Cruise Ships Shaken by Strongest Earthquake Near Cuba in Nearly 150 Years

Some cruise stories are about missed ports or rough seas. This one was different.

A rare earthquake off western Cuba sent shaking across a huge stretch of the region on Monday afternoon, and cruise guests felt it too. Reports came from ships at sea, major Florida cruise ports, and parts of Mexico, but so far there have been no reports of major damage or any cruise disruption.

What Happened Off Cuba

The earthquake struck at about 2 p.m. Eastern on June 8, 2026, off the northwestern coast of Cuba near Mantua.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured it at magnitude 6.1 and placed the epicenter about 65 miles west-northwest of Mantua. Seismologists described it as an unusual quake for that part of the Gulf of Mexico because it happened within the North America plate rather than right along an active plate boundary.

USGS also said it was the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico since 1950. Reuters reported that the strongest previous quake in the same broad area was an 1880 event near San Cristóbal, Cuba, which was also felt in Florida.

Cruise Guests Said the Ship Shook Hard

The clearest firsthand cruise account came from Joe Millender, a passenger on Margaritaville at Sea Islander. He told WCTV that the ship suddenly began shaking while it was on the way to Cozumel.

“Everything was going well and all of a sudden the ship started shaking,” he said, adding that things were falling from shelves and people were “trying to hold on.” Millender also said his first thought was that the ship had run aground or that something had gone wrong with the propeller.

That lines up with some of the early guest reactions that appeared online just after the quake. One passenger wrote, “Some of you may have heard that an earthquake happened near Cuba. Our cruise ship was almost right over it when it struck. The ship shook hard.”

The same guest added, “Many people on the upper decks were frightened and some thought they should go to their muster stations.” They said the captain later came on the intercom and explained that the ship had experienced an earthquake and was not damaged.

That mix of fear and relief came through in a lot of the early reactions. For a few seconds, plenty of guests did not know what was happening. But once the shaking stopped, the main message was that the ship was safe and the voyage continued.

Which Ships and Ports Were in the Area

The closest confirmed ship account came from Margaritaville at Sea Islander, which had left Tampa on June 6 and was sailing a five-night Key West and Cozumel itinerary.

At Cozumel, three cruise ships were in port on June 8 when the earthquake hit: Disney Destiny, Carnival Jubilee, and Carnival Paradise.

In Florida, PortMiami was busy with seven ships in port that day: Freedom of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, Resilient Lady, Norwegian Getaway, MSC Seaside, Carnival Sunrise, and Carnival Conquest.

Port Canaveral had three ships in port during the shaking: Utopia of the Seas, Disney Wish, and Carnival Glory.

Port Tampa Bay had Carnival Paradise in port, while other western Caribbean ships were already out at sea on their regular sailings.

Florida and Mexico Felt It Too

This was not a ship-only story.

The earthquake was felt in South Florida and beyond, with reports from Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and other parts of the state. Some office buildings were evacuated as a precaution, and local officials in Miami said fire crews responded to calls tied to the shaking.

The tremor was also reported in parts of Mexico’s Caribbean tourism zone, including Cancún, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum. That matters for cruise guests because even when a ship is fine, the bigger question becomes whether ports, terminals, or local infrastructure were affected.

So far, there is no sign that happened in any major way. Authorities in Florida and Mexico treated it seriously, but the response appears to have been largely precautionary.

Was There a Tsunami Risk?

That was probably the next question for a lot of cruise guests.

Thankfully, tsunami warning agencies said there was no warning, advisory, watch, or threat tied to the earthquake for the U.S. East Coast, Gulf Coast, or eastern Canada. Reports from Reuters, AP, and local Florida outlets all said the same thing: there was no tsunami danger expected from this event.

That does not mean the quake was minor. A 6.1 earthquake is still a strong event, and it was powerful enough to be felt across a wide area. But it did mean there was no sign of a larger coastal threat that would have caused much bigger concerns for ports and nearby destinations.

Cruise Operations Are Continuing Normally

As of Tuesday, June 9, no major injuries, serious infrastructure damage, or cruise cancellations had been reported in connection with the earthquake.

The shaking was unsettling, especially for anyone who felt it on board, but cruise operations appear to be continuing as normal both at sea and in port.

It is still possible there could be light aftershocks, and seismologists have said that is normal after an earthquake of this size. But experts also said Florida should not expect strong aftershock shaking from this event.

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