Princess Cruises has told guests booked on the Sun Princess sailing that leaves Piraeus (Athens) on Saturday, August 22, 2026 that the Wednesday, August 26 call in Corfu, Greece is cancelled. Taranto, Italy takes its place on the same date, and the line blamed cruise ship congestion at the busy Ionian island.
The change keeps the rest of the seven-night, one-way run from Piraeus to Barcelona intact, so Santorini, Bar in Montenegro, and Messina in Sicily all stay on the schedule. Taranto sits less than 200 miles across the water, the port day lands on the same Wednesday, and your sea-day and port-day count does not move.
- The change: Corfu (Greece) is out and Taranto (Italy) is in on Wednesday, August 26.
- The sailing: Sun Princess, seven nights, Piraeus on August 22 to Barcelona on August 29.
- Why: cruise ship congestion, with as many as seven ships booked into Corfu that day.
- Ports unchanged: Santorini, Bar in Montenegro, and Messina in Sicily all remain.
- Refunds: Princess-booked Corfu tours are cancelled automatically and refunded to your original payment.
- New tours: Taranto shore excursions will post to Princess channels before the ship sails.
What actually changed on the August 22 sailing
The affected voyage is a single Sun Princess departure, not the whole season. It leaves Piraeus on Saturday, August 22, 2026 and returns you to Barcelona on Saturday, August 29, with Corfu originally slotted as the third call after Santorini and Bar in Montenegro.
Taranto now fills that Wednesday, August 26 slot, and reporting from Cruise Industry News confirms no other stop was touched. That keeps Messina in Sicily and the Montenegro call in place, and it means the swap is a like-for-like port day rather than a lost one.
Princess kept its guest notice blunt, telling travelers the ship will no longer visit Corfu on August 26 and will instead call to Taranto on the same date. Cruise Hive, which published the notice, adds that plans for every other port should proceed as booked.
Some travelers are on longer trips, since Princess sells this leg as a building block for back-to-back voyages of up to 21 nights across the region. If you are on such a combination, only the August 26 day shifts, and your embarkation, disembarkation, and every other segment stay exactly as booked.
Why Corfu got crowded out
Corfu is one of the Ionian’s most photographed calls, and August 26 was shaping up to be a genuine pileup. Cruise Hive counted as many as seven ships booked into the port that Wednesday, among them Viking Star, both Norwegian Pearl and Gem, Mein Schiff 4, and MSC Armonia and Fantasia.
By that tally the ships together could have poured more than 17,000 passengers onto the island in one day. Sun Princess carries about 4,300 guests as one of the two largest ships in the Princess fleet, so removing it eases the squeeze far more than moving a smaller vessel would.
Overcrowded ports quietly degrade the day, thinning tour availability and jamming old-town lanes, museums, and waterfront cafes. Pulling the largest ship is the cleanest way to protect the experience for the guests who remain, even if the rerouted travelers feel the trade first.
What Taranto offers versus Corfu
Corfu sells Venetian romance, with a UNESCO old town, the arcaded Liston, the cliff-backed bays of Palaiokastritsa, and the Achilleion Palace built for Austria’s Empress Elisabeth. Taranto answers with something older and far less crowded, a working southern-Italian city layered with Greek and Roman history.
Founded around 706 BC as Taras, Taranto was Sparta’s only overseas colony, and that Magna Graecia pedigree still shapes the place. Its old town occupies a small island wedged between two seas, the open Mar Grande and the sheltered Mar Piccolo, joined to the modern center by a working swing bridge.
Locals call Taranto the city of the two seas, and the label is literal, since the swing bridge periodically rotates open to let navy vessels pass between the outer Mar Grande and the inner Mar Piccolo. That sheltered inner lagoon has farmed mussels for centuries, which is why Taranto cozze turn up on nearly every menu near the water.
The star attraction is the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto, known as MArTA, whose Hall of Gold and Magna Graecia rooms rank among the finest collections in Italy. Its famous Ori di Taranto, delicate ancient gold diadems and jewelry, alone justify the walk into the modern town.
A short stroll away, the Aragonese Castle guards the channel between the two seas. Built between 1487 and 1492 for Ferdinand II of Aragon and still run by the Italian Navy, it opens for free guided tours led by naval personnel, usually several times a day.
The old town holds more: a cluster of massive Doric columns from a 6th-century BC temple, among the oldest in Italy, and the Cathedral of San Cataldo, the oldest in Puglia. If you would rather swim, beaches line the Mar Grande within easy reach of the center.
