Ships On The Move
Posted Thu, Sep 17th 2009, 19:18
In an announcement today, Carnival Cruise Line has revealed that the line's CARNIVAL FANTASY will have another new homeport. Earlier this year the decision was wade to move the ship from her present homeport of New Orleans to one in Mobile Alabama. The line's oldest ship, the 1985 built HOLIDAY will leave the Carnival fleet in November and will be transferred to a European subsidiary. Carnival began service to the Mobile market in 2004.
CARNIVAL FANTASY will only be in Mobile for approximately six months before she moves to Charleston SC. The ship will operate five-, six- and seven-day voyages to The Bahamas and Key West, Fla., from the Passenger Terminal in historic downtown Charleston beginning May 18, 2010.
On the new Charleston-based cruises, Carnival is expected to carry more than 140,000 passengers annually from the port. Including Charleston, Carnival Cruise Lines will operate from 20 North American homeports in 2010, with 12 year-round departure points – the most in cruising. The 70,000 ton ship will be the first to operate year-round cruises from this historical city.
Five-day voyages departing Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays will call at Nassau and Freeport, The Bahamas. Six-day voyages departing Saturdays will visit Freeport, Nassau and Key West, Fla. Seven-day voyages depart Saturdays and will feature Grand Turk, the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay, and Nassau.
Replacing CARNIVAL FANTASY in New Orleans will be her sister ship CARNIVAL ELATION which will reposition from San Diego to launch year-round service from that port May 15, 2010. In addition to four- and five-day cruises from Mobile, Carnival Elation will operate a series of seven-day Western Caribbean voyages in spring, summer and fall 2010.
Prior to the start-up of its new Mobile-based program, Carnival Elation will sail on a 15-day Panama Canal cruise departing from San Diego April 30. Guests will have the option of debarking the vessel in Tampa on May 14 or in Mobile on May 15. Featured ports will include Cabo San Lucas and Acapulco, Mexico; and Puntarenas, Costa Rica; followed by a Panama Canal transit; and visits to Cartagena, Colombia; and George Town, Grand Cayman.
