Incoming cruise ships wait 9 hours before docking at Port Tampa Bay Florida due to heavy fog

   January 3, 2023 ,   Accidents

Fog dampened the vacations for thousands of cruisers in the Tampa Bay area.

The heavy fog Monday morning, January 2nd, forced the incoming cruise vessels to wait for ~9 hours prior to docking at Port Tampa Bay (Florida USA)

It took a lot of time to get from the edge of the Gulf of Mexico into the Port. The fog made it too dubious to navigate the tight turns of Channelside.

3 cruise ships were stuck until the fog burned off, including NCL's Norwegian Dawn, RCI-Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas, and Celebrity Constellation

That led thousands of travelers to have an unexpected free day in Tampa, as they waited for the ships to dock, so they could get on.

Port of Tampa (Florida)

All outgoing Royal Caribbean guests will get a half day of fare as an onboard credit. 

Liners were expected to leave late Monday evening into early Tuesday morning, January 3rd.