In an email sent to booked guests, Carnival Cruise Line has announced the need to adjust six upcoming itineraries for Carnival Vista.
The changes impact alternating Western Caribbean sailings from mid-October through mid-November, and again from mid-January through mid-February.
Work Schedule Requires Itinerary Change
Due to cruising speed reductions necessary for onboard maintenance, Carnival Vista‘s itinerary will be changed for six upcoming sailings. The ship’s 2022 departures on October 15, October 29, and November 12, are affected, as well as 2023 departures on January 21, February 4, and February 18.
“We have had to implement a work schedule to address an unexpected issue on Carnival Vista and will be conducting maintenance on the ship during your cruise, which means the ship will be unable to sustain the maximum cruising speed required to operate your itinerary,” the email reads.
Each of the impacted 2022 itineraries is a 7-night roundtrip Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston. The original schedules featured two days at sea, followed by visits to Montego Bay, Jamaica; Grand Cayman, the Cayman Islands; and Cozumel, Mexico. The schedule was to conclude with another day at sea before arriving back in Galveston.
The 2023 departures are similar, with the ship following the same route but visiting Falmouth, Jamaica, instead of Montego Bay.
Now, all six itineraries have been changed, and will no longer call on either Grand Cayman or Jamaica.
Instead, the ship will stay much further west, substituting Belize and Roatan (Honduras) as alternative ports of call. The ship’s stay in Cozumel will also be lengthened.
The exact port times have not been announced, nor have any changes to the ship’s departure or arrival times to Galveston been indicated.
“We regret not being able to deliver the original itinerary and apologize for the unexpected change,” the email reads.
Compensation Offered
Because of the extent of the change, Carnival Cruise Line is offering impacted guests $50 per person (up to $100 per stateroom) of onboard credit, which will be posted to guests’ Sail & Sign accounts for the cruise.
All pre-booked shore excursions booked through Carnival for both Jamaica and Grand Turk will also be fully refunded to the original form of payment, and all port fees will be adjusted as necessary to account for the itinerary changes.
If guests no longer wish to sail on Carnival Vista with the revised itinerary, they may also reschedule their sailing or cancel their cruise vacation and request a refund. Such changes must be made no later than September 26, 2022. Refunds may take up to three weeks to process through guests’ financial institutions.
Why the Change?
Other than “maintenance” that impacts the 133,500-gross-ton ship’s maximum cruising speed, no details have been provided on the nature of the work that needs to be done to Carnival Vista.
As the speed is affected, it is likely the maintenance is related to the ship’s engines or directly connected engineering or navigational systems.
Hotel operations, food and beverage service, and entertainment options are unlikely to be affected, and the guest experience onboard will remain the same.
The itinerary change still permits the ship to sail a 7-night itinerary, but without covering as much distance. The sailing distance along a typical cruise ship route from Galveston to Jamaica, for instance, is roughly 1,400 miles (2,253 kilometers), while Galveston to Honduras is just 1,180 miles (1,900 km).
This can permit the ship to sail at slower speeds necessary for safer engineering work.
Carnival Vista first entered service in 2016, and has a history of engine and propulsion issues. Earlier this year, the ship had technical issues that canceled Grand Cayman and altered Jamaica port times on the same itinerary as the now altered future sailings. The ship also had propulsion issues that necessitated an unscheduled dry dock in 2019.
The two other ships in the Vista class, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Panorama, have also had their share of propulsion issues resulting in canceled cruises, itinerary changes, and slower cruising speeds.
