Carnival Redeploys Elation and Ecstasy

Carnival Elation

Carnival Cruises Redeploys Carnival Elation 

& Carnival Ecstasy

In a surprise move, Carnival Cruise Lines announced that they are pulling out of Mobile, Alabama in October, 2010.   Carnival Elation has been operating four-, five- and seven-night cruises out of Mobile, and is the only cruise vessel sailing out of the city.

According to the Mobile Press-Register, the news shocked local officials and cruise industry insiders, and leaves the city of Mobile with no direct revenue to pay the millions in debt remaining on the seven-year-old cruise terminal. 

Elation Moving to New Orleans

Carnival Elation will reposition from Mobile, Ala., to New Orleans to operate year-round four- and five-day western Caribbean cruises beginning November 5, 2011. On this route, four-day cruises will depart Thursdays and visit Cozumel, one of the Caribbean’s most popular ports, while five-day voyages will call at both Cozumel and Progreso.

Carnival Elation will join the Carnival Conquest in New Orleans, marking the first time Carnival has operated two ships from New Orleans in six years.  Carnival will be the only cruise line with two ships based year-round in New Orleans, carrying more than 350,000 passengers annually. 
     

Carnival Ecstasy Moving to Port Canaveral

The second part of the double repositioning is the move of the Carnival Ecstasy, which was to have sailed from New Orleans this coming season, to Port Canaveral, Florida.

The 2,052-passenger Carnival Ecstasy will operate four- and five-day Bahamas cruises from the Space Coast beginning November 7, 2011.  The move further bolsters Carnival’s position as Port Canaveral’s largest cruise operator with three year-round ships carrying approximately 600,000 guests annually.

Carnival Ecstasy will depart Thursdays on four-day ‘long weekend’ cruises visiting Nassau and Half Moon Cay or Freeport. Five-day cruises will depart Mondays and Saturdays and call at Nassau, Freeport and Half Moon Cay or Key West.

Prior to repositioning to Port Canaveral, the Carnival Ecstasy will continue to operate from Galveston, Texas through September 8, 2011 and then from New Orleans September 22 through November 5, 2011, as previously scheduled.     


Guests with Current Reservations
As a result of these deployment changes, Carnival will no longer offer cruises from Mobile, Ala.  Guests booked on those voyages will have the option of re-booking from an alternate homeport and receive a $25 per person onboard credit, or they can elect to receive a full refund.

Guests booked on cruises from New Orleans on the Carnival Ecstasy that will now be operated on the Carnival Elation are being automatically shifted to the Carnival Elation.  Itineraries on the Carnival Elation will be identical to those that were scheduled for the Carnival Ecstasy.  The two vessels are sister ships with largely similar features, amenities and staterooms. (Those guests who were booked in standard balcony staterooms on the Carnival Ecstasy – a cabin category not featured on the Carnival Elation – will be contacted individually to discuss their preferences.) The movement of bookings from Carnival Ecstasy to Carnival Elation will be completed by Friday, March 11, 2011 at which time new bookings can be made.

NCL Caribbean Deployment 2012/2013

Norwegian Epic

Norwegian Dawn

Norwegian Epic

Norwegian Jewel

Norwegian Star

  Norwegian Sun

Caribbean Deployment

2012 / 2013

Miami, New Orleans, Tampa

Five Norwegian Cruise Line Ships will be deployed to the Caribbean in the 2012/2013  season.

Out of Miami, you can chose from Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Jewel, and Norwegian Sun.  The Sun will sail 10 and 11 day Southern Caribbean itineraries while the Epic and Jewel will sail alternating 7-day Eastern and Western Caribbean itinerarires.

• Saturdays from November 3, 2012 to April 13, 2013 (Norwegian Epic)
• The Eastern Caribbean cruises call on Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands with an optional tour to St. John; and Nassau, Bahamas. 
• The Western Caribbean cruises stop in Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; and Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras. 

• Sundays from October 14, 2012 to April 14, 2013 (Norwegian Jewel)
• The Eastern Caribbean cruises call on Samaná, Dominican Republic; St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands with an optional tour to St. John; Tortola, British Virgin Islands with an optional tour to Virgin Gorda; and Nassau, Bahamas. 
• The Western Caribbean cruises visit Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian's private island in the Bahamas; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico. 

• October 14, 2012 to April 10, 2013 (Norwegian Sun)
• The 10-day cruise calls on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands with an optional tour to St. John; Roseau, Dominica; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; and Philipsburg, St. Maarten.  
• The 11-day cruise calls on Cartagena, Colombia; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curaçao; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands with an optional tour to St. John.
• One seven-day Western Caribbean cruise from Orlando and the Beaches (Port Canaveral) on April 14, 2012 with stops in Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian's private island in the Bahamas.   

Out of Tampa, the Norwegian Dawn replaces Norwegian Star sailing 23 seven day Western Caribbean itineraries

• Sundays from November 11, 2012 to April 14, 2013 (Norwegian Dawn)
• The 7-day cruises call on Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico. 

