Key Aspects:
- Carnival Paradise is swapping Princess Cays for RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay on her November 9, 2026 sailing.
- There are no other changes to the 6-night cruise from Tampa other than changing the private destination visit.
- The cruise line has not indicated that there are any technical problems with the ship for this minor port change.
Guests on one upcoming Carnival Cruise Line sailing will not be visiting the private destination they anticipated with the original itinerary, but fortunately they are going to be able to enjoy another private destination instead.
The cruise line has reached out to guests booked on the November 9, 2026 sailing of Carnival Paradise to alert them to the change. Originally, the Fantasy-class ship was departing Port Tampa Bay on Monday, November 9 with port visits to Celebration Key, Princess Cays, and Nassau before the 6-night cruise returns to Florida on Sunday, November 15.
Now, Carnival Paradise will not be visiting Princess Cays, but will instead go to RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay.
“We have made an adjustment to the planned itinerary for your cruise,” the email notification posted to Facebook confirmed. “The visit to Princess Cays has been replaced by a call on RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay.”
There are no other changes to the itinerary, and in fact, the ship will visit RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay on the same day and time as originally planned for Princess Cays: Thursday, November 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The two private destinations are only 15 miles apart, making this an easy adjustment for the 2,124-guest ship without needing any adjustment to the overall time spent in port.
Both Princess Cays and RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay are owned by sister brands under Carnival Corporation, which includes Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and others.
Because the ship will no longer be visiting Princess Cays, Carnival Cruise Line has stated that all pre-paid shore excursions purchased for the destination will be automatically cancelled and refunded to the original form of payment.
Guests can book tours for RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay through the cruise line’s website ahead of sailing or onboard at the Carnival Adventures desk, starboard side on Deck 7 (Empress Deck) in the Paradise Atrium once they board the ship.
Why Are the Private Destinations Changed?
Carnival Cruise Line has given no indication for why Carnival Paradise will now visit RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay rather than Princess Cays for this one sailing.
Port crowding is not likely a concern, as Carnival Paradise was the only ship originally scheduled for Princess Cays on Thursday, November 12.
Meanwhile, on that same day, Carnival Paradise will now be joining two other ships at RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay. Carnival Vista and Carnival Elation are both scheduled for that private destination on that day. It is possible, however, that those ships may also have minor itinerary adjustments as port visits are tweaked, though no such details have yet been confirmed.
It is not uncommon for cruise lines to make minor adjustments to planned itineraries as sailing routes and berth schedules are refined. Because itineraries are generally planned well more than a year in advance, port maintenance, dock repairs, and other unforeseen factors may impact ship visits and require adjustments.
To be clear, there is no indication of any difficulty with Carnival Paradise, such as propulsion problems or other issues that might require repair or cause a port change for maintenance.
While the ship is one of the oldest and smallest in the Carnival fleet, she was last dry docked in October 2023 at the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport. The 16-day renovation included maintenance and technical updates, as well as refurbishments of public areas and other work.
