Moor~ing News 9/28/26
RESOURCES
Virgin Voyages weather advisory for Valiant Lady: https://www.virginvoyages.com/travel-advisories/stories/weather-update-for-valiant-lady
Royal Caribbean travel updates: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/notices/travel-updates
Celebrity Cruises itinerary changes:https://www.celebritycruises.com/travel-alerts
Carnival Cruise Line weather alerts:https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/list/kw/weather%20alerts
Viking current sailings and river conditions:https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/my-trip/current-sailings/index.html
AmaWaterways travel updates:https://www.amawaterways.com/travel-updates
Federal Aviation Administration daily air-traffic report:https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-daily-air-traffic-report
Federal Aviation Administration National Airspace System status:https://nasstatus.faa.gov
Cruise Industry News report on Carnival Sunshine:https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2026/09/carnival-sunshine-postpones-return-to-norfolk/
Cruise Hive report on Carnival Sunshine’s revised itinerary:
https://www.cruisehive.com/noreaster-forces-carnival-ship-to-skip-bimini-on-delayed-cruise/219131
Hello, fellow cruise lovers!
Welcome aboard Cruise Sea-kers Travel’s Mooring News—where we share cruise news, travel updates, helpful tips, and the occasional story that makes you wonder what on earth happened after the ship left the dock.
Rob said it would be a good idea to keep our peeps informed—and apparently I should do my part.
So, here I am: reporting from the brig which I consider anywhere not on the ocean.
Let’s start with the nor’easter that affected cruise traffic along the East Coast.
At least eight cruise ships were reported to have experienced delays, itinerary changes, rough conditions, or altered arrival and departure times.
Those ships included Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Venezia, Carnival Pride, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, Independence of the Seas and Vision of the Seas, Norwegian Escape, and Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady.
Carnival Sunshine was returning to Norfolk from an eight-night Canada cruise. Because the ship had to slow down and alter its course, Carnival Sunshine returned on September 28 instead of September 27.
That delay also affected the next Carnival Sunshine cruise.
The following sailing was shortened from six nights to five nights. Bimini was removed from the itinerary, while Nassau and Celebration Key remained—with some scheduling adjustments.
It was reported that guests would receive a prorated refund for the lost cruise day.
This is an important distinction: the problem was not with the next cruise itself. The next cruise was changed because Carnival Sunshine returned late from the previous cruise.
Virgin Voyages posted an official and unusually detailed update for Valiant Lady.
Virgin said Valiant Lady would dock at approximately four o’clock on September 27, with disembarkation beginning around five.
Boarding for the next voyage was scheduled in two windows: from eight o’clock until midnight on September 27, and again from seven until ten the following morning.
Valiant Lady was then scheduled to sail at noon on September 28.
Because of the shortened schedule, the Bermuda visit was reduced from an overnight stay to a single day.
Virgin offered affected sailors two hundred dollars in onboard Sailor Loot and a two-hundred-dollar future voyage credit per person.
Carnival and Royal Caribbean reportedly communicated directly with affected passengers, but I was not able to locate a central public storm-update page from either cruise line containing every change.
I also did not find a verified, major nor’easter-related disruption announced publicly by Princess, Celebrity or Viking Ocean.
That does not necessarily mean that none of their passengers experienced weather or transportation problems. It only means I could not confirm a major cruise change through an official public announcement.
On land, the storm brought more than four inches of rain to parts of New Jersey, caused more than one hundred thousand power outages at the peak, and contributed to hundreds of flight cancellations and delays. More than 250 flights had reportedly been canceled at Boston Logan by late Sunday morning.
And that brings us to today’s travel reminder.
“One quick update before we move on: The nor’easter has moved away, but air travel has not completely returned to normal. The FAA says low clouds and wind may slow flights today in Boston and Philadelphia. Boston could require another ground-delay program later today. Thunderstorms may also affect flights through Las Vegas, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. If you are traveling, check your actual flight before leaving—and check where your aircraft is coming from.”
If you are flying to your cruise, arriving at least one day early is not being overly cautious—it is protecting your vacation.
During severe weather, flights may be delayed or canceled even when the weather at your departure airport looks perfectly fine. Your aircraft or flight crew may be coming from an affected city.
Check your airline’s app, the FAA airport-status information, and the weather at both your connecting airport and your cruise port.
Road to the Gangway.
Before leaving for the port, check for road construction, bridge closures, special events and local traffic restrictions.
A thirty-minute trip to the terminal can become a much longer adventure when a major road closes—and “the highway had other plans” is not likely to persuade the captain to wait.
Now let’s talk about Europe’s rivers.
Viking has officially reported abnormally low water on portions of the Danube, Elbe and Rhine.
Low water does not always mean the entire cruise will be canceled. Depending on the location and severity, a cruise line may move guests to a sister ship, transport them between ports by motorcoach, change the ports, shorten visits, reroute the itinerary or, in more serious cases, cancel a sailing.
AmaWaterways has said that its cruises continue to operate with adjustments when necessary. The company says it will provide sailing-specific information at least fourteen days before departure when it expects significant disruption.
Avalon has also reported low-water adjustments and some cancellations in previous updates, although the public update I found was not current enough to use as a complete picture of today’s operations.
The important takeaway is: do not cancel a river cruise based solely on a general low-water headline.
Ask about your exact ship, sailing date and itinerary. If the cruise line is still operating the sailing, canceling on your own could result in normal cancellation penalties.
Sometimes a river cruise becomes a bus tour with a boat attached. Or, as cruisers like to say, the ship develops tires.
We’ll continue watching for official announcements and credible reports from Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Viking, Virgin Voyages and the other major cruise lines.
Porthole Reports.
See anything cool, unusual or dramatic? PLEASE share!! for example.. we saw a fight in eden and heard rumor that both parties were put in the brig and banned for life.. that would be a rumor.. but its something we saw and it can be used as a word of caution should someone tick you off ...
Leave your story in the comments so we can add it to our announcements.
And remember: cruise news can change quickly. Information shared here is current as of the time of recording, so always confirm the details for your specific sailing directly with your cruise line or travel advisor.
Until next time, stay flexible, stay informed, and keep your focus on always seeking the seas.
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