Two Florida Ports Remain Closed After Hurricane Idalia
by Dori Saltzman /Carnival Elation's return to Jacksonville is on hold.
Update, 10:06 a.m. - The US Coast Guard has lifted Hurricane Port Condition ZULU for the Port of Jacksonville. JAXPORT is now fully open and operational. Carnival Elation will return to port today to disembark passengers and its next sailing will depart later in the day.
11:06 a.m. - The Port of Tampa remains closed and Carnival Paradise's sailing has officially been pushed back a day. In a text sent to cruisers scheduled to embark today, the line wrote "It is now clear we will not be able to operate your cruise today. Our plan is to depart tomorrow on a 3 day cruise without a port of call." The line will be sending impacted passengers information with their options shortly.
Both the port of Jacksonville (Jaxport) and Port Tampa Bay remain closed while the U.S. Coast Guard assesses them for damage. While the ports remain closed, cruise ships due back in port are forced to standby. Though Hurricane Idalia did not hit either city directly, it did come close enough to leave some flooding and destruction in its wake.
In Jacksonville, Carnival Elation was due to return to port at 8 a.m. this morning, with its next sailing scheduled to leave this afternoon. In Tampa, Carnival Paradise was due to return to port this morning.
Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas is also due to return to Port Tampa Bay today.
In a text sent to passengers scheduled to depart on both ships today, Carnival wrote "We will not have a projected arrival time until after the assessment is complete. We hope to be able to dock Thursday, although there is a possibility it may be Friday morning."
The line has promised an update at 11 a.m. today.
