Guests looking forward to an autumn sailing next year aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Liberty have been notified that their ship has been chartered and their cruise cancelled.
The impacted voyage is the October 19, 2025 departure, which does give affected guests more than a year to make different cruise vacation plans.
Carnival Cruise Line reached out with the news on Thursday, August 15, 2024 – more than 14 months before the now-cancelled cruise was to have set sail from New Orleans.
“We are very sorry to inform you that the ship has been chartered and your cruise has been cancelled,” the notification read. “We have a variety of alternatives and are confident you will find another Carnival cruise that is filled with an equal amount of fun.”
The cruise line is offering booked guests both rescheduling and cancellation options with no fee. If travelers want to plan a different Carnival cruise, their overall fare rate will be protected “on a comparable sailing, in similar accommodations.” The replacement cruise does not need to be aboard Carnival Liberty or sailing from New Orleans.
Some terms and conditions do apply to replacement cruises, however. Holiday cruises or voyages to Alaska, Hawaii, or Europe are not eligible for the fare protection.
Similarly, chartered cruises are not eligible. Any replacement cruise may be no longer than the original cruise length, but shorter cruises could be chosen if preferred.
If guests do rebook on an alternative sailing, they will also receive a $100 (USD) onboard credit to enjoy on their new cruise.
If travelers prefer not to book a different cruise or don’t find one that works for their vacation plans, however, they will receive a full refund of the cruise fare, including the deposit, any pre-paid add-on items, and any taxes or other fees. This also applies to any Early Saver reservations and no fee will be deducted from the refund.
Refunds will be processed automatically if impacted guests do not contact Carnival Cruise Line or their travel agent to book an alternative sailing by Thursday, August 29, 2024. Depending on individual financial institutions, refunds may take up to three weeks to process.
Read Also: What to Expect When You Go on a Carnival Cruise
Why the Cancellation?
Carnival Liberty‘s October 19, 2025 departure was to have been a 7-night sailing. The 110,428-gross-ton, Conquest-class ship is homeported year-round from New Orleans, offering 7-night cruises on both Eastern and Western Caribbean routes, with occasional 6- and 8-night options.
During her Eastern Caribbean cruises, Carnival Liberty visits ports such as Key West, Freeport, Nassau, Half Moon Cay, and beginning in the summer of 2025, Celebration Key – Carnival Cruise Line’s new private destination on Grand Bahama Island.
The Western Caribbean sailings may visit Roatan, Belize, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, or Jamaica. Exact ports of call vary based on departure date and cruise length.
Other than the notice that the sailing has been chartered, Carnival Cruise Line has not announced what company or event will be taking place on board. To be clear, the ship is not being taken out of service for any sort of refurbishment or repairs, but will simply be sailing a private cruise at that time.
Different companies offer chartered sailings for music festivals, fan events such as the popular Star Trek cruise, or lifestyle cruises such as nudist sailings or LGBT voyages. Chartered cruises may even be arranged by large companies as a corporate retreat or teambuilding event.
While canceling a cruise in favor of a chartered sailing can be disappointing for already-booked guests, cruise lines do try to provide such notification as far in advance as possible so guests can make alternative vacation plans.
With 14 months to go before Carnival Liberty‘s new charter sailing, guests have plenty of time and hundreds of Carnival cruises to choose from for their next oceangoing getaway.
