Carnival Announces 2006 Fleet Deployments

[Jason]

Carnival Cruise Lines will initiate several fleet deployment changes for 2006 and beyond, including new cruise programs from Port Canaveral, Fla., and Miami, new ports of call, the return of voyages from Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans, and extensive refurbishment of three vessels.

New Four- and Five-Day Cruises from Port Canaveral

A new year-round program of four and five-day cruises from Port Canaveral will kick off March 23, 2006. These cruises will initially be offered on the 2,052-passenger Sensation through Oct. 19, 2006. Just prior to the start of this program, the Sensation will undergo a comprehensive refurbishment.

The 2,052-passenger Elation will take over the program as of Oct. 23, 2006. Four-day cruises will call at Nassau and either Freeport or Half Moon Cay. Five-day cruises will call at Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau throughout 2006 and from May to Sept. 2007. From Jan. to April 2007 and from Oct. to Dec. 2007, the five-day itinerary will feature Key West and Cozumel.

Grand Turk, part of the Turks & Caicos Islands chain, is a new port of call featuring pristine beaches, turquoise waters, world renowned coral reefs, and an intimate, unspoiled atmosphere. Half Moon Cay is a private island paradise in The Bahamas, featuring beautiful beaches, crystal clear waters and an abundance of water sports and beach activities.

New Seven-Day Cruises from Miami Featuring Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk

Beginning April 30, 2006, the Elation will launch a new seven-day cruise program from Miami, which will run through Oct. 15, 2006. The ship will sail every Sunday on a brand new itinerary featuring four exceptional ports of call -- Half Moon Cay, The Bahamas; St. Thomas/St. John, U.S.V.I; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands.

The 70,367-ton Elation will be the only Carnival Fantasy-class ship to offer seven-day cruises from Miami and the only Carnival itinerary to feature a daytime call in San Juan. Carnival’s 2,052-passenger Fantasy-class series is a favorite among many experienced cruisers who are attracted to the ships’ comfortable size and design.

Carnival will offer attractive introductory pricing on its new itineraries from both Port Canaveral and Miami to kick off these programs.

Ecstasy to Return to Galveston

Effective April 8, 2006, the 2,052-passenger Ecstasy will resume four- and five-day Caribbean cruising from Galveston, Texas. The Ecstasy had previously operated that program until it was chartered by the U.S. government for hurricane relief efforts. The Elation, which replaced the Ecstasy on the four and five-day program from Galveston, will continue to operate those voyages through April 3, 2006.

The Ecstasy will return to service after undergoing a multimillion-dollar 35-day refurbishment. Virtually all public areas and staterooms will be enhanced and upgraded.

A second Carnival ship based in Galveston, the Carnival Conquest, operates seven-day western Caribbean cruises departing every Sunday.

Holiday to Resume Year-Round Cruising from Mobile

Beginning March 27, 2006, the “Fun Ship” Holiday will resume its program of year-round four and five-day Caribbean cruises from Mobile, which that vessel previously operated prior to being chartered by the U.S. government for hurricane relief efforts. The Holiday will be completely refurbished during a three-week drydock prior to re-entering service.

Resumption of Cruises from New Orleans

The Sensation will resume four and five-day cruising from New Orleans beginning Oct. 26, 2006, a program it operated prior to Hurricane Katrina. The ship is currently under charter to the U.S. government for hurricane relief efforts.

“We have put together a fleet deployment schedule that accomplishes multiple objectives, including continuity of existing programs, resumption of cruise programs interrupted or modified by Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent three-ship charter to the U.S. government, and to introduce some exciting new itinerary and destination options,” said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president and CEO. “This deployment plan successfully achieves all of these objectives and offers some terrific new cruise options in the process,” he added.

Dickinson further stated the company is examining avenues for full resumption of cruise service from New Orleans in the future (Carnival also operated a year-round seven-day program from that port prior to Hurricane Katrina). “We are eager to return to pre-Katrina capacity levels from New Orleans, a homeport that is extremely near and dear to us,” Dickinson added.

For those guests booked on voyages that are being canceled as a result of the deployment changes, Carnival is offering full refunds and, for those whose bookings were under deposit or fully paid as of Sept. 21, 2005, they will receive a shipboard credit if they re-book by the end of 2005 on any future Carnival voyage.

Source: Carnival Cruise Lines

[DaCruzNut]

I imagine there will be more changes, once the status of New Orleans stabilizes....