Guests aboard Carnival Pride on her special early summer Carnival Journeys cruise to Greenland will not be able to visit Greenland after all.

The decision to scrap both ports of call in the sought-after destination has been made due to poor weather and local ice, including substantial bergs that make navigation more hazardous.

Instead of visiting Nanortalik and Qaqortoq on June 1 and June 2, respectively, the ship will now spend both days at sea. June 1 is intended now as a day of scenic cruising through fjords near Ivittuut, an abandoned mining town 123 miles northwest of Nanortalik and 80 miles west-northwest of Qaqortoq.

While the scenic cruising will showcase Greenland’s natural beauty for those aboard Carnival Pride, there will be no opportunity to land or explore the destination.

It is hoped, however, that there will still be a chance to see the northern lights, which have been particularly brilliant in recent weeks thanks to increased solar activity. Of course, the weather will still need to cooperate for that viewing.

As compensation and acknowledgement of the disappointment guests are sure to feel, Carnival Cruise Line is providing $400 (USD) of onboard credit per stateroom. This is in addition to the refund of the fees and taxes for the now-cancelled ports of call.

Any pre-paid shore tours for the Greenland ports will also be automatically cancelled and refunded.

Guests’ disappointment is understandable, as only a few Greenland sailings are scheduled each year. This makes these sailings very highly sought after, and they often sell out quickly. Safety is always the top priority, however, and the extra ice, fog, and wind in the region – which of course can’t be predicted when itineraries are first planned – makes it unwise to continue the original schedule.

Read Also: What You Should Know About Cruise Port Cancellations

Of course, crew members will schedule additional activities and entertainment for the extra days at sea, ensuring that everyone has a memorable cruise vacation even though they aren’t able to visit the ports of call they’d hoped to see.

Other Ports Also Adjusted

It isn’t only the port visits to Greenland that have been cancelled for Carnival Pride‘s current sailing. Slight adjustments have also been made to the Canadian ports of call the ship will visit.

Carnival Pride was supposed to visit St. Anthony on June 4, but that date has been moved up to June 3. The time in port has also been slightly tweaked from the original 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the ship will now visit from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.

The visit to Cornerbrook remains on June 5 as originally planned, but will now be from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. instead of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Likewise, the call to Sydney remains on June 6, and the time has also remained from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (3:30 all aboard time) as initially scheduled.

The last two days will remain days at sea as planned while Carnival Pride makes her way back to Baltimore, Maryland for debarkation on Sunday, June 9.

The 88,500-gross-ton, Spirit-class Carnival Pride can welcome 2,124 passengers aboard, and is also home to 930 international crew members. The ship will make two more cruises to Greenland – hopefully with better success – during the fall foliage season later this year. The first departs on August 18, the second on September 8. Both are 14-night sailings, with the same itinerary as the current sailing.

It should be noted that in September 2023, Carnival Legend was also forced to cancel all ports of call in Greenland during her sailing due to poor weather from hurricane remnants.

Any experienced cruise guest knows that ports of call are never guaranteed. It is always best to remain flexible with one’s travel expectations, especially when visiting more remote destinations.

Halloween is one of the most popular holidays in the world, and Carnival Cruise Line offers a lot of not-so-scary fun onboard its fleet during spooky sailings.

The cruise line has announced the exact sailing dates for Halloween-themed cruises in 2024, giving guests the opportunity to prep their scary best for a fun and festive getaway.

All ships in the Carnival fleet will offer Halloween sailings throughout October, but the exact date for the first themed voyage depends on each individual ship’s schedule. Similarly, the exact number of Halloween cruises will depend on whether a ship is offering shorter or longer voyages.

“Cruising at Halloween is a brilliant experience. And this year we will again be celebrating the whole month of October,” confirmed John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador.

The first ship to welcome guests with spooky decorations and fun will be Carnival Spirit on her September 24 departure, which is a 15-night Carnival Journeys sailing roundtrip from Seattle and visiting Hawaii.

