Cruise giant Carnival goes Texas-size big with new sailings from Galveston
When it comes to announcing new Texas itineraries, cruise lines of late have been as busy as a one-eyed dog in a smokehouse, as a Texan might say.
Just months after Princess Cruises added its first Texas itineraries in years and MSC Cruises hinted it would soon start Texas sailings, Carnival Cruise Line has revealed plans for a major expansion in the Lone Star State.
The Miami-based line on Thursday announced it would begin "Texas-size" voyages of 9 to 12 nights out of Galveston, Texas, in the fall of 2024 as part of expanding its deployment at the port from three to four ships.
The voyages will take place on the 2,200-passenger Carnival Miracle, which will redeploy to Galveston from San Francisco.
“We have always offered a great variety of cruises from Galveston, but by adding a fourth Carnival ship to homeport in Galveston and sailing these longer itineraries, we are giving our guests great new choices, especially for those who want to experience a wider variety of beautiful ports of call and more time to enjoy their time at sea,” Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
The announcement comes just months before Carnival is scheduled to position one of its biggest ships ever, the soon-to-debut, 5,374-passenger Carnival Jubilee, to Galveston for year-round sailings. The Carnival Jubilee sailings will be seven nights in length.
In addition to Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Miracle will join the 3,690-passenger Carnival Breeze and 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream in sailing from Texas.
Related: The 8 types of Carnival ships, explained
The Carnival Miracle sailings out of Galveston won't be year-round but seasonal, lasting from fall to spring. There will be 19 sailings in all during the ship's first season based in Galveston, including:
- A nine-night "Exotic Western Caribbean" voyage departing Oct. 16, 2024, that will stop in Montego Bay, Jamaica; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Mahogany Bay at the Honduran island of Roatan; Belize; and Cozumel, Mexico.
- A 10-night Panama Canal voyage departing Nov. 15, 2024, with calls at Cozumel; Limon, Costa Rica; Colon, Panama (with tours of the Panama Canal); and Mahogany Bay.
- An 11-night "Exotic Caribbean" sailing departing Nov. 25, 2024, with visits to Montego Bay; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; Princess Cays, a private island in the Bahamas; and Nassau in the Bahamas.
- A 12-night "Carnival Journeys Southern Caribbean" voyage departing Jan. 26, 2025, that visits Grand Cayman, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and Cozumel.
The long sailings out of Galveston are unusual for Carnival, which typically offers four-to-eight-night sailings from the port.
Carnival Breeze is currently dedicated to four- and five-day cruises from Galveston. Carnival Dream sails mostly six- and eight-day cruises from the port.
The Port of Galveston has recently seen a significant boom in the number of ships it hosts.
Related: The 5 best places you can go on a Carnival ship
For this year, the port expects 362 cruise ship departures —the most in the 22 years it has hosted cruise ships.
As noted above, Princess recently began its first sailings from Galveston in several years, offering a mix of five-to-11-night Western Caribbean voyages on the 3,080-passenger Ruby Princess.
Other lines with ships that recently began sailing from the port include Royal Caribbean, with weekly Caribbean departures on the 5,484-passenger Allure of the Seas.
Allure of the Seas is one of the world's five biggest cruise ships and the biggest ever to sail regularly out of Galveston.
Additionally, Norwegian Cruise Line's newest ship, Norwegian Prima, is also slated to sail a series of weeklong itineraries from Galveston beginning in late 2023.
These new ships join Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas, which was already sailing from Galveston; three Carnival ships (currently Carnival Dream, Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze; Carnival Vista will leave later this year when Carnival Jubilee arrives); and Disney Cruise Line's Disney Magic.
This is up from zero cruise ships based in Galveston as recently as 1999.
Carnival was the first cruise line to operate regular voyages from Galveston in 2000.
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Why We Chose It
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.