Fresh out of an emergency repair, Carnival Vista is once again grappling with propulsion issues.
The issue began when Vista experienced speed problems while returning to its home port in Central Florida from a Southern Caribbean cruise.
Guests on the inbound cruise were informed of the delay, and outbound passengers were advised to delay their check-in appointments for embarkation.
By Sunday afternoon, news broke that the ship would need to remain docked longer for additional repairs.
The automated information system on Carnival Vista showed that the vessel stayed an extra 10 hours in Port Canaveral, sailing early Monday morning after 2:00 a.m.
Carnival’s brand ambassador, John Heald, took to Facebook to reassure guests that the current speed issues would not affect the new itinerary. He said this issue was unrelated to the ongoing propulsion problems that have troubled the ship for the past eight years.
“The ship sailed a few hours ago. Technicians have been on board and repaired everything. This was a completely separate issue from any of the previous ones,” Heald said on Monday morning.
The itinerary includes Half Moon Cay, Amber Cove, and Grand Turk. A guest on the current sailing told Cruise Radio that Carnival Vista will arrive Half Moon Cay early Tuesday morning (as scheduled).
Not the First Time for Carnival Vista
Unfortunately, this is not the first time the 2016-built Carnival Vista has encountered propulsion issues. Since its launch, these technical challenges have led to itinerary changes, canceled sailings, and even the ship’s out-of-service for repairs.
This year, the 133,500-ton vessel experienced technical challenges in May, August, and September.
Even guests have become accustomed to its problematic history.
One Reddit user wrote, ❝I’d say it [being out of service] happens most often on Vista, but she’s also the oldest in the class…and still not an old ship by any means, only 8!❞
Another commented, ❝Sad to say, but that ship probably needs to be removed from service and completely overhauled to determine exactly what is wrong with it.❞
The first Vista-class vessel repositioned from Galveston, Texas, to Florida late last year. It offers six—and eight-day Eastern and Southern Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral through 2027.