Likewise, the last ship to offer frightful fun will be Carnival Panorama, which will showcase her Halloween decorations for a single sailing leaving Singapore following a month-long dry dock. The ship’s only Halloween cruise is her 24-night one-way sailing from Singapore to Long Beach, California.

The complete list of departure dates for Halloween sailings across the Fun Ship fleet is as follows:

Read Also: All Carnival Cruise Ships By Age – Newest to Oldest

• Carnival Breeze – September 28; October 3, 7, 12, 17, 21, 26, 31
• Carnival Celebration – September 29; October 6, 13, 20, 27
• Carnival Conquest – September 30; October 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28
• Carnival Dream – September 29; October 5, 13, 19
• Carnival Elation – September 30; October 5, 10, 14, 19, 24, 28
• Carnival Firenze – September 28; October 5, 12, 19, 26
• Carnival Freedom – September 28; October 3, 7, 12, 17, 21, 26, 31
• Carnival Glory – September 30; October 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28
• Carnival Horizon – September 28; October 6, 12, 20, 26
• Carnival Jubilee – September 28; October 5, 12, 19, 26
• Carnival Legend – September 26; October 6, 16, 26
• Carnival Liberty – September 29; October 6, 13, 20, 27
• Carnival Luminosa – October 1, 12, 16, 23, 30
• Carnival Magic – September 29; October 5, 13, 19, 27
• Mardi Gras – September 28; October 5, 12, 19, 26
• Carnival Miracle – October 1, 16, 25
• Carnival Panorama – October 12
• Carnival Paradise – September 30; October 6, 10, 14, 19, 24, 28
• Carnival Pride – September 29; October 6, 13, 20, 27
• Carnival Radiance – September 30; October 4, 7, 13, 27, 31
• Carnival Spirit – September 24; October 9, 26
• Carnival Splendor – September 27; October 6, 10, 13, 21, 31
• Carnival Sunrise – September 30; October 5, 10, 14, 19, 24, 28
• Carnival Sunshine – September 28; October 3, 7, 12, 17, 21, 26, 31
• Carnival Valor – September 30; October 5, 10, 14, 19, 24, 28
• Carnival Venezia – September 27; October 4, 14, 25
• Carnival Vista – September 29; October 5, 13, 19, 27

In total, Carnival Cruise Line is offering 151 Halloween sailings, with every ship in the fleet participating in the festive fun no matter where in the world it is setting sail. Carnival Conquest and Carnival Glory are offering the most sailings, with 9 Halloween cruises each.

Carnival Conquest is homeported from Miami, while Carnival Glory is homeported from Port Canaveral. Both ships offer 3- and 4-night Bahamas cruises to visit destinations such as Bimini, Nassau, Princess Cays, and Half Moon Cay, depending on the ship and departure date.

Of special note is newly updated Carnival Legend, which will finish the spooky season during her 15-night transatlantic cruise from Rome to Tampa. That sailing departs Rome on October 26 and will visit Spain, Portugal, the Azores, and Nassau before arriving in Florida on November 10. It is likely that the seasonal decorations will be removed in early November while the ship is en route.

Carnival Luminosa will not display her Halloween decorations until October 1, partway through the ship’s transpacific sailing from Seattle to Sydney. On October 1, the ship is scheduled to visit Moorea Island in French Polynesia. She will arrive in Sydney on October 12.

Finally, Carnival Miracle‘s first Halloween Cruise will depart October 1, which is a 15-night one-way repositioning cruise as the ship moves from San Francisco to Galveston.

What to Expect on Carnival Halloween Cruises

Each of the cruise line’s Halloween sailings will be filled with extra activities and fun themed to the season, including special trivia contests, seasonal music, spooky craft projects, unique menu items, and more.

“Halloween is always an exciting time aboard Carnival and we take it to the next level with Frightfully Fun activities that guests of all ages can enjoy,” Carnival Cruise Line’s website describes the season.

One of the most highly anticipated events of these seasonal sailings are costume parties, with guests invited to join in and show of their spooky spirit.

