Rough Seas Delay Three Cruise Ships at PortMiami by Up to Seven Hours

Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Joy and Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth reached PortMiami six to seven hours late on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, after strong winds and rough seas kept them offshore through the morning. The delays disrupted passengers’ onward travel and pushed back embarkation for the next voyages of Norwegian Joy and Queen Elizabeth.

A fourth ship, TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 1, canceled its Miami call and continued toward Puerto Rico. Some passengers on the returning ships missed flights home, although the number affected was not specified.

PortMiami’s docking schedule recorded Norwegian Joy arriving at 12:50 p.m., followed by Queen Elizabeth at 1:15 p.m. and Norwegian Getaway at 1:35 p.m. Both Norwegian Cruise Line ships were completing four-night Bahamas cruises, while Queen Elizabeth was returning from a 12-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary.

Flight changes and delayed embarkation

Norwegian Cruise Line advised Norwegian Getaway passengers with independently booked flights to contact their airlines about changes. For guests whose air travel had been arranged through the cruise line, NCL adjusted those arrangements for the late return.

In its notice to those passengers, NCL offered reimbursement of up to $300 per person for eligible airline change or cancellation fees that were not covered by the airline or travel insurance. Guests must submit receipts for consideration. No compensation offers were detailed for Cunard or TUI Cruises passengers.

Norwegian Getaway, which accommodates 3,903 guests at double occupancy, had no incoming passengers waiting to board. The voyage was its final Miami sailing before a move to Port Canaveral, where it is scheduled to operate through early April 2027.

Cunard instructed embarking Queen Elizabeth passengers to reach the terminal seven hours after the check-in time printed on their boarding passes. “Please do not arrive before your revised arrival time,” the line told guests.

Disembarkation from the approximately 2,090-passenger ship began at 3 p.m. The final group started to leave at about 5:30 p.m., and Queen Elizabeth did not sail on its next voyage until nearly midnight.

Norwegian Joy’s return concluded a Hallmark Christmas Cruise that had departed Miami on October 23. The ship, which has a double-occupancy capacity of 3,776 guests, shifted its next sailing’s check-in to the afternoon and departed at 9:20 p.m.

Miami call canceled as marine warnings continued

Mein Schiff 1 had been scheduled to visit Miami from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. during a 14-night, one-way voyage from New York to La Romana in the Dominican Republic. The ship departed New York on October 23 and visited Port Canaveral on Monday; Miami would have been its second port call.

The vessel spent Tuesday at sea. AIS tracking showed an expected arrival in San Juan on Thursday, October 29, a day ahead of the original Friday schedule.

The disruption followed deteriorating conditions off Florida late Monday. The National Weather Service’s gale warning for waters around Miami remained in effect until 8 a.m. Wednesday, October 28, with gusts reaching 35 knots and seas of 9 to 14 feet. Coastal flood warnings were also in force along Florida’s eastern coast.

No cruise ships were scheduled at PortMiami on Wednesday. Arrivals over the following days were scheduled from Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages and Holland America Line.