Building on its distinction as the Caribbean cruise leader, Carnival Cruise Line will reposition the 102,000-ton Carnival Victory on the line’s popular five-port, seven-day southern Caribbean cruise schedule from San Juan beginning in November 2016.
Carnival Victory offers a wide range of on-board amenities and features, including more than 500 balcony staterooms that are perfect for watching the breathtaking Caribbean scenery. Carnival Victory will carry an estimated 150,000 guests from San Juan on an annual basis.
In addition, Carnival announced new ships in two key homeports with Carnival Ecstasy shifting to Charleston, S. C. and Carnival Fantasy to Miami in February 2016, providing exciting new “Fun Ship” cruise options in those markets.
“Our popular southern Caribbean cruises from San Juan offer our guests the opportunity to visit five different tropical destinations during their week-long vacation and each of these fantastic ports feature not only spectacular beaches but also a wide variety of sightseeing opportunities and attractions,” said Christine Duffy, Carnival’s president. “At the same time, we’re excited to provide two terrific ‘Fun Ship’ vacation choices with Carnival Ecstasy sailing from Charleston and Carnival Fantasy from Miami,” she added.
Carnival Victory to Offer Seven-Day Cruises From San Juan
Carnival Victory will reposition to San Juan to offer a week-long southern Caribbean cruise schedule beginning Nov. 6, 2016. The itinerary features day-long calls at five magnificent destinations: St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St. Maarten.
In addition to featuring some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, these destinations offer a wide range of unforgettable landside experiences, from shopping for duty-free bargains in St. Thomas and exploring the majestic volcanic mountains called the Pitons in St. Lucia to visiting centuries-old historic structures in Barbados, soaking up the distinctive Dutch/French atmosphere of St. Maarten and traversing St. Kitts’ lush, mountainous landscape.
On board Carnival Victory, guests can enjoy the ship’s array of amenities, including a luxurious 14,500-square foot spa, four swimming pools – one with a 214-foot-long water slide – along with myriad dining, entertainment and nightlife options, all enjoyed amidst stunning interiors that pay homage to legendary bodies of water.
Carnival Ecstasy to Operate Four - to Seven-Day Cruises From Charleston
Beginning Feb. 6, 2016, Carnival Ecstasy will launch year-round four - to seven-day departures from Charleston, S. C. providing an array of itinerary and cruise duration choices from this popular homeport. On its new schedule, four-day cruises will sail to Nassau and five-day cruises will visit Nassau and Freeport or the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay. Two different seven-day options will be available featuring either Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau or Amber Cove (Dominican Republic), Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay. There will also be three special six-day cruises departing May 23 and Oct. 2 and 30, 2016, and visiting Freeport, Nassau and Half Moon Cay.
Carnival Ecstasy offers a wide range of on-board features, including a WaterWorks aqua park featuring a 300-foot-long water slide, a Serenity adults-only retreat and a tropical-themed resort style pool, along with more than 150 staterooms and suites featuring private balconies.
Carnival Fantasy to Sail Three - and Four-Day Cruises From Miami
Carnival Fantasy, currently based in Charleston, will shift to Miami to operate the line’s popular three - and four-day cruise schedule beginning Feb.22, 2016. On this route, three-day weekend cruises depart Fridays and overnight in Nassau, while four-day voyages depart Mondays and feature Key West and Cozumel. Prior to the start-up of three - and four-day service from Miami, Carnival Fantasy will offer a special five-day cruise to Amber Cove and Grand Turk departing Feb. 17, 2016. Carnival Fascination will assume this route from the Carnival Fantasy beginning Nov. 7, 2016. Details on the Carnival Fantasy’s future deployment will be provided at a later date.
Value-Packed Repositioning Cruises on Carnival Victory and Carnival Fascination
In preparation for their new homeport deployments, Carnival Fascination and Carnival Victory will offer exciting seven - and eight-day Caribbean cruises, respectively, departing in October 2016 and visiting some of the region’s most sought-after destinations.
Carnival Victory will operate a special seven-day cruise departing Port Canaveral, Fla. Oct. 30, 2016, and arriving in San Juan Nov. 6, 2016. Featured ports on this itinerary include St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Antigua and St. Maarten.
Carnival Fascination will offer a one-time eight-day cruise from San Juan to Miami Oct. 30 – Nov. 7, 2016, featuring extended calls at St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Kitts, St. Maarten and Grand Turk.
Breaking News and Legal Commentary Regarding Cruise Ship Passengers & Crew Members Around the World
Carnival Liberty Suffers Power Loss
Posted on November 1, 2016 by Jim Walker
The Carnival Liberty cruise ship experienced unspecified "technical problems" which affected its propulsion and delayed its return to and departure from Galveston yesterday. The problem is substantially slowing the cruise ship.
The Liberty should have arrived early yesterday morning to Galveston, however Carnival stated that there was a technical problem that slowed the ship and needed to be fixed. The repairs were expected to delay the ship's departure.
Carnival is still sailing to Cozumel but has canceled the cruise to Progeso, Mexico.
Local newspapers reported that passengers will get a $50 credit on their shipboard account, a 25 percent discount on a future five-day cruise, and a $25 per person credit to help pay for meals on Monday given the late departure time.
This problems come after a weekend where two two Carnival owned cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises, the Grand Princess and the Emerald Princess. experienced temporary power outages.
November 1, 2016 Update : AIS shows the Carnival Liberty still in port in Galveston. Carnival reportedly canceled the cruise as of this morning.
Carnival sent this statement this morning:
LIBERTY TECH ISSUE
NOVEMBER 1 – 9:40 am EDT
"The cruise ship Carnival Liberty, which is homeported in Galveston, Texas, is experiencing a technical issue which is affecting the ship’s maximum cruising speed. The issue is only affecting the ship’s speed and all other systems are operating normally. The ship arrived in Galveston yesterday and since then we have been working with outside technical experts which we brought on to help us confirm our repair plan.
Guests had boarded the vessel yesterday in anticipation of sailing, however, outside technical experts, together with the ship’s technical team, conducted a deeper inspection of one of the diesel generators overnight and uncovered an additional problem not previously known. It has now been determined that one of the alternators cannot be readily fixed. This means the ship will not be able to maintain the sufficient speed needed to operate the itinerary as planned and unfortunately we must cancel today’s cruise.
Guests scheduled to sail on this voyage will receive a full refund of their cruise, along with a 100 percent future cruise credit and $90 per person reimbursement representing a previously promised onboard credit and stipend for meals in Galveston yesterday.
While repairs are ongoing, the itinerary for the ship’s next two voyages will be modified, as well. The Nov. 5 five-day cruise will include a full day call in Cozumel, however, the call in Progreso will be cancelled. The Nov. 10 four-day cruise will include a call in Progreso instead of Cozumel. Guests sailing on these voyages will receive a $50 per person credit to their shipboard accounts and a 25 percent discount on a future Carnival cruise. Guests also have the option of cancelling and receiving a full refund. Voyages departing Nov. 14 and beyond are scheduled to operate their normal itinerary.
We sincerely apologize to our guests for this disruption in their vacation plans."