4 Cruise Ships Disrupted As Severe Weather Hits Miami

Four cruise ships have been caught up in severe weather disruption around Miami, with three arriving up to seven hours late and another abandoning its scheduled port visit altogether.

Strong winds and rough seas prevented Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Joy and Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth from entering PortMiami on the morning of Tuesday, 27th October 2026.

All three vessels were forced to remain offshore until conditions improved, leaving passengers facing lengthy delays to disembark and disrupting travel arrangements for those preparing to board.

Meanwhile, TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 1 was unable to make its planned visit to Miami, resulting in an unexpected day at sea and a revised itinerary.

The disruption followed deteriorating weather conditions along Florida’s Atlantic coast on Monday evening, with gale-force winds and high seas continuing to affect the area into Wednesday.

Passengers Face Delays Of Up To Seven Hours

Norwegian Joy was the first of the three delayed ships to reach PortMiami, arriving at 12.50pm on Tuesday.

Queen Elizabeth followed at 1.15pm, while Norwegian Getaway docked at 1.35pm.

The revised arrival times were approximately six to seven hours later than originally scheduled.

Both Norwegian vessels were returning from four-night cruises to the Bahamas, while Queen Elizabeth was completing a 12-night Eastern Caribbean voyage.

For passengers finishing their holidays, the late arrivals created particular difficulties for those with flights or other onward travel booked.

Norwegian Cruise Line advised guests travelling on Norwegian Getaway to contact their airlines if they needed to rearrange flights.

Those who had booked their travel through the cruise line had their arrangements adjusted to accommodate the ship’s delayed return.

The company also offered reimbursement of up to $300 per person for eligible airline change or cancellation fees not covered by travel insurance or the airline itself.

Passengers seeking reimbursement were required to provide receipts for consideration.

The delayed arrival of Norwegian Getaway marked the end of its Miami-based programme, meaning there were no new passengers waiting to board the ship that afternoon.

The vessel was instead preparing to reposition to Port Canaveral, where it is scheduled to operate cruises until early April 2027.

The situation was different for Norwegian Joy and Queen Elizabeth, both of which had new passengers due to embark in Miami on Tuesday.

Cunard instructed incoming Queen Elizabeth guests to arrive at the terminal seven hours later than the check-in time printed on their boarding passes.

In its notification to passengers, the cruise line stated:

“Please arrive at the cruise terminal seven hours later than the arrival or check-in time shown on your boarding pass. Please do not arrive before your revised arrival time, as check-in will not be available.”

Disembarkation was also substantially delayed for guests already aboard Queen Elizabeth.

Passengers began leaving the ship at approximately 3pm, with the final disembarkation group starting to depart at around 5.30pm.

These revised arrangements meant that some guests were still leaving the vessel well into the afternoon, when the ship would normally have been preparing for its next departure.

Fourth Cruise Ship Cancels Miami Visit

While the three delayed vessels eventually reached PortMiami, passengers aboard Mein Schiff 1 missed the destination entirely.

The TUI Cruises ship had been scheduled to spend Tuesday in Miami, arriving at 7am and departing at 6pm.

It was sailing on a 14-night one-way cruise from New York to La Romana in the Dominican Republic, having departed New York on 23rd October.

Miami would have been its second scheduled port of call following a visit to Port Canaveral on Monday.

However, the adverse conditions prevented the ship from making its planned stop.

Rather than remaining offshore waiting for an opportunity to dock, Mein Schiff 1 continued towards the Caribbean and spent Tuesday at sea.

The itinerary was subsequently adjusted to allow an earlier arrival in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

AIS vessel-tracking information indicated that Mein Schiff 1 was expected to reach San Juan on Thursday, 29th October, one day ahead of its original scheduled arrival on Friday.

Although passengers lost their visit to Miami, the revised schedule provided additional time in Puerto Rico.

The wider disruption came as marine weather warnings remained in force off Florida’s southeastern coast.

According to the National Weather Service, a gale warning covering waters around Miami was due to remain in effect until 8am on Wednesday, 28th October.

Forecasts warned of wind gusts reaching 35 knots, equivalent to approximately 40mph, alongside waves of 9 to 14 feet.

Coastal flood warnings were also in place along Florida’s eastern coastline.

These conditions posed difficulties for cruise ships attempting to enter the busy port, particularly during the early-morning period when several vessels would ordinarily be arriving.

No cruise ships were scheduled to call at PortMiami on Wednesday, providing a gap in the port’s usual traffic.

However, the port was expecting further arrivals over the following days from several major cruise operators, including Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages and Holland America Line.

The extent of any additional disruption will depend on how quickly marine conditions improve.