Carnival Cruises axes half of Australian fleet

Key points

• Carnival Cruises will remove two of its four Australian cruise ships from March 2028. The Carnival Adventure and Carnival Luminosa will be pulled, while the Carnival Encounter and Carnival Splendor will stay.
• Carnival said it was weighing long-term certainty and global operating conditions. Maritime historian Chris Frame said costs such as berthing, refuelling and food supplies make Australia harder to operate in profitably.
• The move follows a change to cruise labour law exemptions, which now include new worker protections. Carnival denied workers' claims of long hours and unsafe conditions.