship was forced to change course in order to disembark a passenger in need of medical attention. An email to passengers expecting to board on Sunday informed them that the ship would not be leaving Baltimore until Monday, and that the scheduled 7-night sailing would instead be a 6-night voyage.

An email to the Cruise Radio tip line said: “FYI. On the Carnival Legend sailing back to Baltimore from the Bahamas and 2 hours ago we were told the engine is broken. We have not moved since. Does anyone hear anything? I have never had this encounter before.” 

On Saturday evening, the ship’s automated information system (AIS) showed Carnival Legend off the coast of West Palm Beach, Florida, and moving northward at 4 knots or 4.6 miles per hour.

As of Sunday morning, the ship made an overnight call to Port Canaveral and is back on course to Baltimore with a cruising speed of 19 knots or 22 miles per hour.

Now that the ship is back on course for Baltimore, guests who are scheduled to board Carnival Legend on Sunday have been informed that the ship will actually arrive on Monday. An alert to embarking guests says:

Repairs to the ship were completed overnight, but early this morning, it was necessary to deviate course to disembark a guest who needed urgent medical care ashore. Given the lost time, we will now be arriving into Baltimore early Monday morning, and your cruise will now be operated as a 6-day voyage departing on Monday, February 26. Please stand by for an email with more details and your options. We apologize for this change and thank you for your understanding.

Not a first for the Spirit class

Last summer, another Spirit-class ship, Carnival Pride, experienced issues while sailing in Northern Europe. The vessel was on a 12-night European cruise from Dover, England, and started experiencing issues after leaving Kiel, Germany.  Carnival Pride was taken out of service while the vessel underwent repairs in Europe. 

Carnival Legend, a 23-year-old Spirit-class ship, is currently homeported in Baltimore for the season. It left Maryland on Sunday, February 18, for a seven-night cruise to Half Moon Cay and Freeport, originally scheduled to return to Baltimore this Sunday, February 25. 

In 2019, strong winds attributed to Carnival Legend bumping into Carnival Glory while docked in Cozumel. 

This story is developing and will be updated as information becomes available.