Carnival Cruise Line makes sudden cruise cancellation

On the heels of its unpopular Carnival Rewards loyalty program announcement, Carnival Cruise Line was forced to deliver some disappointing news to passengers booked on one upcoming summer sailing.

While many loyal Carnival cruisers are still reeling from the news that Carnival is turning its loyalty program upside down beginning next summer in favor of a spend-based rewards system, certain passengers sailing soon got even more distressing news.

Following a wave of spring 2026 cruise cancellations caused by changes to the schedule for Carnival cruise ship dry dock maintenance and refurbishment, Carnival is adding one more cruise to the list of those canceled this year.

Although cruise lines will always try to give as much notice as possible when schedule changes and cancellations must be made, sometimes last-minute changes can’t be avoided.

Unfortunately, this was this case for the latest Carnival cruise cancellation, as well as an unexpected itinerary change for Princess Cruises’ World Cruise that’s currently sailing in Africa.

Doug Parker shared details on the unexpected reason behind the last-minute Carnival cruise cancellation, as well as why Princess Cruises’ World Cruise was diverted in Africa, on the June 24th edition of Cruise News Today.

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Shipyard labor disputes lead to Carnival cruise cancellation

Transcript:

This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker.

Good morning, here's your cruise news for Tuesday, June 24th.

Carnival Cruise Line has canceled the July 6th sailing of Carnival Liberty due to labor issues at a shipyard over in Europe. Yeah, the ship currently in dry dock was moved from Cadiz, Spain to Marseille, France after labor disputes delayed its refurbishment.

Passengers were just notified two weeks before departure of this cancellation. All guests will receive full refunds and a future cruise credit.

Carnival will also cover up to $200 per person for that non-refundable airfare. The ship's next sailing, July 13th out of New Orleans, is supposed to go on as scheduled.

Carnival Cruise Line shares sneak peek of completed Celebration Key destination

And Carnival Cruise Line is showing off the first completed images of its new private destination, Celebration Key, set to open up next month on Grand Bahama Island.

The 65-acre site features massive freshwater lagoons, a 10-story sun castle with waterslides, and the world's largest swim-up bar. Yeah. You'll also find floating cabanas and a coral-themed splash pad for the kids, while adults have an upscale beach club.

Built over the past three years at a cost of $500 million, Celebration Key will be exclusive to Carnival guests starting on July 19th.

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Princess Cruises’ World Cruise diverted due to rough seas

And severe weather is forcing Princess Cruises' Crown Princess to change course, skipping a planned stop in Cape Town, South Africa.

Now the ship is on a 113-night World Cruise, and has encountered strong winds and heavy swells along South Africa's southern coast. The captain says it's unsafe to proceed as planned, with warnings in effect for damaging waves and gale-force winds.

Crown Princess began the voyage in late May and is scheduled to return to New Zealand in September.

And cruise stocks ended the day mostly flat on Monday. Carnival Corporation: 23.94, Royal Caribbean: 273.08, Norwegian: down 1%, 18.58, and Viking: 49.48.

I'm Doug Parker with Cruise News Today. Have yourself a great Tuesday.

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