Carnival take a Liberty

Cash-strapped Americans have forced Carnival Cruise Lines to cancel plans to sail Carnival Liberty out of Dover next year. The ship will spend 2009 sailing Caribbean cruises from Miami instead.
A schedule of 12 and 13-night cruises from the UK to northern and western Europe had been planned on the 3,000-passenger vessel.
Lynn Narraway, Carnival’s UK managing director, said “We are focusing on our Miami and Port Canaveral cruises, which continue to be popular for the UK market, and which also remain perennially popular with US passengers, especially in the current economic climate.
“We are very sorry that we are now unable to offer our Carnival Liberty ex-Dover sailings for 2009, but very much hope to be back in the future.”
UK Passengers who had booked on Carnival Liberty will be offered refunds and alternative cruises on Carnival’s sister cruise lines – P & O, Princess, and Holland America.
It’s not all one-way traffic. Fred Olsen recently announced that they were re-scheduling next year’s programme of cruises on Braemar, which will be sailing from the UK instead of in the Caribbean.
It’s unlikely, however, that passengers attracted by Carnival’s party-style cruising would find the sedate style of the Braemar to their liking.