Tag Archives: Texas

Royal’s Liberty of the Seas to undergo revamp

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Royal Caribbean International’s Liberty of the Seas is set to undergo a major revamp.

The 3,634-passenger ship, which is sailing from Galveston, Texas, will go into dry dock for a month in February next year. During the transformation the ship will be given new water slides and new dining options.

The collection of water slides will include Tidal Wave, the first boomerang style slide at sea which features a steep drop that propels guests up a near-vertical wall where they’ll feel weightless and be sent into free fall.

The ship also features two new racer slides – Cyclone and Typhoon. The slides will be at the back of the ship, close to the Flowrider surf simulator that was initially introduced on the Freedom class ships.

A Splashaway Bay adult-free water park is also being added to the ship during the stint in dry dock.

New dining options on the ship will include Mexican restaurant Sabor and Italian venue Giovanni’s Table. A new cocktail bar, R Bar, is also being added.

A new cabin option will also be introduced on the ship with 26 panoramic ocean view staterooms, featuring floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

Liberty of the Seas will sail on seven-night Western Caribbean itineraries every Sunday from Galveston from November.

Carnival Breeze and Liberty will sail from Galveston

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To make way for the new Carnival Vista when it is deployed in Miami in November 2016, Carnival Cruise Line will shift the Carnival Breeze to Galveston, Texas.

Also, Carnival will position the Carnival Liberty in Galveston in 2016. It has just repositioned Carnival Freedom to Galveston, where it is aggressively courting new business.

“Miami and Galveston are among our most popular points of embarkation, and deploying our newest, most innovative ships to these home ports speaks volumes about our confidence in growing these markets,” said Christine Duffy, Carnival’s president.

The Carnival Triumph and Magic, currently sailing from Galveston, will be redeployed with details to be announced at a later date.

Prior to the start-up of year-round service from Miami, Carnival Vista will operate a pair of voyages round trip from New York, beginning with a three-day cruise Nov. 4-7, 2016, followed by an 11-day voyage departing Nov. 7 and visiting Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, Antigua and St. Maarten.

Carnival Vista will then offer an 11-day transit cruise from New York to Miami from Nov. 18-29, with calls at Grand Turk, Bonaire, Aruba and St. Maarten.

Its first cruise from Miami will be a four-day cruise to Grand Turk, departing Nov. 29. Thereafter it will do alternating six- and eight-day Caribbean itineraries, mixed with a few one-time, one-off voyages, Carnival said.

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.