Carnival Cruise Line has reached out to guests aboard three different vessels on thirteen different sailings about changes in departure times as each cruise gets underway after embarkation.
This will impact guests’ travel plans to ensure they reach the cruise terminal in adequate time for boarding before the ship sails away, but as the first affected cruise is not until April and the changes extend into 2024 and 2025, guests have plenty of time to make appropriate arrangements.
Three Ships Change Sail Away Times
Carnival Cruise Line is changing sail away times aboard three different vessels – Carnival Pride, Carnival Spirit, and Carnival Legend – with changes to departure times from the ships’ various homeports. Guests on the impacted cruises are being contacted about their itinerary changes, though at this time, it is only the departure time that has been adjusted.
Carnival Pride Departure Changes
The Spirit-class Carnival Pride is having the most sailings changed, with seven cruises adjusting departure times. The first is the April 13, 2023 departure from Tampa, a 13-night one-way repositioning transatlantic sailing to Barcelona. Originally, the ship was scheduled to set sail at 6 p.m., but the new departure time is now 5:30 p.m.
A similar change has been made to Carnival Pride‘s April 7, 2024 departure – more than a year away. That cruise, a 14-day one-way repositioning sailing from Tampa to Baltimore, will now depart at 5 p.m. instead of the previously planned 6 p.m.
Four other Carnival Pride sailings have also been adjusted, all of them sailing from Baltimore in 2024. Each of the following departure dates will now set sail at 5 p.m. instead of the originally scheduled 6 p.m.: May 26, August 18, September 8, and November 3.
Likewise, the January 12, 2025 sailing, also from Baltimore, will now depart at 5 p.m. That cruise is a 14-night roundtrip Panama Canal sailing, with various port stops throughout the Caribbean.
Carnival Spirit Departure Changes
Similar alterations have been made to three Carnival Spirit cruises, two in 2023 and one in 2024, and all three from different departure points.
The April 16, 2023 cruise – a 16-night one-way sailing from Miami to Seattle, will now depart the Sunshine State at 5 p.m. rather than the originally planned 6 p.m. sail away time.
For the September 19, 2023 cruise – a 16-night itinerary that will move the ship from Seattle at the end of the Alaska season to New Orleans before she begins service from Mobile, Alabama for the winter – the ship will also depart at 5 p.m. The original departure time was planned for 6 p.m.
The last cruise changed for Carnival Spirit is the April 7, 2024 sailing. Like the first cruise altered for the ship, this is a 16-night sailing between Tampa and Seattle, and will now set sail at 5 p .m. rather than 6 p.m.
Carnival Legend Departure Changes
The last of the announced departure changes impact four sailings of Carnival Legend. Three of the affected itineraries are in 2023, while the last is in early 2024.
The August 13, September 2, and November 5 sailings in 2023, as well as the January 14, 2024 cruise, will all now depart at 5 p.m. Originally the itineraries, all of which are 14-night cruises – the first two of which are to Canada and New England, the third to the Southern Caribbean, and the fourth to the Panama Canal – were initially scheduled to set sail at 6 p.m.
All of Carnival Legend’s impacted itineraries are setting sail from Baltimore, Maryland.
Why So Many Sail Away Changes?
Carnival Cruise Line has not detailed why so many cruises are being adjusted for a one hour earlier departure, but there could be several reasons.
Because all of the sailings are longer voyages covering greater distances, departing early may permit the ships to reduce overall speed, which can improve engine efficiency and lower fuel emissions.
Expected port fees or taxes may play a role in the decision, or because all the ships are Spirit class, there may be some consideration with the operation of that type of vessel that necessitates a lower speed.
At this time there are no confirmed adjustments to any ports of call during any of the impacted voyages, though the cruise line may yet make additional changes as needed. Booked guests should stay in close contact with Carnival to be informed of itinerary changes and updates as their sailing date approaches.
