By
Alex Smith |
Carnival Splendor has become the 23rd Carnival Cruise Line ship to return to sailing, after setting sail on an eight-day Alaska cruise from Seattle, Washington. The cruise line has now restarted operations onboard all its ships, making it the first large US-based cruise line to reach that milestone.
Carnival Splendor is one of three ships sailing summer itineraries to Alaska. Carnival Spirit will operate cruises to the destination from Seattle, while Carnival Miracle will cruise there from San Francisco, California. The deployment is the largest-ever programme Carnival has sailed to Alaska.
“With Carnival Splendor beginning operations today from Seattle, Carnival Cruise Line is thrilled to have our entire fleet of 23 ships back in service, providing more opportunities for our guests to enjoy our signature fun while traveling to beautiful vacation destinations,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We are especially excited to expand our Alaska programme this season with three ships bringing more than 100,000 guests – including more than 6,000 this week – from Seattle and San Francisco to awe-inspiring Alaska ports.”
Carnival Cruise Line hosted a ‘Back to Fun’ event at the Port of Seattle to officially welcome the first guests onboard. Duffy checked off Carnival Splendor from a tally board listing the 23 Carnival ships, signifying the completion of the fleet’s restart.
Beginning with Carnival Vista restarting service on 3 July 2021 from Galveston, Texas, Carnival’s full return has taken just 10 months. Carnival is now operating from 12 US homeports, including Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville and Port Canaveral in Florida, Long Beach in California, New Orleans in Louisiana, Charleston in South Carolina, and Mobile in Alabama. Additional seasonal services from Norfolk, Virginia, and New York City will start in May and June respectively.