“The ships will be decorated and there will be a some frightfully fun events including a special costume party,” said Heald. “I hope many of you will take part and bring your costume. For something really scary buy a pair of suspenders, stick a pillow down your shirt, smack yourself in the face with a frying pan and go as John Heald, Brand Ambassador.”

Have you ever set sail on a Halloween cruise? Share your experiences, tips, and tricks-or-treats on the Cruise Hive boards!

Carnival Legend has left dry dock and is ready to welcome guests in Barcelona, Spain for her first post-renovation sailing, departing Thursday, May 30, 2024. The ship now boasts a range of upgrades and enhancements, including the rebranding of popular spaces and the addition of Carnival Cruise Line favorites.

One of the biggest additions to the 22-year-old ship is a new Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge on Deck 2 (Promenade Deck), formerly the Dreamteam Sports Bar. This patriotically-themed venue is now available on 13 Carnival ships, having first debuted on Carnival Panorama in 2019. The lounge pays tribute to both active-duty military personnel and veterans of all service branches.

Red-white-and-blue décor is highlighted with authentic military momentos for an extra-special touch. On Carnival Legend, the boots of Deshauna Barber, godmother of Carnival Vista and a captain in the United States Army Reserve, have a special place of honor.

Other new venues now open on Carnival Legend are the Dreams Studio for professional portrait sessions, the Carnival Adventures desk to book amazing shore tours, an expanded casino, and a new miniature golf course.

The ship also now has a dedicated Chef’s Table space on Deck 1 (Riviera Deck), which was formerly the lower level of the Medusa’s Lair Dance Club. Part of that club space was renovated for the wildly popular Chef’s Table, while the rest was converted into additional staterooms, including accessible staterooms.

Read Also: Chef’s Table on Carnival Cruise Line – Everything You Need to Know

Several other spaces onboard have been rebranded and updated. The steakhouse has been refreshed to become Fahrenheit 555, and the spa is rebranded as the Cloud 9 Spa and Fitness Center – both popular and familiar brands across the Carnival fleet.

Retail shops have been refreshed, as well as youth spaces updated for both Circle C and Camp Ocean. Other public areas have been similarly refreshed with new flooring, upholstery, and lighting as needed, and the ship has undergone other technical behind-the-scenes updates, as well as hull cleaning and general maintenance.

Overall, the dry dock lasted a full month, as Carnival Legend first left service at the end of April. The work was completed in Marseille, France, and the ship is now better-than-new and ready to welcome eager travelers for truly legendary cruise vacations.

The 88,500-gross-ton, Spirit-class Carnival Legend can welcome 2,124 guests at double occupancy, and is also home to just over 900 international crew members.

Ready to Sail in Europe

Carnival Legend‘s first post-dry-dock sailing is an 8-night roundtrip cruise from Barcelona, with visits to Malta, Sicily, Naples, Rome, Livorno, and Toulon before returning to Barcelona on Friday, June 7. This is the ship’s only roundtrip offering from Barcelona, as her next sailing is a one-way repositioning to Dover, UK.

From Dover, Carnival Legend will offer 6 roundtrip cruises to outstanding destinations in Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany, depending on departure date. On August 18, the ship will then move to Rome to offer a further 6 departures for Mediterranean and Greek Isles ports of call.

On October 26, the refreshed ship will conclude her European season and leave Rome for a 15-night transatlantic cruise to her new homeport of Tampa, Florida. Along the way, Carnival Legend will visit Spain, Portugal, the Azores, and the Bahamas, before arriving in the Sunshine State on November 10.

From Tampa, the ship will offer a winter season of Caribbean itineraries, before moving to San Francisco to offer alternating Alaska and Mexico sailings for summer 2025. Following that season, Carnival Legend will be homeported in Galveston with a variety of Western Caribbean, Eastern Caribbean, and Panama Canal cruise options.

With so much diversity coming up in Carnival Legend‘s sailing schedule, guests will have many options to enjoy the refreshed ship no matter where they set sail.

Carnival Cruise Line has reached out to guests booked on two upcoming sailings of Carnival Splendor with notification of dramatic itinerary changes.

