November 6, 2026 — Carnival Cruise Line has opened bookings for its 2028-29 season from Port Canaveral, Florida: more than 300 departures on five ships, running from May 2028 through April 2029.
What was announced
The Carnival Corporation brand will keep five ships based at Port Canaveral year-round, with cruises from three nights to 14 nights. Across the deployment the ships will make more than 200 calls at Celebration Key, Carnival’s Bahamas destination.
| Ship | Itineraries from Port Canaveral |
|---|---|
| Mardi Gras | 3- to 5-night cruises |
| Carnival Glory | 3- to 5-night cruises, including Celebration Key |
| Carnival Breeze | Alternating week-long Eastern and Western Caribbean; four 14-day Carnival Journeys to 13 Southern Caribbean destinations between October 2028 and February 2029 |
| Carnival Firenze | Alternating week-long Eastern and Western Caribbean |
| Carnival Festivale | 6- and 8-day Eastern and Southern Caribbean, including Aruba and Curaçao (ship due to debut May 2027) |
Week-long itineraries call at ports including Amber Cove, San Juan, St. Thomas, Belize, Cozumel and Isla Tropicale.
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Also from Carnival this week
- Livestream: an interactive “Play Carnival” stream from Carnival Celebration airs Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. EST on Carnival’s Twitch, Instagram and TikTok, with viewers voting on the route and a chance to win a cruise.
- Grand Turk: Carnival and the Grand Turk Cruise Center donated library books, 10 desktop computers and more than $12,000 in equipment and supplies to Ona Glinton Primary School.
What it means for airline travelers
- Airports: Port Canaveral is usually reached through Orlando International (MCO), a large hub with many daily flights, which helps when you are flying standby. Orlando Sanford (SFB) and Melbourne Orlando (MLB) are other options.
- Short cruises leave little slack. On a 3- or 4-night sailing, a missed flight can cost you the whole trip. Fly in the day before, especially on standby.
- Book early, fly late: these sailings are 18 months or more away, so you can lock in the cruise now and sort out flights closer to the date.
- Interline and travel-industry rates: the announcement does not mention them.
Sources
- Cruise Industry News: Carnival Unveils 2028-29 Port Canaveral Lineup
- Cruise Hive: Carnival Opens More Than 300 Port Canaveral Sailings Across Five Ships
- Cruise Industry News: Carnival Launches Interactive Twitch Livestream on Celebration
- Cruise Industry News: Carnival Boosts Learning at Grand Turk School
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