Cruise giant Carnival to bring back two-thirds of its fleet by October
Carnival Cruise Line soon will have 15 of its 24 ships back in operation.
The world's second-largest cruise brand on Monday announced plans to restart departures with three more vessels in September out of New Orleans, Baltimore and Galveston, Texas, respectively.
The line also said it would add an additional four more ships on top of that back into operation in October out of Miami (two vessels); Port Canaveral, Florida; and Mobile, Alabama.
The seven ships coming back into service in September and October are in addition to eight Carnival vessels that already either have restarted departures or will do so in the next few weeks.
With the addition of the seven vessels, Carnival will have the majority of its fleet in operation for the first time since early 2020.
Like all major cruise lines around the world, Carnival shut down departures worldwide in March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it didn't operate a single voyage with paying passengers until earlier this month.
Carnival's 3,954-passenger Carnival Vista and 3,690-passenger Carnival Breeze restarted sailings out of Galveston, Texas, on July 3 and July 15, respectively. The 3,960-passenger Carnival Horizon resumed voyages out of Miami on July 4. For now, they are the only Carnival vessels sailing.
As previously announced, five more Carnival ships are scheduled to begin operations in the coming weeks include the Carnival Miracle sailing out of Seattle for Alaska (starting July 27) and Mardi Gras sailing to the Caribbean out of Port Canaveral (starting on July 31).
Rounding out the five Carnival vessels that are about to restart are Carnival Magic, Carnival Sunrise and Carnival Panorama. They'll resume departures on Aug. 7, 14 and 21, respectively, out of Port Canaveral, Miami and Long Beach, California.
The newly announced restarts include:
- Carnival Glory out of New Orleans, starting Sept. 5.
- Carnival Pride out of Baltimore, starting Sept. 12.
- Carnival Dream out of Galveston, starting Sept. 19.
- Carnival Conquest out of Miami, starting Oct. 8
- Carnival Freedom out of Miami, starting Oct. 9.
- Carnival Elation out of Port Canaveral, starting Oct. 11.
- Carnival Sensation out of Mobile, starting Oct. 21.
All of the sailings on the ships restarting operations will be open primarily to passengers vaccinated for COVID-19. Some unvaccinated passengers, including children not eligible for vaccination, will be allowed on the sailings but the maximum number will be limited.
"The decision to sail with vaccinated voyages was a difficult one to make, and we recognize this is disappointing to some of our guests especially the many families with children under the age of 12 who we love to sail, and who love to sail with us," Carnival president Christine Duffy said in a statement accompanying the announcement. "It's important to remember that this is a temporary measure given the current circumstances."
Carnival said any unvaccinated passengers sailing on the newly announced voyages, including children under the age of 12, would be subject to pre-cruise and pre-embarkation COVID-19 testing and onboard COVID-19 testing prior to debarkation (on cruises longer than four days).
The line said it would charge unvaccinated passengers $150 per person charge to cover the costs of the testing and other health and safety screenings.
Carnival also said it would be limiting the operation of its supervised youth programs on ships for the time being to to vaccinated children and youth 12 years and older.
In addition, effective July 31, unvaccinated passengers departing from Florida will need to show proof of travel insurance coverage, based on the itineraries being sailed and the requirements of ports and destinations visited. A similar rule will go into effect for sailings out of Texas ports of Aug. 2, Carnival said.
Carnival said these additional measures would be in place at least through October and maybe longer, depending on guidance from health and port authorities.
Duffy said Carnival's plan was to bring back all of its vessels by the end of the year.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.