Destinations

The 5 finest locations you may go to on a Carnival Cruise Line ship

Some cruise traces provide voyages in each nook of the world. Others are extra targeted in the place they function.

Carnival Cruise Line, one of many world’s largest cruise manufacturers, is firmly within the second class.

Carnival is all about comparatively quick, inexpensive cruises from U.S. ports. You’ll discover at the very least one among its ships crusing out of just about each main port metropolis across the nation, but it surely’s uncommon to seek out them primarily based anyplace else.

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Catering closely to funds vacationers who attain its ships by automobile, Carnival solely hardly ever provides voyages in Europe, Asia and South America — locations which are rather more integral to the schedules of such rival traces as Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises and Holland America.

Nevertheless, Carnival is the undisputed chief in cruises out of U.S. ports to the Caribbean and Bahamas, with a variety of sailings to the areas from ports on the East Coast and alongside the Gulf of Mexico.

A few of Carnival’s East Coast-based ships additionally sail to Bermuda, New England and Canada. For Carnival ships primarily based on the West Coast, sailings to Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska are the norm.

Carnival additionally provides some Panama Canal voyages.

Associated: The last word information to Carnival Cruise Line

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The overarching concept for Carnival’s ship deployments is that a big proportion of the U.S. inhabitants can attain one of many line’s ships by automobile, saving the price of flights. For that cause, it takes a wider method to ship deployments across the U.S. than different traces.

Carnival’s greatest operations are out of PortMiami and Port Canaveral in Florida; Galveston, Texas; Lengthy Seashore, California; and New Orleans — all main cruise hubs. You’ll additionally discover Carnival ships in secondary cruise ship ports comparable to Baltimore; Charleston, South Carolina; Cell, Alabama; and Jacksonville, Florida.

For essentially the most half, Carnival ships sail comparatively quick voyages of three to eight nights.

Right here’s our tackle the 5 finest locations Carnival sails.

The Caribbean and Bahamas

Carnival’s latest and largest ship, Mardi Gras, sails within the Caribbean. CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE

Carnival is, fairly merely, the king of Caribbean and Bahamas cruises. Should you’re on the lookout for a fast, simple and — maybe most significantly — very inexpensive cruise getaway to the area, Carnival is your line.

Carnival presently has 21 of its 24 ships scheduled to sail to the Caribbean and Bahamas for at the very least a part of the approaching 12 months, together with its latest and largest ships, the 5,282-passenger Mardi Gras and sister vessel Carnival Celebration.

To place that in perspective, that’s extra ships than exist in your entire fleet of Norwegian Cruise Line, which itself is a serious participant in Caribbean cruises.

Carnival provides a broad vary of Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries from no fewer than 12 U.S. ports.

Should you’re on the lookout for one thing quick, the road has you lined within the type of fast three- to five-night journeys to the Caribbean and the Bahamas from Florida ports comparable to Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville and Port Canaveral, in addition to from Cell, Alabama; New Orleans; and Galveston, Texas.

From the Japanese ports, these itineraries usually give attention to stops within the Bahamas and Grand Turk Island. From the Gulf ports, they usually focus closely on the ports of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, together with Cozumel and Progreso.

Carnival can be large available in the market for six- to eight-night sailings to Caribbean and Bahamas ports, which break down into three broad classes:

  • Japanese Caribbean voyages.
  • Western Caribbean voyages.
  • Southern Caribbean voyages.

A typical seven-night Carnival crusing to the Japanese Caribbean consists of stops in San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; and Grand Turk within the Turks and Caicos.

Nevertheless, every of Carnival’s six- to eight-night Japanese Caribbean itineraries is slightly totally different. There are usually three and typically 4 calls on these Japanese Caribbean cruises.

Carnival’s six- to eight-night Western Caribbean voyages will usually embody three or 4 stops in some mixture of the next locations: Mexico (Cozumel and Costa Maya), Honduras, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Belize.

The road’s Southern Caribbean itineraries — usually eight nights in size — will usually convey visits to Aruba and Curaçao, in addition to a number of northerly Caribbean ports comparable to Amber Cove within the Dominican Republic.

Carnival additionally provides a handful of longer, 10- to 14-night sailings within the Caribbean, however not many.

Associated: The very best Caribbean cruises for each kind of traveler

The Mexican Riviera

The 4,008-passenger Carnival Panorama sails to Mexico out of Lengthy Seashore, California. CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES

Carnival is likely one of the leaders in cruises to the Mexican Riviera — the string of resort cities working down the west coast of Mexico.

Carnival operates cruises to the west coast of Mexico out of the California ports of Lengthy Seashore and San Francisco, with Lengthy Seashore being its most important West Coast hub.

Notably, Carnival is the one cruise line to base ships in Lengthy Seashore year-round for voyages to Mexico. One of many line’s latest vessels, the 4,008-passenger Carnival Panorama, is predicated year-round in Lengthy Seashore for seven-night Mexican Riviera voyages. The smaller, 2,764-passenger Carnival Radiance operates three- and four-night journeys out of Lengthy Seashore year-round to Mexico.

