Carnival Cruise Line will expand capacity in two key markets with Carnival Miracle operating seven-day Caribbean cruises from Tampa and Carnival Splendor offering week-long Mexican Riviera cruises from Long Beach, Calif., beginning in 2018.
Prior to launching service from their new homeports, both ships will offer extended Panama Canal cruises in January 2018 that will feature a variety of spectacular ports throughout the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. Carnival Splendor will also operate unique 14-day Hawaii cruises round trip from Long Beach.
With these capacity increases, Carnival is further bolstering its leadership position in two popular homeports, adding a second year-round ship in Tampa with Carnival Miracle and a newer, larger vessel on the West Coast with Carnival Splendor.
“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.
Carnival Miracle will launch a year-round schedule of seven-day Caribbean sailings from Tampa Jan. 27, 2018, becoming the second ship based at the popular southwestern Florida port. The week-long adventures feature four of the Caribbean’s most popular ports of call: George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; and Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan; and Belize City, Belize
The 2,124-passenger Carnival Miracle joins the 2,052-passenger Carnival Paradise which operates year-round four- and five-day Caribbean cruises from Tampa. Carnival is the only year-round cruise operator from Tampa. The two ships will offer the widest variety of four-, five- and seven-day itineraries from Tampa and carry 320,000 guests annually.
The 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendor will launch a year-round schedule of seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises from Long Beach, beginning Jan. 27, 2018, replacing Carnival Miracle and representing a 41 percent capacity increase on the line’s week-long cruises from the West Coast.
Three different itineraries will be offered, each featuring stunning destinations 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-long call in Cabo San Lucas, as well.
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.
Carnival Splendor will also offer a special 13-day Panama Canal cruise departing Miami Jan. 14, and arriving in Long Beach Jan. 27, 2018, becoming the first Carnival ship to transit the newly opened Panama Canal locks and providing guests the opportunity to experience this engineering marvel firsthand. 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.
Source: Carnival
