Cruise travelers in one region of the U.S. will soon have the opportunity to cruise year-round from one convenient cruise port.
Carnival Cruise Line is bringing its cruise operations back to pre-pandemic levels in one port city after running a successful seasonal schedule there for the last few years.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line passengers reject key entertainment change
The port will join the bigger cruise hubs of New Orleans, Galveston, Texas, and Tampa, Fla. in offering Caribbean getaways from the Gulf Coast all year long beginning in 2027.
For many cruisers who live in southern states and prefer to drive to their cruise departure port, the expansion of Carnival’s Gulf Coast cruise offerings is exciting news.
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Image source: Carnival Corp.
Carnival to bring year-round cruising back to Mobile, Alabama
Carnival will expand its cruise schedule from Mobile, Alabama beginning in spring 2027, bringing back year-round sailings that the cruise line hasn’t offered from the port since prior to the pandemic. Carnival Spirit currently sails a seasonal schedule from Mobile that has been very popular with Gulf Coast cruisers.
“This is a testament to our relationship with Carnival and the incredible effort the staff at the Mobile Alabama Cruise Terminal put in to making sure every passenger that comes through Mobile has an exceptional experience,” the City of Mobile wrote in a Facebook post about the news.
In a video posted on Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald’s Facebook page, Carnival President Christine Duffy revealed that the cruise line shared the news with Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson on his birthday.
Related: Carnival cruisers don’t want popular Royal Caribbean offering
With demand high for Carnival’s seasonal cruises from Mobile, Mayor Stimpson and city officials have been eager to expand cruise operations from the port with Carnival, or even bring another cruise line to fill the vacancy during the months when Carnival Spirit wasn’t sailing from Mobile.
The city recently added a new gangway at the cruise terminal to improve the passenger embarkation experience and has even been exploring plans to increase parking capacity to allow the port to accommodate a second cruise ship. City officials have been in talks with both Norwegian Cruise Line and Margaritaville at Sea about the possibility of sending a ship to Mobile.
Carnival reinforces commitment to smaller markets
Along with increasing its sailings from Mobile, Carnival also plans to up its capacity in the mid-Atlantic region by moving a larger Conquest class ship to Baltimore in 2027.
Expanding operations in both Mobile and Baltimore demonstrate Carnival’s commitment to serving its secondary markets outside of major cruise hubs like Port Canaveral, Florida, Miami and Galveston, Texas. The cruise line is dedicated to remaining an accessible vacation option for 50 percent of the U.S. population that is within a five-hour drive of a Carnival cruise departure port.
Carnival also reinforced this commitment by increasing its cruise operations from Norfolk, Va. in February, bumping the port up from seasonal to year-round sailings just like it now plans to do in Mobile.
More Carnival cruise news:
- Carnival Cruise Line shares clear rules on passports
- Carnival Cruise Line won’t challenge Royal Caribbean’s title
- Carnival Cruise Line passengers angry over outdated cabin feature
Although the focus on these smaller markets is welcome news to many loyal Carnival cruisers, many would also like to see the cruise line turn its attention to smaller ships as it plans for the future rather continuing the megaship trend.
Along with sharing deployment updates, Carnival just announced new details on its upcoming Excel class megaships and plans for even bigger ships to come. After the cruise line’s brand ambassador shared new ship news on his Facebook page, a number of passengers posted pleas for smaller ships.
“John Heald, please note how many of us want smaller ships,” Stephanie Traver Gaida commented. “Not everyone loves the big ships: too crowded, too noisy, lack of personal service.”
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