Carnival Cruise Line has announced a leadership change, with Ben Clement set to become the Executive Vice President of Maritime & New Builds starting January 2025. Clement will succeed Lars Ljoen, who will transition to a new role as Chief Maritime Officer at Carnival Corporation.

Clement, with nearly three decades at Carnival, has been instrumental in the development and innovation of the cruise line’s fleet as the Vice President, New Builds & Refurbishment.

“Ben has continually pushed us to think about ship design, features, venues, and products in ways that have helped redefine Carnival, grow guest loyalty, and build a vibrant customer base that has propelled our growth,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

She continued, “He is also an outstanding mariner, with vast knowledge and experience acquired during his time in the French navy, merchant marine, and shipyard management.

“That unique combination of talent and experience across so many aspects of maritime operations will allow us to maintain our leadership in operational and cultural excellence,” she said.

Clement joined Carnival in 1996 and has since played a pivotal role in the design, refurbishment, and construction of the cruise line’s expansive 27-ship fleet. 

Under his leadership, Carnival Cruise Line introduced several innovative ship classes, such as the 130,00-gross-ton Dream Class, the 133,500-gross-ton Vista Class, and 180,000-gross-ton Excel Class, which debuted in 2009, 2106, and 2024, respectively.

He also pioneered features like the first roller coaster at sea, Carnival Jubilee’s BOLT.

Before his tenure at Carnival, Clement served as a navigation officer in the French navy and held various positions on merchant ships. He also managed a shipyard in Toulon, France.

Clement’s academic credentials include a diploma of merchant marine officer from the Ecole Nationale Superieure Maritime French Navy officers’ school in Marseille, France, where he was valedictorian, and an executive program certificate from the Stanford University School of Business in Northern California

Clement to Steer Next Phase of Growth

In his new role, Clement will oversee Carnival’s maritime operations, technical operations, and compliance functions. During this time, Carnival Cruise line will introduce five new ships, starting in 2027, including a new, yet-to-be-named class of ship.

In July 2024, Carnival Cruise Line announced it will add two new sister Excel-class ships following the successful launch of Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee, which debuted in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively, each of which can accommodate 6,500 passengers.

Read Also: What to Expect When You Go on a Carnival Cruise

Carnival Jubilee, which embarked on its inaugural voyage from Galveston, Texas, on December 23, 2023, quickly gained popularity for its impressive features and guest experiences. It was named Best New Cruise Ship of the year by Cruise Hive.

A new order for three additional ships slated for delivery in the summers of 2029, 2031, and 2033. The vessels, which are part of a new class weighing nearly 230,000 gross registered tons each, will be constructed at Fincantieri shipyard in Italy and powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Clement will be based in Carnival Cruise Line’s Miami headquarters, which is in the process of relocating. The transition plan at the cruise line involves backfilling his current position.

Guests boarding Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Vista on Sunday, August 18, 2024 are relieved to learn that their 6-night Eastern Caribbean sailing will go ahead as planned following repairs to the ship’s propulsion system.

Booked guests were notified on Thursday, August 15 of the plan for their cruise, which does include a slight modification on embarkation day with a later-than-typical departure planned.

“This week, our shipboard and shoreside technical teams have been working to resolve an issue that is limiting Carnival Vista’s cruising speed. Otherwise, there is no impact to ship operations,” the notification email explained.

“To accommodate our repair plan, the ship will be arriving very early Sunday morning, August 18, to Port Canaveral (approximately 3:30 AM) to allow for a full day of work with our engineers and technical experts. We are also planning a later departure that evening to maximize the workday, but given the sea day on Monday, this will not affect our arrival time for Half Moon Cay on Tuesday, August 20.”

The exact departure time was not listed in the email, and will likely depend on how quickly repairs can be finished on Sunday. Nevertheless, the ship is sure to set sail as soon as possible.

Guests are advised to stick with their original cruise terminal arrival appointments on Sunday, despite the ship’s later departure that evening. Certain venues onboard, however, will not be able to open until the ship reaches international waters, including the casino and retail shops.

