Cruise guests boarding Carnival Vista for an 8-night Southern Caribbean itinerary learned as they embarked the ship on Saturday, August 10, 2024 that they will not, in fact, be visiting the planned ports of call.

Text messages were sent to guests in the early afternoon – even as some passengers were already onboard – about the change of plans.

Carnival Vista is due to depart Port Canaveral on a Southern Caribbean cruise with visits scheduled for Aruba, Curacao, and Grand Turk. Due to mechanical problems, however, the planned itinerary is no longer possible.

“The ship is experiencing an issue that is affecting its maximum cruising speed. Our engineers are working on a repair plan,” the text notification read. “While we will be able to sail, it is necessary for us to revise our itinerary.”

Instead of her Southern Caribbean destinations, the 133,596-gross-ton Carnival Vista will instead enjoy a Bahamas itinerary with stops to Nassau, Princess Cays, Freeport, and Half Moon Cay. The exact times of those visits are still being determined.

By visiting the Bahamas instead of the Southern Caribbean, Carnival Vista can travel at a much slower speed. This will allow onboard engineers to work on the ship’s propulsion system while the vessel is still moving, as individual engines can be taken out of service for repair work. Furthermore, longer time in port may permit additional technical work during the cruise.

Guests are being provided with options and compensation. All travelers who choose to remain on Carnival Vista to enjoy the modified cruise will receive a $400 (USD) onboard credit per stateroom.

Carnival Cruise Line stated to Cruise Hive: “Due to a technical issue affecting the ship’s cruising speed, Carnival Vista has revised the itinerary for its eight-day Southern Caribbean cruise departing Saturday from Port Canaveral.

“The ship will sail a revised itinerary visiting Nassau; Princess Cays; Freeport; and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas.  We have communicated directly with guests on board regarding their options for the sailing.  We appreciate their understanding and sincerely apologize for the necessary change,” Carnival added.

If passengers prefer to disembark instead, they will receive a 100% future cruise credit of their cruise fare, along with a full refund for pre-purchased items such as prepaid gratuities, drink packages, or internet access.

As a matter of course, all guests will receive a full refund of any pre-paid shore excursions booked through Carnival Cruise Line for the now-cancelled calls to Aruba, Curacao, and Grand Turk.

Guests who do set sail on the Bahamas cruise will be able to book appropriate tours through the Carnival Hub app or at the Carnival Adventures desk portside on Deck 3 in the Vista Lobby.

Details of the technical problem impacting the ship’s cruising speed have not been announced, but guests on the previous sailing have noted on social media that the ship seemed to arrive at Port Canaveral later than expected.

While Carnival Vista was to have departed Port Canaveral at 4 p.m. on Saturday to head for Aruba, satellite tracking data shows the ship still docked more than two hours after that departure time.

Furthermore, her destination is now listed as Nassau, arriving at 10 a.m. on Monday, August 12, indicating a full day at sea before she will arrive at the capital of the Bahamas, just 310 miles from Port Canaveral.

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

It should be noted that only the ship’s propulsion is impacted at this time. All onboard services are functioning properly, including hotel, restaurant, and entertainment operations, including all the ship’s amenities.

This is not the first time the lead ship of the troubled Vista class has had propulsion difficulties. The ship has had engine trouble several times over the years, including in 2016, 2019, and 2022.

Guest Reactions

Passengers onboard Carnival Vista are obviously distressed at such a dramatic itinerary change, especially as Southern Caribbean itineraries are quite rare and sought after as bucket-list sailings. Many guests booked this specific sailing for the opportunity to visit Aruba.

Furthermore, Southern Caribbean cruises are often much higher priced than Bahamas sailings. The onboard credit compensation does not necessarily make up for the price difference, especially for families.

Some guests are most upset at the timing, believing that Carnival Cruise Line should have provided notification sooner, before travelers made their way to the homeport. It is unclear, however, how recently these propulsion problems may have developed.

Another strong complaint is the idea that Carnival must have “known” about the change earlier, but chose to purposefully wait until guests had embarked before making the change announcement.

What is more likely, however, is that the cruise line waited to make the announcement until new port plans were in place, in order to provide guests with as much information as possible.

Not all reactions are negative, however. Some travelers note that there is no “bad” day on a cruise, and with at least some passengers debarking, the ship will be less crowded and will have shorter lines.

The opportunity to visit two private islands – Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays – is also exciting to some travelers, and certainly creates a unique cruise experience.

If you were onboard this sailing, would you happily set sail for the Bahamas or would you leave the ship? Share your thoughts on the Cruise Hive boards!

Popular former cruise director and now one of several Fleet Cruise Directors with Carnival Cruise Line, Chris “The Flying Scotsman” Williams has announced his official retirement from the cruise line.

The decision has been an emotional one he has considered for some time, but a recent personal event was instrumental in finalizing his thoughts on moving on from the cruise industry.

Williams made the announcement via a social media video in which he explained his decision and how hard it is to leave the Carnival family.

