Guests on Carnival Luminosa’s epic 30-night repositioning cruise from Seattle to Brisbane received notification of an itinerary change just as they were boarding on Thursday, September 14, 2023.
The change cancelled all of the ports and visits in Alaska (Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point), as well as the scenic cruising for Hubbard Glacier.
In a statement, Carnival Cruise Line said that the decision was made “in partnership with our Fleet Operations Center” after monitoring a low-pressure system in the greater Alaska region that was forecasted to create unusually high swells and strong winds.
“The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority, and we made this decision in the best interests of everyone involved,” the statement said.
The itinerary change means that Carnival Luminosa will now spend the first 10 days of the cruise at sea, with no port visits at all in that time. This includes when the ship will cross the International Date Line, which is an eventful moment on any transpacific sailing.
Carnival said that the rest of the ship’s itinerary through Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia is unchanged, and there is no impact on the anticipated October 15, 2023 arrival into Brisbane, Australia.
However, to help make up for missing the scenic Alaskan stops, two other ports of call in Japan have been added to the itinerary.
The Carnival cruise ship will now visit ports of call in Otaru and Hakodate on Japan’s northernmost island.
Guests who are booked on the affected cruise will be compensated for the cancelled ports. Carnival said that it will provide more information on this in the coming days.
“To make it up to you, we will be posting a $200, per stateroom, onboard credit to your Sail & Sign account to enjoy a little something on us,” the Carnival statement added.
This is the second time in recent months that Carnival has had to change an itinerary due to weather conditions. In February 2023, Carnival Horizon had to cancel its call at Cozumel, Mexico due to high winds.
While itinerary changes can be disappointing for guests, it is important to remember that cruise lines make these decisions for the safety of their passengers and crew.
Related: Carnival releases itineraries for 2025 with longer itineraries
The cruise ship will spend the winter of 2023-2024 in Australia. After arriving on the scheduled date of October 15th, the ship will sail out of Brisbane until repositioning again to Seattle on May 1st of 2024.
Carnival Luminosa, a cruise ship initially built for Costa Cruises, started sailing in 2009. It joined Carnival Cruise Line in September 2022 after undergoing significant renovations. Now, it offers many of Carnival’s unique experiences.
