Looking at cruises out of Port Canaveral - February 2023

[Wave61]

In a few months I will be pushing our 2022 cruise to 2023 as there are just too many hoops to go through for Canadians right now.  I have my eye on a 5 day on the Elation and a 6 day on the Magic.  There are 4 ships sailing out of Port Canaveral in February, which seems more than usual, or at least more than there was precovid.  My concern is that once more ports open up, some ships will move and we will be left scrambling if we pick the wrong cruise.  Since the Ecstasy start date has been pushed back to March 2022, I'm wondering if it will sail at all......could there possibly be a chance that the Elation would sail out of Jacksonville in its place?  And what about Port Everglades.....will Carnival resume sailings there?

I'd really like to take care of moving our cruise to 2023 by the end of November......it would lessen the sting of not being able to cruise in 2022 but maybe not a wise move.  Hoping to hear from experienced cruisers who have dealt with future cruise bookings and appreciate any information.

Thank you.

[groundloop]

In my most humble opinion all you can really do is pick the itinerary that best suits your preferences and go with it.  There's no telling what else will happen between now and 2023, but it's been my experience that MOST of the time once Carnival sets a schedule that's the way it's going to be.  Obviously they had to make some changes to deal with the fallout from Covid, but going forward I'd think it's a fairly safe bet that what's on the schedule is going to be pretty much locked in.

[Schoifmom]

IMHO, it's all a crap shoot.  Select what will work the best for your family and be prepared for itinerary or ship changes between now and then.  2023 is a long way off.  Even pre-covid, there was the risk that a ship would be pulled for dry dock or moved around if you booked that far out.

[firefly333]

Elation would have to be super cheap to book over the Magic. .. for me. 

[Susan in Maine]

We are on the 6 day Magic cruise 11/14 - 11/20. I'll post a review when we get back.

 

Remember - no ports are guaranteed EVER. The itinerary can be changed, even mid-cruise. 

[Earthworm Jim]

I say book what you are most interested in. If come, say, next summer they change that sailing, you'll have the option to switch to a different one. It shouldn't be a big problem.

[Knights on the Beach]

We were on Magic in August and absolutely loved it.  I'm with Firefly - I'd pick Magic over Elation.  We live just a couple miles from the port and expect we'll cruise on Elation sometime next year but it will be for a shorter cruise at a price we can't turn down.

[silversneakers]

On 10/13/2021 at 6:01 PM, firefly333 said:

Elation would have to be super cheap to book over the Magic. .. for me. 

Agreed.  Elation is an older, smaller ship but in my experience the staff was outstanding.  Magic class ships have always been my favorite.....not too big....not too small!

[Wave61]

Thanks everyone for your replies.  Hubby and I are nearing retirement after which, we will have to scale down if we want to continue cruising.  In the meantime I want to try different cabins and visit different ports..  Both ships go to Amber Cove and Grand Turk and are new to us.  I am looking at scenic Oceanview suite cabins on Elation and spa suites on Magic, again Both new cabins for us.  My concern is that isn't that there will be a change in itinerary, its that they will change the departure port because 4 ships sailing out of a port seems like a lot, no?

[Tapi]

On 10/13/2021 at 3:47 PM, Wave61 said:

 My concern is that once more ports open up, some ships will move and we will be left scrambling if we pick the wrong cruise. 

I have a feeling that there will be some ships moving. Recently, I noticed that San Juan and Barbados popped up again as departure ports on the Carnival website. However, no ships or itineraries have been loaded which leads me to believe that there will indeed be a ship moving to take over those itineraries. Because there are several ships sailing from Port Canaveral, my gut feeling is that one of those will be heading to San Juan.

 

Now, if you have to choose between Elation and Magic, I would definitely pick Magic. I’ve truly enjoyed Elation’s class of ship, but they are getting old and outdated. 
 

Respectfully, here’s a small piece of advice about sailing during COVID times.  If you choose to sail at the present time, you need to get yourself in a state of mind where you will be OK with changes….LOTS of changes. Not only with the health and safety protocols, but also with the ship, and itinerary. You need to be willing to roll with the punches. 
 

We sailed a few weeks ago, and I can’t tell you how many changes there were between the moment we pinpointed the dates when we wanted to sail and when we actually sailed. We didn’t even end up on the cruise line that we originally booked on. So my advice to you is that you select what makes sense to you right now, but be willing to make changes as protocols and itineraries are updated. It’s the price to pay at the present time. 

Edited October 15, 2021 by Tapi