Tag Archives: Port of Galveston

Carnival Vista to sail from Miami

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The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners approved a new lease for Carnival Corp. at Port Miami that stipulates the Carnival Vista will use the port after it is delivered next year.

The deal calls for Carnival Vista to sail from Port Miami for 24 months out of its first three years in service. Carnival had not previously disclosed where Vista would sail from after its inaugural series of cruises next summer in the Mediterranean.

Carnival’s newest ship, Carnival Breeze, currently sails from Miami. Its next most recent ship, Carnival Magic, debuted in Galveston, Texas, after a European summer launch.

Galveston deems Carnival passenger no public health threat

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By Tom Stieghorst
The Galveston Public Health Authority said it has reviewed all available information regarding a potential Ebola contact voluntarily isolated on a Carnival Cruise Lines ship returning to the Port of Galveston.

In a statement posted on its website, the authority said it has concluded there is no evidence of a public health threat to cruise ship passengers or Galveston County from the passenger.

The Carnival Magic returned to Galveston on Oct. 19 after a seven-night cruise. The passenger in question worked at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital as a lab supervisor where she handled test samples from a patient who died from Ebola infection.

She was voluntarily isolated on the ship after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention informed Carnival of her status on Oct. 15. Authorities in Belize declined to let the supervisor and a traveling companion off the ship to be flown back to the U.S. Carnival skipped a subsequent port of call in Cozumel after delays in getting clearance to dock.

The Galveston health agency said upon Carnival Magic’s arrival the passenger and her travel partner were allowed to disembark without restrictions.

The agency said its assessment was based on the fact that the person was confirmed to have remained asymptomatic. Also, a blood sample obtained from the woman on Oct. 18 and flown for screening by the Department of State Health Services lab tested negative for Ebola.

Carnival said the Magic is expected to depart as normal on its next scheduled cruise.

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.