Carnival Cruise Line’s booking system underwent planned maintenance from May 8, 2026, at 9pm until May 9, 2026, at 3pm. Guests were unable to book any new sailings or manage their current reservations during that time. Neither Carnival’s customer service representatives nor travel advisors were able to use the system either. Guests could only dream about their next cruise and opt into Carnival’s new Rewards Program for those 18 hours–at least that was the plan.
Instead, the cruise line experienced IT system failures that lasted until Monday morning, causing Carnival to issue this statement.
“Carnival is experiencing some IT issues that occurred during planned maintenance, resulting in the delay of debarkation and embarkation of guests, as well as slowing down some other technology tools. Navigation and safety systems are working. We appreciate our guests’ patience and encourage embarking guests to watch their emails, text and phone call messages for updates.”
Departures were delays, the Carnival HUB app had issues, as well as the website. Guests were not only unable to book cruises, but they also could not check in for sailings or print boarding passes. Unfortunately, once the system was restored, the cruise line faced a whole new issue–incorrect pricing for new sailings.
Not just incorrect, but prices “far below any reasonable promotion fare.” Guests who booked cruises at the “unreasonable” price, received the following email from Carnival’s VP of Guest Services, Colleen Oliverio,
Dear Carnival Guest,
We are writing about a reservation you recently made with Carnival Cruise Line.
Following a planned IT maintenance project this past weekend, some guests saw a random display of prices that were far below any reasonable promotional fare. The reservation you made was one of them.
We regret to inform you that we will not be able to honor your reservation request. The reservation has been cancelled and any monies paid will be credited to your original form of payment. Since your travel plans were just made with us, we hope you will find another itinerary that suits your vacation needs. As a gesture of our appreciation, a non‑transferable onboard credit of US$100, per stateroom, will be applied to your future booking if made by August 31, 2026.
Thus proving the old adage–If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.