50k passengers came through Norfolk as cruise ships were rerouted from Baltimore

NORFOLK, Va. — With cruises starting to return to Baltimore, News 3 is following through and finding out how cruises re-routed to Norfolk have gone.

As News 3 has reported, Carnival and Royal Caribbean sent some ships to Norfolk since the bridge collapse in Baltimore in March that temporarily shut down Baltimore’s port.

Norfolk

Royal Caribbean cruises rerouted from Baltimore to Norfolk

Madeline Miller

In that time, around 50,000 passengers have come through Norfolk, according to Nauticus Executive Director Stephen Kirkland. Nauticus manages Norfolk's cruise terminal.

Fortunately, the unexpected cruises did not delay work on Norfolk’s cruise terminal.

News

Carnival wraps record cruise season in Norfolk, construction set for spring

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Kirkland said the cruises have gone smoothly.

“Out of the 26 ships in Carnival’s fleet, our embarkation team has been in the top five consistently, which means these guests are coming, we’re exceeding their expectations here at the terminal," said Kirkland.

As of May 17, the last ship diverted from Baltimore to Norfolk was scheduled to leave Norfolk for a cruise on May 19, but was scheduled to end in Baltimore.