A cruise line altering an itinerary is a common occurrence, typically involving a swapping of port calls or the skipping of a destination altogether, but sometimes a revision can completely revamp a ship’s route, and that’s what guests booked on two upcoming Princess Cruises’ voyages are facing.
Cruisers booked on two sailings in 2026 aboard the 3,660-guest Sky Princess received Voyage Amendment notifications on February 12, 2025, and the changes are profound.
According to a very disappointed guest, her 14-day Mediterranean Adventurer sailing departing on October 10, 2026 was changed to a 14-day Search for the Northern Lights voyage.
The ship will now sail roundtrip from Southampton and call at Trondheim, Tromso, Alta, Molde, and Alesund, Norway — all fascinating ports where the aurora borealis is often seen, but a far cry from the balmy Mediterranean in early autumn.
The second impacted cruise, a 12-day Canary Islands itinerary departing on October 24, 2026, has been changed to a 12-day European Capitals sailing.
No Canary Islands cruise aboard Sky Princess is currently shown on the cruise line’s website, but port calls in the sun destination typically include Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas, Arrecife, Santa Cruz de La Palma, and Puerto del Rosario.
The revised voyage, roundtrip from Southampton, will call at Hamburg, Germany; Copenhagen and Skagen, Denmark; Oslo, Norway; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Zeebruge, Belgium; and Le Havre, France.
“Your embarkation and disembarkation will take place as scheduled in Southampton. Your cruise fare will remain the same, and any Princess promotions, hotels, and transfers will be protected,” the notice from Princess Cruises said regarding the October 24, 2026 voyage.
The amendment statement from Princess Cruises, a Carnival Corporation brand, provided no reason for the complete change of itineraries, and the assurances did little to soothe the booked guest, who was looking forward to exploring the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean.
“Very disappointed. Yes I can rebook but the fares are so much higher now for my dates. Have done both the Search for Northern Lights and European Capitals,” the dismayed guest wrote on social media.
Sky Princess is a 19-deck, Royal-class ship that launched in 2019. She is currently homeported in Fort Lauderdale sailing 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises. In March 2025, the ship deploys to Southampton for a series of Europe cruises, then returns to Florida in November 2025.
Line’s Flagship Recently Altered Routings, Too
All cruise lines revise itineraries on a regular basis and for various reasons, such as changes in fleet deployments due to charters, unscheduled dry dock for maintenance, and port congestion, to name a few.
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Port congestion recently caused Princess Cruises’ newest ship, Sun Princess, to cancel some port calls and replace them with destinations that were not scheduled to have as many ships in port simultaneously.
The line in January 2025 alerted guests booked on Sun Princess’s July 29, 2025 cruise sailing from Rome to Barcelona that several alterations were being made. The port of Genoa, Italy, was removed from the itinerary due to congestion and replaced with Malaga, Spain.
The decision resulted in calling at Marseille, France, on August 3, 2025, a day earlier than planned, and altered the arrival time at Gibraltar on August 6, 2025. These kinds of changes can impact booked shore excursions, which have to be adjusted, among other inconveniences.
The 4,300-guest Sun Princess is also altering some itineraries to the Greek Isles in 2025, with Santorini among the destinations that are being nixed due to overcrowding.
