Guests booked aboard two different upcoming sailings of Carnival Venezia have been notified of changes to their cruise itineraries.
The impacted cruises are in 2025 and 2026, giving travelers plenty of time to make adjustments to their vacation plans if necessary.
The first change is for Carnival Venezia‘s January 5, 2025 departure. This is a 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary with visits to Amber Cove, San Juan, and St. Thomas.
While the ship will still operate on the same general itinerary, the days and times in port have been modified. The ship will now operate the itinerary in reverse, visiting St. Thomas first, followed by San Juan and then Amber Cove.
Otherwise, the ship’s departure and return to her homeport of Port Canaveral has not been changed, and all the original ports of call have been preserved. Any pre-purchased Carnival shore excursions for any destination will automatically be adjusted to the new visit days and times.
The second impacted Carnival Venezia cruise is her February 8, 2026 departure. That 7-night Western Caribbean itinerary was to have visited Nassau, Montego Bay, and Grand Cayman.
Instead, the visit to Nassau has been cancelled and replaced with a visit to Celebration Key, Carnival Cruise Line’s new private destination currently under construction on Grand Bahama Island.
Because the call to Nassau is cancelled rather than rescheduled, any pre-purchased shore tours will be automatically cancelled and fully refunded to guests.
Celebration Key is scheduled to open in July 2025, with twelve Carnival cruise ships visiting the vibrant destination in its first few months on itineraries from various homeports.
The 135,225-gross-ton Carnival Venezia, formerly Costa Venezia of Costa Cruises, can welcome 4,208 guests at double occupancy, or as many as 5,260 travelers when fully booked with all berths filled. The ship is currently homeported from New York offering Bermuda, Caribbean, and Bahamas itineraries.
The ship will relocate to Port Canaveral in mid-December 2024 to offer Eastern, Western, and Southern Caribbean sailings, with the occasional special Panama Canal cruise. In May 2025, the vessel will return to New York for the summer and fall, before heading back to Port Canaveral in November 2025.
Why These Changes?
No explanation has been offered for why these two Carnival Venezia itineraries have been modified. It is not unusual for cruise lines to tweak itineraries well in advance as overall ship deployments are refined, in order to ensure the best possible experience for travelers.
Factors such as overall ship visits, port availability, expected crowds at popular destinations, port maintenance and construction, and other considerations are all part of itinerary planning.
Fortunately, because these two sailings are nearly 6 months and 19 months away, respectively, booked guests have plenty of time to reconsider their travel plans if the changes are not to their liking.
Furthermore, if guests have already arranged for independent shore excursions, they have ample time to contact their tour operators to cancel or make adjustments as needed.
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The change to visit Celebration Key will be especially exciting for many guests, as great anticipation is building for the new destination.
Carnival Cruise Line is taking great care to ensure an authentic Bahamian experience, complete with locally-inspired retail, live music, local dancers, Bahamian-themed artwork, and more.
With the change to two Carnival Venezia itineraries, it is likely that additional itineraries may also be tweaked as further deployment plans are adjusted.
Any cruise traveler with a booking on Carnival Venezia should stay in contact with their travel agent or Carnival Cruise Line to keep updated on any changes or adjustments.
