Carnival line's largest ship going to Port Canaveral

Carnival Cruise Line said it reached an agreement with the Canaveral Port Authority to build a new terminal for the 5,286-passenger ship Carnival plans to deploy in 2020.

The 180,000-gross ton ship is 34% larger than Carnival's most recent vessel, the 134,000-ton Carnival Horizon.

Carnival noted that the vessel will offer "an array of groundbreaking, never-before-seen features and attractions," while also being the first North American-based cruise ship to be powered by liquefied natural gas.

Further ship details, along with itineraries from Port Canaveral, are expected to be announced in 2019.

The ship is the second recent newbuild set to debut outside of Miami, where Carnival's newest ships are typically based. Next year, the Carnival Panorama will debut in Long Beach, Calif., which will be its year-round homeport.

Carnival said it currently has three year-round ships based in Port Canaveral carrying upwards of 650,000 passengers a year. In October, the six-year-old Carnival Breeze will be repositioned from Galveston to homeport at Port Canaveral as well.

Carnival Opens Reservations for Carnival Panorama

Carnival Cruise Line today began accepting reservations for the 133,500-ton Carnival Panorama, which kicks off its year-round seven-day Mexican Riviera schedule from Long Beach, Calif., Dec. 14, 2019, according to a press release.

The ship will also offer a special one-time three-day cruise to Ensenada from Long Beach Dec. 11-14, 2019.

Following that, the ship will sail a week-long cruise program departing on Saturdays from Long Beach with three port calls: Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. 

“Carnival Panorama promises to be a spectacular addition to our fleet and we’re delighted to provide our guests with an opportunity to be among the first to sail on our first new ship on the West Coast in two decades,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival slates 14-day Alaska sailing on Splendour

Carnival slates 14-day Alaska sailing on Splendor

Picture of Carnival Splendor in Alaska.

Carnival Cruise Line said its Carnival Splendor will offer a 14-day Alaska cruise from Long Beach, Calif., in 2018.

The voyage will depart Aug. 25 and return Sept. 8, 2018.

In addition to a full day at Hubbard Glacier and Icy Strait Point, the cruise will feature calls in Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau and Sitka, Alaska, along with a daylong call at Victoria, British Columbia. 

The itinerary is part of the Carnival Journeys longer-duration sailings. Activities will on photography, cooking and arts and crafts, and a 1980s-themed "Throwback Sea Day" will be offered, as well.

The cruise is open for booking with website prices ranging from $1,369 for an inside cabin to $3,459 for a suite.

Carnival Legend to cross Panama Canal and visit Tahiti

By Jerry Limone

Prior to its deployment to Australia in fall 2014, the Carnival Legend will operate two repositioning cruises: a 13-day Panama Canal cruise and a 23-day transpacific voyage.

Prior to these cruises, the Carnival Legend will undergo a multimillion-dollar renovation in which Carnival will add features of its Fun Ship 2.0 program, including the WaterWorks aqua park, RedFrog Pub and Cherry On Top candy store.

The 13-day Panama Canal cruise will depart Tampa on Aug. 17, 2014, and arrive in Long Beach, Calif., on Aug. 30.

The Legend will visit Grand Cayman and Cartagena, Colombia, prior to the Panama Canal transit. That will be followed by daylong calls to Puntarenas, Costa Rica, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The Legend’s transpacific voyage departs from Long Beach on Aug. 30 and arrives in Sydney on Sept. 22. The voyage will feature visits to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Tahiti, Bora Bora and Moorea, French Polynesia; Suva, Fiji Islands; and Noumea, New Caledonia.

The two voyages can be combined to create a 36-day cruise.