Carnival Moves 93 Liberty and Splendor Sailings to 3 P.M. Departures
Passengers must complete check-in and board at least 90 minutes before sailing; for United States departures, Carnival files its final passenger manifest 60 minutes ahead.
Carnival Cruise Line is advancing departure times by 30 minutes on 93 additional sailings aboard Carnival Liberty from New Orleans and Carnival Splendor from Sydney. The affected cruises, scheduled between December 2026 and November 2027, will leave at 3 p.m., replacing their original 3:30 p.m. departures.
The latest changes cover 47 Liberty sailings and 46 Splendor departures. Following earlier adjustments aboard Carnival Elation and Carnival Glory, the number of affected cruises across the four ships now totals 246.
For Liberty and Splendor, the revisions leave destinations, scheduled port calls and homeport return times unchanged. Carnival has not disclosed a specific operational reason for the earlier sailaways.
The guest notifications direct passengers to follow “the final boarding time specified on the boarding pass.” Carnival’s embarkation guidance also requires passengers to complete check-in and be aboard at least 90 minutes before departure, with terminal arrival appointments selected during online check-in.
For U.S. departures, Carnival must submit its final passenger manifest to the Department of Homeland Security at least 60 minutes before sailing. Passengers arriving after boarding closes risk missing their cruise; Carnival’s ticket contract generally excludes refunds or compensation for guests who fail to board at embarkation.
The preceding Florida changes covered 77 Carnival Elation departures from Jacksonville, running from December 3, 2026, through November 22, 2027, and 76 Carnival Glory sailings from Port Canaveral. Glory’s adjustments begin December 14, 2026, and apply to selected departure periods through November 2027.
Liberty changes cover nearly eleven months
Every Carnival Liberty departure from January 3 through November 20, 2027, is included in the revised schedule. The ship operates mostly seven-night cruises during that period.
Depending on the sailing, destinations include Key West, Isla Tropicale, Montego Bay and Grand Cayman, alongside other Bahamas and Caribbean calls.
Two affected departures have different cruise lengths. The November 14 voyage is a six-night sailing calling at Belize and Cozumel. The November 20 departure is an eight-night itinerary visiting Nassau; RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay; and Celebration Key.
Splendor revisions apply to selected Sydney sailings
Carnival Splendor offers itineraries ranging from four to 15 nights across the period. Its longer voyages are not included in the departure-time changes.
Five departures in December 2026 are affected: December 8, 13, 17, 26 and 30. The remaining 41 revised departures fall on these dates in 2027:
- January 13, 27 and 31
- February 4, 13, 25 and 28
- March 9, 18, 22 and 26
- April 8, 11, 15, 22, 25 and 29
- May 13 and 26
- June 4, 7, 16, 20, 24 and 27
- July 1, 14, 18 and 27
- September 17, 20, 24 and 27
- October 1, 4, 8, 22 and 31
- November 16, 20 and 23
No August departures are included because Splendor will be out of service for a scheduled dry dock. Before that yard visit, its July 31 sailing will retain the 3:30 p.m. departure time for a 15-day, one-way voyage from Sydney to Singapore.
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