By
Rebecca Gibson |
Carnival Cruise Lines is to become the first cruise operator to deploy three year-round ships at the US port of Galveston when Carnival Freedom arrives in Texas next February.
Joining Carnival Magic and Carnival Triumph at the port, Carnival Freedom will increase the line’s capacity in Galveston by 38%, enabling it to carry more than 600,000 guests a year from the port. Together, these three ships will operate nearly 200 four- to seven-day voyages to various Caribbean and Mexican destinations annually from Galveston.
“We are thrilled to have an additional member of the Carnival fleet, Carnival Freedom, call the Port of Galveston her new home,” said Michael Mierzwa, Galveston’s port director. “For the past 14 years, the port and Carnival have enjoyed a wonderful partnership. Not only does homeporting these three ships represent the largest-ever capacity commitment by a cruise line to Texas, it also reinforces the partnership that we have fostered with Carnival through the years.”
Prior to arriving in Galveston on 14 February, Carnival Freedom will provide a 12-day cruise departing Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to call at St Kitts, St Lucia; Curacao, Aruba and Grand Cayman. Carnival Conquest, currently based in Miami, will replace Carnival Freedom to offer year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean sailings from Fort Lauderdale on 18 January 2015.
Signalling the start of her 2015 season, Carnival Freedom will sail a special six-day Caribbean cruise to Costa Maya, Mexico; Belize; and Cozumel. From 21 February, the ship will then offer three different seven-day itineraries, including a series of Western Caribbean voyages to Cozumel, Belize and Mahogany Bay, Roatan. A second itinerary will enable passengers to visit Montego Bay, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel. The ship will also sail Eastern Caribbean departures calling at Key West, Florida and Freeport and Nassau, The Bahamas.
From 24 October to 21 November 2015 and 16 January to 14 February 2016, Carnival Freedom will also offer a series of four-day cruises to Cozumel and five-day trips to Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico.
Carnival Freedom is currently undergoing an extensive, multi-million dollar refurbishment at the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, The Bahamas, as part of the line’s Fun 2.0 product enhancement initiative. Following the refit, Carnival Freedom will feature various new dining an entertainment areas including Guy’s Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, EA Sports Bar, Alchemy Bar, Dr. Seuss Bookville, The Warehouse family entertainment centre, and more. The ship is due to leave drydock on 3 May, while all final refit and installation work is expected to be completed by the time she resumes service at the end of May.
“Galveston is already one of our most popular embarkation ports and with Carnival Freedom we’re not only dramatically expanding capacity in the market but also providing consumers with yet another exciting opportunity to experience our spectacular Fun Ship 2.0 innovations on a Texas-based ship,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO. “In partnership with the Port of Galveston and the local community we have been able to increase our passenger counts five-fold since we first launched service from Galveston in 2000.”