Cruise lines sailing from South Florida will return to normal schedules by Thursday

Cruise lines plan were almost back to normal operations in Florida Wednesday as ports reopened — but it might be difficult for travelers to make it to the state to catch their cruises.

Most major airports in Florida were still operating with many canceled flights Wednesday as cruise travelers flew in to catch their voyages. PortMiami, Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades and Orlando’s Port Canaveral all reopened to cruise vessels by Wednesday, with some limitations as post-storm clean-up continues.

Carnival Cruise Line, which is operating the most sailings out of Florida currently, plans to be back to regular sailing schedules beginning Thursday.

Below is the full list of cruises still affected by Hurricane Irma:

Carnival Cruise Line

Due to lingering post-storm limitations at Port Miami, Carnival Sensation docked in Fort Lauderdale Wednesday and then headed to Miami for its afternoon departure.

These are the future sailings affected:

▪ Carnival Glory: Scheduled to sail from PortMiami Wednesday — instead of its original Saturday departure — on a four-day cruise to Cozumel. All guests must arrive by 3 p.m. Wednesday, the cruise line said.

▪ Carnival Vista: Scheduled to sail from PortMiami Wednesday — instead of its original Saturday departure — on a four-day cruise to Cozumel. All guests must arrive by 3 p.m. Wednesday, the cruise line said.

▪ Carnival Sensation: Scheduled to sail from PortMiami Wednesday — instead of its original Monday departure — on a three-day cruise to the Bahamas. Embarkation is between 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., the cruise line said.

▪ Carnival Magic: Scheduled to sail from Orlando’s Port Canaveral Wednesday — instead of its original Saturday departure — on a three-day cruise to the Bahamas. All guests must arrive by 3 p.m. Wednesday, the cruise line said.

Guests on shortened cruises will receive refunds for the time missed. Travelers may also choose to cancel their trips and receive future cruise credit.

Two sailings were canceled as of Tuesday: Carnival Paradise’s Cuba sailing from Tampa on Monday and Carnival Victory’s three-day cruise to the Bahamas from Miami, which was rescheduled for a Tuesday departure, but ultimately canceled.

Travelers on canceled cruises will receive a full refund.

Guests are encouraged to check Carnival’s website to confirm their sailing before traveling to port.

Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International, which has deployed four ships for rescue missions in the Caribbean following Irma, has canceled one upcoming sailing:Majesty of the Seas’ Friday Bahamas cruise to utilize the ship for its humanitarian mission.

The following Royal Caribbean sailings have been modified:

▪ Allure of the Seas: Scheduled to sail from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale Wednesday — instead of its original Sunday departure — on a four-night cruise to the Bahamas. The line could potentially sail to its private island in Labadee, Haiti, instead if conditions in Nassau, Bahamas are not favorable.

▪ Oasis of the Seas: Scheduled to sail from Orlando’s Port Canaveral Wednesday — instead of its original Sunday departure — on a four-night cruise to Cozumel, Mexico.

Guests on modified cruises will get half their fare refunded and 50 percent future cruise credit.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line plans to be back to normal operations for its Miami-based ships by the weekend.

Both the Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Escape are sailing on schedule on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Due to devastation at some eastern Caribbean ports, the Miami-based cruise line’s ships will operate western Caribbean sailings for the next two months.

This story was originally published September 11, 2017 at 6:47 PM with the headline "Cruise lines sailing from South Florida will return to normal schedules by Thursday."