Carnival Cruise Line is leaving would-be vacationers high and dry — scrapping a string of sailings and sending passengers scrambling for new plans.
The cruise giant has abruptly canceled 11 trips aboard its Carnival Firenze ship, all slated to set sail between Oct. 12 and Nov. 16, 2026.
The company says the move is tied to a major shake-up in its deployment strategy, but that’s little comfort to travelers who already had their getaways booked.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Carnival blamed “changes to itinerary plans” for the cancellations, while quietly confirming that the Firenze vessel is being repositioned.
The ship will leave its current home base in Long Beach, Calif., head to Miami in early 2027, and then permanently relocate to New York City by summer.
That means West Coast cruisers are out of luck — at least for now.
The Firenze, which debuted in April 2024 with its flashy “Fun Italian Style” theme inspired by Florence, had been offering short three- and four-night trips from Long Beach. With room for more than 5,000 passengers at max capacity, it’s been a popular option for quick getaways.
Now, those plans are sunk.
Carnival says affected guests have been notified and given options: rebook another cruise or take a full refund. Travelers willing to switch sailings by March 25, 2026, will get a small sweetener — a $50 onboard credit per person. Miss that deadline, though, and bookings will be automatically canceled and refunded.
Industry insiders say the disruption isn’t entirely shocking.
“It’s definitely a disappointment,” said Gene Sloan of The Points Guy, noting that itinerary changes like this happen from time to time. Still, he added that because these were shorter sailings booked months in advance, the overall impact may be limited.
Carnival insists it’s working with customers to find comparable trips, but for many the damage is already done.
And the Firenze shake-up isn’t the only curveball.
The company also revealed changes to several 2026 sailings on its Carnival Panorama ship, which also departs from Long Beach. While destinations like Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlán remain on the itinerary, port schedules and stop orders have been shuffled.
The timing couldn’t be worse for the cruise industry, which is already navigating choppy waters.
Recent geopolitical tensions, including violence tied to cartel activity in Mexico and ongoing conflict involving Iran, have rattled travelers.
US security warnings issued in February raised fresh concerns about popular cruise stops like Puerto Vallarta.
At the same time, cruise lines are grappling with volatile oil prices during the critical “wave season,” when companies typically lock in bookings with heavy discounts.
For now, Carnival is betting big on its East Coast expansion — promising future voyages from Miami and New York to hotspots in the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Canada.
With Post wires
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