The 1,450 international team members onboard, however, are sure to be planning additional activities and entertainment for that first evening. All the rest of the ship’s amenities, including the Punchliner comedy club, Serenity Deck, SportSquare ropes course, waterslides, and more will be operating as normal.

Carnival Vista developed a technical problem affecting its top speed at the very end of her August 4 sailing, which resulted in a slight delay as the ship returned to Port Canaveral.

The next cruise, however, was dramatically impacted. The planned 8-night Southern Caribbean cruise to Aruba, Curacao, and Grand Turk had to become a Bahamas itinerary instead to permit repairs.

This understandably made guests on the next sailing – the August 18 departure – nervous about whether or not their cruise might be altered or outright cancelled if more extensive repairs were needed. Fortunately, that will not be the case.

The upcoming itinerary includes not only the private island of Half Moon Cay, but also a visit to Grand Turk on Wednesday, August 21 followed by Amber Cove on Thursday, August 22. At this time, there are no changes planned to the overall itinerary.

Another full day at sea will follow the port visits as the ship makes her way back to Port Canaveral for debarkation on Saturday, August 24.

Embarking guests are naturally happy with the news, as are guests booked on upcoming sailings in the next few weeks.

The 133,596-gross-ton Carnival Vista is homeported year-round from Port Canaveral. She offers a selection of 6- and 8-night Caribbean sailings, including Eastern and Southern itineraries, both of which are popular options for both new and experienced cruisers.

Depending on the cruise length and departure date, Carnival Vista visits such top destinations as San Juan, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Grand Turk, Aruba, Curacao, and more.

Beginning in August 2025, the ship will also be one of the first to visit the upcoming Celebration Key, Carnival Cruise Line’s new private destination under construction on Grand Bahama Island.

A History of Difficulties

Unfortunately, this is not the first time Carnival Vista has experienced propulsion difficulties. The ship had an unexpected emergency dry dock in 2019 due to similar difficulties, and had also had propulsion problems in 2016 as well as more recently in 2022.

Read Also: What Is Wrong With Carnival’s Vista Class Ships?

This repeated history of problems – always with the propulsion system – has made guests familiar with the ship nervous about any upcoming cruises when such difficulties arise again. While the exact details of each breakdown have not been released, it can be troubling that the same critical system is always impacted.

Hopefully, the issues this time have been minor, and the extended embarkation day will ensure a thorough repair so Carnival Vista can sail at her typical speed of 18 knots without difficulty.

Guests looking forward to an autumn sailing next year aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Liberty have been notified that their ship has been chartered and their cruise cancelled.

The impacted voyage is the October 19, 2025 departure, which does give affected guests more than a year to make different cruise vacation plans.

Carnival Cruise Line reached out with the news on Thursday, August 15, 2024 – more than 14 months before the now-cancelled cruise was to have set sail from New Orleans.

“We are very sorry to inform you that the ship has been chartered and your cruise has been cancelled,” the notification read. “We have a variety of alternatives and are confident you will find another Carnival cruise that is filled with an equal amount of fun.”

The cruise line is offering booked guests both rescheduling and cancellation options with no fee. If travelers want to plan a different Carnival cruise, their overall fare rate will be protected “on a comparable sailing, in similar accommodations.” The replacement cruise does not need to be aboard Carnival Liberty or sailing from New Orleans.

Some terms and conditions do apply to replacement cruises, however. Holiday cruises or voyages to Alaska, Hawaii, or Europe are not eligible for the fare protection.

Similarly, chartered cruises are not eligible. Any replacement cruise may be no longer than the original cruise length, but shorter cruises could be chosen if preferred.

If guests do rebook on an alternative sailing, they will also receive a $100 (USD) onboard credit to enjoy on their new cruise.

If travelers prefer not to book a different cruise or don’t find one that works for their vacation plans, however, they will receive a full refund of the cruise fare, including the deposit, any pre-paid add-on items, and any taxes or other fees. This also applies to any Early Saver reservations and no fee will be deducted from the refund.

