Tag Archives: South Florida

Carnival Magic Repositions to Miami

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Carnival Magic in Palma, Majorca photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr account)

The Carnival Magic arrived in Miami today to kick off a series of cruises to the Caribbean.

Sailing from its new year-round homeport in South Florida, the 3,650-guest vessel is set to offer a series of six- to eight-night itineraries to different destinations in the region.

The first cruise of the program includes six days cruising to the Eastern Caribbean, with planned visits to Half Moon Cay, in the Bahamas; Grand Turk, in Turks and Caicos; and Amber Cove, in the Dominican Republic.

Cruises to the Western Caribbean are also part of the program, including six-night itineraries to Mexico and Belize, and seven-night cruises to Mexico and Honduras.

The Carnival Magic is also set to cruise to the Southern Caribbean from Miami, offering eight-night itineraries that feature destinations in Aruba, Curaçao, and more.

Other ports of call included in the ship’s itineraries include St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Philipsburg, in St. Maarten, Nassau, in the Bahamas, and more.

With the Carnival Magic now based in Miami as well, a total of five Carnival Cruise Line ships are sailing from the South Florida homeport on a year-round basis.

The Carnival Celebration, the Carnival Horizon, the Carnival Conquest and the Carnival Sunrise complete the company’s fleet in PortMiami.

Offering three- to eight-night cruises to the Bahamas and the Caribbean, the vessels sail to popular destinations in the region, such as Nassau, Princess Cays, George Town, La Romana, Puerto Rico and more.

A sister to the 2009-built Carnival Dream, the Carnival Magic originally entered service in 2011. Built in Italy by the Fincantieri shipyard, the vessel offers several facilities and attractions, including a large casino, a multi-level theater and an extensive array of dining venues.

The Magic also boasts innovative features, including an outdoors sports complex named Sports Square and The Lanai, a wrap-around promenade with whirlpools that extend out over the ship’s sides.

Celebrity Cruises Reveals Details on Celebrity Ascent

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Celebrity Cruises revealed details about its upcoming ship, the Celebrity Ascent, set to launch this November.

The Celebrity Ascent will be based in South Florida for the 2023-2024 Caribbean season.

The ship will offer departures from Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale from December 2023 to April 2024, exploring destinations like the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands before heading to Europe for a summer of Mediterranean cruises, according to a press release.

“I am so excited to introduce the world to Celebrity Ascent and continue the legacy of Celebrity’s Edge Series,” said Celebrity Cruises’ President Laura Hodges Bethge. “First launched in 2018, the Edge Series transformed what cruising could be and its ships like Edge, Apex and Beyond quickly became consumer favorites. Continuously striving to offer travellers a better way to enjoy travel and reach the world around them, we are so proud of what we have built and look forward to welcoming both seasoned and new cruisers alike.”

In addition to returning favourites such as the Theatre, the Rooftop Garden and the Sunset Bar, guests can look forward to new experiences including:

  • Redesigned Le Voyage by Daniel Boulud restaurant;
  • A plant-based tasting menu at Eden Restaurant;
  • Le Petit Chef dinner;
  • Bourbon offerings and tastings;
  • The Martini Bar;
  • Revitalized Main Dining Experience inspired by the culture of champagne.
  • The outdoor terrace at Blu.

The ship will also feature nightly entertainment at the Resort Deck, new production shows, a reimagined Casino floor and a redesigned art gallery. In addition, guests will have the opportunity to shop travel and home accessories at The Sunset Collection by Nate Berkus

Princess Plans for Florida Fleet: Anchorages and Princess Cays Visits

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Sky Princess

With six ships sailing from South Florida, Princess Cruises has put together a detailed plan for what to do with its ships and crew during its temporary suspension of service, according to crew aboard the ships.

The Caribbean Princess, Sky Princess, Regal Princess, Emerald Princess, Crown Princess and Island Princess are in the Caribbean sailing from South Florida and will spend the immediate future at anchorages in the Bahamas with weekly calls into Princess Cays, the brand’s private island.

A substitute port could be Port Everglades, according to a company document.

Calling it an immediate, low-cost layup proposal, the plan keeps the ships ready to return to service on short notice and defers repositioning decisions, according to a letter sent to crew aboard the ships.

The company plans to have the ships stay at Great Isaac Anchorage.

Crew disembarkation plans are pending, and the company plans to have each ship call at Princess Cays once a week, where the crew will be able to use the island.

In its letter sent to the crew, the company also notes operations at Princess Cays will include making space for operations from Carnival Cruise Line vessels.