How an itinerary change works, and your options
Every cruise contract lets the line adjust ports for congestion, weather, or operations, and your protection is usually limited to money back for that specific stop rather than broad compensation. Because these terms are set by each line’s passenger contract, it helps to know how the major cruise lines handle disruptions before you book.
In this case any Corfu shore excursion booked through Princess is cancelled automatically, with the refund going back to your original form of payment. You do not need to call or file anything for a Princess-booked tour, though it is worth confirming the credit appears.
Independent tours are different, because you booked directly with a local operator and must request that refund yourself. Check its cancellation terms now, since a ship-driven port change is exactly what many operators will refund, but often only if you ask before their deadline.
Princess says updated Taranto excursions will post to its channels before departure, so you can choose a line tour for the guaranteed return to ship or explore on your own. Independent walking is easy here, since the port gates sit within a short walk of the old town.
Do not lean on travel insurance for a simple swap, because you still receive a cruise and a port, just a different one. Read your policy’s missed-port and itinerary-change wording rather than assuming a payout, and keep any independent-tour receipts in case you do file.
How to plan a good Taranto day
Because the old town is walkable from the pier, a self-guided loop is the easy default. Cross the swing bridge, find the Doric columns and San Cataldo cathedral, then time your visit around one of the free navy tours of the Aragonese Castle.
Save real time for MArTA, ideally 90 minutes or more, because its gold and Magna Graecia halls are the single best reason to be in Taranto. The museum sits in the modern town, a flat walk or a very short taxi ride from the old island.
If you would rather roam, Taranto is a strong springboard into Puglia. Alberobello and its cone-roofed trulli run about an hour each way, the ceramics town of Grottaglie is roughly 20 minutes out, and the cave city of Matera makes a longer but unforgettable half-day.
Getting around is simple, since taxis wait near the terminal and the walkable core is compact. If you crave a hands-on stop, Grottaglie’s ceramics quarter is famous for hand-painted Puglian pottery and sits close enough for a half-day round trip.
Plan for late-August heat by carrying water, sun cover, and a hat, and remember that many churches expect covered shoulders and knees. Taranto is famous for its mussels, so a plate of local cozze by the water is a fitting, low-effort lunch.
Decision matrix
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Booked a Corfu tour through Princess | Do nothing; it is cancelled and refunded to your original payment. Rebook a Taranto tour once Princess posts them. |
| Booked a Corfu tour on your own | Contact that operator now and request a refund for a cruise-line port change, before its cancellation deadline. |
| Had Corfu as your must-see stop | Ask Princess about your choices, but expect the swap to hold, and plan Corfu for a future Ionian sailing. |
| Want a low-stress Taranto day | Walk the old town from the pier; MArTA, the Doric columns, and the free castle tour are all close. |
| Want to see more of Puglia | Book a Taranto excursion to Alberobello, Grottaglie, or Matera, or line up a trusted private guide early. |
- Sea days and port days: unchanged, so August 26 stays a full port day, just in Italy.
- Automatic refunds: Princess-booked Corfu tours refund to your original payment with no action needed.
- Your move on independent tours: contact outside operators yourself and ask before their deadlines.
- New excursions: watch Princess channels for Taranto tours and book popular Puglia trips early.
- No tender needed: Taranto is a large commercial and naval port where ships berth alongside, so going ashore is simple.
A vanished bucket-list port stings, but Taranto is a real trade rather than a filler sea day. Treat August 26 as a rare, uncrowded look at Magna Graecia that most Mediterranean cruisers never get, and the Wednesday can still headline the week.
Why did Sun Princess drop Corfu on August 26, 2026?
Princess cited cruise ship congestion, with as many as seven ships booked into Corfu that day. Taranto, Italy replaced it on the same Wednesday.
Is the rest of the August 22 itinerary changing?
No, Princess says only the Corfu call changed. Santorini, Bar in Montenegro, and Messina remain, and the ship still reaches Barcelona on August 29.
Will I get a refund for my Corfu shore excursion?
If you booked through Princess, yes, automatically to your original form of payment. If you booked independently, contact that operator to request the refund yourself.
Do I need a ship tour in Taranto, or can I explore alone?
Either works, since the old town, MArTA, and the Aragonese Castle are walkable from the pier. Princess will also post Taranto excursions before the ship sails.
What is worth seeing in Taranto in one day?
Prioritize MArTA’s gold collection, the free navy-led tour of the Aragonese Castle, the ancient Doric columns, and the old town. Day trips reach Alberobello, Grottaglie, or Matera.
