Carnival Cruise Line has made several changes to upcoming sailings for four ships, including Carnival Horizon, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Vista, and Carnival Glory. Guests booked on the affected sailings were notified of the changes on February 8, just days before the first impacted itinerary is due to set sail.
Multiple Itinerary Changes
In the email sent to booked guests, Carnival cites “refining operational plans” as the reason for the itinerary changes on the four vessels, but no further details are given. The affected sailings include:
- Carnival Horizon – 2/13 6-day Exotic Eastern Caribbean itinerary from Miami
- Carnival Conquest – 2/14 4-day Bahamas itinerary from Miami
- Carnival Vista – 2/19 7-day Exotic Western Caribbean itinerary from Galveston
- Carnival Glory – 2/20 7-day Exotic Western Caribbean itinerary from New Orleans
The new itineraries’ ports of call are now as follows:
- Carnival Horizon – Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Amber Cove
- Carnival Conquest – Princess Cays, Nassau
- Carnival Vista – Mahogany Bay, Belize, Cozumel
- Carnival Glory – Mahogany Bay, Belize, Cozumel
Carnival Horizon‘s itinerary has been completely shifted, as the ship had previously planned to visit Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, and none of those ports now remain on the February 13 sailing.
Carnival Conquest will still visit Nassau but will not call on Half Moon Cay as listed previously. Both Carnival Vista and Carnival Glory are substituting Mahogany Bay instead of Ocho Rios, and will visit Belize instead of Grand Cayman. Their calls on Cozumel are unchanged.
The embarkation and debarkation dates for all the cruises are unchanged, and each sailing will still enjoy Fun Days at Sea in their revised schedules.
Why These Changes?
For three of the ships – Horizon, Vista, and Glory – Grand Cayman has been removed from the itineraries entirely. This is likely because the government of the Cayman Islands recently extended its pause on cruise travel through February 28, 2022, though the government is continuing to work with cruise lines to create a smooth pathway for cruise visits to resume.
The remaining changes are most likely due to logistics with respect to what other ships may be scheduled in different ports on the scheduled days, as well as the distance between ports of call and the time and fuel necessary for each ship to move between ports.
Carnival Cruise Line would want to ensure guests can have adequate time in each port, without competing with too many other vessels that would limit shore tour opportunities and diminish guests’ experiences.
Though no details have been announced, it is also possible that local restrictions or health and safety protocols may factor into the cruise line’s decision to alter itineraries.
In these uncertain and variable times, itinerary changes are common and frequent for many cruise lines as they strive to create voyages that guests can enjoy while coordinating with port authorities and government officials to keep local communities safe and productive.
Guests sailing in upcoming weeks and months should remain flexible with their travel plans and expectations, and prepare to enjoy whatever ports they are able to visit. Each destination offers wonderful opportunities for exploration, and as cruising continues to return to full operation around the world, more and more ports will be available to visit.