One cruise is having all ports of call changed and adding extra sea days where replacements aren’t possible, and the second sailing is only keeping a single port of call from the original itinerary.

The impacted sailings are the June 11 and June 24 sailings, both departing from Sydney, Australia. These are South Pacific itineraries and both had scheduled visits to Noumea, New Caledonia, which is currently experiencing significant unrest, protests, and even rioting over controversial election reform laws.

Due to the violence, the island’s international airport has been closed, a nationwide curfew is in effect, and a state of emergency has been declared. The Australian government is urging travelers to “reconsider your need to travel” to New Caledonia, while the US Department of State likewise lists New Caledonia as a Level 3 travel advisory, “Reconsider Travel.”

Carnival Cruise Line has opted to avoid all ports of call in New Caledonia for Carnival Splendor‘s two upcoming cruises, which means multiple ports missed for eager guests.

“As a result of civil unrest in Noumea, it is necessary to revise our itinerary,” the notification emails read. “Everyone’s safety is our priority, and we really have no choice other than to make these changes. We know you were looking forward to the original itinerary we had planned and share your disappointment for this unexpected change.”

The June 11 sailing is a 9-night cruise that had planned to visit Noumea for two stops, which would have given travelers extra time to enjoy the capital city of New Caledonia. Also on the itinerary was Mystery Island in Vanuatu as well as a stop at Lifou Island, New Caledonia.

Read Also: Unrest in Noumea Prompts Cruise Line Alerts, Potential Itinerary Changes

Now, that cruise will not be able to visit any of the original four planned ports. Instead, the ship will visit Vila, Vanuatu on Saturday, June 15 and Santo, Vanuatu on Sunday, June 16. All the rest of the days will be days at sea.

The June 24 cruise is a 10-night sailing that had likewise planned two stops in Noumea as well as Mystery Island and Lifou Island. That voyage will still be visiting Mystery Island on Friday, June 28 (instead of Saturday, June 29 as originally scheduled), but the other port calls have been dropped. Instead, guests will visit Vila on Saturday, June 29 and Santo on Sunday, June 30. All other days are sea days.

Any shore tours purchased through Carnival Cruise Line for the now-cancelled ports will be automatically refunded back to the original form of payment. New ports will have tour options available for purchase online or while onboard from the Carnival Adventures desk, portside on Deck 3 in the Splendor Lobby.

Carnival Cruise Line is also permitting guests to cancel their cruise altogether without fees or penalties if they prefer, and they will receive a 100% future cruise credit. All pre-purchased items – drink packages, spa treatments, specialty dining, etc. – would be fully refunded.

The 113,573-gross-ton Carnival Splendor can welcome 3,012 passengers, and is also home to just over 1,100 international crew members.

Will More Cruises Be Impacted?

At this time, only the two sailings – June 11 and June 24 – are impacted by these changes. Because Carnival Splendor is homeported year-round from Sydney, however, it is possible that additional South Pacific sailings may be similarly adjusted.

Whether or not more cruises have visits to New Caledonia removed will depend on if the violence subsides and the destination is deemed safe for tourists once more. Guests booked on upcoming sailings should stay in close contact with Carnival Cruise Line in case of further updates or itinerary changes.

Cruise lines always keep the safety of guests and crew members as the first priority, and it is not unheard of for port visits to be cancelled due to local instability.

For example, Royal Caribbean International has cancelled all visits to their private destination of Labadee, Haiti at least through September 2024 due to regional unrest in that troubled nation.

Similarly, many cruise lines have adjusted itineraries through the Red Sea due to widespread regional violence that makes sailing through the Suez Canal inadvisable at this time. This caused Virgin Voyages to cancel the entire Australia season for Resilient Lady, as there is no practical way for the ship to reach the region with the Red Sea not a safe option.

It should be noted that cruise lines are able to change itineraries for such reasons with no obligation to provide compensation to guests. Most lines, however, will offer some remuneration for dramatic alterations as a gesture of goodwill for guests’ disappointment.