Out of New Orleans, the Norwegian Star will sail seven day Western Caribbean itineraries

• Sundays during Winter and Spring (Norwegian Star)
• The 7-day cruises call on Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; and Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras. 

Completing the Deployment

Limited Time Offer (click)

Norwegian will also offer 11 repositioning cruises ranging from a four-day Pacific Coastal to a 17-day Panama Canal from April 15 to October 26, 2012 departing from Miami, Tampa, New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Quebec. For the first time, the cruise line will offer a 16-day Colonial America cruise on Norwegian Dawn sailing from Quebec City, Quebec to Tampa, Florida on October 26, 2012 calling on Portland, Maine; Boston, Massachusetts; New York, New York; Baltimore, Maryland; Norfolk, Virginia; Charleston, South Carolina; Miami and Key West, Florida.

In addition, two-day Quick Getaways will be offered from Miami on board Norwegian Jewel on October 12, 2012 and from New York on board Norwegian Gem on September 28, 2012

Search (here) for Norwegian Cruise Line Itineraries

Why Not Panama Canal 2010

We've talked about Transtatlantic cruises which typically sail in the Spring from Florida to Europe and in the Fall from Europe to New York, Florida, or San Juan. These are known as repositioning cruises because the ship is changing its base of operations from one area of the globe to another.

These not the only repositioning cruises available throughout the year. Royal Caribbean International has just announced its 2010 15-Night Eastbound Panama Canal cruise for Fall 2010. It will be on Radiance of the Seas, September 24, 2010, and stop at the following ports:

San Diego, California • Cabo San Lucas, Mexico • Acapulco, Mexico • Huatulco, Mexico • Puntarenas, Costa Rica • Panama Canal (Cruising) • Cristobal Pier, Panama • Cartagena, Colombia • George Town, Grand Cayman • Tampa, Florida

As you can see, this particular sailing is a full transit of the Panama Canal. The cruise is sailing Eastbound from San Diego to Tampa, Florida. Typically you'll see the reverse itinerary in the Spring. In 2010, Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas has a March 11th sailing doing that itinerary.

Sailing through the Panama Canal is an experience that you will never forget. It is amazing to see the canal in operation. See my previous blog posting, Cruising the Panama Canal, for an account of one of our Panama Canal cruises.

As you plan your 2010-2011 cruise vacations, why not consider Panama Canal. The Radiance of the Seas is only one example of the cruises you can do. If 15 nights is too long for you, there are other possibilities which include a partial transit of the Panama Canal. Let me help you plan your visit to the Panama Canal. It is one of my favorite cruises, so I'd love to share more information with you.

Move That Ship

When you read the title, many of you immediately thought about a similar phrase "Move That Bus" from the popular television show, Extreme Makeover Home Edition. When the bus moves, a brand new home is revealed to the family. In our case, when the cruise line says "Move That Ship" a fabulous opportunity is revealed. This is an opportunity for you to experience Europe and then return to the United States (assuming Fall 2008) or cruise to Europe from a U.S. port (Spring / Summer 2009). For simplicity, I'll limit our discussion to these two possibilities, although there are others.

Have you ever wondered how a cruise ship can be sailing in Europe one month and in the Caribbean a month later? If you look closely at the ship's schedule, you'll find a Trans-Atlantic cruise just prior to the first Caribbean sailing. Mystery solved!

A Trans-Atlantic cruise is exactly as the name sounds. It's a cruise that originates in some European port city and ends up in a U.S. port (Fall season) or departs from a U.S. port and arrives in a European port of call (Spring/Summer). Another name for a Trans-Atlantic Cruise is a Repositioning Cruise. That is perhaps the more appropriate name since the two ends don't need to be Europe and the United States.

Typically a cruise from Europe to the U.S. has several sea days where the ship is crossing the Atlantic Ocean. These cruises are usually 11 nights and longer, with several ports combined with 6 or more sea days. On average, it takes 7 nights to cross the Atlantic Ocean by ship.

There are several advantages to purchasing a Trans-Atlantic cruise. The cruise is often cheaper than a similar European cruise. There are many reasons why this is true. For example the cabin supply exceeds demand since it is typically harder for people to leave home for that length of time. The cruise line wants to sail with a full ship to cover their costs. For those that dread long flights, this eliminates one long flight from your trip. The cost might even be cheaper for the airfare than a comparable European cruise.

Why not experience Europe and then relax on your way back home? There is no better way to do so then laying out by the pool as the ship sails across the Atlantic. I'd suggest flying to Europe a day or two early to do some sight-seeing and to get used to the time zone change. If going from the states to Europe, I'd also suggest extending your time in your destination port if possible to maximize your flight investment.

In future posts, I'll tell you about a couple of our Trans-Atlantic cruises. That will have to wait however, since I want to give you some other ideas Beyond the Caribbean.