Days after Carnival Cruise Line announced the cancellation of two upcoming cruises aboard Carnival Horizon, the cruise line has taken the ship out of service until the end of the year. Passengers who have booked trips on the ship will be transferred to two other vessels to avoid further cancellations.
Update: Carnival Horizon Returning to Miami Following Dry Dock
Carnival Horizon Out of Service
On November 30, Carnival Cruise Line informed guests that two upcoming cruises aboard Carnival Horizon were canceled due to a technical issue impacting the ship’s maximum cruising speed.
After a full assessment of the issue, the cruise line has decided Carnival Horizon will need to undergo an urgent dry dock in Italy for an extended length of time. The ship isn’t scheduled to return to service until January 22, 2022.
Carnival has already informed guests of the decision in a letter sent to affected guests on December 2. The cruise line stated, “We want to make you aware that Carnival Horizon is experiencing an issue affecting its maximum cruising speed. Our technical team has completed a full assessment of the issue and has determined the ship will need to be taken to dry dock to complete the necessary work.“
Rather than canceling the passengers booked on Carnival Horizon’s December 19, 26, and 31 departures, the cruise line will bring two additional vessels back into service to take over the Carnival Horizon’s itineraries.
In the letter, the cruise line said, “We have made arrangements for Carnival Liberty to return to guest operations earlier than scheduled so she can assume Carnival Horizon’s same itinerary from Miami for the sailings captioned above, including your cruise. Please note, to transfer your reservation, we must close access to your booking.“
Carnival Liberty and Carnival Sunshine will be brought back into service earlier than expected. Passengers booked on Carnival Horizon’s now-canceled sailings will have their bookings transferred to one of the two replacement ships. Passengers will be temporarily locked out of their bookings while making the ship swap.
Passengers booked for the December 19, 2021 sailing will have their trip reconfirmed on their new vessel by December 14. Guests departing December 26 will receive their confirmations no later than December 16, and Carnival will reconfirm those booked on the December 31 voyage by December 21.
Carnival said it is “working to assure your new accommodations will be comparable to your original stateroom.”
Guests will be happy to know that their cruise vacations will not be canceled; however, the replacement ships are not part of the same Vista-class as Carnival Horizon and offer slightly fewer amenities.
While the offering isn’t comparable (the replacement ships are Carnival’s older Destiny and Conquest-class ships), Carnival is offering up to $200 of onboard credit per stateroom to compensate for the inconvenience.
Guests who would rather not sail with the ship transfer can cancel their bookings by Sunday, December 5, 2021, for a full refund.
Carnival Horizon is scheduled to return to service on January 22, 2022, as long as the technical issue is fixed during the dry dock. The ship will resume service with an eight-day Southern Caribbean cruise that will call at Aruba, Bonaire, and the Dominican Republic.
One important detail is that Carnival was able to bring two additional vessels online to prevent further cancellations. The two ships have been “on hold” since the start of the industry-wide pause in cruise operations due to the pandemic. Cruise lines don’t have empty vessels during normal operations that act as relief ships.
Carnival Liberty is scheduled to return to service on February 11, 2022, from Port Canaveral. Carnival Sunshine is expected to officially resume operations from Charleston on January 13, 2022.
Yes we are booked for feb. 5th but not comfortable with things can we change booking dates without a penalty?
You will have to check with Carnival Cruise Line or your travel agent. The cancellation policy varies between cruise lines, and with the rapid spread of Omicron, many cruise lines have updated their policies over the last couple of months. You may be offered a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) instead of a full refund in many cases.
My Cruise is in February 27 on Horizon for 5 days I can’t wait we are a party 8 we are all fully vaccinated with boosters 3 young adults don’t have the booster but anyways I hope it’s back in Miami for it it’s a beautiful ship and only want to go on that ship this would be the third time we started in 2020 then cancelled in 2021 now on 2022 it’s finally available and with Gods blessing it’s will be ready for all of the passengers we first were planning it because my grandson was turning 13 in February then cancelled when he was 14 now he’s going to be 15 and I hope he can finally celebrate this age been on Carnival 5 times and love it thank you I’m saying my prayer that it will be all better to sail!!
Fingers crossed that you will have the vacation you’ve been dreaming about! Horizon is a beautiful ship, and I am looking forward to seeing her with the new livery.
My 8 day Southern Caribbean Cruise from Miami is scheduled for Feb. 5th-13th on the Carnival Horizon. I’m concerned about whether or not the ship will be fully operated prior and will it be docking at the ports listed on the itinerary due to the ongoing covid outbreak?
Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy answer to your questions. There isn’t any way to know in advance if your ship will be fully operational or if you will be able to visit every scheduled port. Some cruise passengers are having excellent luck in that their ships are fully operational, and their sailing itinerary doesn’t change mid-cruise. However, some passengers report that their cruise had canceled shows, limited activities and amenities, and skipped ports of call. I know it doesn’t answer your question, but right now there is a lot of uncertainty in the world, and especially in the cruise industry. I wish you the best of luck on your cruise.
Ya know it’s quite unfair that Carnival hasn’t announced ANYTHING yet as far as what’s going on with the Horizon.
It’s close enough now that they HAVE to know if she will be ready, fixed and back in Miami by the 22nd. I mean, minus the travel time back, (9-10 days) is the ship fixed or not??
Carnival NEEDS to make some type of announcement so we can decide on alternative plans.
They should NOT have thousands of us wondering this close to the cruise.
I’ve been hoping for an announcement, but so far, we haven’t heard any news other than the new hull paint job. Fingers crossed we will get an update over the next few days as many people are wondering if the ship will be back in time for the January 22 sailing. As soon as Carnival provides an update, we will post an update here!
Why haven’t I heard anything regarding my cruise on January 22, 2022? Not a word.
Currently, Carnival Horizon is scheduled to be back for the January 22 sailing. While it is under repair, it will be getting a new paint job on the hull.
Unfortunately, we haven’t heard any further updates on the progress of the repairs. As soon as we hear something, we will provide an update.
We are scheduled to sail on February 13th. Today is the 8th and we’ve been locked out of our accounts
Hi Joanne. That’s definitely not a good situation. Carnival did have an issue with their website last week, and many people couldn’t access their accounts. Have you tried to get in touch with their support?
Here is a link to their contact page: https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/contact-us
I hope it helps.