Tropical Storm Debby continued to impact cruise operations along the East Coast on Thursday, with Carnival Sunshine becoming the latest vessel to experience delays.
The ship, returning from a five-night Bahamas cruise, is expected to arrive several hours behind schedule at its homeport of Charleston, South Carolina.
According to news reports, Carnival Sunshine will now dock in the early afternoon rather than in the morning as originally planned.
The company emphasized the safety of its crew as a top priority and assured passengers that the ship would maintain a safe distance from the storm.
“Our Fleet Operations Center in Miami continues to actively monitor Debby, which is currently impacting The Carolinas. The safety of our crew is our priority, and our ships will maintain a safe distance from the storm,” Carnival said in a statement.
Despite the delayed return, the Carnival Sunshine’s upcoming four-night Bahamas cruise is still scheduled to depart as planned.
However, passengers have been asked to arrive at the terminal seven hours later than their original appointment time to accommodate the ship’s altered schedule.