Carnival Valor Sets Sail to New Orleans After Drydock

Carnival Valor Sets Sail to New Orleans After Drydock

The Carnival Valor sailed from Barcelona on Wednesday to kick off a repositioning voyage back to its homeport in New Orleans.

The Carnival Cruise Line vessel is now offering a 15-night cruise after spending a few weeks at the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz.v

Before arriving at the Big Easy, the trans-Atlantic crossing will visit destinations in Portugal and Spain, including Málaga, Cádiz, and Ponta Delgada.

The Carnival Valor is then set to arrive in New Orleans later this month, resuming its regular schedule of cruises to the Western Caribbean.

Sailing from Louisiana along with the Carnival Liberty, the vessel offers a series of four- and five-night itineraries to ports in Mexico, including Progreso, Costa Maya and Cozumel.

As part of its routine drydock in Spain, the Carnival Valour underwent technical work, as well as class inspections and general maintenance.

Public areas and staterooms also received upkeep, including the replacement of items such as carpets, upholstery, and furniture.

In line with other Carnival ships, the 2004-built ship saw the addition of a new Heroes Tribute Bar and Lounge.

Currently being rolled out to the company’s fleet, the military-themed venue pays homage to the sacrifices made by Armed Services personnel and their families.

Taking over the area previously occupied by the Skybox Sports Bar, the lounge serves a special menu, with part of its profits donated to humanitarian organisations.

Following the Carnival Valor, the Carnival Liberty is also being dry-docked at the Navantia shipyard in Cádiz.

As the fifth ship in Carnival’s fleet to visit a shipyard in 2025, the vessel is currently undergoing routine maintenance at the Spanish facility.

Other ships that entered drydock this year include the Carnival Sunshine, the Carnival Spirit and the Carnival Miracle.

Princess Cruises Adds Third Solar Eclipse Voyage for 2026

Princess Cruises has announced a third voyage in its 2026 Total Solar Eclipse series: a 14-day Mediterranean & Adriatic with Total Solar Eclipse cruise onboard the Enchanted Princess, departing from Rome.

The new Enchanted Princess sailing joins two other eclipse-focused Princess cruises onboard Sky Princess (August 8, 2026, from Southampton) and Sun Princess (7-, 14- and 21-day itineraries departing from Barcelona and Athens).

Highlights of the Enchanted Princess itinerary, sailing August 4-18, 2026, include:

  • Civitavecchia (Rome)
  • Naples (for Capri & Pompeii)
  • Kotor, Montenegro
  • Dubrovnik, Croatia
  • Corfu, Greece
  • Messina & Palermo, Sicily.
  • Gibraltar
  • Alicante, Spain
  • Barcelona, Spain

“Adding Enchanted Princess to our 2026 solar eclipse lineup allows more guests to be part of this extraordinary moment at sea while exploring breathtaking Mediterranean and Adriatic destinations,” said Terry Thornton, Princess Cruises’ Chief Commercial Officer. “With limited availability on Sky Princess and Sun Princess, we’re excited to give our guests a new opportunity to be part of this rare astronomical event aboard another of our spectacular ships.”

During the eclipse, guests will gather on the top decks with Princess eclipse viewing glasses, and enjoy lectures from astronomy experts, themed treats and drinks, stargazing at night, solar system trivia and more.

Princess said guests are encouraged to set up their own telescopes on deck and wear festive eclipse-themed apparel and accessories.

MSC Meraviglia Set for European Return in 2026

The MSC Meraviglia is set to return to Europe in 2026 after sailing exclusively from New York City in April 2023.

According to the MSC Cruises website, the 2017-built vessel will offer a summer season in the Western Mediterranean starting in early May 2026, ahead of returning to North America later in the year.

As part of the deployment, the Meraviglia will offer a series of seven-night cruises to destinations in Italy, France, Spain and Tunisia, scheduled through October 2026.

The summer season in the region includes a series of seven-night itineraries to the ports of Livorno, Naples, Palermo, Tunis, Barcelona and Marseille.

Upon completing its European schedule, the 4,500-guest ship is scheduled to return to North America ahead of the 2026-27 winter season.

Starting in November 2026, the vessel offers a series of seven-night cruises to the Bahamas and Florida, departing from New York City.

In addition to MSC’s private island destination of Ocean Cay, the itinerary is scheduled to visit Nassau and Port Canaveral.

The MSC Meraviglia is also set to offer trans-Atlantic crossings before and after its summer season in the Western Mediterranean.

On its way to Europe, the vessel sails from New York City on April 19, 2026, offering a 16-night cruise that sails to destinations in Canada, Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar and France.

The ship then offers a similar itinerary on October 20, 2026, sailing from Barcelona for a 19-night crossing to the United States.

After repositioning from Port Canaveral, the MSC Meraviglia arrived at its homeport in New York City in April 2023.

As part of a year-round deployment on the U.S. East Coast, the vessel has been offering itineraries to Florida, the Bahamas and Bermuda, as well as Canada and New England.