Carnival cruises will salute America's 250th anniversary

Carnival Cruise Line opened sales for 10 special voyages commemorating America's 250th birthday in 2026.

These feature ship meetups and patriotic experiences and span a variety of itineraries ranging from three to eight days from six homeports: Miami, Port Canaveral, Jacksonville, New York City, Long Beach and San Francisco.

Seven-ship and three-ship rendezvous

On July 4, 2026, seven ships sailing from US East Coast homeports will meet near Celebration Key for a celebration at sea, while three ships will unite off the West Coast near Ensenada, Mexico. During the meetups, each ship will host patriotic birthday-themed deck parties. The cruises will also feature patriotic entertainment and special food and drink.

'We're America’s cruise line, and we’re commemorating this milestone in a big way,' Carnival President Christine Duffy said. 'Uniting our ships will multiply the fun and make America's 250th birthday even more memorable for guests who celebrate at sea.'

East Coast cruises include three-day getaways on Carnival Conquest and Carnival Glory, both departing July 3, 2026, to Celebration Key at Grand Bahama from Miami and Port Canaveral, respectively.

Departing July 2, 2026, Carnival Sunrise will sail a four-day Bahamas cruise from Miami, and Carnival Elation will head to The Bahamas on a four-day cruise from Jacksonville.

A seven-day eastern Caribbean cruise aboard Carnival Celebration embarks June 28 from Miami to Celebration Key, Nassau, Amber Cove and Grand Turk. An eight-day eastern Caribbean sailing on Carnival Vista from Port Canaveral on June 27 calls at San Juan and St. Thomas.

And in the US Northeast, Carnival Venezia will depart New York on July 1 for an eight-day cruise to Celebration Key, Nassau and Half Moon Cay.

West Coast cruises

US West Coast options from California include Carnival Firenze's July 3 three-day Baja cruise from Long Beach over the July 4th weekend, and Carnival Luminosa July 2 four-day cruise from San Francisco. Both itineraries call Ensenada.

On June 30, Carnival Radiance will sail a five-day Mexican Riviera cruise from Long Beach, visiting Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada. The three ships will unite at sea on July 4.