News Blog

Carnival Cruise Line took home Best Budget Cruise honors in the first-ever Fodor’s Travel Awards. Determined by Fodor’s editorial team of travel experts, the awards are intended to be more fun and inclusive than other travel awards and highlight travel standouts that have made an impact within the industry across a variety of categories. Carnival was acknowledged for its wide range of free-of-charge onboard experiences including eateries like Guy’s Burger Joint and Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse developed with longtime partner and Food Network star Guy Fieri, BlueIguana Cantina, and 24/7 pizza and ice cream; the fleetwide Seuss at Sea program operated in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises; entertainment options such as Playlist Productions shows and Punchliner Comedy Club…

A traditional maritime plaque exchange was held aboard Carnival Sunrise commemorating the ship’s inaugural call at Tortola, B.V.I., which is featured on the ship’s eight-day cruises from New York.  Captain Isidoro Renda is pictured with island officials during the ceremony held in the Carnival Sunrise’s Limelight Lounge.  Carnival Sunrise launched its inaugural season from New York last month following a $200 million dry dock that added all of the line’s popular food, beverage and entertainment options. Carnival Sunrise will operate a summer schedule of four-day Bermuda and eight-day Caribbean voyages from New York before repositioning to Fort Lauderdale for four- and five-day cruises beginning in October. 

In keeping with maritime tradition, a keel-laying ceremony was held today at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, for Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras, which is scheduled to enter service in August 2020. The ceremony, which dates back hundreds of years, was highlighted by the placement of coins on top of a 750-ton keel block called 3C signifying good luck for the ship and the official start of construction. Carnival’s Senior Vice President of Newbuilds Ben Clement as well as Mardi Gras Captain Giuseppe Giusa, Chief Engineer Ferdinando Ruocco and Hotel Director Pierre Camilleri joined Meyer Turku CEO Jan Meyer at the festivities. Mardi Gras will be a stunning expression of the Carnival vacation experience offering a variety of…

If there has ever been a time to skip taking the stairs, it’s now! Carnival Cruise Line is providing fans with a more playful mode of transportation to make their game days even more fun with a Choose Fun slide at The Battery Atlanta at SunTrust Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. The slide will be open to fans for all Braves home games through July 25 and for the Atlanta Wine Walk on June 22. Allowing guests to bypass 38 stairs, and inspired by Carnival’s Kaleid-o-slide at its sprawling WaterWorks aqua parks, the Choose Fun tunnel slide at The Battery Atlanta is bright orange with multi-color stripes and three bends. Next to the slide entrance on the pedestrian walkway,…

The totally transformed Carnival Sunrise is the first in the fleet to feature the new casual and authentic Asian venue Lucky Bowl. Located within the ship’s Lido Marketplace, the free-of-charge restaurant is part of its extensive $200 million renovation that added a variety of the line’s popular food, beverage and entertainment innovations. The new concept replaced the former Asian Mongolian wok station, expanding the offerings to include dishes from China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and other Far East cuisines. Lucky Bowl features a daily rotating menu of three bowl options with noodles (rice, cellophane, angel hair, chow mein, mung bean, lo mein) or rice, protein (chicken, beef, pork, seafood, egg) and/or vegetables, as well as other unique ingredients. Sample menu items…

Following the successful rollout of Carnival Cruise Line HUB App’s ‘Pizza Anywhere’ feature, the company has expanded this functionality to include beverage delivery. After choosing a hand-tossed pizza with their preferred toppings, guests will be asked whether they would like a beer, soda or water to accompany their meal. To place an order, guests simply tap on the ship’s map to mark their location, take a selfie to identify themselves and select their desired order. Beverage options on the app include domestic and imported beers Peroni, Miller Lite and Blue Moon; sodas including Coke, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Diet Sprite; and bottled water, and cooked-to-order pizzas including margherita, funghi, prosciutto, pepperoni and quattro formaggi. The add-on drink feature is now…

Continuing a longstanding tradition of assisting mariners in distress, Carnival Paradise came to the aid of the operator of a small boat that was sinking. While en route back to its homeport of Tampa, Carnival Paradise was alerted of a small craft in distress with one person in the water while the ship was 13 miles north of Cozumel. Carnival Paradise reversed course, lowered a rescue boat, brought the mariner onboard and provided food, water and medical treatment. Carnival Paradise personnel coordinated with Mexican authorities to transfer the mariner, a Mexican national, to a ferry boat and take him ashore. He was in good condition.  Carnival Paradise was on a four-day cruise that departed on Thursday from Tampa and returned this…

In honor of Military Appreciation Day, Carnival Cruise Line, the line that carries that most active and retired service members, is offering exclusive savings and special discounts throughout the month of May to members of the U.S. and Canadian Armed Forces. The special Military Appreciation promotion, which provides up to $50 onboard credit per stateroom, a complimentary two-category upgrade and reduced deposits from $49 per person, can be combined with Carnival’s highly attractive Early Saver rates. In addition, military members who qualify for the promotion can book up to two additional staterooms with the same bonuses and pricing. The promotion can be booked from May 22-31, 2019, and is applicable for a wide range of three- to 24-day sailings departing…

Carnival Sunshine kicks off a new year-round cruise program from the Port of Charleston on Saturday, May 18. Carnival Sunshine replaces Carnival Ecstasy which is being repositioned to Jacksonville. On its new Charleston-based route, Carnival Sunshine will operate a diverse schedule that includes four- and five-day sailings to the Bahamas, six- and seven-day voyages to Bermuda and the Caribbean, and the first-ever Cuba cruises from Charleston with a series of five-day sailings calling at Havana. There are also longer 10- and 11-day Carnival Journeys sailings that visit spectacular Caribbean islands and offer special onboard programming including local cuisine and entertainment and fun activities like a retro Throwback Sea Day. Carnival Sunshine is the newest year-round ship ever homeported in Charleston…

Building upon its position as the leader in Gulf Coast cruising, Carnival Cruise Line is expanding its short cruise offerings from the region with Carnival Dream repositioning to Galveston and Carnival Valor to New Orleans. Carnival Valor will launch four- and five-day cruises to Mexico from New Orleans May 11, with Carnival Dream offering a similar program from Galveston beginning May 13, becoming the largest Carnival ships ever to offer year-round short cruise programs from these ports. Four-day long weekend cruises depart Thursdays and visit Cozumel, while five-day voyages depart Mondays and Saturdays calling at Cozumel and Progreso. Some five-day itineraries from Galveston feature Cozumel and Costa Maya.     Each of these stunning Mexican destinations offer world-class beaches, excellent shopping and…