Princess Cruises Completely Changes Holiday Voyage
There’s nothing quite like celebrating New Year’s Eve on a cruise ship, with hundreds or thousands of guests gathered on the deck to count down at midnight as the ship sounds its horn at the stroke of 12.
But what if your highly-anticipated New Year’s cruise had its itinerary completely swapped? Guests booked to ring in 2026 aboard Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess are facing exactly that.
Originally, the ship’s December 28, 2025 departure from Port Canaveral was to have been an 8-night Western Caribbean itinerary visiting Cozumel (December 30) and Costa Maya (December 31) in Mexico, Belize City in Belize (January 1), and Roatan Island (January 2) in Honduras.
Now, however, guests have been informed that due to “changes in our deployment program” the ship will instead be sailing an Eastern Caribbean itinerary.
Sky Princess will now be visiting Grand Turk on Tuesday, December 30; San Juan, Puerto Rico on Thursday, January 1; Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic on Friday, January 2; and Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, on Sunday, January 4 before returning to Port Canaveral on Monday, January 5.
There is no change to the overall cruise fare, and all promotions and reservations for specialty dining and spa appointments remain the same. If for some reason such reservations cannot be preserved, they will be automatically cancelled and fully refunded.
All guests onboard are also being given a $25 per person onboard credit as acknowledgement of the change.
Some guests will understandably be disappointed in the extensive itinerary swap. I personally prefer Western Caribbean itineraries instead of Eastern Caribbean, though Amber Cove is a lovely destination (try the Sky Bar for the best views to toast your cruise vacation!).
Many guests, however, do prefer Eastern Caribbean destinations as somewhat less crowded, with greater natural beauty. This can certainly lead to a more positive cruise experience.
What may be more upsetting, however, is that since port days have changed, some carefully chosen dining reservations and other onboard appointments may no longer be possible.
Fortunately, since the sailing is still eight months away, guests do have time to rearrange their onboard plans as well as book new excursions to enjoy the Eastern Caribbean ports of call now on their itinerary.
Can Cruise Lines Completely Change Itineraries?
Even novice cruisers understand that itineraries planned out more than a year in advance might need to change due to poor weather, civil disturbances, or other unforeseen factors.
It can be startling, however, when a cruise line changes a complete itinerary to all new destinations with no explanation other than deployment changes. Shouldn’t such deployments be known at the time itineraries are advertised?
Princess Cruises’ Passage Contract is the agreement all guests enter into when they book a cruise with the line, and all terms and conditions apply at all times.
This includes section 8, which outlines the cruise line’s right to deviate from the planned itinerary for a wide range of reasons.
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“Carrier may, for any reason, without prior notice … deviate from the scheduled ports of call, route, and timetable,” the contract reads.
It should also be noted that Section 2(ii) of the contract, Guest’s Obligations, specially states that guests must “familiarize [themselves] with the terms of the Passage Contract.”
Whether guests actually do read the contract or not, they are still bound by its guidelines.
These are standard clauses in the contracts of many different cruise lines. While keeping the originally planned itineraries is always preferable, changes are sometimes necessary to ensure safe, comfortable cruising for everyone aboard, as well as a smooth, profitable sailing for the cruise line.