Carnival pulls Carnival Adventure from Australia’s year-round roster in shock move – CLIA warns more capacity at risk

• Carnival Adventure will now sail half the year in the USA, leaving Australia in April 2028.
• This means Carnival will now have just two year-round ships in Australia, down from four previously (including P&O ships).
• Carnival Country Manager Peter Little cited “stronger momentum and local governmental support in other major travel and tourism markets globally” as key reasoning for the change.

Carnival Cruise Line has made the shock announcement that Carnival Adventure will no longer sail year-round in Australia, and will instead relocate to North America for Australia’s non-peak months.

This means rather than sail year-round, Carnival Adventure will more closely mimic Carnival Luminosa’s sailing patterns, spending about half the year in Australia from November to April, and then half the year in the USA.

This brings Carnival down to just two ships sailing year-round in Australia, Carnival Splendor, which sails out of Sydney, and Carnival Encounter, which sails out of Brisbane.

It is estimated that the move slashes Australia’s winter cruising capacity by as many as 70,000 beds, and will hit small ports and producers who rely on the sailings for income and jobs.

Given that just over a year ago, Australia had Pacific Adventure, Pacific Explorer, Pacific Encounter and Carnival Splendor all sailing year-round, the jump from four year-round ships to just two is a huge hit to the local industry.

Peter Little, who leads Carnival Corp’s operations in Australia and New Zealand said: “We’re proud of our long-standing commitment to this market. It is business as usual with Carnival Cruise Line operating from more homeports across Australia and New Zealand in 2027/28 than ever before, so there are plenty of attractive itineraries for our guests.

“Over the next two years, we look forward to welcoming onboard about 1.2 million fun-loving guests across about 400 voyages as we continue to sail year-round to amazing destinations.”

But in what looks like a deliberate acknowledgement of problems with some port cities like Melbourne and with the federal government, Little cited “stronger momentum and local governmental support in other major travel and tourism markets globally” as a reason for the change.

Cruise Lines International Association Australasia (CLIA) immediately issued a statement warning that more capacity could be at risk if governments continue to ignore repeated requests for a national action plan.

“CLIA and the Australasian cruise industry have consistently warned that regulatory uncertainty and a complex operating environment make Australia uncompetitive among cruise destinations and reduce our ability to attract ships to this region. 

“While demand for cruising is at record levels internationally and Australians remain some of the world’s most passionate cruisers, Australia is at risk of losing deployment to other countries that offer a more constructive operating environment.

“CLIA has previously called for a national action plan across Federal, State and Territory governments, to support cruise tourism, improve Australia’s competitiveness, attract more ships, safeguard jobs, and create greater economic opportunities in destinations around the country.”

Australia’s cruise industry has lost Cunard Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages over recent years, as well as losing Pacific Explorer when P&O merged into Carnival, and Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises have reduced their Australian fleets.

This impact is already on show with the cruise industry registering over $1 billion less in revenue over the 2024/25 season, compared to the 2023/24 season, and more losses are expected to be on the way.

Cruise lines have long signalled that they feel a lack of governmental support for their operations in Australia, and Australia is known to be a destination with high regulatory costs and requirements.

The move by Carnival is almost certainly driven by economic imperatives. Sailing half the year in North America will be a more profitable move for Carnival.

Little added: “Carnival is adjusting its deployment to better capture greater opportunities elsewhere, while continuing to champion a more competitive and certain operating environment – matters we’ve long emphasised.”

He added: “We look forward to continuing our strong commitment to a cruise sector that provides 22,000 jobs and more than $7 billion in economic benefit to thousands of travel agents, shore tour operators, fresh food producers and transport providers right across Australia.”

Australia’s Maritime Union tried to board Carnival Adventure in Sydney on Friday, but were turned away. The union is claiming they just wanted to “consult with our members on board”.

The move is likely to signal a major upgrade for Adventure. The vessel is still largely a P&O ship, filled with P&O venues and a different lay-out to other Carnival ships.

The ship has a dry dock in Singapore in 2027, but it remains to be seen if it will see significant changes to make it appeal more to the American market.