Carnival Alerts Guests to Miami Marathon Disruption on Weekend Cruises

Carnival Cruise Line has reached out to guests booked on Carnival Celebration and Carnival Horizon for departures on Sunday, January 25, 2026.

The ships are homeported from PortMiami, and Sunday is the date of the 24th Annual Miami Marathon and Half Marathon, with an expected 18,500 participants.

“On the day of your embarkation, Miami will be hosting the Miami Marathon and the route will pass near PortMiami,” the notification reads. “Additionally, there is ongoing construction in the downtown area and within the port premises, and this may lead to detours and heavier-than-normal traffic in and around the area.”

Neither cruise ship is changing departure time. Carnival Celebration, which will be docked at Terminal F near the western end of the port, is departing at 3 p.m. for her 7-night Eastern Caribbean voyage to Celebration Key, Nassau, Amber Cove, and Grand Turk.

Carnival Horizon, docked at Terminal D, will be departing at 4 p.m. on a 6-night Bahamas cruise to Half Moon Cay, Celebration Key, and Nassau. This is the music-themed ShipRocked Cruise, and so it is undoubtedly going to be full and popular.

Read Also: Miami Cruise Port Guide – Terminals, Transportation and More

“In preparation for departure, all guests must be on board according to the final boarding time specified on the boarding pass,” Carnival Cruise Line confirmed.

The cruise line recommends guests plan for extra time to reach their cruise terminals in case of closures or delays. Using map and traffic apps or checking news reports is a prudent step to check conditions as guests approach the port on Sunday morning, in case they need to adjust their route.

Marathon Route Impacts Cruise Port Access

The route for the full 26.2-mile marathon starts at the Kaseya Center on Biscayne Boulevard, crosses over the MacArthur Causeway to Miami Beach, and eventually returns along Dade Boulevard to North Miami Avenue and finishes at Bayfront Park.

Closures to accommodate runners can block traffic downtown as well as accessing the PortMiami Tunnel, causing congestion and increasing travel time to the cruise port.

Road closures are expected to begin as early as 5 a.m. and continue through 1 p.m. in different areas of the course. The race itself begins at 6 a.m., and participants should be completely finished no later than 2 p.m.

The marathon’s traffic advisory notes the full anticipated times of different street closures, as well as how best to avoid the traffic.

“The Port of Miami will remain open, please access through NE 5th Street,” the advisory suggests.

In addition to the race participants, thousands of spectators, volunteers, vendors, and other support services will be on hand during the race, potentially causing congestion even away from the exact race course.

Other Cruise Lines Also Impacted

Because the marathon will affect all cruise traffic at the port, other ships are also likely to be impacted for Sunday departures. In addition to the two Carnival ships, this includes:

• Symphony of the Seas
• Independence of the Seas
• Scarlet Lady
• Norwegian Aqua
• MSC Explora 2
• MSC Divina
• Celebrity Beyond

Different cruise lines will alert guests to the possible traffic congestion as they feel appropriate. Virgin Voyages, for example, has reached out to travel agents with guests booked on Scarlet Lady with similar advice.

“These marathons will cause road closures and congestion around the area. In addition to these marathons, there will be on-going road work around the terminal,” the cruise line explains.

“Whether your Sailors are embarking or disembarking, we encourage them to allocate additional travel time for commuting in the event they have early flights or other time-sensitive engagements.”

In total, there may be more than 65,000 cruise guests moving through PortMiami on race day, and everyone should be patient and prepared for traffic congestion and detours near the port and in downtown Miami.