The Carnival Liberty has been struck by major technical issues affecting the diesel generators, Cruise Hive previously reported on this a week ago. As the issue is still ongoing, Carnival Cruise Line has modified the ships itineraries through November. The Miami-based cruise line will also be swapping deployments with the identical Carnival Valor which is currently sailing out of Port Canaveral, Florida.
It’s all a little complicated as the issue was first found at the end of October and the Carnival Liberty even canceled two cruises to try to solve the issue. Even with outside help, fixing the problem will be ongoing. Have a read what Carnival posted on its website:
The cruise ship Carnival Liberty, which is homeported in Galveston, Texas, is experiencing a technical issue which is affecting the ship’s maximum cruising speed. The issue is only affecting the ship’s speed and all other systems are operating normally. The ship is capable of operating cruises at reduced maximum speeds while Carnival’s technical team, together with outside experts, continues to work to fully resolve the problem.
In light of the above, the remainder of Carnival Liberty’s cruises through the month of November will have modified itineraries (detailed below). Following these voyages, the ship will go into a previously scheduled drydock then reposition to Port Canaveral, Florida to operate cruises from that port beginning December 15.
This change is being made since Carnival Valor is better suited to operate at the higher speeds required for the four and five-day Mexico itineraries from Galveston while Carnival Liberty is well equipped to handle shorter duration cruises from Central Florida. Built only one year apart, Carnival Valor and Carnival Liberty are sister ships with similar accommodations, public venues and Fun Ship 2.0 features including Guy’s Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, the RedFrog Rum Bar and BlueIguana Tequila Bar.
Below are the itinerary changes for November before the Carnival Liberty undergoes a previously scheduled dry dock:
Carnival Liberty November 14 Cruise: The November 14 five-day departure will include an overnight call in Cozumel (the call at Progreso has been canceled). The ship’s arrival back into Galveston on November 19 will be delayed until later in the day. Guests sailing on this voyage will receive a $50 per person credit to their shipboard accounts and a 25 percent discount on a future Carnival cruise. Guests also have the option of canceling and receiving a full refund.
Carnival Liberty November 19 Cruise: The November 19 seven-day cruise will include stops in Cozumel and Costa Maya (the calls in Falmouth, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman have been canceled). The ship’s departure time will be 10:00pm for this cruise. Guests sailing on this voyage will receive a $50 per person credit to their shipboard accounts and a 25 percent discount on a future Carnival cruise. Guests also have the option of canceling and receiving a full refund.
Carnival Liberty November 26 Cruise: The November 26 five-day departure will include an overnight call in Cozumel (the call at Progreso has been canceled).  The ship’s arrival back into Galveston on December 1 will be delayed until later in the day. Guests sailing on this voyage will receive a $50 per person credit to their shipboard accounts and a 25 percent discount on a future Carnival cruise. Guests also have the option of canceling and receiving a full refund.
Carnival Valor’s December 11 sailing will also need to be altered so it can transition to Galveston, Texas. The cruise will visit Freeport and Nassau which were the scheduled ports on the four-day cruise.  Guests sailing on this voyage will receive a one-day pro-rated refund of cruise fare and a $25 per person credit to their shipboard account.  Guests also have the option of canceling and receiving a full refund.
