Carnival Radiance To Galveston
Carnival Radiance will launch a new schedule of five- to 14-day voyages from the Port of Galveston beginning on May 14, 2021. On this route: Five-day cruises depart Sundays and feature the seaside Mexican ports of Cozumel and Progreso or Costa Maya. Three different nine-day options departing Fridays will be offered one calling at Cozumel, Limon , and a partial Panama Canal transit or a visit to Colon , another featuring Key West, Grand Turk, the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay and Nassau, and a third stopping at Grand Cayman, Mahogany Bay , Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel. Two eight-port, 14-day Carnival Journeys cruises visiting top destinations throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America and the Panama Canal will also be offered departing Oct. 24, 2021, and Jan. 16, 2022.
Carnival Radiance will undergo an extensive bow-to-stern $200 million renovation next year that will add all of the lines food, beverage, and entertainment innovations, bringing an exciting new option to the Galveston market.
The extensive 38-day renovation of the ship will add a host of new food and beverage outlets including Guys Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse created by Food Network star Guy Fieri, Cucina del Capitano family-style Italian restaurant, Bonsai Sushi, and Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub, and the first Big Chicken restaurant created by Carnivals Chief Fun Officer, Shaquille ONeal.
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Im Vaccinated Do I Still Have To Take A Covid Test Before Sailing On Norwegian Cruise Line
Yes, in addition to the 100% vaccination policy, all NCL guests must currently take a pre-cruise COVID test on the day of embarkation. This test is administered and paid for by the cruise line, so passengers wont have to make their own arrangements or spend extra money. Rapid tests are conducted at the port, prior to boarding.;
Cruises From Houston Or Galveston: Which Should You Choose
Editor’s note: As of April 2016, Houston is no longer an active cruise port.
When deciding whether you want to cruise from Houston or Galveston, you’ll need to weigh the pros and cons of each port city. How easy is each one to get to? How many cruise lines offer sailings from each port? What’s difficult about sailing from each city? If you’re trying to decide between cruising from Galveston or cruising from Houston, read on for the key differentiators.
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Other Deployments For Royal Caribbean Ships
In addition to the big news for Galveston, other Royal Caribbean ships will have new homeports in the coming years.
San JuanIn another homeport first, Enchantment of the Seas will make San Juan, Puerto Rico its winter port after summering in Galveston. Enchantment will sail 7-night voyages to the Southern Caribbean, including Barbados and Dominica. Freedom of the Seas, which will undergo refurbishment in March 2020 as part of the Royal Amplified fleet modernization program, will continue to homeport in San Juan year-round.
FloridaExplorer of the Seas will unveil her facelift with a summer season in Europe before returning to Miami. Explorers Miami-based voyages will include 5- and 9-night cruises sailings to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacoa. The ship will also visit Royal Caribbeans private destination in Labadee, Haiti as well as Royal Caribbeans private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, in the Bahamas.
Independence of the Seas returns to Fort Lauderdale in November 2020, sailing 4- and 5-night cruises to the Western Caribbean and Nassau. Select sailings will call on Perfect Day at CocoCay. Vision of the Seas will also sail out of Fort Lauderdale. The ship will offer 10- and 11-night cruises to the Southern Caribbean, including St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Thomas, San Juan, Antigua and St. Maarten.
Carnival Breeze To Sail 4 And 5
Carnival Breeze will become the newest and largest ship to operate a short cruise itinerary from Galveston when it kicks off year-round four- and five-day cruises from that port May 5, 2021. The program includes: Four-day long weekend cruises departing Thursdays and featuring a day-long visit to Cozumel. Five-day voyages departing Mondays and Saturdays with stops at Cozumel and either Progreso or Costa Maya.
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Cruise Lines That Stop At The Port
The Port of Galveston recently announced that starting in the Fall of 2013, Royal Caribbeans Navigator of the Seas will sail year-round out of the Port of Galveston. The Navigator of the Seas will be the largest ship ever home ported in Galveston.
In addition, Disney Cruise Lines and Princess Cruise Lines also now sail from the Port to destinations in the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Disney Cruise Lines sails the Disney Magic from the Port in the fall and winter seasons. Princess Cruises sailed the 951-foot Crown Princess to the western Caribbean from January to April 2013. Later in 2014, Princess will sail from the Houston Bayport Terminal, via the Caribbean Princess.
How Many Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships Are Sailing
At the start of this month, parent company Royal Caribbean Group announced its intention to have at least 80% of its fleet operational by the end of the year. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line is well underway to achieve this goal. So far, no less than 12 ships have resumed operations. These ships include the following:
Besides four Royal Caribbean cruise ships starting this weekend, and Oasis of the Seas are also restarting their operations in the coming weeks. will sail from Port Canaveral, and Oasis of the Seaswill make her long-awaited start on the U.S. East Coast from New Jersey.
Feel free to discuss this topic and all things cruise at our new boards. A place where readers can ask questions, help their fellow cruisers and general cruise discussions on cruise lines and ports.
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Cdc Approves Carnival To Restart Cruises From Galveston
The Port of Galveston says Carnival has the green light to start cruises again from Galveston.
Galveston Port Director Rodger Rees ;outlining the recent developments between Carnival Cruise Line and the Port of Galveston to get approval by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to restart cruises.
In the update, Mr. Rees said the CDC approved Carnival’s restart plans.
“On May 28, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved Carnival Cruise Lines processes and procedures to resume sailing, just three days after the plan was submitted to the CDC. This approval gives Carnival the green light to move forward with plans to resume sailing from the Port of Galveston as early as July 3, as planned.”
