Customs delay leaves Norwegian cruise passengers stuck on ship
A port day in San Francisco didn't turn out at all like Norwegian cruise passengers imagined on April 28, and not for a reason that cruise travelers might expect to encounter on a sailing.
Most cruise passengers know that there's always a chance that their cruise could miss a port due to unfavorable weather conditions that jeopardize safety, or that rain could put a damper on port day plans. However, few passengers would expect to miss out on planned port day activities after a ship docks on a day with ideal weather conditions.
But that's exactly what happened for Norwegian Encore passengers on their port day in San Francisco as necessary customs processing faced major delays after the ship arrived at its first U.S. port stop on a Panama Canal repositioning cruise from Miami to Seattle.
The issues left passengers stuck on the ship for hours instead of exploring the city all day like they planned. Passengers were eventually able to disembark and experience the city, but some reported waiting up to nine hours to do so.
What caused the customs delay? Doug Parker shared details on that, and more cruise news, on the April 30 edition of Cruise News Today.
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Norwegian Encore passengers face hours-long customs delay
Cruise News Today Transcript:
Cruise News Today with Doug Parker.
Good morning, here's your cruise news for Thursday, April 30th.
Passengers on board a cruise ship in San Francisco faced hours-long delays getting off the ship following a series of issues upon arrival. Norwegian Encore arrived from Mexico as part of a longer international sailing from Miami, eventually going to Seattle, which required full immigration screening at its first U.S. port.
Related: 3 things you may not notice aboard the Norwegian Luna
Now according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the delays were caused by multiple factors, including a failure of facial recognition equipment, which forced all passengers to go through manual biometric screening. Officials also say processing was delayed after an elderly passenger passed away on board during the sailing that was requiring authorities to board the ship before passengers could get off the ship.
Some guests report waiting up to nine hours to go ashore.
Celebrity Cruises ship makes rescue during transatlantic cruise
And a cruise ship made a quick rescue at sea during a transatlantic cruise. Celebrity Apex diverted course about 400 nautical miles off the coast of Bermuda to assist the person aboard a catamaran reportedly experiencing a medical emergency.
Now marine tracking data shows that the ship slowed and turned toward the vessel, completing the rescue in just 20 minutes. The ship then increased speed as it continued its way to Ponta Delgada in the Azores. No further details have been released on the condition of the individual or his catamaran.
Carnival Cruise Line shares look at Carnival Festivale construction
And Carnival Cruise Line is offering a first look at its next new ship as construction continues in Germany. The upcoming Carnival Festivale is taking shape at Meyer Werft shipyard, with the exterior now nearly complete.
The ship is set to enter service next May with an inaugural sailing from Southampton. Carnival says major systems, including the bridge and engines, are already in place, with interior work still underway.
And to put the name into perspective, Carnival's original Festivale in 1977 was about 32,000 gross registered tons and roughly about 800 ft long. The new Festivale? Well, it'll be more than 180,000 gross registered tons and over 1,100 ft long.
Related: New Carnival Cruise Line ship will sail to an energetic beat
And cruise stocks were down Wednesday. Carnival Corporation: down 3%, 25.58. Royal Caribbean: down 1%, 254.01. Norwegian: down slightly, 17.77. And Viking: down 1%, 78.54.
If you have a lead on the story, let us know: tips@cruiseradio.net.
And this week's Cruise Radio podcast: a review of Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas, where you listen to your favorite podcast.
Have yourself a great Thursday. I'm Doug Parker with Cruise News Today.
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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 12:47 PM.