Tag Archives: GALVESTON

Carnival promotion rewards Galveston cruise bookings

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By Tom Stieghorst
Carnival Cruise Lines said travel agents can earn triple the normal amount of points in its rewards program by booking cruises from Galveston during July.

The line said the promotion, running through July 31, will give agents 450 points for new online bookings from Texas ports, up from the standard 150 points.

Beginning at the 2,500-point level, the points can be redeemed for Carnival logo items, $50 and $100 gift cards, iPads and other items.

Carnival will transfer a third ship, Carnival Freedom, to Galveston beginning in February.

Joni Rein, executive vice president of worldwide sales at Carnival, said the points boost was a thank you to agents that have helped Carnival build business from Galveston.

Carnival gets bigger in Texas

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By Jerry Limone
Carnival FreedomCarnival Cruise Lines will have three ships based in Galveston when the Carnival Freedom joins the Magic and Triumph at the Texas port next February.

Carnival said no other cruise line has deployed three year-round ships in Texas.

“In partnership with the Port of Galveston and the local community, we have been able to increase our passenger counts fivefold since we first launched service from Galveston in 2000,” Carnival Cruise Lines CEO Gerry Cahill said. “Additionally, we are extremely grateful for the support of our travel agent partners who have played a key role in the growth of our Texas cruise program.”

Before arriving in Galveston, the 3,000-passenger Freedom will undergo a previously announced makeover that will add Fun Ship 2.0 product enhancements, including Guy’s Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, RedFrog Pub and the Camp Ocean kids’ club.

Carnival Freedom will sail a 12-day repositioning cruise departing Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 2, arriving in Galveston on Feb. 14. The cruise will call in St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Curacao, Aruba and Grand Cayman.

The Freedom will kick off its new schedule from Galveston with a six-day Caribbean voyage to Costa Maya, Mexico; Belize; and Cozumel. Following the six-day voyage, the Freedom will sail seven-day Caribbean cruises year-round.

Carnival to sail 11-day cruises from Galveston

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By Tom Stieghorst
Carnival Cruise Lines said that it will offer the Texas market longer cruises for the first time, with four 10- and 11-day sailings between Galveston and San Juan.

A pair of 11-day cruises will also feature a first call for Carnival in Bonaire. Those sailings, scheduled for Oct. 24, 2015, and Jan. 16, 2016, will also stop in Grand Cayman, Aruba, Grenada, Martinique and St. Maarten before concluding in San Juan.

The 10-day departures from San Juan are scheduled for Nov. 4, 2015, and Jan. 27, 2016, and will stop at St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Antigua, Grand Turk, and the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay.

Galveston cruises on Carnival currently depart on four- and five-day Mexican and seven-day Caribbean itineraries.

Carnival said a desire for longer, more varied itineraries was one of the themes that emerged from its series of Carnival Conversations meetings with travel agents.