Carnival Radiance Skips Cabo San Lucas to Avoid Tropical Storm Rachel
Passengers had been scheduled to spend eight hours in Cabo San Lucas beginning at 6:30 a.m.; the anchored-offshore port requires tender transfers that rough seas can make unsafe.
Carnival Cruise Line canceled Carnival Radiance’s October 9, 2026, call at Cabo San Lucas to avoid Tropical Storm Rachel’s forecast path on the ship’s return to California. The vessel is heading directly to Long Beach, where it remains scheduled to arrive for debarkation on October 11.
The cancellation removes the final port call from an eight-night Mexican Riviera cruise. Rachel’s projected turn toward the Baja California peninsula puts the storm across the ship’s northbound route. Carnival is leaving additional time to pass through the area before the worst weather arrives.
The voyage departed on October 3 and has already called at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and La Paz. Passengers had been scheduled to spend eight hours in Cabo San Lucas, with the visit beginning at 6:30 a.m.
Carnival confirmed the change in its October 8 evening weather update, and its October 10 alert continued to list the scheduled return. The company said its Miami Fleet Operations Center was monitoring Rachel alongside Hurricanes Isaias and Simon, adding that “our ships will always maintain a safe distance from the storms.”
The 102,232-gross-ton Carnival Radiance accommodates 2,984 passengers at double occupancy. Built in 2000 as Carnival Victory, the vessel entered service under its current name in 2021 following a major transformation.
Rachel’s forecast threatens the return route
The National Hurricane Center’s October 9 forecast placed Rachel near northern Baja California and extreme southern California on Saturday night, October 10, with the system expected to remain at tropical-storm strength.
A day earlier, at 2 p.m. PDT, the storm was about 935 miles west of Cabo San Lucas, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. Rachel, previously a Category 3 hurricane, was moving slowly west-northwest before an anticipated sharp turn to the northeast.
Cabo San Lucas requires passengers to transfer ashore by tender from ships anchored offshore. Rough seas can make those transfers unsafe and force operators to abandon calls.
Simon presents a separate threat farther south. The hurricane center’s October 9 forecast called for it to reach Mexico’s central coast as a major hurricane on October 11; the earlier assessment placed its expected mainland landfall more than 300 miles from the Baja peninsula.
Rachel had already disrupted cruise traffic in the region. Cabo San Lucas closed on September 30 because of the storm, requiring multiple ships to revise their itineraries.
Other sailings face changes and monitoring
Virgin Voyages also changed Brilliant Lady’s October 10 departure from Los Angeles. An email to passengers replaced the planned calls at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta with Santa Barbara, San Diego and Ensenada.
Elsewhere in Carnival’s operations, Carnival Liberty moved its October 9 Cozumel arrival approximately one hour earlier during a seven-night Western Caribbean voyage from New Orleans. Carnival Valor, Carnival Firenze and Carnival Paradise departed their homeports as scheduled in recent days.
Carnival’s October 10 alert identified Galveston, New Orleans, Tampa and Long Beach as ports that could be affected by the storms. Carnival Breeze, Carnival Dream, Carnival Jubilee and Carnival Panorama remain under monitoring for possible turnaround changes.
