Carnival Cancels Nine Carnival Jubilee Sailings, Adults Only Cruises Likely Coming

July 23, 2026 Randy Young

This week, some guests booked on Carnival Jubilee in 2027 began receiving cancellation emails. Thankfully, the affected sailings are more than a year away, so guests likely have not booked their hotels or flights yet, making the cancellations somewhat easier to manage.

According to an email sent to guests by Colleen Oliverio, Carnival’s vice president of guest services, the following sailings have been canceled:

August 15, 2027
August 21, 2027
August 29, 2027
September 12, 2027
September 18, 2027
September 26, 2027
November 27, 2027
December 5, 2027
December 11, 2027

Sailings Will Likely Become Adults-Only Cruises

While Carnival has not said why the cruises are being canceled, they will likely be reclassified as adults-only sailings with new itineraries.

Some other guests booked on Carnival Jubilee have been notified that their cruises were converted into SEA cruises rather than canceled outright. SEA stands for Sailing Exclusively for Adults, and every guest must be at least 21 years old.

A guest booked on the September 4, 2027, Carnival Jubilee sailing emailed us to say that the cruise was being changed to a 21-and-older sailing. Guests on the affected sailing who are at least 21 years old do not need to take any action. However, reservations that still include a TBA guest must add that person by August 5 to avoid cancellation.

Guests traveling with someone under 21, or those who do not want to be on a SEA sailing, can rebook with rate protection and receive $50 per person in onboard credit, up to $100 per cabin.

For the other affected dates that were canceled outright, Carnival will likely change the itineraries. That could explain why the existing reservations could not simply be transferred to the new sailings. Carnival’s SEA sailings are often longer, similar to its Journeys cruises.

Carnival Made a Similar Change to Carnival Firenze Earlier This Year

This is not the first time Carnival has made an operational change to convert regular cruises into adults-only sailings. In March, Carnival canceled 11 Carnival Firenze sailings scheduled between October and November 2026 from Long Beach.

The ship had been scheduled to offer three- and four-night cruises to Baja Mexico, but the sailings were canceled for “operational reasons.” A few weeks later, Carnival revealed that the dates would instead be used for adults-only sailings.

Rather than offering the originally scheduled short cruises, Carnival introduced two seven-day sailings, one 11-day sailing, and one 14-day sailing.

Carnival Is Doubling Down on Adults-Only Cruises

These changes suggest Carnival is seeing success with its adults-only offerings and putting more weight behind the concept.

SEA sailings typically feature additional casino space, elevated food offerings, and new activities, along with the usual Carnival fun, minus the children.

These cruises are still invitation-only. Casino players typically receive the first opportunity to book. Later, the sailings are often opened to members of the general public who request an invitation through Carnival’s website. You can request an invitation here.

The first SEA sailings were offered on ships traveling to or from dry dock. Reclassifying those cruises made sense because repositioning sailings naturally tend to attract fewer children.

For Carnival Firenze this year and Carnival Jubilee next year, the changes do not appear to be connected to dry docks. Instead, the cruises are scheduled during the low season, when fares are typically cheaper and fewer children are naturally onboard.

What makes the Carnival Jubilee sailings unique is that they will mark the first time Carnival offers an adults-only cruise aboard an Excel Class ship. These ships are beautiful, but they can feel crowded when the third and fourth beds in many cabins are occupied by children. It will be interesting to see how the ship feels without them.

At the time of these sailings, Carnival Jubilee will also be Carnival’s second-newest ship. The cruise line is not limiting the adults-only concept to its older, more dated ships. It is using some of the latest and greatest ships in its fleet.