Key Aspects:
- Carnival Sunrise will no longer be visiting Princess Cays during her October 31, 2026 sailing, a 5-night cruise from Miami.
- Instead, the ship will visit RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay on Monday, November 2 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the same day and time originally planned for Princess Cays.
- There are no other changes for the itinerary at this time and no technical problems are reported for Carnival Sunrise.
Carnival Cruise Line guests have been alerted to a Halloween treat (or is it a trick?) for the October 31, 2026 departure of Carnival Sunrise. While the 5-night cruise from Miami will still be visiting two private destinations along with Nassau, the first private port has been changed.
Booked guests have received email notifications about the port swap so they can plan accordingly.
“We have made an adjustment to the planned itinerary for your cruise,” the email confirmed. “The visit to Princess Cays has been replaced by a call on RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay.”
The cruise line has also noted that pre-paid shore excursions for Princess Cays will automatically be cancelled and refunded to the original form of payment. Guests can book tours for RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay on the cruise line’s website or through the Carnival Hub app prior to sailing, or onboard at the Carnival Adventures desk on Deck 3 (Lobby Deck), midship on the port side.
Originally, the 2,984-guest Carnival Sunrise was to depart Miami on Saturday, October 31, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. and Princess Cays was the first visit on the itinerary, on Monday, November 2 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Now the ship will be at RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay on Monday, November 2 for the same time, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The visits to Nassau on Tuesday, November 3 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Celebration Key on Wednesday, November 4 also from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. are not changed, nor is there any change for Carnival Sunrise to return to Miami by 8 a.m. on Thursday, November 5.
Carnival Sunrise is homeported at PortMiami year-round, offering 4- and 5-night Bahamas cruises with calls to the island nation’s capital as well as private Bahamian destinations.
Why the Change?
Carnival Cruise Line has not provided any further explanation for swapping Princess Cays with RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay. Both destinations offer guests a variety of beach day options, watersports, snorkeling, and other popular activities.
The swap comes as sister line Princess Cruises moves away from Princess Cays, with no calls to the private destination currently scheduled from November 2026 onward. The cruise line has not detailed the reasoning behind the change.
In fact, Princess Cays and RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay are only approximately 15 miles apart, albeit on different islands in the Bahamian archipelago. Both are southeast of Nassau and are common destinations for ships in the Carnival Corporation & plc family, including Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and Holland America Line.
It is not uncommon for cruise lines to tweak itineraries and even swap port visits as schedules are refined prior to sailing. Cruise Hive reported that Carnival Cruise Line recently made the exact same change from Princess Cays to RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay for the November 9, 2026 sailing of Carnival Paradise from Tampa.
In late August 2026, multiple sailings were impacted by small tweaks, including the same Princess Cays-to-RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay private destination swap for Carnival Spirit‘s November 8, 2026 sailing from Mobile.
Sailings for Carnival Legend, Carnival Elation, and Carnival Conquest also had itinerary shuffles that involved RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, such as adjusting the times in port or changing the dates of upcoming visits.
Factors such as berth availability or port construction can impact ship port of call schedules, even weeks ahead of planned visits.
Carnival Cruise Line has given no indication that there are any technical difficulties with Carnival Sunrise that necessitate the port change, and there are no adjustments to the ship’s onboard activities or operations at this time.
