Carnival Cruise Ship Limps Along at Half Speed—Here’s Which Port Got Axed

Carnival Horizon passengers just got some bad news: their stop in Grand Cayman has been cancelled. The reason? The ship is crawling through the Caribbean at speeds that would make a golf cart jealous—and it’s not the first time this vessel has had propulsion problems.

The 3,960-passenger Carnival Horizon is currently sailing at approximately 16 knots (18 mph), well below its standard cruising speed of 19-20 mph, according to The Travel. The mechanical issue surfaced during an eight-night Southern Caribbean cruise, with speeds occasionally dropping into the single digits—yes, you read that right—forcing the cruise line to cancel the ship’s Wednesday, November 19 stop at Grand Cayman.

A Pattern of Problems

This isn’t a one-time hiccup for Carnival Horizon. The ship, which debuted in 2018, has faced multiple propulsion incidents throughout its relatively short career. Shortly after its launch in 2018, passengers received $50 in onboard credit when similar mechanical issues caused a port cancellation. In 2021, the ship suffered two separate cruise cancellations due to propulsion problems, with repairs taking longer than anticipated.

Despite Carnival’s claims that repairs were completed in late 2021, the Horizon is now facing the same issues again—suggesting an unresolved mechanical vulnerability that continues to plague the vessel.

The Domino Effect

The current speed troubles have created chaos for multiple sailings. The ship’s previous eight-night cruise ended late, arriving in Miami mid-afternoon on Sunday, November 16 instead of the scheduled 8:00 AM arrival. This delay cascaded into the next sailing—a six-night Western Caribbean cruise—forcing passengers to board late Sunday evening instead of enjoying a full first day.

According to Cruise Radio, embarkation slots that were supposed to start Sunday morning were pushed to evening hours, with check-in lasting until 10:00 PM. All passengers were required to be aboard by 10:30 PM, and the ship didn’t leave Miami until just before 1:00 AM on Monday, November 17.

Technicians from Miami boarded the ship on November 16 to assist with repairs, but those efforts proved insufficient to restore the vessel to normal operating speed.

What Passengers Are Getting

Carnival is offering compensation for the disruptions:

– $100 in onboard credit per stateroom for the Grand Cayman cancellation and itinerary changes

– One-day pro-rated refunds for cruise fare, beverage packages, gratuities, and Wi-Fi packages for passengers who lost their first day

Why This Matters to Cruisers

Recurring mechanical problems on a ship that’s barely seven years old raise legitimate concerns about reliability. If you’re booked on a Carnival Horizon cruise in the coming months, you might want to purchase travel insurance and mentally prepare for potential itinerary changes.

The bigger question: when will Carnival take this ship out of service long enough to truly fix whatever keeps breaking? Band-aid repairs clearly aren’t cutting it, and passengers deserve better than repeated disappointments and last-minute port cancellations.