A 3rd Carnival ship, the two,124-passenger Carnival Miracle, operates four- and five-night sailings to Mexico out of Lengthy Seashore on a seasonal foundation and likewise provides some Mexican Riviera cruises out of San Francisco.

The standard seven-night Carnival voyage to the Mexican Riviera brings stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta.

Three- and four-night Carnival journeys to the west coast of Mexico usually solely characteristic a single Mexico name in Ensenada, in addition to, at instances, a cease at Catalina Island off the coast of California.

Associated: Every part you need to learn about cabins and suites on Carnival ships

Alaska

Carnival isn’t the largest participant in Alaska cruises. The giants of cruising to Alaska are Princess Cruises and Holland America, that are sister traces to Carnival that management a big proportion of the market. Nonetheless, Carnival has been sending extra vessels to Alaska lately than previously, and for 2023, it’s planning to have three ships crusing to the vacation spot.

Carnival’s fun-focused, inexpensive ships are a preferred decide with households seeking to go to Alaska in the course of the quick Alaska cruise season, which lasts roughly from Might to September.

For 2023, Carnival plans to deploy the next ships to the Alaska market:

  • Carnival Luminosa: The 14-year-old vessel will largely function seven-night voyages to Alaska spherical journey out of Seattle. A lot of the departures will characteristic calls at Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska; and Victoria, British Columbia. It’ll additionally go to the Tracy Arm fjord in Alaska for glacier viewing. A couple of sailings have a barely totally different line-up of ports.
  • Carnival Miracle: The 19-year-old vessel will largely function 10-night voyages to Alaska spherical journey out of San Francisco. It’ll name at Skagway, Juneau, Icy Strait Level in Alaska; and Victoria, British Columbia. It’ll additionally go to Tracy Arm for glacier viewing.
  • Carnival Spirit: The 12-year previous vessel will function seven-night voyages to Alaska spherical journey from Seattle. It’ll name at Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska; and Victoria, British Columbia. It’ll additionally go to Tracy Arm for glacier viewing.

In contrast to some traces comparable to Princess, Holland America and Royal Caribbean, Carnival doesn’t provide Alaska “cruise-tours” that mix an Alaska cruise with a number of days of overland touring.

Associated: Tips on how to discover the correct Alaska cruise for you

Bermuda

A Carnival ship docked in Bermuda. GENE SLOAN/THE POINTS GUY

No less than a few Carnival ships usually sail to Bermuda yearly between Might and October.

Whereas the road doesn’t provide an enormous variety of Bermuda departures, it normally operates Bermuda journeys out of at the very least three ports yearly: New York, Baltimore and Norfolk, Virginia.

A lot of the sailings are six nights in size and embody two days in Bermuda. The road additionally usually provides a number of shorter four- and five-night Bermuda sailings and, often, an extended seven-night Bermuda crusing.

Be aware that the shorter Bermuda sailings can provide little or no time within the nation, typically as little as eight hours.

This coming summer time of 2023 will convey sailings to Bermuda on three Carnival ships: the three,690-passenger Carnival Magic, the two,124-passenger Carnival Legend and the 4,208-passenger Carnival Venezia. The latter ship is a Costa Cruises vessel that Carnival will start working in the summertime of 2023. Costa is a sister line to Carnival with equally designed ships.

Associated: Does a brief cruise to Bermuda make sense?

Australia

The two,124-passenger Carnival Spirit sails in Sydney Harbor. JAMES D. MORGAN/GETTY IMAGES FOR CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES

Carnival could also be all about cruises from U.S. ports. Nevertheless, not all its vessels at all times are primarily based in North America.

In what might sound an uncommon diversion for a line recognized for brief, easy-to-reach, inexpensive voyages for Individuals, Carnival, lately, has deployed two of its vessels to Australia to function journeys from Sydney and Brisbane.

The 2 ships — most not too long ago the two,124-passenger Carnival Spirit and three,012-passenger Carnival Splendor — usually function a mixture of three- to 10-night sailings alongside the Australian coast and to New Zealand.

For the approaching 12 months, the road additionally may have the two,260-passenger Carnival Luminosa primarily based in Australia. The vessel is a former Costa Cruises ship that simply joined the Carnival fleet.

Carnival’s Australia journeys, notably, aren’t actually geared toward Individuals. They’re geared toward Australians. A couple of years in the past, Carnival found that Australians love the type of fun-focused, inexpensive cruises it provides simply as a lot as Individuals, and it got down to construct a enterprise in Australia catering to them.

That doesn’t imply an American can’t ebook one of many journeys.

The standard Carnival cruise alongside the coast of Australia consists of stops at Airlie Seashore, Cairns and Willis Island. Some longer Australia voyages add in stops at Port Douglas or Moreton Island.

Shorter Australia voyages would possibly embody a cease at simply one of many above locations and even no stops in any respect — a so-called “cruise to nowhere.”

Associated: The last word information to Carnival’s VIFP loyalty program

Backside line

Carnival focuses closely on cruises in North America.

Should you’re on the lookout for a voyage to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda or the west coast of Mexico, you’ll discover an unparalleled array of decisions from Carnival.

If a cruise trip in Europe, Asia or South America is what you’re after, you most likely ought to give attention to one other line.

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