Refunds will be processed automatically if impacted guests do not contact Carnival Cruise Line or their travel agent to book an alternative sailing by Thursday, August 29, 2024. Depending on individual financial institutions, refunds may take up to three weeks to process.

Read Also: What to Expect When You Go on a Carnival Cruise

Why the Cancellation?

Carnival Liberty‘s October 19, 2025 departure was to have been a 7-night sailing. The 110,428-gross-ton, Conquest-class ship is homeported year-round from New Orleans, offering 7-night cruises on both Eastern and Western Caribbean routes, with occasional 6- and 8-night options.

During her Eastern Caribbean cruises, Carnival Liberty visits ports such as Key West, Freeport, Nassau, Half Moon Cay, and beginning in the summer of 2025, Celebration Key – Carnival Cruise Line’s new private destination on Grand Bahama Island.

The Western Caribbean sailings may visit Roatan, Belize, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, or Jamaica. Exact ports of call vary based on departure date and cruise length.

Other than the notice that the sailing has been chartered, Carnival Cruise Line has not announced what company or event will be taking place on board. To be clear, the ship is not being taken out of service for any sort of refurbishment or repairs, but will simply be sailing a private cruise at that time.

Different companies offer chartered sailings for music festivals, fan events such as the popular Star Trek cruise, or lifestyle cruises such as nudist sailings or LGBT voyages. Chartered cruises may even be arranged by large companies as a corporate retreat or teambuilding event.

While canceling a cruise in favor of a chartered sailing can be disappointing for already-booked guests, cruise lines do try to provide such notification as far in advance as possible so guests can make alternative vacation plans.

With 14 months to go before Carnival Liberty‘s new charter sailing, guests have plenty of time and hundreds of Carnival cruises to choose from for their next oceangoing getaway.

Carnival Cruise Line has issued an advisory to its Diamond and Platinum level guests sailing on Carnival Splendor on August 24, 2024. The adjustments are in response to the unusually high number of VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) guests booked on the voyage.

The cruise line will not be able to offer priority embarkation or debarkation for the 16-night cruise from Singapore to Sydney, including at any ports of call, which include Jakarta and Lombok, Indonesia, and Darwin, Airlie Beach, and Moreton, Australia.

The cruise line has also indicated that Diamond guests may not have guaranteed access to main dining room seating.

Additionally, staterooms will not be available until after 1:30 p.m. on the day of embarkation. Once onboard, guests are encouraged to drop off any carry-on luggage in their staterooms before proceeding to lunch.

“The operational changes are consistent with other Carnival Journeys cruises where we have had a large number of Diamond and Platinum guests,” said Colleen Oliverio, vice president of guest services at Carnival Cruises. “We apologize for any disappointment and thank you for your understanding.”

This not the first time VIFP benefits have been altered. A transatlantic crossing on Carnival Freedom and Carnival Venezia’s Journeys’ voyage in the Caribbean, each in September 2023, had similar loyalty benefits suspended.

Exclusive Perks for high-tiered VIFPs

Carnival Cruise Line’s VIFP Club, which launched in 2012, is designed to reward loyal guests with a range of perks and privileges. Among the most prestigious tiers are the Diamond and Platinum levels, reserved for Carnival’s most frequent cruisers.

Platinum members who have sailed on 75 or more nights with Carnival typically receive perks such as priority check-in and boarding, complimentary beverage vouchers, and access to an exclusive onboard party. They also benefit for priority spa reservations and guaranteed main dining room seating.

Diamond members, the highest tier, are those who have sailed on 200 days or more with Carnival. In addition to all the benefits provided to Platinum members, Diamond members receive even more enhanced perks.

These include unlimited complimentary laundry service, a dedicated Diamond member phone line, a one-time complimentary meal at a specialty restaurant, an invitation to an exclusive cocktail reception with the captain, and guaranteed reservations for sold-out shore excursions.

Read Also: Which Cruise Lines Match Loyalty Programs?

