Guests choose their next cruise vacation for a lot of reasons – cruise line, price value, destinations, ship features, and more. One common reason is scheduling and trying to maximize one’s getaway while minimizing the need for time off work, especially when days off may mean lost income or a disgruntled boss.
When a cruise leaves on a Friday or Saturday, for example, many passengers can relax through the weekend without worries, and with only needing a day or two excused from their job. With more and more ships having mid-week departures, however, that can make planning a cruise much more challenging.
The issue was recently raised to John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s official Brand Ambassador, who offered insights into cruise line scheduling in response on his popular Facebook page.
“John, do you know why you have so many cruises that depart on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday?” the commenter asked. “People have jobs that are not very flexible in the [number] of days they can take on personal leave. Why [are] there not more Saturday departures? There are not enough. Vacations start on a Saturday, not on a Tuesday.”
It should be noted that weekend cruise departures are still the most common for ships to start sailing but mid-week departures have become more popular in recent years.
Heald, who has been with Carnival Cruise Line since 1989, was able to reflect on the departure day changes through his years of experience.
“In the olden days when I was a Cruise Director most cruises did start on either a Saturday or Sunday,” he said. “Now we have many more choices with ships leaving I think every day of the week.”
Heald is correct in that at least one Carnival cruise ship offers a departure every day of the week. From January 5-11, 2025, for example, the following departures are setting sail:
- Sunday, January 5: Magic (Miami), Celebration (Miami), Vista (Port Canaveral), Venezia (Port Canaveral), Legend (Tampa), Liberty (New Orleans), Firenze (Long Beach), Dream (Galveston), Pride (Baltimore), Luminosa (Brisbane)
- Monday, January 6: Glory (Port Canaveral), Sunrise (Miami), Conquest (Miami), Paradise (Tampa), Elation (Jacksonville), Radiance (Long Beach), Valor (New Orleans), Miracle (Galveston)
- Tuesday, January 7: Freedom (Port Canaveral)
- Wednesday, January 8: Splendor (Sydney)
- Thursday, January 9: Breeze (Galveston), Luminosa (Brisbane)
- Friday, January 10: Glory (Port Canaveral), Conquest (Miami)
- Saturday, January 11: Vista (Port Canaveral), Mardi Gras (Port Canaveral), Sunrise (Miami), Magic (Miami), Paradise (Tampa), Elation (Jacksonville), Panorama (Long Beach), Jubilee (Galveston)
While clearly weekend departures are more numerous, eager cruisers can find Carnival ship departures every day of the week – depending on which homeport they prefer.
In response to the original poster’s inquiry, then, only 4 Carnival ship departures are on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday combined. A total of 8 departures are available on Saturday – exactly when they claim there are not enough options.
It should be noted that the days of the week on which particular ships set sail vary depending on each ship’s individual cruise rotation.
While a vessel operating exclusively 7-night itineraries will always leave on the same day of the week, a ship that offers a more diverse selection of cruise lengths, such as 3-, 4-, and 5-night itineraries, will have more varied departure days as well.
Furthermore, ships with longer Carnival Journeys sailings may not be leaving every week and could be departing on different days of the week, depending on the length of each unique sailing.
Why Can’t More Cruises Leave on Weekends?
Given that weekends are still the most popular days of the week for cruise ship departures, it would be challenging to fit even more vessels in to top homeports to offer more sailings.
Heald also notes that it isn’t just the cruise homeports where scheduling can be a challenge.
Carnival Cruise Ships in Miami, Florida (Photo Credit: Grindstone Media Group)
“It is important to remember that if every ship, not just Carnival ships, but those that belong to the Iconic Virgins of the Norway’s Seas all left on the same day for Caribbean cruises there would be no space for the ships to all dock in the Caribbean ports,” he explained.
Read Also: What Are All the Cruise Line Private Islands and Destinations?
More crowded weekend ports would also mean shore excursions that sell out faster, longer lines at private islands, and an overall less enjoyable experience for all cruise travelers.
By spreading out departure days, cruise lines are better able to balance passenger numbers across different ports to ensure that all travelers have as much fun as possible. While crowds are naturally unavoidable, scheduling is always carefully managed to control congestion as much as possible.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
