Tag Archives: Caribbean cruise

Five Cruise Ships and Nearly 20,000 Guests Visit St. Maarten

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St. Maarten cruise port, photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

Nearly 20,000 guests visited St. Maarten on Tuesday onboard five different cruise ships. Offering cruises to different parts of the Caribbean, the MSC Seaside, the Harmony of the Seas, the Carnival Magic, the Harmony of the Seas and the Norwegian Epic docked at the Port of Philipsburg.

Wrapping up a season in the Southern Caribbean, the MSC Seaside offers a seven-night voyage in the region.

After sailing from Martinique on April 8, the cruise also features visits to Guadeloupe, Antigua, Barbados and Dominica.

Following the round-trip itinerary, the MSC Cruises ship is set to reposition to Port Canaveral – its homeport for the upcoming summer season.

Meanwhile, the Harmony of the Seas offers a seven-night cruise to the Eastern Caribbean departing from Miami. The itinerary, which left South Florida on April 8, also includes visits to St. Thomas and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Another ship based in Florida, the Carnival Magic sailed from Port Canaveral on April 8 for an eight-night cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. In addition to St. Maarten, the Carnival Cruise Line ship is set to visit Grand Turk, San Juan and St. Kitts before returning to its homeport.

Also sailing from the Sunshine State, the Celebrity Constellation visited the Port of Philipsburg as part of a ten-night cruise that departed from Tampa on April 7. Set to be followed by a transatlantic crossing to Europe, the itinerary also features St. Thomas, San Juan, Dominican Republic and Antigua as ports of call.

Based in Puerto Rico, the Norwegian Epic offers a seven-night cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. The itinerary sailed from San Juan on April 9 and also includes visits to St. Lucia and other destinations in the region.

Set to reposition to the Mediterranean, the Norwegian Cruise Line ship offers an additional itinerary in the region before departing on a transatlantic crossing on April 22.

Carnival Horizon Completes Five Years in Service

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The Carnival Horizon is completing five years of service in March.

After being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, the Vista-class vessel was delivered to Carnival Cruise Line on March 28, 2018.

After leaving its building dock, the 4,000-passenger ship repositioned to Barcelona, Spain, where it departed on an inaugural Mediterranean cruise a few days later.

First, in a series of four sailings from the European port, the 12-night voyage included visits to different ports of call in Italy, Croatia and Malta.

After the short season in the Mediterranean, the Carnival Horizon crossed the Atlantic for the first time in May.

The vessel then spent the remainder of the summer, offering a schedule of four-night Bermuda and eight-night Caribbean sailings departing from New York City.

Before kicking service from the Big Apple, the Horizon was officially christened by its godmother musical artist and actress Queen Latifah on May 28, 2018.

After receiving raising donations both onboard and ashore, Carnival also donated $100,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during the ceremony.

In late September, the ship repositioned to Miami – its current homeport – for a year-round program of six- and eight-night cruises to the Southern, Eastern and Western Caribbean.

Following the Carnival Vista, the Carnival Horizon debuted as the second in a series of three ships known as Vista Class.

According to Carnival, the vessels in the class were designed to connect guests to the ocean while offering “sweeping views and plenty to do both outdoors and indoors.”

Among the unique features of the Vista Class ships are the SkyRide, a suspended open-air cycling experience, and the Dreamscape, a three-deck-high LED sculpture in each vessel’s atrium.

In addition to these elements, the Horizon introduced two firsts for Carnival Cruise Line: the brand’s first Teppanyaki Restaurant and the first unit of Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse and Brewhouse.

Carnival Firenze Opens for Sale with Cruises from Long Beach

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Carnival Cruise Line announced that it has opened reservations for the inaugural season of the Carnival Firenze, which will offer year-round sailings from Long Beach, California from May 2024 through April 2025.

“Carnival Firenze is named after the spectacular city of Florence, Italy. She was designed to evoke the same charm and beauty found in Florence and she’ll also pack in plenty of Carnival fun, which will be brought to life by the friendly and dedicated team members that make cruises across our fleet memorable,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

“This truly stunning ship will serve as a great new cruise vacation option from Long Beach, joining Carnival Panorama and Radiance, and offering a range of sailing lengths to Baja Mexico and the Mexican Riviera.”

The new sailings feature 15 different itineraries of three to seven-day cruises. Sailings from Long Beach, California include:

  • A five-day Mexican Riviera Inaugural Cruise, departing on May 2, 2024, with calls in Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada, Mexico;
  • A six-day Mexican Riviera Cruise, with multiple departure options and calls in Ensenada and two days in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico;
  • A seven-day Mexican Riviera Cruise, with multiple departure options and calls in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The Carnival Firenze will be the second ship to feature the all-new Carnival Fun Italian Style, after Carnival Venezia, which will make its debut in May 2023.