Carnival Cruise Line is not laying off thousands of crew members, as has been widely reported.

Instead, Carnival issued a statement clarifying that the number is wrong, although conceded it has eliminated a number of senior officer positions due to the fact its fleet is now smaller with the exit of four ships.

“Carnival Cruise Line has eliminated a small number of shipboard leadership positions directly tied to a reduction of four ships in our fleet – Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Inspiration, Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination – that has already been announced and implemented,” the company said, in a statement. 

“The number that is circulating in some media reports is incorrect. The four ships are part of a sale of 18 ships from Carnival Corporation, which is Carnival Cruise Line Line’s parent company and operates nine worldwide brands. We regret that the global pandemic has forced us to take these actions.”