Due to an upcoming dry dock, Carnival Cruise Line has announced the cancelation of several sailings aboard Carnival Miracle and Carnival Radiance this fall, as one ship will be undergoing maintenance and the other will take its place for selected sailings. How will these two ships be shuffled?
Cruises Canceled in October and November
These new cancelations impact sailings aboard both Carnival Miracle and Carnival Radiance. According to an email sent to booked guests, the canceled sailings include Carnival Radiance from the October 17, 2022 departure through the ship’s October 28, 2022 voyage.
The email sent to booked guests explained, “Carnival Radiance will temporarily operate some of Carnival Miracle’s cruises from Long Beach in October. Consequently, it will be necessary to cancel Carnival Radiance’s cruises.”
During that period, Carnival Radiance was scheduled for 3-4 night sailings from Long Beach, California, to Baja, Mexico, with ports of call in Ensenada and Catalina for the 4-night itineraries, and just Ensenada for the 3-night sailings.
The cancelations aboard Carnival Miracle are the November 3 and November 8 sailings, both of which were planned to be 5-night Mexican Riviera sailings, also from Long Beach. Both voyages were scheduled to call on Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas.
Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald explained additional changes about the ship swap on his Facebook page.
“For those of you sailing in October and November on Carnival Miracle and Carnival Radiance you will (if you have not already) receive a letter regarding some changes as we will be sending Carnival Miracle to dry dock. So for the Hawaii cruises and a few others you will be enjoying the Carnival Radiance complete with all the bells and whistles,” Heald wrote.
Additional changes include:
- Carnival Radiance – October 14 sailing shortened to a 2-night cruise, instead of a 4-night itinerary
- Carnival Miracle – October 16 sailing Hawaii Journeys sailing moved to Carnival Radiance
- Carnival Miracle – October 30 sailing moved to Carnival Radiance, lengthened from 4-night to 5-night itinerary
Several other sailings are also impacted, and guests booked aboard all affected sailings will be receiving detailed letters about the changes and what options they have to rebook, shift, or cancel their cruise, and how their reservations may be adjusted to compensate for the alterations.
Switching Ships
While guests may be surprised by the ship swap, it can be a pleasant change. The 88,500-gross ton, Spirit-class Carnival Miracle, which has a double occupancy guest capacity of 2,124, was last updated during the global cruise shutdown in 2020, though the changes made at that time were minor.
The new Sunshine-class Carnival Radiance, however, is a more recently updated ship, having received a $200 million renovation that completely renovated the former Carnival Victory before she was rechristened as Carnival Radiance in December 2021.
The ship is also slightly larger, weighing in at 101,509 gross tons and with a guest capacity of 2,764 at double occupancy.
Carnival Radiance now features more amenities and popular favorites such as Shaq’s Big Chicken – only the second ship in the fleet to currently have that guest-favorite eatery, which debuted on the fleet’s flagship, Mardi Gras.
Other updates during the renovation included adding Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse, the Heroes Tribute Bar, the Cucina del Capitano family-style Italian restaurant, Bonsai Sushi, and the Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub.
In addition to so many delicious dining options, other public spaces were expanded and refreshed, including the SportSquare, Cloud 9 Spa, main show lounge, youth spaces, and more.
No details have been released about what updates or renovations are in store for Carnival Miracle during this upcoming general dry dock, but it is likely she will receive some upgrades as well as the fleet’s new red, white, and blue livery that is gradually being added to all Carnival vessels.
