Departure Time Changes for Yet Another Carnival Cruise Ship

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The list of Carnival cruise ships that will be setting sail earlier than originally scheduled continues to grow, and this time it is Carnival Vista that will be heading out to sea 30 minutes sooner than expected.

Guests booked on upcoming sailings beginning March 2, 2025 have received notification that the ship will be departing at 3:30 p.m. rather than 4 p.m. as originally planned.

This impacts a total of 113 cruises, including all of the ship’s sailings (from Sunday, March 2) published and available for booking in 2025, 2026, and 2027.

Carnival Vista is homeported from Port Canaveral, Florida. She offers a mix of Eastern Caribbean and Southern Caribbean sailings of either 6- or 8-night itineraries visiting ports such as Amber Cove, San Juan, St. Thomas, Aruba, Grand Turk, Curacao, and more, depending on the exact departure date.

Carnival Cruise Line has not offered any detailed explanation of the hundreds of departure changes that have been made from multiple homeports in recent weeks. The issue has led concerned travelers to reach out to the cruise line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, for verification.

“I got an itinerary change for my Mardi Gras cruise this year and Vista, which is not a big deal,” one guest asked. “I’m just wondering why the change and will it be all ships out of Port Canaveral or all ships in general?”

“Last week I got an email about a time change for the Horizon I am booked on in December this year,” another guest commented. “Yesterday I received the same letter for the Venezia I am going on for April. Are these emails legit?”

Heald responded similarly to both guests, noting that yes, the emails are legitimate and official, and the departure changes are happening.

“There is nothing for you or anybody to be concerned about,” Heald confirmed. “We just want to get the fun started as early as possible. Thank you so much, and we need to let people know to make sure they are at embarkation in plenty of time.”

While the 30-minute change for departure times may not seem hugely significant, it can make a difference for guests who prefer to board their ships later in the afternoon after the chaos of embarkation day has subsided and staterooms are already open for access.

It should be noted that despite so many changes, none of the earlier departures are having any impact on the ships’ overall itineraries. No ports of call are changed or cancelled because of the 30-minute departure changes.

Carnival Vista Cruise Ship
Carnival Vista Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Wirestock Creators)

How Many Cruises Are Impacted?

So far, Carnival Cruise Line has adjusted a total of 1,030 sailings that Cruise Hive is able to confirm, including the following vessels (number following the ship name is the total of impacted sailings):

  • Carnival Celebration – 105
  • Carnival Firenze – 176
  • Carnival Horizon – 105
  • Carnival Legend – 52
  • Carnival Paradise – 150
  • Carnival Pride – 103
  • Carnival Spirit – 75
  • Carnival Venezia – 46
  • Carnival Vista – 113
  • Mardi Gras – 105

Not every homeport is impacted, nor is every single sailing for every ship adjusted. Longer sailings, such as Carnival Journeys cruises, tend to be keeping their later departure times, which may be necessary for loading additional supplies or ensuring all passengers can be smoothly embarked.

Read Also: All Carnival Cruise Ships Now Have a Lido Deck Favorite on Embarkation Day

It is entirely possible – even likely – that additional ships will have similar changes forthcoming, depending on their homeport, regular port operations and schedules, and the itineraries they offer.

Any guest booked on a Carnival cruise in the coming months should check their emails for itinerary notifications and be mindful of planning their travel to the cruise terminal to ensure they are on time for an earlier departure.

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Melissa Mayntz
Melissa Mayntz
Melissa has been offering her expertise on cruises since 2017 and reporting on cruise news since 2021. her work has been featured in newspapers, blogs, and websites on a wide range of subjects, but cruises remain her favorite topic to cover. She has been on more than 40 voyages to the Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, and more, and always has at least one more sailing booked on the horizon.

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