Carnival cruise passengers to return to Norfolk instead of Baltimore after Key Bridge collapse

Carnival Cruise ships will be rerouted to Norfolk, Virginia, after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge closed the Port of Baltimore for the foreseeable future.

Cruise passengers in the middle of a seven-day trip to the Bahamas on the Carnival Legend that was scheduled to return to Baltimore Sunday will instead disembark in the southeastern Virginia city, according to Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

Passengers will receive complimentary bus transportation back to Baltimore, a distance of about 233 miles, Duffy said in a news release late Tuesday.

In addition, a cruise originally scheduled to leave from Baltimore on March 31 will now depart from and return to Norfolk instead. Duffy said passengers were being notified of the change of plans.

“Our thoughts remain with the impacted families and first responders in Baltimore,” Duffy said in the release.

“We appreciate the pledge made by President Biden today to dedicate all available resources to reopen Baltimore Harbor to marine traffic as soon as possible. As those plans are finalized, we will update our future cruise guests on when we will return home to Baltimore, but in the meantime, we appreciate the quick response and support from officials in Norfolk.”

The Port of Baltimore’s Cruise Maryland Terminal is home to four cruise lines, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and American Cruises.

The Carnival Legend and Carnival Pride ships have sailings scheduled from Baltimore through the fall.

Royal Caribbean’s schedule lists a 12-night Caribbean cruise aboard the Vision of the Seas that departed Baltimore on March 23. Royal Caribbean has not released updated information about the ship, which is expected to return next week.

According to the Maryland Port Administration, the Port of Baltimore has averaged more than 200,000 cruise passengers a year since 2009. The state-owned port welcomed 224,568 passengers in 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic put cruise ships on an 18-month pause, starting in March 2020.