Carnival Liberty to Operate Year-Round in Nov 2006

[Jason]

MIAMI – Carnival Cruise Lines’ 110,000-ton Carnival Liberty will be deployed year-round from Port Everglades on six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises beginning in November 2006. It is the only program of its kind from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Carnival Liberty, which currently operates seasonal six- and eight-day voyages from Fort Lauderdale and 12-day European cruises from Rome (Civitavecchia), launches year-round service from Fort Lauderdale Nov. 19, 2006, following a 16-day transatlantic voyage.

On its year-round program from Fort Lauderdale, six-day cruises departing Sundays visit Freeport, The Bahamas; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Costa Maya, while eight-day voyages departing Saturdays alternate to the eastern and western Caribbean.

Eight-day eastern Caribbean voyages feature five ports: San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas/St. John, U.S.V.I.; Antigua, Lesser Antilles; Tortola/Virgin Gorda, B.V.I.; and Nassau, The Bahamas. Western Caribbean cruises include Limon, Costa Rica; Colon, Panama and Costa Maya , Mexico.

“The Carnival Liberty’s six- and eight-day cruises from Fort Lauderdale have been a huge success and consumers will now have even more opportunities to sail on this spectacular ship and enjoy these unique cruise itineraries,” said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president and CEO.

Diversity of Port Offerings:

On Carnival Liberty’s six-day cruises, guests can enjoy three distinctly different island experiences – Freeport, Grand Cayman and Costa Maya – each of which offer magnificent beaches, local shopping and a host of watersports. Because of the six-day duration, these cruises also offer a tremendous vacation value.

Carnival Liberty’s eight-day eastern Caribbean cruises feature five ports – San Juan, St. Thomas (optional shore excursion to St. John), Antigua, Tortola (optional shore excursion to Virgin Gorda) and Nassau – providing consumers a diversity of shoreside options. In addition to excellent dining and shopping, a wide range of shore excursions are offered, including horseback riding, scuba diving, hiking and kayaking. During an extended evening stay in San Juan, guests can also sample that city’s legendary nightlife.

Eight-day western Caribbean cruises visit Costa Maya, Mexico; Limon, Costa Rica; and Colon, Panama, which, in addition to historical sites and attractions, including centuries-old ruins, offer a multitude of dining, shopping and watersports experiences. A number of “adventure-type” tours, including canoeing, and white-water rafting, are featured, as well. From Colon, guests can experience all the wonders of the Panama Canal and even a unique bi-coastal railroad adventure.

Both of these eight-day cruises offer visits to ports that are usually available only on cruises of ten-day or longer durations. In addition, these cruises depart on Saturdays and return on Sundays, which allow them to fit into the consumer’s traditional one week vacation pattern.

Signature ‘Fun Ship’ Amenities:

Carnival Liberty houses a 13,300-square-foot health club, four swimming pools – one with a 214-foot-long water slide – as well as 22 lounges and bars, including a piano bar, wine bar, sports bar and a three-deck-high theater showcasing lavish Vegas-style revues.

Dining options include twin two-level formal dining rooms, a 1,400-seat casual poolside eatery featuring a 24-hour pizzeria, and a reservations-only supper club serving U.S.D.A. prime beef and other upscale cuisine. All Carnival Liberty dining venues feature the new “Georges Blanc Signature Selections,” created by the French master chef who has maintained the coveted three stars from Michelin for the past 25 years.

Also featured are “Camp Carnival” and “Club 02,” supervised programs for children’s and teens, respectively, featuring expansive facilities and a variety of organized activities.

Sixty percent of the Carnival Liberty’s 1,479 staterooms offer either ocean view or private balcony. All Carnival Liberty staterooms include the new “Carnival Comfort Bed” sleep system featuring plush mattresses, luxurious duvets and high quality pillows and linens.

Carnival Liberty also features “Carnival’s Seaside Theatre,” a 270-square-foot LED screen that displays movies, concerts and other programming.

Pricing and Reservations:

Reservations are currently being accepted for the Carnival Liberty’s year-round six- and eight-day cruises from Fort Lauderdale. Special rates for third and fourth guests sailing in the same stateroom, along with round-trip air supplements from more than 170 North American gateways, are also available.

Prices for the Carnival Liberty’s six-day cruises start at $459 per person, while eight-day cruises begin at $629 per person, based on double occupancy. Special rates for third and fourth guests in the same stateroom, as well as round-trip air supplements from a variety of North American gateways, are also available.

Source: Carnival Cruise Lines

[JoeyandDavid]

Interesting... does this mean that one of the newer ships will be covering the Rome departures or<] is this a signal that Carnival Brand will be reducing its visiblity in Europe.. in favor of it's more upscale brands? or<] is this just a new rotation thing new rotation....always more questions than answers. :grin:

[Mebert]

I love Carnival but the Liberty's itinerary is not very different from what some of the other ships are doing.

This is already done by Carnival.

Eight-day eastern Caribbean voyages feature five ports: San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas/St. John, U.S.V.I.; Antigua, Lesser Antilles; Tortola/Virgin Gorda, B.V.I.; and Nassau, The Bahamas. Western Caribbean cruises include Limon, Costa Rica; Colon, Panama and Costa Maya , Mexico.

These are already done by Carnival too.

I wish Carnival would really add an itinerary that includes some of the islands in the Southern Caribbean that its ships don't currently do.

I'd be there in a heartbeat.