Carnival Glory launched Carnival Cruise Lines’ first extended schedule from Boston with a special Canada/New England cruise that departed earlier today from Cruiseport Boston’s recently upgraded Black Falcon Cruise Terminal – the first of 12 voyages from Beantown this summer.

Beginning Sunday, June 10, Carnival Glory will operate a series of four- and five-day cruises from Boston to the Canadian Maritimes. Four-day “long weekend” cruises depart Thursdays to Saint John, New Brunswick, and five-day voyages depart Mondays and Saturdays to Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Saint John.  Carnival is the only cruise line offering short cruises from Boston and Carnival Glory will offer a similar schedule from Boston in 2013.

Saint John, featured on four-day cruises, is a nature lover’s paradise highlighted by such landmarks as the Bay of Fundy, with its backdrop of rugged rock formations, and Reversing Falls, where the highest tides in the world intersect with the Saint John River and force it to flow backwards twice daily. Five-day cruises call at both Saint John and Halifax, Nova Scotia’s charming and historic capital offering a host of restaurants, shops, and museums. Guests can also visit Peggy’s Cove, a rustic fishing village famous for its granite coastline or observe the changing of the guard at The Citadel, a centuries-old fortress.

Equally memorable experiences are available aboard the Carnival Glory, which features a 270-square-foot Seaside Theatre poolside LED screen displaying movies, concerts and other programming, a 13,300-square foot spa, four swimming pools – one with the line’s signature Twister Waterslide – along with spacious and modern play areas for children, ’tweens and teens, and Serenity, an exclusive adults-only retreat.   A wide range of dining venues – from twin full-service dining rooms and a two-level casual poolside eatery featuring a 24-hour pizzeria to a classic American steakhouse – are available, as well.

Following its cruises from Boston, Carnival Glory will reposition to New York for a series of four- to seven-day voyages operating Aug. 1 to Oct. 6, 2012.