21 August 2008

Carnival adds to Mobile cruises

The only year-round cruise program in Mobile, Alabama is obviously a success with Carnival Cruise Lines announced an increased capacity of 42% for next year.

That will happen when the 2,056-passenger Carnival Fantasy replaces the 1,452-passenger Holiday on year-round four- and five-day cruises next year.

With the Carnival FantasyÃ¢â¬â¢s departures from Mobile, the company expects to carry approximately 170,000 passengers annually from that port.

Carnival Fantasy will offer a new Ã¢â¬ÅâœFun ShipÃ¢â¬~ cruise experience with a larger vessel that will include a number of new features.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœMobile has been a terrific homeport for us since we began service there in 2004,Ã¢â¬~ said Terry Thornton, CarnivalÃ¢â¬â¢s senior vice president of marketing planning. Ã¢â¬ÅâœThe support of the local community, particularly city and port officials and our travel agent partners, has been nothing short of exceptional.Ã¢â¬~

Carnival Fantasy will launch year-round four- and five-day service from Mobile next year. On this route, four-day cruises visit Cozumel, one of the cruise industryÃ¢â¬â¢s most popular destinations known for its beautiful white-sand beaches, shopping and variety of shore excursions.

Five-day cruises will visit both Cozumel and Calica, which attracts divers and others interested in water sports and is in close proximity to the Mayan ruins of Tulum, the ecological theme park Xcaret, and Playa del Carmen and its popular Avenida Cinco shopping district.

Five-day cruises will call at Cozumel and Progreso, an emerging port with excursion options to the beautiful colonial city of Merida and the Mayan ruins in Chichen Itza, recently named one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Report by David Wilkening