“As of Saturday, the tenth of August 2024, I will be retiring from Carnival Cruise Line,” he announced. “It is with a heavy heart that I do this.”

While that sounds ominous, it is no bad news or devastating turn of events that has led Williams to this decision, but rather a change of life and a shift in his personal priorities.

“I turned 40 in July this year,” he explained. “I’ve been at my new job as Fleet Cruise Director for the last nine months, and it has been wonderful. I absolutely love the job, more than anything else, to help nurture and grow future cruise directors and leaders is a wonderful experience and I’ve loved it immensely.”

Williams goes on to explain that in this position, he doesn’t have the same hustle and bustle or frenetic activity as a cruise director surrounded by crowds, which has given him down time to reflect on life and family.

At his birthday party, he had a moment and realized that his daughter is now five years old, and he wants to be there for her as she grows up. Truly torn between a job he loves and his family, he knew it was time to shift that priority.

“But sometimes you have to make a choice and make a decision that is going to change everything,” he said.

Williams has been with Carnival Cruise Line for 13 years, first as singer, then later as Playlist Productions performer and finally as a cruise director, before becoming one of just a few fleet cruise directors in November 2023. He has served aboard a variety of Carnival ships over the years, including Mardi Gras, Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Dream, and other vessels.

He thanks Carnival for bringing him and his wife together, providing him the means to have his daughter, buy a house, and other things, great milestones of life that will forever be connected to Carnival Cruise Line.

Williams also thanks many of his close associates within the company, including Mike Pack, Chris “Donkey” Salazar, and Erin Weigand, the other fleet cruise directors with the line.

Many of Williams’ coworkers as well as Carnival fans have chimed in to wish him well in this next chapter, noting that he and his inimitable style will most definitely be missed.

“It’s impossible to put into words how much you’ll be missed by all of us,” said Lee Mason, one of Carnival’s most popular cruise directors and just one of more than 400 comments. “A huge congrats on all your incredible achievements, but more importantly, hats off for following your heart and prioritizing your family and friends. It’s been an absolute honor to work with you.”

Future Plans

Williams plans to continue performing and may even travel to do so, but without being gone for such long periods as the cruise employee life requires. Instead, he wants to be home for his family and be sure he can do all the things a dad should do for his daughter.

“I really want to be there for my family,” he said. “I really want to see my little girl growing up, I want to be at all the competitions that she does, I want to be at all her school days, I want to be at all her school evening reports. I want to do everything that a dad does.”

Read Also: Carnival Cruise Director Schedule for 2024/2025

Carnival Cruise Line has not announced whether or not another individual will be tapped to replace Williams as a new fleet cruise director, though different duties and assignments will likely be evaluated before any such decision may be made.

Which Carnival Cruise Line cruise director would you want to see promoted to such a fleet-wide position? Share your thoughts on the Cruise Hive boards!

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri appears to be on the cusp of winning more lucrative ship construction orders from Carnival Corporation brands, including a new series of vessels for Carnival Cruise Line, AIDA Cruises, and possibly Costa Cruises.

The company is negotiating the building of six ships, and an option for two additional ships, all in excess of 150,000-gross tons, according to the trade publication Shipping Italy. The total value of the contract for six ships, with deliveries to begin in 2029, is expected to be in the range of 8 billion euros ($8.7 billion USD).

Construction of all planned ships is expected to be carried out at either Fincantieri’s Genoa and/or Marghera shipyards in Italy. To be clear, Carnival Corporation has not announced or confirmed this new order as of this publishing date.

AIDA Cruises, with 11 ships in its fleet — mostly built by the Meyer Werft shipyard, caters to the German market while Costa Cruises, with 10 ships currently operating, attracts most of its guests from Italy and other European countries.

A potential new class of ship for Costa Cruises could buoy the line’s fleet, which was made smaller with the transfer of three vessels to Carnival Cruise Line in recent years.

The 2,300-guest Costa Luminosa was transferred to Carnival Cruise Line and renamed Carnival Luminosa in 2022, the same year that Carnival Cruise Line unveiled the sub-brand “Costa as Carnival,” better known as “Carnival Fun Italian Style.”

Carnival Luminosa is not part of that initiative, however, two other Costa ships, Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze, were shifted to the Fun Ship line, becoming Carnival Venezia in 2023 and Carnival Firenze in 2024. Both were renovated to feature traditional Fun Ship elements while retaining their Italian-style ambiance.

The additional new-builds for Carnival Cruise Line might come as a surprise to cruise watchers, since the line announced less than a month ago that it placed an order with Fincantieri for a new class of mega-ship.

The Miami-based line ordered three vessels, all in the 230,000-gross ton range, slated for delivery in 2029, 2031, and 2033. Few details of the new class were revealed, but each ship is expected to accommodate 6,000 guests, double occupancy, in about 3,000 cabins. With all berths occupied, the ships will have capacity for up to 8,000 guests.

The ships will be the largest cruise vessels ever constructed by Fincantieri. The three-ship order is contingent on financing, which is expected to be completed before the end of 2024.