Carnival Journeys, typically 9 to 16 days in length, are a collection of longer cruises designed to provide an immersive and unique vacation experience. As longer voyages, these are particularly appealing to members of the VIFP program to maintain their status, making it difficult for the cruise line to accommodate all benefits.

Despite the adjustments, Diamond and Platinum members aboard Carnival Splendor will still retain several of their core benefits, including priority spa reservations, Chocolate Delight delivered via room service, VIFP swag, and a complimentary beverage.

The beverage, a “thank you” to VIFP members, was recently adjusted in July 2024, and the cruise line has hinted for months that an overhaul to the VIFP program is forthcoming. Some changes have already been implemented, including the removal of a $25 FunPlay ship credit in the casino and a donation to St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital.

All experienced cruisers know that Carnival Cruise Line is one of the top choices if you enjoy comedy acts onboard, as the signature Punchliner Comedy Club offers multiple shows and often multiple comedians on every sailing.

Those shows are not for everyone, however, and after regular complaints about comedy content, the cruise line has made an official request for some guests to stay away.

The new “instruction” – which is just a suggestion and not an official guideline or requirement of any sort – comes from Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald.

Each week, Heald responds to hundreds of questions, comments, and suggestions from guests and Carnival fans through his popular Facebook page. The subject of the Punchliner Comedy Club comes up regularly.

“Every week, every single week in the hundreds of questions that I answer, I always have somebody who writes and is not happy with the material the comedians use, doesn’t like the fact that an R-rated show is R-rated,” Heald explained. “All of that kind of thing I understand and I respect.”

Heald has regularly acknowledged that not every activity or amenity onboard the 27 ships in the Carnival fleet will appeal to everyone. That is the beauty of a cruise vacation, as there is always something different going on and passengers can choose what interests them the most.

“The one thing that does really drive me crazy,” Heald said, “Is if you think you’re going to be offended, if you’re not 100 percent certain you’re going to enjoy the show, don’t sit there.”

In the video, filmed in the Punchliner aboard the Excel-class Mardi Gras, Heald was pointing out the front row and even the first few rows of chairs. He noted that guests should not choose such visible, prime seating if they aren’t sure whether or not the comedic material will be right for them.

Instead, he recommends that uncertain comedy show guests should choose seats closer to the back and the entrance to the club. That way, if they find the show does not appeal to them, they will be more easily able to leave without disturbing others or attracting unwanted attention.

Read Also: What to Expect When You Go on a Carnival Cruise

It should be noted that comedians often interact with show guests in the first few rows of seating. If travelers are not comfortable with that attention, which could turn even more uncomfortable if they choose to leave, it is best to select more out-of-the-way seats.

“Doing stand-up comedy these days is harder than ever because of the world of offense that we all live in,” Heald acknowledged. “If you’re not sure that you’re going to laugh out loud from beginning to end, do not sit there thinking this not for me, I’m offended at what he or she said.”

Instead, Heald explained, it’s best if guests leave to find something that will make them happy. An extra slice of pizza, a stroll through the retail shops, a soak in the hot tub, or even a contest of mini-golf – there is always something else to enjoy.

Carnival’s Onboard Comedy Shows

Carnival Cruise Line does offer both PG and R-rated comedy shows. Typically, the more adult-themed R-rated shows are later in the evening, while the PG shows are at earlier showtimes. The cruise line has considered earlier adult-themed shows, but they are not universally offered across the fleet.

Material between the two performances may be similar, but the family-friendly versions do not have the “salty” language and may avoid the most controversial topics.

Unfortunately, with more and more topics in society today being considered controversial, it can be challenging for a comedian to develop appropriate material to appeal to a diverse crowd.

Prior to the R-rated shows – which are only for guests 18 years and older – the comedy club host does typically offer warnings about the nature of the content and that the show is intended for adults only.

There are also automated announcements played in the time leading up to the show, ensuring that everyone is aware that it is R-rated. Signs are also posted at the door indicating the show is only for those 18 and older.

Do you enjoy comedy shows on Carnival cruises? Share your thoughts and your favorite comedians on the Cruise Hive boards!