Carnival Restarts Homeport Operations in New York City

The Carnival Magic arrived in New York City on Thursday, marking the return of yet another homeport for the Carnival Cruise Line.

The vessel is now set to offer a series of four- to nine-night cruises to Bermuda, Canada and the Caribbean departing from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

For its first sailing from the city since 2019, the Magic is operating a four-night itinerary to Bermuda.

In addition to two and a half days at sea, the cruise includes an eight-hour stop in King’s Wharf.

Running through late September, the New York program also features different week-long itineraries to the Caribbean visiting Grand Turk, the Bahamas, San Juan, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and more.

In September, the ship is offering two sailings to Canada as well. Sailing seven-night itineraries, the cruises feature calls in Saint John, Sydney and Halifax.

A Dream-class vessel, the Carnival Magic debuted in 2011 and offers a host of facilities and services.

In addition to traditional features such as a casino and a theatre, the vessel has the SportsSquare, an expansive sports complex with a ropes course and an outdoor fitness area, and The Lanai, a wrap-around promenade with whirlpools that extend out over the ship’s sides.

The vessel also offers an indoor/outdoor café and live entertainment venue called Ocean Plaza, as well as Carnival WaterWorks aqua park and a Serenity adults-only retreat.

Other attractions include the RedFrog Pub, a Caribbean-inspired watering hole with its own private label beer, and Cucina del Capitano, an Italian family-style restaurant that brings the heritage of Carnival’s captains to the table.

After first welcoming guests back in July 2021, Carnival Cruise Line completed its restart plans last month.

On May 2, the Carnival Splendor became the last vessel to resume service for the brand, marking the return of its entire 23-ship fleet.

With the return to New York City, Carnival has also resumed revenue operations from 14 homeports.  

Carnival’s Cuba ship getting upgrade

T0226CarnivalParadiseHavana_HRThe Carnival Paradise in Havana.The Carnival Paradise, a ship that sails Cuba cruises from Tampa, is undergoing an extensive month-long refurbishment in Freeport, Bahamas.

When the 20-year-old ship returns to service on March 26, it will have a water park, 38 new cabins, 98 balconies added to existing staterooms, and new bars and restaurants.

Among the new accommodations are two Grand Vista suites with floor-to-ceiling windows, 22 junior suites, two oceanview cabins and 12 interior accommodations. All staterooms will have new island-inspired interiors with bright colours.

The new dining and drinking options are establishments that are on many other Carnival ships:

The complimentary Guy’s Burger Joint and BlueIguana Cantina, and the RedFrog Rum Bar and BlueIguana Tequila Bar.

The BlueIguana Cantina is a complimentary restaurant on the pool deck.
The BlueIguana Cantina is a complimentary restaurant on the pool deck.

The WaterWorks Aqua Park on the Verandah Deck features the enclosed 300-foot-long Twister water slide, two 82-foot-long racing slides, and a splash zone for kids.

A nine-hole miniature golf course has been relocated to Deck 14.

The Camp Ocean play area for kids ages 2-11 showcases the wonders of the sea and offers ocean-themed activities, including arts and crafts and science-oriented programming.

The Carnival Paradise’s retail shops are being redesigned and will include Pandora and Guess.  The Cherry on Top sweets shop is also being added. The printed photo gallery is being replaced with a digital Pixels-branded platform that allows guests to identify and purchase images via their smartphones or at a nearby kiosk.

The Carnival Paradise’s schedule includes four-day cruises to Cozumel and five-day cruises to Cozumel or Roatan, Grand Cayman or Key West. The ship also sails to Cuba with four-day cruises visiting Havana, five-day cruises calling at Havana and Cozumel or Key West, and eight-day voyages to Havana, Key West and Grand Cayman.

Carnival Legend to cross Panama Canal and visit Tahiti

Carnival Legend to cross Panama Canal and visit Tahiti

By Jerry Limone
Prior to its deployment to Australia in fall 2014, the Carnival Legend will operate two repositioning cruises: a 13-day Panama Canal cruise and a 23-day transpacific voyage.

Prior to these cruises, the Carnival Legend will undergo a multimillion-dollar renovation in which Carnival will add features of its Fun Ship 2.0 program, including the WaterWorks aqua park, RedFrog Pub and Cherry On Top candy store.

The 13-day Panama Canal cruise will depart Tampa on Aug. 17, 2014, and arrive in Long Beach, Calif., on Aug. 30.

The Legend will visit Grand Cayman and Cartagena, Colombia, prior to the Panama Canal transit. That will be followed by daylong calls to Puntarenas, Costa Rica, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The Legend’s transpacific voyage departs from Long Beach on Aug. 30 and arrives in Sydney on Sept. 22. The voyage will feature visits to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Tahiti, Bora Bora and Moorea, French Polynesia; Suva, Fiji Islands; and Noumea, New Caledonia.

The two voyages can be combined to create a 36-day cruise.