Carnival Cruise Lines has cancelled voyages of the Carnival Splendor until after the planned departure of January 9 to allow time for repairs following an engine room fire last week.
The changes mean the ship, that was christened in Dover by former HearSay star Myleene Klass is now scheduled to re-enter service on January 16, 2011.
Guests who were scheduled to sail on these voyages will receive a full refund of their cruise fare and air transportation costs, along with a 25% discount on a future cruise.
Carnival Splendor was towed to San Diego following the fire which occurred off the Mexican coast on November 8.
Authorities, including a team from the US Coast Guard, and Carnival engineers and technicians are currently on board investigating the cause of the fire.
Carnival personnel are being assisted by representatives of the shipyard that built the vessel and other manufacturers of engine room components in assessing damage and necessary repairs.
Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and chief executive, said: “We realise how much guests look forward to their cruises and know that they are very disappointed by this news.
“We too are disheartened that we are not able to fulfill the dreams of those who have entrusted us with their important holiday plans.
“We sincerely apologize to everyone who was scheduled to sail on these cancelled voyages and look forward to welcoming them aboard in the future.
“Now that we have a full technical team engaged in the assessment, we wanted to provide this information as quickly as possible.”
Carnival is contacting travel agents and guests on the affected sailings and providing assistance in finding alternate cruises. Travel agent commissions on the cancelled sailings will be protected.