Carnival Sunrise Oct 31 Planning: Half Moon Cay Swap

Carnival Cruise Line has told guests on Carnival Sunrise’s October 31, 2026, five-night Halloween sailing from Miami that Princess Cays is off the itinerary. According to the guest email reported by Cruise Hive, the private-island call on Monday, November 2, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. is now RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay. Nassau on November 3 and Celebration Key on November 4 stay on the same clock. The ship still returns to Miami at 8 a.m. on Thursday, November 5.

If you are booked on that Miami departure, treat Princess Cays tours as cancelled, wait for the automatic refund Carnival described, and rebuild the Monday beach day around Half Moon Cay before you board. The swap is already visible on the ship’s page: see Carnival Sunrise: What to Know Before You Sail in 2026 for the rest of the product, then rebook island time on Carnival’s site or the Hub app.

Carnival Emailed Booked Guests About the Island Swap

Cruise Hive published the notice on September 21, 2026, quoting Carnival’s message to guests already on the October 31 reservation: “We have made an adjustment to the planned itinerary for your cruise. The visit to Princess Cays has been replaced by a call on RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay.” The line framed it as a schedule tweak, not a technical problem with Sunrise, a 2,984-guest ship homeported at PortMiami for four- and five-night Bahamas loops.

The original plan left Miami on Saturday, October 31, at 3:30 p.m., spent Sunday at sea, and put Princess Cays first among the three Bahamian calls. That Monday window, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., now belongs to Half Moon Cay. The email is the load-bearing guest instruction. Carnival has not posted a separate press release for this sailing, and it has not given a public reason for dropping Princess Cays.

Independent booking inventory has already moved with the notice. The October 31, 2026, five-night Bahamas listing on iCruise now reads Miami, Half Moon Cay, Nassau, Celebration Key, Miami, matching the email rather than the older Princess Cays routing still sitting on some third-party calendars.

Nassau and Celebration Key Stay on the Five-Night Loop

The rest of the week is intact. Tuesday, November 3, remains Nassau from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, November 4, remains Celebration Key from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, November 5, remains an 8 a.m. Miami arrival. Cruise Hive reported no other timing changes and no mechanical issue on Sunrise. Shoppers comparing this Halloween departure to other Miami five-nights should price the new island, not the old one.

Princess Cays sits on Eleuthera. RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay is a Carnival Corporation private island about 15 miles away in the same Bahamian chain, southeast of Nassau. Both sell a beach day with snorkeling, water toys, and cabanas, so the swap is not a move from a private island to a commercial port. It is a move from Princess Cruises’ island to Carnival’s own. For what the day looks like on the ground, use Deep Arrival’s RelaxAway Half Moon Cay guide rather than leftover Princess Cays notes.

Guests who picked this sailing because they wanted Eleuthera or a specific Princess Cays cabana should decide now whether Half Moon Cay is an acceptable substitute or whether they want a different October or November departure. Carnival has not offered a blanket reprice or a free move to another ship as part of this notice. The email describes an itinerary adjustment and an automatic tour refund, not a cancellation of the cruise.

Princess Cays Tours Auto-Refund; Rebook Half Moon Cay

Carnival told guests that prepaid shore excursions for Princess Cays will cancel automatically and refund to the original form of payment. Do not assume the same tour exists on Half Moon Cay under the same name or price. Rebook on the Carnival Sunrise October 31 itinerary page, in the Carnival Hub app before sailing, or at the Carnival Adventures desk on Deck 3, Lobby Deck, midship on the port side once you are aboard.

That refund is the money path. It is not a credit for a Half Moon Cay cabana, a snorkel trip, or a private beach setup. Those products sell separately and can sell out on a 2,984-guest ship that now shares the island with other Carnival Corporation calls. If a Princess Cays tour was the reason you booked, wait for the refund to post, then decide whether a Half Moon Cay equivalent is worth buying before October 31.

Confirm the island on your Carnival reservation and Hub app, not on an older third-party screenshot. If a travel advisor holds the booking, have them match the tour change through Carnival’s contact center.

Other Carnival Fall Sailings Made the Same Island Switch

This is not the first Princess Cays to Half Moon Cay swap on the 2026 books. Deep Arrival already covered the November 9 Carnival Paradise sailing from Tampa, which moved its private-island day to Half Moon Cay on November 12. Cruise Hive also flags the same island change on Carnival Spirit from Mobile on November 8 and timing tweaks on Legend, Elation, and Conquest. Those are different ships and homeports. This notice is the October 31 Sunrise Halloween cruise from Miami.

Cruise Hive notes that Princess Cruises currently shows no Princess Cays calls from November 2026 onward. Carnival has not said that calendar is why Sunrise dropped the island on November 2. The actionable fact for this cabin is the email plus the updated listing. If you are shopping other Carnival Miami five-nights this fall, read the private-island line on the exact sail date rather than copying October 31 onto October 26.