Carnival to withdraw two ships from Australia in 2028
Carnival Adventure and Carnival Luminosa will leave the market, while Carnival Encounter and Carnival Splendor will remain.
Carnival Cruises plans to remove two of its four Australian cruise ships from March 2028, despite more than 1.4 million Australians taking a cruise last year.
The company identified Carnival Adventure and Carnival Luminosa as the vessels to be withdrawn. Carnival Encounter and Carnival Splendor will continue operating as part of its Australian fleet. Carnival is the only major cruise company operating full-time in Australia, with Disney and Royal Caribbean no longer maintaining full-time operations in the market.
Carnival said deployment schedules are considered years ahead and that its planning takes into account long-term certainty and operating conditions that are competitive globally to support investment and itinerary decisions.
Maritime historian Chris Frame described the move as an economic decision, noting that Australia requires substantial investment because it is an end-of-the-line destination. Jake Field of the Maritime Union of Australia offered a different view, claiming the planned withdrawal was a negotiating tactic and marked the third time Carnival had threatened to pull back from the country.
