Carnival Has Set the Date It Walks Away From Two Australian Ships

Carnival Cruise Line announced on October 15 that Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Adventure will leave the Australian market in March 2028. Luminosa, which carries about 2,260 guests, has been based in Brisbane since 2022. Its last published Australian sailing is a four-night round trip from Brisbane to Airlie Beach departing March 5, 2028, with a final departure from Sydney on March 15 whose itinerary has not yet been released.

Carnival Adventure, which holds about 2,636 guests, is the former Pacific Adventure, which moved from P&O Cruises Australia to Carnival in March 2025. Its last published sailing leaves Adelaide on March 10, 2028, for a four-night trip to Kangaroo Island, and it departs Sydney for the final time on March 20. Both ships will keep sailing their published Australian and South Pacific itineraries until then, and both will likely make one-way repositioning voyages to new homeports that have not been named.

The company pointed to government cruise regulations, competition from other markets and itinerary planning. Australia’s federal government has extended permission for cruise ships to sail between Australian ports through the end of 2028 while it develops a long-term licensing framework. Carnival called that extension a welcome but interim step, and said it carries more exposure to local operating conditions than lines with a seasonal presence.

Carnival Splendor, based in Sydney, and Carnival Encounter, based in Brisbane, are not affected, and the company has no plans to remove them. Their 2028–2029 itineraries are due in the coming weeks. No replacement ships have been named for the departing vessels, so travelers who like short Australian getaways on Carnival should watch for those releases before booking far ahead.

Sources: Cruise Hive, Cruise Hive