Cruises Cancelled as Carnival Pride Heads to Drydock in 2026

Carnival Cruise Line has cancelled three cruises onboard the Carnival Pride to accommodate a drydock in early 2026.

According to a statement sent to booked guests, the impacted sailings were set to depart from Baltimore between March 29 and April 12, 2026.

“In our continuous effort to enhance our product, Carnival Pride has now been scheduled for drydock and we’re sorry to inform you that your cruise has been cancelled,” Carnival Cruise Line said.

The cancelled cruises were set to sail to different ports of call in the Bahamas. Sailing for seven nights, the itineraries featured visits to Half Moon Cay, Nassau, Celebration Key and Princess Cays.

Carnival is offering passengers a series of alternatives, including the option to rebook another voyage.

Guests who choose to transfer their reservations will have their cruise rate protected when sailing on a comparable sailing in similar accommodations, the company said.

Carnival is also offering a $50 per person onboard credit (limited to $100 per stateroom) for passengers who choose to rebook their cruises.

For passengers who do not wish to reschedule, the company is offering a full refund of the paid cruise fare and any pre-purchased items.

According to Carnival, the amounts will be automatically returned to the guests’ original form of payment after May 28, 2024.

Following a winter program in Tampa, the Carnival Pride recently repositioned to the East Coast. Currently sailing from Norfolk, the 2001-built cruise ship offers seven- to 14-night cruises to the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Greenland.

Belfast Closes a Record 2023 Cruise Season

Belfast just closed its record 2023 cruise season with the arrival of Fred Olsen Cruise Line’s  Borealis on Friday, October 20.

During the 2023 cruise season, Belfast welcomed a total of 158 calls, according to Cruise Belfast. This marks an 8 percent increase compared to the pre-pandemic record set in 2019.

The cruise season saw 57 ships from 32 different cruise lines dock in the port, carrying 320,000 passengers and crew. Among them were 14 ships that made their maiden calls to Belfast.

In addition, this year also marked the arrival of the 2 millionth cruise visitor to Belfast Harbour since 1996 when the first cruise ship arrived in Belfast. The milestone passenger arrived onboard the Norwegian Dawn in May this year.

Due to increased passenger numbers, Cruise Belfast estimates that over £20m was injected into the local economy through passenger spending.

Michael Robinson, port director of Belfast Harbour said: “After a couple of disrupted years due to the pandemic it’s clear that cruise tourism in Belfast is now in very good health. We continue to receive a lot of positive feedback from passengers, crew and cruise line management on the quality of Northern Ireland’s tourism offering and the service the industry provides.

 “Bookings for the 2024 cruise season are currently strong, with similar levels to this year’s record season, which is great news for the city and the industry. We look forward to another busy year welcoming visitors from around the world.”

Gerry Lennon, chief executive at Visit Belfast added: “Belfast as a gateway city to Northern Ireland, now takes its place among Europe’s most vibrant and captivating destinations, for leisure, business and cruise visitors.

“With the continued investment in the city’s infrastructure and iconic world-class attractions such as Titanic Belfast. Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, Titanic Distillery and Belfast’s cultural programming for 2024, we will ensure we have a range of new and exciting giant experiences to attract the growing cruise market. Cruise Tourism is a vital element of our tourism portfolio, and its impact is significant contributing to the visitor economy and bringing great vibrancy to the city region.”

Carnival Journeys Program Embarked Over 330,000 Guests Since 2015

More than 330,000 guests have sailed on a Carnival Journeys cruise since the program was launched in 2015.

According to Carnival Cruise Line, the number is set to grow significantly in the future, as the program adds more varied itineraries.

In 2025, the initiative will include several newly announced cruises onboard the Carnival Spirit and the Carnival Luminosa.

As a response to guests’ interest in these longer vacations and more adventurous experiences, the ships will offer new itineraries for the year, including a transatlantic crossing onboard the Spirit and a 29-day cruise to Japan and Alaska onboard the Luminosa.

The Carnival Spirit is also set to offer a 15-day roundtrip cruise to Hawaii from Seattle. Departing in September 2025, the Carnival Journey will include visits to Honolulu, Oahu; Kahului, Maui; Nawiliwili, Kauai; and Hilo in Hawaii, as well as Victoria, British Columbia.

With the new offerings, over 85 upcoming Carnival Journeys are available for booking, Carnival Cruise Line said, which could see over 230,000 guests embarking from now through 2025.

The Carnival Journeys program of longer cruise itineraries offers guests more opportunities to see the world, Carnival said, from ocean crossings and Panama Canal transit.

The initiative also includes special sailings featuring destinations in the Caribbean, Greenland, Hawaii, New Zealand, Japan, Tahiti, Southeast Asia and Alaska.

Earlier this month, the Carnival Legend set sail on a 14-night cruise to Greenland. Sailing roundtrip from Baltimore, the itinerary featured visits to two destinations in the Arctic Island, as well as three ports of call in Canada.