Carnival Passes Up Caribbean Port for Multiple Itineraries
One day after replacing one key port for four itineraries to be operated by Carnival Vista, Carnival Cruise Line is at it again with upcoming sailings for Mardi Gras and Carnival Venezia.
Not long ago, the cruise line tweaked four itineraries between May and June of 2025 for the Vista-class ship so that guests would visit Amber Cove, Dominican Republic, instead of Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos.
For context, Amber Cove is a 25-acre private destination that is owned and operated by Carnival.
But now, more itineraries have been altered to replace Grand Turk with a visit to Amber Cove – including Mardi Gras’ 8-night Southern Caribbean sailing that is due to embark from Port Canaveral, Florida, on June 7, 2025.
“Replaced Grand Turk with a visit to Amber Cove and adjusted time in port,” Carnival’s update reads.
The other two port calls on the itinerary – Oranjestad, Aruba, and Willemstad, Curacao – remain unaffected. And as of the time of publication, this is the only itinerary for the 6,500-passenger ship to be altered in this way.
Meanwhile, three sailings coming up for Carnival Venezia have been impacted, and they are scheduled to embark on May 11, 2025; May 26, 2025; and June 9, 2025.
The first sailing on May 11 is an 11-night, one-way repositioning cruise that will begin in Port Canaveral and end in the Vista-class cruise ship’s new homeport in New York.
As with Mardi Gras, the only change is that the 4,090-guest ship will call on Amber Cove instead of Grand Turk at the beginning of the sailing.
The following two New York-based sailings are a bit more complicated – as the dates and times for the other port calls have also been adjusted, in addition to replacing Grand Turk with Amber Cove.
Carnival did not specify the changes in this update, but the correct times and dates will be reflected on Carnival’s website within 24 hours.
“Replaced Grand Turk with a visit to Amber Cove and adjusted days and/or times for all destinations,” reads the brief notification.
The May 26 sailing is a 10-night Eastern Caribbean cruise that is slated to call on St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The later June 9 voyage features a 9-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary that also includes St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Compensation Provided, But Not Clarity
As a show of good faith, Carnival is compensating passengers with changed itineraries onboard Mardi Gras and Carnival Venezia with a credit of $50 per stateroom to be used onboard.
“We recognize that this is an unexpected change to our original plans, and, in appreciation for your understanding, we are posting a US$50, per stateroom, onboard credit to your Sail & Sign account,” Carnival continued.
The funds can be put toward things like alcoholic drinks, onboard attractions that aren’t included in the cruise fare, spa treatments, and specialty dining.
But what many guests really want to know is the reason behind the change – which so far has not been given.
Read Also: What to Expect When You Go on a Carnival Cruise
As Amber Cove is a private destination that is used exclusively by Carnival and its sister brands, some in the cruise community have expressed suspicions of the true motivations behind the revised itineraries.
Others suspected that it might have to do with the Level 2 Travel Advisory that the Caribbean port has been under since March of 2025, which encourages guests to exercise increased caution while visiting due to safety concerns.
That said, while cruise lines always put safety first, this seems like an unlikely cause as other voyages on Carnival’s impacted ships – and ships from other cruise lines – are still expected to continue calling on the port.
Ultimately, no reason was given for the change, but it’s not uncommon for cruise lines to continue to optimize itineraries until the very last minute for reasons related to weather, fuel efficiency, guest experience, and port congestion, just to name a few.