Carnival Cruise Ship Experiencing Technical Issues, Delayed Return

Guests booked on the upcoming June 3, 2023 departure of Carnival Panorama have been alerted to a delay in embarkation, as the ship will not be arriving on schedule on Saturday as planned when it returns to Long Beach.

Carnival Cruise Line has reached out to guests via text and email to notify them of the situation, and is urging guests to sign up for text alerts to stay informed.

Carnival Panorama Delayed

Carnival Panorama is currently experiencing a technical issue that impacts the ship’s maximum cruising speed, and because of this, will not be arriving back to its homeport of Long Beach, California on time on Saturday, June 3. Guests booked on the next sailing have received messages alerting them to the delay.

“The ship will be returning to Long Beach later than scheduled and this will impact embarkation for your cruise,” the email said. Carnival Panorama was scheduled to arrive and begin debarkation no later than 9 a.m.

At this time, the Vista-class ship is docked in Cabo San Lucas, the last port of call on its current 5-night “Mexican Riviera” itinerary, which left Long Beach on Saturday, May 27, and has already called at Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan. Friday, June 2, is to be a day at sea as the ship returns to California.

The email to the next sailings’ guests does state that “our team is working on a repair plan” which indicates that repairs may not yet be underway. The issue may need further evaluation or specific parts may be required before work can begin.

What About Guests Onboard?

Guests onboard the current sailing were informed prior to embarkation that the ship’s maximum cruising speed is impacted, and that the port visit to Cabo San Lucas would be shortened by 30 minutes to help provide more time for the ship to return to Long Beach.

A letter delivered to guests’ staterooms on Wednesday, May 31, indicates the change in port call as well as when the ship is expected to return to Long Beach.

“We now expect to dock in Long Beach by 9:30 AM, Saturday,” the letter reads. “We apologize for this change of plans and thank you for your understanding.”

Current tracking data, however, shows the ship’s estimated time of arrival at Long Beach to be 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. It is possible this information does not reflect the most recent data, or else the ship’s arrival has been further revised and guests onboard are not yet alerted to the change.

Guests on the next sailing – an identical 7-night “Mexican Riviera” sailing – are being asked to sign up for text alerts and will receive more information by 6 p.m. on Friday evening.

Future Sailings Possibly Impacted

It is possible this issue may not be resolved for the next several cruises, which has happened in the past when different Carnival cruise ships have experienced engine difficulties. The ship’s safety and guest operations are in no way impacted, only the maximum cruising speed of the vessel.

Carnival Panorama joined the Fun Ship fleet in 2019, and her typical cruising speed is 18 knots (21 miles per hour / 33 kilometers per hour).

At maximum speed, the ship can reach as high as 22.6 knots (26 mph / 42 km/h). There has been no information shared about what the ship’s speed can be with this technical issue as a concern.

This is not the first time Carnival Panorama has had issues impacting is maximum cruising speed. In August 2021, the ship experienced a very similar issue on the same itinerary, with adjustments to the port time in Cabo San Lucas as well as a delayed arrival back to Long Beach.

Guests booked on upcoming Carnival Panorama sailings may want to reconsider their post-cruise travel plans, particularly any early flights from either Long Beach Airport (LGB) or Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), as well as other regional airports, just in case of delays on future sailings.