Carnival Cruise Line has canceled an upcoming sailing from New Orleans aboard Carnival Liberty after labor issues during drydock work.
The completion of work has been pushed back several days after the cruise line was forced to shift the ship to another shipyard.
A workers’ strike began while the ship was at the Navantia shipyard in Spain.
With work halted, a Carnival executive travelled to Cádiz to try and negotiate with striking workers who had attempted to take over the ship as leverage in their dispute, according to local news media.
An agreement was reached to relocate Carnival Liberty, which has now arrived at France’s Chantier Naval de Marseille shipyard to complete the scheduled drydock work.
The delay has led to the cancellation of a July 6 Bahamas cruise out of New Orleans. That sailing was due to call at Key West, Freeport, and Nassau.
Guests to Receive Full Refund and 100% FCC
Booked passengers have been notified and will be issued full refunds and compensation.
The cruise line wrote: “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.”
“We apologize for this unanticipated disruption to your vacation plans,” it added.
Aside from a full refund, guests will receive 100% future cruise credit for use towards a new cruise booking.
Additionally, Carnival will reimburse guests for non-refundable travel costs of up to $200 per person, such as flight cancellation fees.
Carnival Liberty is undergoing technical updates and interior upgrades to staterooms and public spaces, as well as the addition of a Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge.
