Carnival to return to Grand Bahama on Friday
Carnival Cruise Line will resume regular calls to Grand Bahama on Friday for the first time since it was hit by a hurricane in late August.
Carnival Pride will dock in Freeport on October 11, followed by Carnival Freedom on October 15.
The cruise line expects to make 39 calls in Freeport between now and the end of the year, bringing more than 100,000 visitors to the island.
"Carnival Cruise Line is proud to be such a big year-round supporter for cruise tourism to Freeport so we are very excited to provide our guests the opportunity to again visit this popular destination," said Terry Thornton, Carnival’s senior vice president of nautical and port operations.
"Cruise ship visits are important to the local economy and our shore excursion team has been working closely with local tour operators and has confirmed a variety of attractive onshore excursions for our guests."
Senator James Kwasi Malik Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama, said: "The rebuilding of Grand Bahama has begun. We welcome the return of Carnival Cruise Line back to Grand Bahama after Hurricane Dorian. Carnival is an incredible partner for the Bahamas and Grand Bahama."
On Monday, Carnival Ecstasy arrived in Freeport to undergo an extensive 12-day dry dock at the Grand Bahama shipyard, becoming the first cruise ship to utilise the facility since Hurricane Dorian.
The company’s relief efforts include a $2 million pledge from Carnival Corporation and the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation, as well as relief shipments delivered by Carnival Cruise Line ships and via a partnership with Tropical Shipping.
Carnival employees and guests have also donated well over $500,000 through online giving tools and collections on embarkation day and onboard.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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