Carnival Spirit’s repair issue in Hawaii is now impacting two cruises, with the ship returning to Seattle a day later than scheduled.
Guests currently onboard will miss their scheduled stop in Victoria, while passengers on the next cruise will lose a full day of their sailing and a visit to Cabo San Lucas.
Carnival Spirit is now expected back in Seattle Friday morning after making an unscheduled repair stop in Honolulu during its 15-night Hawaii cruise.
What happened in Honolulu
Carnival Cruise Line confirmed the repair stop to Cruise Radio in a statement.
“Carnival Spirit made an unscheduled stop in Honolulu, Hawaii, on October 3rd for repairs that had to be done while the ship was in port. Those repairs were successfully completed that evening; however, the stop resulted in the cancellation of the ship’s planned visit to Victoria, British Columbia, and will delay her return to Seattle by one day, with the new arrival date of Friday, October 9.”
Carnival has not said what was repaired. The cruise line said “all safety systems and hotel services aboard Carnival Spirit have continued to function normally.”
A guest on the current sailing told our Cruise News Today tip line that divers were seen around the ship while the vessel was docked in Honolulu.
What guests onboard are getting
In an October 4 letter to guests, Captain Lorenzo Calogero said “the extra cruising day, including gratuities and pre-purchased beverage packages, will be on us.”
Carnival is also making the Internet Value Plan free so guests can rebook travel home.
Guests who booked their own flights can receive up to $200 per person for non-refundable air change fees and other travel costs.
Panama Canal repositioning cruise loses a day
The October 8 Panama Canal repositioning cruise to Mobile now departs October 9, cutting the 16-night voyage to 15 nights.
Carnival said the following cruise “will not visit Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, as planned to ensure the scheduled time slot for crossing the Panama Canal is kept.” The October 13 Cabo call becomes a sea day.
According to a guest notice Carnival is offering a one-day prorated fare refund to the original form of payment, refunds for Cabo shore excursions booked through Carnival, one-day prorated refunds on prepaid drink, WiFi, and gratuity charges, a $250 onboard credit per stateroom, and up to $200 per person for non-refundable travel changes.
Third repair this year
This is not the first time Carnival Spirit’s schedule has been altered by repairs in 2026. In early April, Carnival dropped Bimini from a Bahamas sailing out of Mobile for in-service work.
Days later, the ship’s April 12 repositioning cruise to Seattle left Mobile a day late, and Cartagena was cancelled. Carnival has not disclosed the nature of any of the repairs or whether they are related.
Built in 2001 as the first of Carnival’s Spirit-class ships, Carnival Spirit returns to Mobile for a seasonal run from October 2026 through April 2027, before Carnival Valor takes over the homeport in May 2027.
