Some Carnival cruise ships won’t resume sailing until March or later
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
You’ll have to wait at least another six months to sail on some of Carnival Cruise Line‘s 23 vessels.
The Miami-based line on Wednesday announced that four of its ships — Carnival Magic, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Valor and Carnival Spirit — won’t return to service until at least March. One of the ships, Carnival Spirit, won’t resume operations until June.
All four of the vessels are due for regular maintenance in a dry dock, and the line said it was postponing their return to service until the work can be done.
For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG’s new cruise newsletter.
The announcement means that, even in the best scenario, the full Carnival fleet won’t be back in operation until nearly the start of next summer.
Like many major cruise lines, Carnival hasn’t operated any departures since March, when the new coronavirus was declared a pandemic. But it has been hinting that it may restart at least a handful of sailings later this year. The line has canceled all sailings through the end of October.
Carnival’s announcement of an extended halt to sailings for four ships is in keeping with recent pronouncements from executives at the line’s parent company that cruising will resume slowly when it does resume. Carnival Corporation executives have been saying that any restart of cruising in the coming months only will involve a limited number of vessels.
“Clearly cruise will not come back all at once,” Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold Donald said in July in a conference call with Wall Street analysts. “We intend to resume operations with a small percentage of the fleet.”
Related: Cruise executives say they’re in no rush to return to service
Carnival Corporation is the parent company of Carnival Cruise Line as well as Princess Cruises, Holland America, Seabourn and five overseas brands.
For now, Carnival Cruise Line continues to sell voyages on most of its vessels for November and December, though the line hasn’t confirmed that those trips will go ahead as planned.
Wednesday’s announcement will result in the cancellation of more than 100 sailings, including:
- Carnival Magic departures operating from Miami through March 13, 2021.
- Carnival Paradise departures operating from Tampa through March 19, 2021.
- Carnival Valor departures operating from New Orleans through April 29, 2021 (including the transatlantic cruise from New Orleans on Jan. 25, 2021, and the return from Barcelona on Feb. 26, 2021)
- Carnival Spirit departures operating from Brisbane, Australia, through May 16, 2021. The ship won’t sail again until June 12, 2021, when it will depart Singapore on a voyage to Brisbane.
In a statement, Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy said shipyard scheduling issues were a factor in the decision to put the four ships on long-term hiatus.
Related: The ultimate guide to Carnival ships and itineraries
“This extended pause in our operations has also impacted shipyard availability, and we’ve had to reschedule required dry docks,” Duffy said. “As we continue to work through issues related to our eventual return to operations, we are committed to providing our guests and travel agent partners with certainty where we can, although we regret disappointing our guests.”
Carnival on Wednesday also confirmed that two more of its ships — Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination — had been sold in recent weeks. The line had previously said the vessels would be laid up on a long-term basis but had not confirmed reports that they were permanently leaving the Carnival fleet.
Carnival did not say who was buying the two ships. But, as The Points Guy reported in August, Carnival Imagination already has been sent to a scrapyard in Aliaga, Turkey. Carnival Fascination currently is docked in Cadiz, Spain.
Since the coronavirus shutdown began, Carnival has disposed of four vessels: Carnival Fascination, Carnival Imagination, Carnival Inspiration and Carnival Fantasy. Three of the four ships are now at a scrapyard.
Carnival started the year with 27 ships.
Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:
- The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
- The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
- A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
- 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
- 15 ways cruisers waste money
- 12 best cruises for people who never want to grow up
- What to pack for your first cruise
Featured image courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in the first three months of card membership. Offer ends 11/10/2021.
With Status Boost™, earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply.
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer expires 11/10/2021.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. *Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $75 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®.
- Enjoy an exclusive rate of $39 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club® for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.