Carnival Adjusts Sailing Times and Port Stops on Two Ships

Carnival Cruise Line has alerted guests setting sail on select voyages of Carnival Elation and Carnival Radiance that their itineraries have changed.

The changes are not extreme for either ship, but are time and day changes that guests need to be aware of as they plan their cruise vacations.

Carnival Elation Itinerary Change

Just a single cruise for Carnival Elation has been changed at this time. For the ship’s August 8, 2026 departure, the ship will now set sail from Jacksonville, Florida at 7 p.m. rather than the originally planned time of 3:30 p.m.

This will be good news for any guests anticipating a later arrival to the vessel, as they will have much less risk of potentially missing the ship and losing out on their cruise.

There is no indication of any delay for boarding the ship, the vessel will just remain docked longer than expected that afternoon. No details about the schedule change have been offered, but port operations, Coast Guard inspections, nearby naval exercises, and other marine traffic can all impact when the ship departs.

Tidal schedules can also have a strong impact on ships departing from Jacksonville, as vessels must pass underneath the Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge (known locally as the Dames Point Bridge) as they leave. At high tide, clearance can be tricky.

According to the National Weather Service, high tide at Dames Point that evening is expected at 6:13 p.m. By waiting to leave until after that time, clearance under the bridge will be much easier.

The 2,130-guest Carnival Elation offers 4- and 5-night Bahamas cruises from Jacksonville. The impacted sailing is a 5-night cruise that will be visiting both Celebration Key and RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay before returning to Jacksonville on Thursday, August 13.

At this time, there is no indication that the ship’s port visits will be impacted. Because the first day of the sailing is a day at sea, Carnival Elation can easily adjust cruising speed to compensate for the later departure without affecting port arrivals in the Bahamas.

Carnival Radiance Itinerary Changes

Four sailings of Carnival Radiance from Long Beach, California have also been updated with changes. All four of the cruises are well into 2027, ensuring that guests have plenty of time to adjust their travel plans if necessary.

The ship’s August 30 and September 6 voyages are changing the day when Carnival Radiance will be visiting Catalina Island. The port visit is still planned, but will not be on the expected days. Updated details will be available on the cruise line’s website when exact times are confirmed.

Both of those impacted cruises are 4-night voyages that also include a call to Ensenada, Mexico. The planned visits to Ensenada are not affected.

Two more sailings for the 2,984-guest Carnival Radiance are removing the visit to Catalina Island altogether. The September 20 and September 27 cruises (both in 2027) will not be visiting the island and instead will enjoy a “Fun Day at Sea” without any other port visits.

Those sailings are also 4-night sailings and will still visit Ensenada as originally planned.

Carnival Cruise Line has noted that any shore tours for Catalina Island purchased through the cruise line will be automatically adjusted for these changes, including cancellation and full refunds if the port visit has been cancelled.

It is not unusual for cruise lines to tweak itineraries as sailing dates approach, or even weeks or months in advance as port availability changes and route plans are refined. Cruise Hive has frequently reported on such changes across the Carnival fleet, including port visit changes, embarkation changes, and even complete reversals of planned itineraries.