At the same time Carnival Cruise Line moved up the departure time for more than 200 sailings aboard two East Coast ships, a popular West Coast ship is also moving up the set sail time for more than a hundred upcoming cruises.
The impacted ship is the Carnival Firenze, one of Carnival Cruise Line’s unique “Carnival Fun, Italian Style” vessels, currently homeported year-round from Long Beach, California.
Carnival Firenze offers a mix of Mexican Riviera and Baja Mexico itineraries, with 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-night sailings. Depending on the departure date and cruise length, the ship visits such outstanding ports of call as Cabo San Lucas, Ensenada, and Catalina Island.
Now, guests have been informed that they will be setting sail 30 minutes earlier than previously scheduled.
“We have revised the departure time for your cruise and now plan to sail from Long Beach at 3:30 PM (instead of 4:00 PM) Pacific Time,” the notification read. “So we can get the fun started, all guests must be on board no later than the final boarding time specified on the boarding pass.”
The first Carnival Firenze departure that will set sail earlier is the ship’s March 2, 2025 departure, and every sailing for the rest of 2025 and all of 2026 are impacted.
Similarly, the ship’s January 2027 sailings will also depart at 3:30 p.m. In total, 176 cruises are impacted – every currently published Carnival Firenze sailing that is available for booking.
With every single cruise now setting sail earlier than originally scheduled, it is likely that the earlier departure time will also apply to future sailings when new 2027 and 2028 cruises are released for eager guests to book.
The 135,156-gross-ton Carnival Firenze, formerly of Costa Cruises, can welcome 4,208 guests at double occupancy, or as many as 5,260 passengers when fully booked. Also onboard are approximately 1,200 international crew members.
A Positive Change for Cruisers
While 30 minutes may not seem like a dramatic change, this trend – which has now impacted hundreds of Carnival cruises from different homeports – means guests get to the fun of their cruise vacation that much faster.
Furthermore, this departure time shift confirms that port operations have gotten smoother and more efficient, largely with the implementation of facial recognition technology for guest processing. This means that both debarkation of the last cruise and embarkation of the next one can move through the cruise terminal more quickly.
Undoubtedly, technology has also sped up other port operations, such as the efficiency of offloading waste and luggage from a ship while simultaneously loading supplies for the next sailing.
Read Also: Carnival’s Faster to the Fun (FTTF) – Is It Worth It?
Carnival Firenze in Long Beach, California
For Carnival Cruise Line, the earlier departure time may also lower the port fees and taxes required at the homeport, as the ship is not docked as long. This savings is good news for shareholders as well as cruise travelers, who may see fees lowered for their bookings.
When a cruise ship is able to set sail earlier, the vessel can also sail at a slower speed. This can improve fuel efficiency, which lowers overall emissions and helps protect marine environments. Better fuel efficiency is another way cruise lines can save as well.
In addition to these changes for Carnival Firenze, Carnival Cruise Line has implemented the same 30-minute-earlier departure for multiple other ships.
Mardi Gras from Port Canaveral, Carnival Horizon from Miami, Carnival Paradise from Tampa, Carnival Pride from Baltimore, and Carnival Spirit from both Mobile and Seattle (depending on the season) have all had similar changes announced.
With so many changes from different homeports, it is possible that Carnival Cruise Line may make similar changes fleetwide.
Any guests with Carnival sailings booked in the coming months may want to prepare for a possible earlier departure. While the 30-minute change may not seem significant, it can make a difference for travelers who prefer arriving at the cruise terminal toward the end of the embarkation window.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com