Nearly 4,000 Hallmark Channel fans and 18 stars aboard the 2026 Hallmark Christmas Cruise will have lots of good stories to tell friends and family about their wet and wild journey to the Bahamas and back. Unlike sunshine-filled sails of the past two years, the excursion from October 23 to 27 came with rainy weather, rocky waves, and a few extra hours stuck at sea.
Hallmark Christmas Cruise Fans Kept Their Chins Up After Captain’s Announcement
For the most part, fans remained in good spirits throughout the cruise. That was evident in a Facebook video posted by JustJared, as cruise hosts (and beloved Hallmark stars) Nikki DeLoach and Jonathan Bennett addressed a jam-packed theater late on October 26. They took the stage after the ship’s captain announced that the ship couldn’t dock in Miami as planned due to dangerously high winds, forcing their early morning return to be delayed. At that point, it wasn’t clear when the ship would be able to return to port.
“We just got the same news that you did,” DeLoach told the audience. “As the captain said, the ship cannot dock under these current conditions. It’s just not safe. It’s no different than an airline that can’t take off or land. A giant ship in the middle of the ocean is no different. And our safety is the most important thing.”
Bennett kept things light, interjecting jokes before DeLoach continued, “I just want you guys to know that we share your worry about your kids, your jobs, your pets, what you have to get home to.”
DeLoach stopped when someone in the back of the theater yelled something, and then said, “What did you say? You don’t want get back to your kids?” As she and the crowd laughed, she said, “You guys are the best! Oh my gosh, I love you all so much!”
Before joining the rest of the stars for a round of their parody game show, “Festive Feud,” which was simulcast on screens in everyone’s cabins, DeLoach said, “Thank you for your grace, thank you for your patience.” Bennett quipped, “Well, it’s a good time to start drinking!”
Rain Kept Hallmark Stars & Fans On Their Toes During Hallmark Christmas Cruise
Passengers had originally been scheduled to begin disembarking in Miami at 7:30 a.m. on October 27. But their ship, the Norwegian Joy, was one of several cruises that dealt with delayed returns due to high winds in the area, according to Cruise Blog.
The Hallmark Christmas Cruise was finally able to dock in the early afternoon, and passengers reported that it took a while for everyone to disembark. While that created travel headaches for those with flights to catch, many fans tried to find the silver linings, posting about the joy of getting to spend a few extra hours with new friends and beautiful views.
The wild ending seemed fitting for the 2026 cruise, which also faced stormy weather that required most outdoor activities be moved inside, in smaller spaces throughout the ship. When the boat docked for a day in Great Stirrup Cay, passengers learned that incoming inclement weather would abbreviate their time there, and the forecasters were definitely right.
One fan named Hope, who vlogged the whole trip, posted footage of the weather there turning from windy and sunny to pouring rain in a flash, telling her Instagram followers, “At one point, I thought we might blow off a bridge, and that’s not even me being a little overdramatic.”
But back on the ship, Hallmark and the ship’s crew had hot apple cider waiting for them, and events like a children’s book reading by Rachel Boston, arts and crafts, and a Merry Masquerade Ball. By the time Hope and her friends attended the “eggnog opening” that night and ran into stars including Benjamin Ayres, she was “exhausted” and happy about all she’d experienced.
Bennett announced during one event that the Hallmark Christmas Cruise will return in 2027 — hopefully with better weather — with details coming soon.
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As Hallmark Christmas Cruise Faces Storms & Delays, Nikki DeLoach is Amazed By Fans’ Response