Shipyard Posts Double-Digit Hike in Profits

Fincantieri is a major player in cruise ship construction. The company, whose history dates back to the 18th century, has built 100 cruise ships for 18 cruise brands since 1990. Its marketing materials point out that one in every three cruise guests sails on a Fincantieri-built ship.

Read Also: Carnival Ships by Size: Biggest to Smallest

The shipyard posted a 16% spike in profits for the first half of 2024, reaching 214 million euro ($231 million USD).  The company’s quarterly report refers to its successful commercial strategy that has yielded “large orders for medium and large capacity ships,” extending the shipyard’s workload to 2036.

Besides the recent Carnival Cruise Line order and the new orders in negotiation, Fincantieri in April 2024 secured orders for four ships from Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. 

The order includes four, 200,000-gross ton ships for Norwegian Cruise Line, and two ships each for sister brands Oceania Cruises and ultra-luxe line Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Delivery of these vessels is slated to begin in 2026 and continue on a staggered basis through 2036.

There is simply no way to make everyone happy! Of all the things cruisers could possibly disagree about, it’s somewhat surprising to see the right way to serve free ice cream become so controversial.

But after a recent Carnival passenger complained about the ice cream service on Brand Ambassador John Heald’s public Facebook page, cruise fans have started debating in the comments section – generating more than 5,000 replies about the popular dessert in less than 24 hours. 

This particular guest, who has remained anonymous, was upset because the soft serve and frozen yogurt at Swirls – which is found on the Lido deck of all 27 Carnival cruise ships – is self service, meaning the treats aren’t served by a crew member. 

“Why is Carnival stuck in the past and make their passengers pour their own ice cream. On all the other cruise lines it is poured for you. Just back from a Disney cruise and the cast members do it,” said the disgruntled cruiser.

“There is no mess, no greed, and no chance of germs. This is the policy that would be applauded should you decide to change to what the upscale cruise lines have as policy,” continued the post.

When cruising resumed after the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s true that many cruise lines did implement temporary policies where crew members served all food and drinks in places they usually would not, such as in buffets or at self service drink dispensers. 

But as the world returned to normalcy, these extra precautions were deemed unnecessary – and the current sanitation protocols on the mainstream cruise lines actually keep guests quite safe. 

“Now of course if needed and we have a health reasons to do so we will do this but really, do people want this? I think that the joy of being able to fill your own cone, bowl or bucket with ice cream is one of the reasons it is so popular. Yes it can get messy but our brilliant crew are there to take care of this,” responded Heald, before asking his many followers what they would prefer. 

Ultimately, Heald’s question was met with a mixed response – with no clear “correct” answer really bubbling to the surface.

What is Really the Best Way to Serve Ice Cream? 

When reading through the thousands of responses to Heald’s post, it seems like a slight majority lean toward getting their own ice cream because they find it fun, convenient, and can choose exactly how much of the sweet treat they want. 

“I have sailed a main competitor & yes they have staff doing it for you BUT, their hours are shorter and you don’t get it exactly like you want it,” replied one person. 

“Nothing wrong with doing it yourself. I will say, I was impressed on the Carnival Splendor cruising out of Sydney. The ice cream stations were never messy or busy,” added another. 

“This also gives us entertainment as well. We like to sit and watch people make ice cream cones. We even have a grading system,” joked a third.

That said, there were many who wanted crew members to be in charge of the ice cream service because they couldn’t get past the possible mess or spreading of germs. 

“I prefer to build my own but seems to be a favorite of those who’ve been causing mayhem on the ships lately…The worst is opening the nozzle and letting the ice cream run all over the floor for sport,” wrote one frequent cruiser. 

“If the crew do it, I am not getting germs from all of the people who have touched it before me. And I can not wash my hands while holding a cone. It is a measure to keep gastrointestinal bugs from spreading,” said someone else. 

But with no plans in place for Carnival to change the way Swirls serves ice cream in the near future, guests will have to come to terms with serving themselves or go without. 

Read Also: What You Should Never Do at the Cruise Ship Buffet

Interestingly, this also isn’t the first time the popular ice cream joint, which is included in the price of the cruise fare, has caused controversy online. 

Two years ago, Carnival chose to change Swirls’ hours from being open 24/7 to operating daily between 11 a.m. and midnight – which are still the current hours as of the time of publication. 

While the cruise line stated that the change was made to eliminate food waste, some complained on Reddit about how small changes like this take away from the quality of their cruise. 

“Carnival lately has made so many changes to food not being 24/7 that to me seem like bad moves. One small change to me is ok but keep doing small changes here and there and it can get annoying, specially since carnival has always been known as the fun ship…now it seems they are catering to people who go on vacation and go to sleep at 10pm,” a frustrated cruiser posted on Reddit at the time. 

Considering the cruise line hasn’t seen a need to re-expand Swirls’ hours, hopefully most guests agree that a 13 hour window each day is enough time to satisfy their sweet tooth.