October 9, 2026 — Carnival Cruise Line cancelled Carnival Radiance’s Cabo San Lucas call today because of Tropical Storm Rachel. Its six Gulf ships were still on their planned itineraries as Hurricane Isaias neared the Florida Panhandle.
Update: yesterday’s edition reported Carnival’s Isaias watch with no changes confirmed. Since then Isaias has become a major hurricane, Carnival has made its first storm-related change, on the West Coast, and Carnival Freedom has left drydock.
Carnival Radiance skips Cabo
Carnival confirmed the cancellation in its 6 p.m. update on Thursday, October 8, Cruise Hive reports. Radiance left Long Beach on October 3 for eight nights and had already called at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and La Paz. Cabo San Lucas was the last port, set for 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. today.
The ship is sailing straight back and is still due in Long Beach on Sunday, October 11. Carnival said leaving early keeps it ahead of the roughest weather. The report mentions no compensation, and the next embarkation is not expected to be delayed.
Where each watched ship stands
| Ship | Homeport | Status in Carnival’s October 8 updates | Text code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnival Breeze | Galveston | October 5 cruise on plan; October 10 sailing on watch | CCL2 |
| Carnival Dream | Galveston | October 3 cruise on plan; October 10 sailing on watch | CCL3 |
| Carnival Jubilee | Galveston | October 3 cruise on plan; October 11 sailing on watch | CCL4 |
| Carnival Liberty | New Orleans | October 4 cruise on plan, due back October 11; October 11 sailing on watch | CCL5 |
| Carnival Valor | New Orleans | October 8 four-night Cozumel cruise boarded as scheduled | CCL1 |
| Carnival Paradise | Tampa | October 8 cruise boarded as planned | CCL6 |
| Carnival Firenze | Long Beach | October 9 sailing operating as planned | CCL7 |
| Carnival Panorama | Long Beach | October 10 sailing operating as planned | CCL8 |
| Carnival Radiance | Long Beach | Cabo San Lucas cancelled October 9; back October 11 on time | None listed |
Guests text the code to CRUISE (278473) for alerts. Travel Market Report found no Gulf schedule changes or cancellations as of Friday morning. Carnival says the Pacific storms should not affect the Port of Long Beach itself.
The forecasts have moved since those updates. Isaias had 120 mph winds at 10 a.m. CDT today and was expected ashore on the western Florida Panhandle this evening. Hurricane Simon is forecast to reach Mexico’s west-central coast on Sunday as a major hurricane, with a Hurricane Warning that covers Puerto Vallarta. Firenze’s and Panorama’s exact port calls: TBA in the reports.
Carnival Freedom back from drydock
Carnival Freedom finished a 35-day drydock in Marseille, Cruise Critic reports. It has a shorter whale-tail funnel that lets it reach more ports, more than 100 extra casino machines, a refreshed arcade and shops, and accessibility upgrades.
- October 9: boards in Barcelona for an eight-day Mediterranean cruise.
- Next: a 13-day transatlantic crossing, arriving Port Canaveral on October 30.
- Homeport: Port Canaveral through May 2027, then Norfolk, Virginia.
- Now on sale: six- to eight-day Norfolk cruises through April 2029 to the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Eastern Caribbean and Canada. Individual dates: TBA in the reports.
What it means for airline travelers
- Long Beach this weekend: Long Beach (LGB) and Los Angeles (LAX) are the airports. The terminal is expected to operate, but Rachel is sending heavy surf to Southern California, so allow for a late ship.
- Panorama and Firenze guests: Panorama’s September 26 cruise lost its Mexican Riviera ports to two hurricanes. Pack for cooler weather in case ports change, and do not prepay independent tours.
- Radiance guests flying home October 11: arrival is on schedule, so existing flights should hold. Standby travelers should still avoid the first morning departures.
- Gulf sailings: sign up for your ship’s text code today. Fly in a day early, especially to New Orleans, where airline waivers will fill seats.
- Refunds: Carnival has cancelled no sailings, so none are offered. Line-booked excursions for a cancelled port are normally refunded.
- Norfolk from 2027: Norfolk (ORF) has fewer flights than Orlando. Standby travelers should plan on arriving the day before.
- Interline rates: the reports mention no travel-industry pricing.
Sources
- Cruise Hive — Tropical Storm Rachel Forces Carnival Radiance to Drop Cabo San Lucas
- Cruise Fever — Carnival Issues Hurricane Isaias Update: 6 Ships Under Watch in Gulf
- TravelHost — Carnival Ships Under Storm Watch: Isaias, Rachel, Simon
- Cruise Industry News — Carnival Shares Update as Storms Form in the Caribbean and West Coast
- Travel Market Report — Hurricane Isaias Takes Aim at Gulf Coast: Airline Waivers, Airport Closures, and Cruise Updates
- National Hurricane Center — Active tropical cyclones (Isaias, Rachel and Simon, October 9)
- Cruise Critic — Carnival Freedom Returns From Dry Dock With New Funnel and Expanded Casino
- Travel Weekly — Carnival Freedom returns to service with more gaming machines
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