Major cruise line cancels planned sailings, upending vacations: 'Definitely a disappointment'

Carnival Cruise Line has canceled 11 sailings on its Carnival Firenze ship, which were all scheduled for fall 2026.

"Due to changes to itinerary plans, we have canceled sailings aboard Carnival Firenze scheduled between Oct. 12, 2026, and Nov. 16, 2026," Carnival said in a shared statement with Fox News Digital.

The redeployment will include a Carnival Journeys Southern Caribbean voyage departing from Miami in May 2027 before it leaves for New York City, according to Cruise Industry News.

"Guests booked on the affected sailings, as well as their travel advisors, have been notified directly. We have apologized to our impacted guests and are offering them the option to rebook another," the statement continued.

Gene Sloan, cruise director at The Points Guy, said these kinds of itinerary changes aren't unusual.

"It's definitely a disappointment for customers who are booked on the existing sailings that get canceled. But given the sailings on Carnival Firenze are 7-8 months out, it probably doesn't affect a huge number of people," Sloan told Fox News Digital.

"In general, shorter sailings get booked up closer to departure dates."

Carnival cruise passengers have the option of booking comparable sailing in similar accommodations, along with an onboard credit, Carnival said.

"Guests who choose not to reschedule will receive a full refund of their cruise fare and any pre-purchased items to the original form of payment," the statement concluded.

If booked passengers schedule a comparable sailing by March 25, 2026, they will receive a $50 per person onboard credit, according to Yahoo Travel.

After the March 25 deadline, reservations will be automatically canceled and a full refund will be issued, the same source said. 

It had been operating year-round out of Long Beach, California.

The Firenze can accommodate around 4,126 passengers at double occupancy, with a maximum capacity of roughly 5,245 to 5,260 guests, according to the company. 

Carnival also notified booked guests this week of another change in California. Several 2026 voyages on the Carnival Panorama will have a revised schedule implemented.

None of the destinations have been removed, but the company changed the order of port calls, port times and some departure and return times from Long Beach, according to CruiseHive.

Additionally, thousands of passengers were on ships in Doha and Dubai during the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

These cruises tend to run during the third quarter and have a disproportionately large contribution to cruise operators' incomes, according to Lizzie Dove, an analyst at Goldman Sachs.

Eric Revell of FOX Business contributed reporting.