Carnival Splendor Heads North for More Repairs

Carnival Splendor after fire in November, 2010

Carnival Splendor Sails to San Francisco for Further Repairs

Many of you have been checking back for updates on Carnival Splendor.  As we mentioned back in mid-December, the Splendor would have some repair work done in San Diego and then sail to San Francisco to have work completed at a dry dock.   That was scheduled for mid-January. 

Today marks a major milestone in the long journey back to service for the Splendor.

UPDATE FEBRUARY 2, 2011 (click following link for latest)

Carnival Splendor to Leave San Francisco and Return to Service

Carnival Splendor Sails North Today

It's hard to believe it's been two months since the Carnival Splendor was towed into San Diego following the engine room fire.   The ship will leave the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal today and sail under its own power to a dry-dock facility in San Francisco, where repairs will be completed.

Carnival Splendor has been out of service since Nov. 8, when a fire broke out in the ship’s engine room during a cruise to the Mexican Riviera. The 952-foot vessel was left without power while offshore of Ensenada. With more than 3,000 passengers aboard, Splendor was towed by tug boats into San Diego Bay on Nov. 11, led by the U.S. Coast Guard. Passengers disembarked at the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal and the ship was then moved to the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal on Nov. 18 for the industrial portion of the repairs.

“It’s really a testament of how San Diego came together, including the Port of San Diego, to assist an important customer, Carnival Cruise Lines,” said Joel Valenzuela, director of the port’s maritime operations. “It required working with all of our partners, and our customer base at the cargo terminal to coordinate shipments of goods and space allocation for imports while the Splendor was under repair.”

Carnival Splendor will be accompanied by two tugs as a safety precaution during its multi-day voyage north, according to Coast Guard officials.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Carnival Cruise Lines is still saying that  Carnival Splendor  will return to service February 20, 2011.  It operates year-round seven-day Mexican Riviera voyages from Long Beach.  Since Carnival Splendor is one of the last ships in this market, this is very important to the West Coast economy as well as tourism in the Mexican Riviera.

Related Blog Posts:

Carnival Splendor Cruise Cancellations Extended
Carnival Splendor Repair Status
Carnival Splendor Fire Investigation 
Assisting Carnival Splendor 
Carnival Splendor Without Power After Engine Fire
Carnival Splendor Cruises Cancelled until January 16