Government said it was “extremely disappointed” at Carnival Cruise Lines last night, after the company axed 11 of its 12 scheduled calls to Bermuda for next year.Transport Minister Terry Lister said the announcement was made at unusually short notice, and he was working to find out why. Shadow Minister Pat Gordon-Pamplin suggested the company may have pulled the plug after transport problems left cruise passengers stranded this summer.In a press release, Mr Lister said the Ministry of Transport generally finalises cruise applications 12-18 months in advance of the actual sailings and the 12 Carnival cruises for 2012 were approved in late 2010.“We were surprised to only learn of the cancellations on Wednesday. This has put us in an unfortunate position for next year, because it will be difficult to find suitable replacement ships at such a late date,” he said. He added Ministry of Transport officials are attempting to gain clarification from Carnival concerning the late notice of cancellations while also working to find alternative ships for the available slots.Mr Lister added: “We are extremely disappointed by this late notification by Carnival Cruise Lines, but we will make every attempt to fill some of the empty berths with ships from other cruise lines. It is highly unusual for cancellations to occur so close to the beginning of the season.”Mrs Gordon-Pamplin said: “This is hugely disappointing news. It will hurt the earnings of many small businesses who cater to the ships, particularly in Dockyard, and most likely affect staff paycheques and even jobs. It will also deprive Government of millions of dollars in fees and taxes.“It is hard to understand why no reason has been given for the cancellations, either by Carnival or the Government.“Surely, something has been communicated on the point. We do know Bermuda performed poorly this year as host to ships berthed at Dockyard, with across-the-board transportation problems — buses, taxis and ferries — that left visitors either stranded in Hamilton or unable to get out of Dockyard.“We hope this has not been the reason. If it contributed to Carnival's decision, then it is one more example of the Government shooting itself in the foot and hurting the people of this country in the process. We urge the Minister to report to the people why this decision was taken.”Calls and e-mails to Carnival inviting comment on the move went unanswered by press time.