Tag Archives: Long Beach Cruise Terminal

Carnival Radiance Offers Its First-Ever Cruise to Hawaii

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The Carnival Radiance is currently sailing its first-ever cruise to Hawaii.

Temporarily moving away from its regular schedule of short cruises to Baja California, the Carnival Cruise Line vessel departed Long Beach for the 14-night journey on Oct. 16.

The itinerary sails to Honolulu, Kahului, Nawiliwili and Hilo, and also includes a short call to Ensenada, Mexico, before returning to Carnival’s homeport in the Los Angeles area.

Originally set to be offered by the Carnival Miracle, the cruise was transferred to the Radiance in May.

At the time, Carnival said the change of ship was necessary due to the required drydock maintenance on the Spirit-Class vessel.

Before resuming its regular program of three- and four-night cruises to Catalina Island and Ensenada, the Radiance also replaces the Miracle on a five-night voyage to the Mexican Riviera.

Sailing from the Long Beach Cruise Terminal, the cruise is set to depart on Oct. 30 and includes visits to Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas.

The Carnival Radiance debuted in December 2021, kicking off the program of short cruises on the West Coast ever since.

Formerly the Carnival Victory, the 2000-built vessel was completely rebuilt as part of a $200-million refit that included new public areas, cabins and features.

Highlights included Carnival’s latest beverage and entertainment spaces, such as Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse, Cucina del Capitano family-style Italian restaurant, Bonsai Sushi and the Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub.

The 101,509-ton ship also received the second sea-going unit of the Big Chicken, a restaurant created by Carnival’s Chief Fun Officer Shaquille O’Neal.

Other new features included the Heroes Tribute Bar, which salutes those that serve in the Armed Forces, and the Liquid Lounge, home to Carnival’s award-winning Playlist Productions shows.

With a capacity of nearly 3,000 guests, the Radiance is part of Carnival’s three-ship Sunshine Class.

What could have been: Disney’s Long Beach port

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Image result for Long Beach cruise port
Carnival Cruise Line opened its expanded terminal over the weekend in the Spruce Goose Dome in Long Beach, cementing its status as the leading cruise line in the Southern California market. But the terminal was nearly a hub for Disney Cruise Line instead.

In 1990, the Walt Disney Co. announced plans for a Port Disney in Long Beach. The plan called for a marine-themed amusement park, a marina, a speciality retail and entertainment area and hotel accommodations.

Crucially, a cruise port was part of the 443-acre plan. And this was four years before Disney announced it was getting into the cruise business.

Disney had acquired the site, which included the Queen Mary cruise ship and the Howard Hughes-built Spruce Goose, the plane with the largest wingspan ever to fly, in an acquisition of the Wrather Corp. in 1989.

The cruise port would have had five berths with ships going to Mexico, Seattle and San Diego, among other destinations.

Five resort hotels would have been built as part of the development, along with a monorail connecting Queensway with downtown Long Beach. The centrepiece of the plan was DisneySea, an aquatic-themed amusement park and education centre, which would have picked up where the recently-closed Marineland of the Pacific, in Palos Verdes, left off.

Long Beach had a history as an amusement centre. A waterfront area known as the Pike was the site of the Cyclone Racer, the largest seaside wooden roller coaster in the country until it was torn down in 1968.

Image result for cyclone racer in long beach

As part of the Wrather Corp. deal, Disney had also acquired a hotel across the street from Disneyland, which could now be expanded. Disney set up a competition between Anaheim and Long Beach to see which was more enthusiastic about gaining a new Disney park.

Concerns arose in Long Beach about environmental issues, traffic, local hiring and other factors. In late 1991, Port Disney was cancelled in favour of WestCOT, a Disneyland version of Disney World’s EPCOT centre.

WestCOT was never built. The land would eventually become Disney’s California Adventure. Disney sold its leases on the Queen Mary and the Spruce Goose Dome. Ten years later, in 2001, the new leaseholder arranged for Carnival to use part of the dome as a terminal starting in 2003.

By that time, Disney Cruise Line was up and running out of Port Canaveral in Florida, an hour from Disney World. But it was a decade too late for Disney’s chance to sail from a custom-built home in Long Beach.

When Disney Cruise Line moved the Disney Magic ship to California in 2005 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Disneyland, it had to sail for the summer out of the Port of Los Angeles.

It’s fascinating to think what the possibilities would have been if only Disney had been a little more persistent in 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.