Carnival Cruise Line Adjusts Multiple Itineraries for Two Ships

Carnival Cruise Line has begun contacting guests booked on upcoming sailings of Mardi Gras and Carnival Vista about itinerary changes for their cruises.

A total of 11 sailings are affected, but fortunately, the impacted cruises range from November 2023 to April 2025, giving guests plenty of time to adjust their plans if necessary.

Mardi Gras Itinerary Changes

Three itineraries have been changed for Mardi Gras: the November 11 and November 25 sailings in 2023, as well as the April 5, 2025 cruise.

The November 11, 2023 cruise is a 7-night Western Caribbean sailing from Port Canaveral, originally scheduled for the first day to be at sea, then calling at Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Roatan on the next three days. The cruise was to have ended with two additional sea days before returning to Florida.

Now, the new itinerary begins with two days at sea, then the order of ports is Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel. A final day at sea will conclude the cruise.

The time in Cozumel has also been slightly adjusted. Instead of 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. as originally scheduled, passengers will be able to explore the popular Mexican port of call from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. – the same amount of time overall, but different hours.

The November 25, 2023 departure is a 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise originally planned for two days at sea, then calling on San Juan, Amber Cove, and Grand Turk, with another day at sea to finish the cruise.

The itinerary will now be reversed, with one day at sea, calling on Grand Turk, Amber Cove, and San Juan, and two days at sea. Port times have also been shifted, though no time in any port is lost.

The April 5, 2025 cruise, another 7-night Eastern Caribbean sailing, is similarly impacted, shifting port days and adjusting times. The original itinerary was one day at sea, then visiting Grand Turk and Amber Cove, another day at sea, visiting Nassau, and a final sea day to finish the cruise.

Now, the sailing will visit Nassau first, then Amber Cove, then Grand Turk. The first, third, and sixth full days of the cruise are at sea. Port times have also been adjusted but with the same overall time spent at each port of call.

Carnival Vista Itinerary Changes

A total of eight cruises are being adjusted for Carnival Vista after the ship is moved to Port Canaveral in November 2023.

Impacted dates are November 26 and December 10, 2023; April 28 and December 22, 2024; and January 19, February 2, April 13, and April 27, 2025.

Both the 2023 cruises and the April 28, 2024 sailing are “Exotic Eastern Caribbean” 6-night sailings, calling on Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, and Puerto Plata.

For these three cruises, the planned visit to Half Moon Cay has been replaced with Nassau, and the day and port time has likewise been adjusted.

The days for Grand Turk and Amber Cove have also been swapped and port times revised, adding one hour to the port time in Amber Cove and losing one hour in Grand Turk.

Changes for the remaining four impacted sailings – the December 22, 2024 cruise and all 2025 affected dates – are minimal. These are also 6-night “Exotic Eastern Caribbean” sailings, but the only change has been to swap the planned visit to Princess Cays with a visit to Half Moon Cay instead.

As both are private island destinations, guests can expect to enjoy very similar activities and experiences, even though they will now be visiting a different island.

For all the impacted sailings, whether on Mardi Gras or Carnival Vista, no embarkation or debarkation times have changed for the beginning or end of each cruise.

Shore Tours Being Adjusted

Because port times, days, and even destinations are being changed depending on which ship or sailing date a traveler is booked for, shore excursions are also impacted.

Carnival Cruise Line is working to adjust all pre-purchased Carnival shore tours to the new days and times. If this is not possible, the impacted tours will be cancelled and full refunds will be returned to the original form of payment.

Guests who have made independent tour arrangements will need to contact their tour operators for changes, cancellations, or other options as necessary.

“Thank you for your understanding,” the email from Carnival concludes. “We look forward to welcoming you aboard for a FUN and memorable cruise.”

Since these changes are being made months ahead of the sailing dates, giving guests plenty of time to adjust their travel plans, no further compensation is offered. It is not unusual for cruise lines to adjust itineraries in these ways, as port schedules are refined in the weeks and months prior to sailing.