The blog of Carnival Senior Cruise Director John Heald – which has attracted 3.6 million visits since being launched two years ago – has been named “Best Cruise Line Blog” in Porthole Magazine’s 2009 Editor-In-Chief Awards. In his popular blog, Heald provides readers with a unique behind-the-scenes look at “Fun Ship” cruising while sharing his humorous and insightful observations on a wide range of topics.

The blog has even spawned the “John Heald Bloggers Cruise,” which provides readers an opportunity to sail with Heald and fellow blog enthusiasts and participate in a variety of exclusive events and activities.  The next Bloggers Cruise takes place aboard a five-day voyage of Carnival Fantasy departing Feb. 7 from New Orleans.  Two Bloggers Cruises are also scheduled for the new Carnival Dream – an eight-day voyage departing New York Nov. 15 and a nine-day cruise departing Port Canaveral, Fla., Dec. 3.

Two Carnival Corporation & plc port projects also received awards.  The Puerta Maya Cruise Center, which reopened in October after being destroyed by Hurricane Wilma in 2005, was named “Best Comeback Port” and the Grand Turk Cruise Center, whose features include the Caribbean’s largest Margaritaville restaurant, the FlowRider wave-riding experience, and an 800-foot-long beach, earned “Best Cruise Center” honors.

           The newly rebuilt pier at the Puerta Maya Cruise Center in Cozumel, Mexico – closed since being damaged by Hurricane Wilma in 2005 – welcomed its first ships today when the 2,052-passenger Carnival Ecstasy and 2,056-passenger Carnival Fantasy docked at the facility this morning.

            The $50 million cruise center, built and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc, features a new two-berth pier designed to withstand a threshold category 5 hurricane. The pier can accommodate any vessel among Carnival Corporation & plc’s various brands.   Puerta Maya Cruise Center also includes a variety of shopping and dining opportunities, as well as a transportation hub, and a new shore excursion pier. A pharmacy, convenience store and international phone center are also available.

            Today’s calls by the Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Ecstasy are the first of 550 cruise ship visits scheduled for Puerta Maya over the next year. 

            Additionally, vessels from Carnival Corporation & plc brands will continue to utilize the other two piers in Cozumel. Collectively, these ships will bring an estimated 1.5 million visitors annually to Cozumel, who are expected to spend $126 million on the island each year.

           Carnival Cruise Lines’ 2,052-passenger Carnival Ecstasy and 2,056-passenger Carnival Fantasy will be the first cruise ships to call at the newly rebuilt Puerta Maya Cruise Center in Cozumel, Mexico, when it re-opens on Thursday, Oct. 16 – nearly three years to the day after being severely damaged by Hurricane Wilma.

            Carnival Ecstasy and Carnival Fantasy visit Cozumel as part of the vessels’ year-round four- and five-day Western Caribbean cruise programs.  

            Operated by Carnival Cruise Lines’ parent company, Carnival Corporation & plc, Puerta Maya’s expansive cruise center houses 42 different retail outlets offering apparel, fine jewelry, artwork and other merchandise from a number of recognizable retailers, as well as a wide variety of dining options.

            There is also a newly constructed shore excursion pier, separate from the main pier, which allows for quick and convenient access to all water-bound excursions, as well as water-based transportation to and from the facility.

            The calls by the Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Ecstasy will be the first of 550 cruise-ship visits at Puerta Maya over the next year.  Collectively, these ships will bring an estimated 1.5 million visitors annually to Cozumel, who are expected to spend $126 million on the island each year.