Carnival Cruises Lines is shuffling ships again, which is good news
for agents in Texas and Southern California. In October, Carnival
will move the Ecstasy from Long Beach, Calif., to Galveston, where
it will replace the Celebration and increase capacity by 38
percent.
In turn, the 1998-built Paradise will move into the short-cruise
slot at Long Beach.
When that move is made, the Paradise will no longer be
designated as a smoke-free ship, as it has been since entering
service.
“When we analyzed our redeployment strategy, the Paradise, based
on its size and attributes, was the obvious choice to offer a
fresh, new short-cruise alternative from California,” Carnival
President Bob Dickinson said.
“And, with only one ship operating that program, we could not
limit it to non-smokers.”
The 70,000-ton, 2,052-passenger Ecstasy will start its new four-
and five-day Mexico cruises from Galveston on Oct. 23.
The four-day cruises depart on Thursday and call on Cozumel.
Five-day cruises depart Mondays and Saturdays, visiting Cozumel and
Calica/Playa del Carmen. Fares start at $349 per person for the
four-day cruise and $449 for the five-day voyages.
Dickinson said Carnival based its first ship in Galveston three
years ago.
“The addition of the Ecstasy next year, combined with the
Elation’s year-round cruises from Galveston, will result in an
estimated 300,000 ‘Fun Ship’ passengers cruising annually from that
port,” he said.
The 70,000-ton Paradise will launch its new program from Long
Beach Sept. 20. Three-day cruises depart on Friday and call at
Ensenada, Mexico, while the four-day cruises depart Monday and also
visit Catalina Island.
Fares start at $299 per person.
Both the Paradise and the Ecstasy will each operate one-time
15-day Panama Canal repositioning voyages.
On Sept. 5, the Paradise will depart Miami and conclude the
voyage in Long Beach on Sept. 20.
Ports of call include Aruba; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; and
Acapulco, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. This will be the
Paradise’s last cruise as a smoke-free ship.
The Ecstasy, meanwhile, will depart Long Beach on Sept. 17 and
arrive in Miami on Oct. 2. It will then undergo a dry-dock
renovation before entering service in Galveston on Oct. 23.
The two Panama Canal
cruises are priced from $1,099 per person, double.
