Carnival Sets 4 Ships for Galveston in 2021

Carnival Breeze

(PRESS RELEASE)_MIAMI (October 15, 2019) – Everything is bigger in Texas – including Carnival Cruise Line – which announced today that it will have four ships homeported in Galveston, year-round, beginning in 2021.

Building on its position as the World's Most Popular Cruise Line® and the number one cruise line from Texas, Carnival Cruise Line said that Carnival Radiance will join the Galveston-based fleet in May 2021. In addition, Carnival Breeze will return to Galveston from Port Canaveral, becoming the newest and largest ship to operate a short cruise program from Galveston.  Carnival Dream will shift to six- and eight-day Caribbean voyages while Carnival Vista will continue its popular week-long Caribbean cruises.   

All Galveston-based ships and itineraries opened for sale today.  With these four ships, Carnival Cruise Line will carry an estimated 900,000 guests annually from Galveston – more than any other cruise operator – on 235 five- to 14-day sailings a year, providing an unprecedented variety of cruise durations, destinations and amenities from Texas.

“Carnival is already the most popular cruise line from Galveston attracting vacationers from all across the Southwest and beyond. With these enhancements, we’re providing our guests with more voyages, more destinations and more choices from Texas than ever before,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

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​“As North America’s fourth busiest cruise port, the Port of Galveston is pleased to welcome the Carnival Radiance. Since Carnival made Galveston its homeport almost 20 years ago, more than 7.5 million Carnival Cruise Line passengers have embarked from our wharves,” said Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves CEO and Port Director. “As we grow, we’ll continue to focus on delivering great service to Carnival and its passengers.”

Carnival Radiance to Galveston

Carnival Radiance will launch a new schedule of five- to 14-day voyages from the Port of Galveston beginning on May 14, 2021.  On this route:

·         Five-day cruises depart Sundays and feature the seaside Mexican ports of Cozumel and Progreso or Costa Maya.

·         Three different nine-day options departing Fridays will be offered – one calling at Cozumel, Limon (Costa Rica), and a partial Panama Canal transit or a visit to Colon (Panama), another featuring Key West, Grand Turk, the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay and Nassau, and a third stopping at Grand Cayman, Mahogany Bay (Isla Roatan), Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel.

·         Two eight-port, 14-day Carnival Journeys cruises visiting top destinations throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America and the Panama Canal will also be offered departing Oct. 24, 2021 and Jan. 16, 2022.

Carnival Radiance will undergo an extensive bow-to-stern $200 million renovation next year that will add all of the line’s food, beverage and entertainment innovations, bringing an exciting new option to the Galveston market. Its sister ship, the transformed Carnival Sunrise, debuted earlier this year and has quickly become a very popular addition to the Carnival fleet, which Carnival Radiance is sure to match.  The extensive 38-day renovation of the ship will add a host of new food and beverage outlets including Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse created by Food Network star Guy Fieri, Cucina del Capitano family-style Italian restaurant, Bonsai Sushi, and Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub, and the first Big Chicken restaurant created by Carnival’s Chief Fun Officer, Shaquille O’Neal.  All of the ship’s spaces will be transformed including the water park, youth facilities, retail shops, Cloud 9 Spa and a new Liquid Lounge home to Carnival’s dazzling, high-tech Playlist Productions shows.

            Carnival Radiance will reposition to the Port of Galveston with a 12-day Carnival Journeys Panama Cruise departing Port Canaveral May 2 and arriving in Galveston May 14, 2021.

Fun-Filled Short Cruises to Mexico aboard Carnival Breeze

            Carnival Breeze will become the newest and largest ship to operate a short cruise itinerary from Galveston when it kicks off year-round four- and five-day cruises from that port May 5, 2021.   The program includes:

·         Four-day long “weekend cruises” departing Thursdays and featuring a day-long visit to Cozumel.

·         Five-day voyages departing Mondays and Saturdays with stops at Cozumel and either Progreso or Costa Maya.  

 Longer Length Cruises from Galveston on Carnival Dream, Carnival Vista

          Carnival Dream will shift to a new six- and eight-day cruise schedule from Galveston beginning May 8, 2021. 

·         Six-day cruises visit Costa Maya, Cozumel and Belize or Mahogany Bay.

·         Eight-day cruises feature Key West, Freeport, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. 

·         Carnival Freedom, which currently operates this itinerary, will be deployed to another homeport to be announced shortly.

​Carnival Vista will also continue its popular week-long cruise program from Galveston with two different three-port, seven-day western Caribbean options, with stops at:

·         Mahogany Bay, Belize and Cozumel;

·         Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Ocho Rios or Montego Bay.