Tag Archives: Carnival Miracle

Carnival does the Ice Bucket Challenge, fleet wide

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By Jerry Limone

Personnel on all 24 of Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships, plus CEO Gerry Cahill, took the “Ice Bucket Challenge,” getting doused with ice water to create awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

John Heald, Carnival’s senior cruise director and well-known blogger, was the star of a three-minute video, getting drenched with a garbage can full of ice and water on the Carnival Miracle, then warbling “Let It Go” from the Disney movie “Frozen.”

Watch Carnival’s Ice Bucket Challenge.

Carnival is making a $100,000 donation to the ALS Association. Click to make a donation.

Ken Muskat of MSC Cruises has plans to take the Ice Bucket Challenge on the MSC Divina while the ship is in port in Miami on Friday.

The Ice Bucket Challenge has gone viral on social media, and several celebrities and politicians have accepted the challenge.

Carnival to again sail Mexico’s Pacific Coast year-round

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By Gay Nagle Myers
Carnival Cruise Lines will resume year-round sailings to the Mexican Riviera from Long Beach, Calif., beginning in October.

The line last sailed to Mexico’s Pacific Coast year-round in 2012, although it has operated some cruises on a seasonal basis since then.

The Carnival Miracle will operate three seven-day itineraries, starting next April.

One itinerary is a three-port sailing with calls in Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. That cruise will mark the return of Carnival to Mazatlan since its pullout in early 2011, citing safety and security issues for passengers following several incidents of crime near the port.

Other lines also cut the Mazatlan stop at the time but have since returned.

“With the return of Carnival, five major cruise lines have now resumed service to Mazatlan, including Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Azamara Club Cruises,” said Frank Cordova, secretary of tourism for the state of Sinaloa.

“We are extremely pleased with the positive developments that have transformed Mazatlan over the past several years, including those in the cruise industry, and are excited about the prospect of future growth in tourism to the destination,” he said.

Those developments include a new $3 million tourism corridor between the Port of Mazatlan and the city’s historic center, making it easier and safer for cruise visitors to reach the heart of the city.

Carnival’s two other Mexican Riviera itineraries include a two-port voyage that pairs a stop in Cabo San Lucas with a two-day overnight stay in Puerto Vallarta.

The third itinerary pairs a visit to Puerto Vallarta with a two-day call in Cabo San Lucas.

Carnival to deploy third ship in Long Beach, Calif.

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Carnival to deploy third ship in Long Beach, Calif.

By Johanna Jainchill
Carnival Cruise Lines will deploy a third ship from Long Beach, Calif, in 2014, expanding its West Coast short-cruise program.

The 2,052-passenger Carnival Imagination will operate three- and four-day cruises year-round from Long Beach beginning in January 2014. The Imagination will move from Miami, where it has been offering short cruises to the Bahamas and Western Caribbean.

The 2,052-passenger Carnival Ecstasy, currently sailing from Port Canaveral, Fla., will reposition to Miami to take the Imagination’s place.

Gerry Cahill, Carnival’s CEO, said that Carnival is the only line to offer a year-round, short-cruise program from the West Coast, and that the sailings are especially popular with cruisers who drive to the port.

Carnival said it will carry approximately 550,000 guests annually from Long Beach in 2014, more than any other cruise operator.

The vessel will offer three-day cruises to Ensenada, Mexico, and four-day voyages to Catalina Island and Ensenada. The Imagination’s sister ship, the Inspiration, will continue to offer similar three- and four-day cruises out of Long Beach.

Carnival’s seven-day Mexican Riviera and 15-day Hawaii itineraries, currently operated by the 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendor through February 3, will continue on the Carnival Miracle from October 2013 through April 2014.