From Cruise and Ferry

Carnival Cruise Line is to expand capacity in two key markets in 2018, with Carnival Miracle operating seven-day Caribbean cruises from Tampa, Florida and Carnival Splendor offering week-long Mexican Riviera cruises from Long Beach, California.

“Tampa and Long Beach are both highly convenient and popular homeports and we’re delighted to provide our guests with exciting new year-round cruise vacation choices in these two markets,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

The 2,124-passenger Carnival Miracle will start sailing Caribbean cruises from Tampa on 27 January, becoming the second Carnival ship to homeport at the southwestern Florida port. Part of Carnival’s exclusive Cozumel Plus programme, the cruises will take guests to Georgetown, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan; and Belize City, Belize. Guests will also have access to various new excursions, such as swimming with whale sharks, visiting centuries-old ruins and swimming in hidden cavern.

The 2,052-passenger Carnival Paradise will continue to operate year-round four- and five-day Caribbean cruises from Tampa, making Carnival the only year-round cruise operator at the port. Together, Carnival Miracle and Carnival Paradise will 320,000 guests annually.

Replacing Carnival Miracle, the 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendor will launch a year-round schedule of seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises from Long Beach on 27 January. This will increase Carnival’s capacity on the line’s week-long cruises from the West Coast by 41%.

Carnival Splendor will offer three itineraries along the Mexican Riviera. One itinerary visits Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta, another spends two days at Cabo San Lucas and a full day in Puerto Vallarta, and a third overnights in Puerto Vallarta with a day call in Cabo San Lucas.

Carnival Splendor will join Carnival Inspiration and Carnival Imagination which both offer three- and four-day Baja cruises from Long Beach. With the addition of Carnival Splendor, the line will carry upwards of 700,000 guests annually from Southern California, operating nearly 250 three- to 14-day cruises a year.

Prior to launching services from their new homeports, both ships will offer extended Panama Canal cruises in January 2018.

Carnival Splendor will depart from Miami on 14 January, becoming the first Carnival ship to transit the newly opened Panama Canal locks. The cruise will visit Cartagena prior to the Panama Canal transit, then call at Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Carnival Splendor will also operate two 14-day Hawaii cruises roundtrip from Long Beach – one departing 13 October 2018 and the other on 1 December 2018. These voyages will take guests to Maui, Honolulu, Kona and Hilo in Hawaii, as well as Ensenada, Mexico.

Meanwhile, Carnival Miracle will offer a 14-day Panama Canal cruise departing Long Beach on 13 January. Ports of call include Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Quetzal and Puntarenas, followed by a transit of the Panama Canal, then stops at Cartagena, Colombia and Georgetown.

The ship will also embark on an eight-day Panama Canal cruise roundtrip from Tampa from 14-22 April 2018, which features tops at Limon in Costa Rica, a partial transit of the Panama Canal, then a call at Grand Cayman. A 14-day Carnival Journeys cruise featuring a partial transit of the Panama Canal along with visits to Cozumel, Limon, Cartagena, Aruba, Curacao and Ocho Rios, will also be offered by Carnival Miracle on 2-16 December 2018.

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