Carnival Cruise Line has had an eventful 2020 and 2021 so far.

Here are the main moves that took place for the Miami-based cruise line since the pandemic started:

Fantasy and Inspiration Scrapped

In July, Carnival sold two of the older ships, the Carnival Fantasy and the Carnival Inspiration. While a buyer was not initially named, the two vessels ended up being scrapped a few weeks later.

At the same time, the cruise line moved two other ships, the Carnival Imagination and the Carnival Fascination to a long-term lay up status.

Both moves also meant several deployment changes, with homeport adjustments and more. The most rmajor change saw the cruise line dropping its itineraries from San Juan and Barbados in favor of focusing on mainland drive markets in the U.S.

Radiance Delayed

Scheduled for March 2020, the Carnivals Victory’s $200 million drydock was impacted by the pandemic. The major refit, which included renaming the vessel the Carnival Radiance, was originally set to take place in Spain and last 38 days.

At the time, the worsening conditions in Europe led the work to a full suspension. After pushing back the refit a few times, Carnival currently plans to finish it in September. Starting in November 2021, the Radiance will replace the Carnival Inspiration and the Carnival Imagination on the West Coast.

Imagination Scrapped and Fascination Sold

After being moved to a long-term lay up status, both the Carnival Imagination and Carnival Fascination ended up being sold.

The Imagination was the first to go, leaving the fleet in September. The 1995-built vessel went directly to Aliaga, Turkey, where it is currently being demolished.

The Fascination was sold for further service. The vessel left the fleet in October, headed to an Asian start up.

Mardi Gras Delivered

In December, Carnival received the new Mardi Gras from the Meyer Turku shipyard. The LNG-powered vessel joined the brand’s fleet in Finland, ahead of a U.S. debut.

After being pushed back a few times, the Mardi Gras’ inaugural cruise is currently scheduled for May 29 from Port Canaveral.

Return to Service Plans and Drydocks

Currently, Carnival is planning a service resumption on May 1, 2021. Some, of the vessels, however, will remain out of service due to delayed drydocks.

The additional cancellations impact cruises from Norfolk, Tampa and New Orleans with the Carnival Magic, the Carnival Valor and the Carnival Paradise until October 31, 2021.

The Carnival Splendor, Carnival Spirit, Carnival Legend and Carnival Radiance also have different return schedules, related to different reasons.

COVID-19 Policy

Details about Carnival’s COVID policies are available here.  

By the numbers:

Ships:

• Ships shed: 4
• Ships added: 1

Result: – 3 ships

Berths:

• Berths shed: 8,160
• Berths added: 5,200

Result: – 2,920 berths