Tag Archives: Carnival Inspiration

Carnival sending a second ship to Tampa

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Carnival Miracle joins Splendor at Tampa

Carnival Cruise Line said it will deploy a second ship year-round from Tampa, designating the Carnival Miracle for seven-night Caribbean cruises from the port, starting in 2018.

Also, Carnival said it will put a bigger and newer ship, the Carnival Splendor, in Long Beach to do seven-night Mexican Riviera cruises.

The 2,124-passenger Miracle will join the Carnival Paradise in Tampa and will do extended stays in Cozumel, along with a broader array of excursions there.

The 3,006-passenger Splendor will replace the Carnival Miracle, joining the Carnival Inspiration and Carnival Imagination in Long Beach, where Carnival is in the process of expanding its terminal.

The Splendor will sail a 13-day Panama Canal cruise departing Miami on Jan. 14, 2018, and become the first Carnival ship to use the new locks opened this year.

Carnival said the Splendor will also sail two 14-night round trip Hawaii cruises in 2018 from Long Beach.

Carnival gets OK to expand Long Beach Cruise Terminal

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Long Beach Cruise Terminal

The Long Beach Cruise Terminal and the Queen Mary Hotel. Photo Credit: TrekandShoot/Shutterstock
 

Carnival Cruise Line has inked a deal to nearly triple the size of its terminal in Long Beach, Calif., from approximately 66,000 square feet to 142,000 square feet.

The deal between the cruise line and landlord Urban Commons and the City of Long Beach will enable larger ships to use the port.

Carnival has operated the Long Beach Cruise Terminal since 2003, using an area of the Geodesic Dome. The agreement gives Carnival 100% use of the Dome, not only allowing for larger ships but also providing the space required for both arriving and disembarking guests to access the terminal.

Carnival president Christine Duffy said the expansion will make Long Beach one of Carnival’s largest homeports.

Construction is slated to be completed in late 2017. During the construction period, measures will be taken to “ensure a continued smooth operational flow and high standard of customer service for cruise guests,” Carnival said.

Earlier this year, the city selected Urban Commons, a real estate company, to assume the lease of the nearby Queen Mary, the former ocean liner now serving as a floating hotel. Urban Commons plans to renovate the Queen Mary’s guestrooms and restaurants over the next year and redevelop 45 shoreside acres into an entertainment district. Its plans call for a hotel, restaurants, shops, a marina, an amphitheater and a Ferris wheel.

Carnival said it is working with Urban Commons on enhancements to the area surrounding the dome and the Queen Mary, as well as ways to increase parking.

The Carnival Inspiration and the Carnival Imagination currently operate three- and four-day Baja cruises year-round from Long Beach. The Carnival Miracle sails seven-day voyages to the Mexican Riviera and 14- and 15-day cruises to Hawaii and Alaska from Long Beach.

Carnival Cruise Lines testing new dining room experience

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Updated: Carnival Cruise Lines testing new dining room experience

By Tom Stieghorst

Carnival Cruise Lines said it will test two new dining concepts on the Carnival Glory starting Dec. 8, in what could be a fleet-wide revamp of its main dining room.
The new dining products, called American Table and American Feast, were developed with input from Union Square Hospitality Group of New York.

American Table will be offered on “cruise casual” nights. It includes a new style of service, new menu and table decor, and is designed to evoke a modern restaurant experience with an emphasis on exceptional American cuisine, Carnival said.

There will be a cocktail menu, an entree with ties to the port being visited during the meal, a “from the grill” entrée and a special dessert menu.

On Carnival’s more formal “cruise elegant” nights, it will offer American Feast, which has been designed to create the feel of an elegant, elaborate special occasion “celebrated by all guests in the restaurant with courses served table-side in elaborate style,” Carnival said.

The pilot program will be extended to Carnival Liberty beginning in January, and Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration starting in February, with the intention to roll it out fleet-wide in the second half of 2014.

Union Square Hospitality Group is an outgrowth of Union Square Cafe, founded in 1985 by Danny Meyer, who is now CEO. In addition to the original restaurant, it now runs Gramercy Tavern, Blue Smoke, Jazz Standard and Shake Shake, as well as a catering and consulting practice.

Carnival senior vice president for operations Mark Tamis said Union Square’s role was primarily one of inspiring the Carnival team to create the new concepts.