Passengers sailing aboard Carnival Liberty's July 6, 2025, cruise out of New Orleans, Louisiana, were informed that the voyage has been canceled — but not for bad weather or maintenance issues.
Just 13 days before the cruise was scheduled to begin, guests received an email notifying them that their 7-night cruise to the Bahamas would no longer be happening as expected.
According to Carnival Cruise Line, the sailing was unexpectedly canceled due to a workers' strike at the Navantia shipyard in Spain.
When work stopped on Carnival Liberty, an executive flew to Cadíz, Spain, to try and negotiate with the striking employees, who had attempted to seize the cruise ship as a tool in their standoff.
Eventually, Carnival reached an agreement to relocate the vessel to France’s Chantier Naval de Marseille shipyard to finish the scheduled dry dock work.
An email sent to impacted guests explained the unfortunate situation:
"As you may know, Carnival Liberty is currently in dry dock in Europe for scheduled maintenance. This past weekend, we were forced to move the vessel to a new shipyard to complete our work because of a labor work stoppage at the prior facility."
"Regrettably, this situation will delay the ship’s departure from Europe by a few days, impacting its scheduled return to service, and we are sorry to inform you that your voyage has been cancelled."
The weeklong sailing was scheduled to call at Key West, Florida; Freeport, Bahamas; and Nassau, Bahamas. Carnival Liberty isn't expected to visit Celebration Key, the line's newest private destination, until July 23, meaning guests on the cancelled voyage will not miss out on experiencing the highly anticipated new port of call.
Generous compensation
Although the news of the cancellation is disappointing, Carnival remains committed to providing passengers with a memorable vacation experience.
As such, guests booked on Carnival Liberty's July 6 sailing will receive a full refund of their cruise fare, as well as a 100% future cruise credit (FCC) to be used on another Carnival sailing.
The FCC must be used no later than June 30, 2026, and can be redeemed on any Carnival cruise, regardless of ship, itinerary length, or homeport.
That's not all, either. Carnival Cruise Line will reimburse all passengers for non-refundable travel costs of up to $200 per person — think flight cancellation or change fees.
No changes have been announced to the following voyage on July 13, 2025. This cruise is a 7-night sailing to the Western Caribbean.
Carnival Liberty's last dry dock was in 2021
In 2021, Carnival Liberty became the sixth ship in Carnival's fleet to sport the new red, white, and blue livery design after undergoing a dry dock in Spain.
During the dry dock, she also received other minor enhancements, including routine maintenance and refreshed carpeting, tile, and painting.
Carnival Liberty is a Conquest Class ship that debuted in 2005. She weighs 110,000 gross registered tons and measures 952 feet long.
Read more: Carnival Cruise Ships by Size: Largest to Smallest
It's not uncommon for cruise lines to delay or cancel cruises after a dry dock
It can be exciting to be one of the first passengers on a refreshed ship; however, booking a sailing right after a dry dock comes with risks.
In November 2024, for instance, Royal Caribbean's delayed Adventure of the Seas' transatlantic crossing due to dry dock delays.
The sailing was supposed to start on November 24; however, the departure was rescheduled to the 26th. Heavy rain and strong winds disrupted the vessel's dry dock work in Spain.
The revised 11-night itinerary omitted stops in Valencia, Málaga, and Cádiz, Spain, calling only at Madeira (Funchal), Portugal.
A few months later, passengers looking forward to sailing aboard Serenade of the Seas were informed that their cruise was cancelled because they needed extra time to finish the planned dry dock work.
"We have discovered that Serenade of the Seas requires additional servicing beyond planned repairs and maintenance, which extends her currently scheduled dry dock period," read an email sent to guests on the March 9, 2025, cruise.
How to find a cruise line's dry dock schedule
It's relatively easy to find each cruise line's dry dock schedule online by searching, "[CRUISE LINE] dry dock schedule." For example, here's Carnival's current dry dock schedule through 2027. Note, however, that the dates are subject to change.
Mardi Gras: September 27, 2025 - October 15, 2025
Carnival Conquest: January 5-26, 2026
Carnival Elation: January 19, 2026 - February 8, 2026
Carnival Dream: February 7, 2026 - March 20, 2026
Carnival Encounter: February 16, 2026 - March 4, 2026 (wet dock following acquisition from P&O Australia)
Carnival Glory: March 2, 2026 - April 10, 2026
Carnival Pride: March 15, 2026 - April 8, 2026
Carnival Paradise: April 9-30, 2026
Carnival Magic: April 18, 2026 - May 24, 2026
Carnival Legend: April 29, 2026 - May 19, 2026
Carnival Horizon: May 9, 2026 - June 14, 2026
Carnival Freedom: September 1, 2026 - October 8, 2026
Carnival Radiance: September 12, 2026 - October 2, 2026
Carnival Venezia: October 6, 2026 - November 14, 2026
Carnival Luminosa: October 23, 2026 - November 29, 2026
Carnival Sunrise: January 9-26, 2027
Carnival Breeze: January 15, 2027 - March 4, 2027
Carnival Adventure: February 10-26, 2027 (wet dock following acquisition from P&O Australia)
Carnival Firenze: February 27, 2027 - March 29, 2027
Carnival Celebration: April 4-23, 2027
Carnival Splendor: August 15-21, 2027
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
