Carnival Cruise Line’s new Mardi Gras is shown here departing on its sea trials this morning from the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.  The vessel will spend 10 days at sea before returning to the dock for final preparations for its departure for the U.S.
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The first ship in North America to be powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Mardi Gras is scheduled to enter service from Port Canaveral, Fla., Feb. 6, 2021, operating week-long itineraries.

As we continue to refine health and safety protocols for our future return to service and await direction from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Disney Cruise Line has decided to further extend its suspension of new sailings.

Sailings are cancelled on board the Disney Fantasy through December 6; the Disney Dream and Disney Wonder through December 11; and the Disney Magic through December 12.

Guests booked on affected sailings who have paid their reservation in full will be offered the choice of a cruise credit to be used for a future sailing or a full refund. Guests who have not paid their reservations in full will automatically receive a refund of what they have paid so far. Affected Guests and travel agents will receive an email from Disney Cruise Line outlining details and next steps.
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Guests who booked their reservation through a travel agent should contact them directly with any questions. Those who booked directly with Disney Cruise Line and have questions after receiving their email should call (866) 325-6685 or (407) 566-7797.

Cruise Date Flexibility Option

Guests now have the flexibility to change their sail date up to 15 days prior to departure for any cruises booked by October 31, 2020 for sailings through May 2021. Learn more about the Cruise Date Flexibility temporary booking policy.

​MIAMI, Sept. 16, 2020 – Carnival Cruise Line today announced the sale of Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination, which had previously been put on long-term lay-up status and removed from published itineraries.

The sale of Carnival Fascination, launched in 1994, and Carnival Imagination, introduced in 1995, is in line with Carnival Corporation’s plan to accelerate the removal of less efficient ships from its fleet.  This follows the sale of Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration which took place in July.  Upon return to operations, Carnival will still operate four upgraded Fantasy-class ships – Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Sensation, Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise – which feature additional balcony staterooms as well as enhanced dining and entertainment options that are part of the line’s Fun Ship 2.0 enhancement program.

“While we are sad to see Carnival Fascination and Carnival Imagination leave our fleet, it is a necessary move as it allows us to focus on ships that offer the greatest variety of features and stateroom accommodations for our guests,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.  

Related to its ongoing ship enhancement program and the current pause in cruise operations, Carnival also advised guests and travel agents that it is delaying the return to guest operations for four ships until after scheduled dry dock enhancements are completed in the first half of 2021.
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The four impacted ships and resulting cancelled itineraries include:

• Carnival Magic itineraries operating from Miami will be cancelled until Mar. 13, 2021
• Carnival Paradise itineraries operating from Tampa will be cancelled until Mar. 19, 2021
• Carnival Valor itineraries operating from New Orleans will be cancelled until Apr. 29, 2021 (including the transatlantic cruise from New Orleans on Jan. 25, 2021 and the return from Barcelona on Feb. 26, 2021)
• Carnival Spirit itineraries operating from Brisbane will be cancelled through May 16, 2021, with the first sailing being the Singapore to Brisbane voyage embarking on June 12, 2021.

 
“This extended pause in our operations has also impacted shipyard availability, and we’ve had to reschedule required dry docks.  As we continue to work through issues related to our eventual return to operations, we are committed to providing our guests and travel agent partners with certainty where we can, although we regret disappointing our guests.  We appreciate the continued support and understanding of our guests and hope to welcome them back on board soon,” Duffy said.

MIAMI, August 21, 2020 – With the help of celebrity partners past and present, Carnival Cruise Line today announced that its next Excel-class ship arriving in 2022 to coincide with its 50th birthday celebration will be named “Carnival Celebration.”

A full roster of Carnival partners, including Kathie Lee Gifford, Guy Fieri and Shaquille O’Neal, unwrapped boxes that revealed the letters of the Celebration name, which is both a throwback to one of the popular early ships in the Carnival fleet, as well as a recognition of Carnival’s 50th birthday celebration that will take place in 2022 when the new Carnival Celebration will join the fleet.  The video announcement was made across Carnival’s social media channels and can be viewed here.

Carnival Celebration will debut from PortMiami in November 2022, and will be a sister ship to Mardi Gras, the first in the Excel series scheduled to enter service on Feb. 6, 2021 from Port Canaveral, Fla. The addition of Carnival Celebration to Miami will maintain PortMiami's position as the top embarkation port for Carnival Cruise Line.

“The name Carnival Celebration couldn’t be more perfect for a ship that will be a key component of our 50th Birthday festivities,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.  “Many thanks to our celebrity partners who helped us officially ‘unbox the fun’ and reveal the name of a ship that promises to be a spectacular addition to our fleet. Carnival Celebration is our 50th Birthday present to our guests!”
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Carnival Celebration will include many of the features that have made Mardi Gras one of the most anticipated ships in cruising, including BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea, along with some unique design features created specifically for this vessel.  

Carnival’s 50th Birthday  celebration kicks off in March 2022 – the company’s birthday month – with a series of commemorative sailings that will feature special entertainment and itineraries then continue all year long, culminating with the arrival of Carnival Celebration to Miami in November 2022.  Additional information on the March 2022 sailings is available at www.carnival.com/sailabration.
Carnival Celebration’s itineraries will be announced over the coming weeks and the ship will be opening up for sale in October.

Guests can register to be the “first to know” about the ship’s itineraries and special sale promotions at www.carnival.com/ship2022.
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For additional information on Carnival Celebration or any other of Carnival Cruise Line’s ships, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

MIAMI, Aug. 5, 2020 – Consistent with the decision announced today by the members of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) to voluntarily extend the pause in U.S. cruise embarkations until Oct. 31, 2020, Carnival Cruise Line has informed guests and travel advisors that we have cancelled all cruises scheduled to embark between Oct. 1 and Oct. 31.

          Guests are being offered an enhanced value package of a future cruise credit and onboard credit, or a full refund.

          If conditions in the U.S. change and short and modified sailings are possible, the industry may consider an earlier restart, and we would consider that as well.  In the meantime, we will continue to work with public health and government officials to finalize enhanced health and sanitation protocols and procedures that will guide our eventual return to service.

          We thank our guests for their continued patience and support as we work through these difficult decisions.  When the time is right, our terrific onboard team will be waiting to welcome our guests back to give them the great vacation they deserve.