“On May 25, the Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees, Galveston County Health District and Carnival signed off on the 40-page agreement detailing safe sailing processes and procedures that was submitted to the CDC.”
According to the cruise line, Carnival also received approval for its Port Agreements with PortMiami and Port Canaveral.
Carnival confirmed;Carnival Vista and Breeze;will be the first ships from Galveston to carry guests as the line plans its July return to service.;
When Is Norwegian Cruise Line Sailing Again
Now! Norwegian Cruise Line first returned to sailing in the Greek Isles this summer, while their first cruise from a U.S. port in over 500 days started in Seattle in August 2021 to relaunch the Alaska cruise season. The first sailings to relaunch from Los Angeles will take place in October 2021 aboard the Norwegian Bliss.;
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What To Expect For Carnival Breeze
After the successful cruises onboard Carnival Vista and Carnival Horizon, expectations are high for Carnival Breeze. Carnival Vista sailed on July 3 from Galveston and concluded her first cruise, the same counts for Carnival Horizon, which concluded her first voyage from Miami just days ago.
The third Carnival ship to resume sailings will be setting off on July 15 on a 4-day itinerary that will see her sail from Galveston with a call in Cozumel and two fun days at sea. Carnival Breezes season will see her sail on 4- and 5-day voyages from Galveston. The 5-day itinerary also includes a call in Costa Maya or Progreso, Yucatan.
As weve seen with both Carnival Vista and Carnival Horizon, the ship will be sailing under a fully vaccinated pathway, which means that 95% of the guests and 98% of the crew members must be vaccinated. Cruises on the Dream-class vessel will not be fully booked though; Carnival is sailing her vessels at 70% capacity.
For guests not vaccinated, there will be a surcharge of $150 to do mandatory testing during and before the end of the voyage. Although this will put a damper on the excitement for those unvaccinated guests as the charge also applies to all children not vaccinated. Brand Ambassador John Heald made the announcement last week saying:
We know that this puts an expense on the cruise that you probably didnt account for when you booked the cruise, but we have to keep everybody safe.
Cruising From Houston Or Galveston: Bottom Line
When selecting whether you want to cruise out of Galveston or Houston, youll need to decide what is most important to you.
For the most cruise line and itinerary choices, both in terms of destination and cruise length, choose Galveston.
If youre flying in, want to get on your cruise ship as soon as possible upon arrival and dont mind waiting for some of the ships venues to open, youll want to sail from Houston. If, instead, you really want all the ships services to open up as near to sailaway as possible and dont mind two hours of transport to the ship, choose Galveston.
Also note that both Galveston and Houston are subject to fog, which can severely affect the start or end times of a cruise sailing sometimes by as much as a day. In a typical year, a handful of cruises will be affected by heavy fog resulting in some people getting back later from their cruise or ending up with a shorter cruise than anticipated. The ports are equally impacted, so weather is not a reason to choose one port over the other.
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Royal Caribbean Cruises In October : What To Expect
Fall is in the air, but Royal Caribbean cruises in October are still taking you to places that are plenty warm.
There are many Royal Caribbean cruise ships in operation in October, with one ship returning to service and a couple resuming service in a new market.
This post will share important information what you should know before going on a cruise in October. This month we see the end of cruising in Alaska for the season, but there is still time to see Europe before that season comes to an end.; Meanwhile, Caribbean sailings will start to increase with ships returning to start winter itineraries.
Just like September, October is also one of the best times to get a great price on a cruise. The combination of school in session and the peak of hurricane season makes for some really low rates.; In fact, last minute cruise prices are pretty good if you can take advantage of certain October sailings.
Carnival Vista Is First Ship To Cruise Out Of Galveston Since The Pandemic Shutdown
GALVESTON, Texas Cruising is back! Carnival Vista cruised out of Galveston Saturday at 70 percent capacity and is headed to the Caribbean.
Carnival Vista was the first ship leaving out of Galveston and only the second ship to leave from the U.S. since the pandemic shutdown.
The first cruise ship that left the U.S. last week was a Royal Caribbean cruise ship Celebrity Edge that sailed out of Ft. Lauderdale.
There were only about 1,200 passengers on the ship that normally holds more than double that.
All of the adults onboard were vaccinated, and the children who accompanied them were tested for COVID since vaccines aren’t required for them.
Travelers had to show proof when checking in.
For those who boarded the ship and those who live on the island and benefit from cruises, the voyage is a symbol of things going back to normal.
Allan Debowsky and his family are on board.
Weve been waiting and waiting. Were so excited, Debowsky said.
For the last 16 months, cruise ships have been docked because of COVID-19.
Every time that we thought about going on vacation, we always thought about a cruise, and we couldnt do that,” Patricia Debowsky said.
Avid cruisers like the Debowsky family have been waiting for the chance to be allowed back.
Hes been cruising since he was nine months old, Patricia Debowsky said about her son Zachary. He would rather cruise, out of his words, than go to Disney when he was a kid.
Carnival said UTMB provided vaccines for all of its crew.
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What Will Be The Protocols
For both Carnival Dream and Carnival Glory, all guests age 12 and up should be fully vaccinated. The cruise line is making exemptions possible in some cases for under 12s and for those with medical conditions that prevent vaccination.
Unvaccinated guests will need to show a negative PCR test before boarding, taken at least three days before the cruises start. Those guests who have been vaccinated will need to be tested two days before the start of the voyage, although a rapid test suffices in this case.
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Carnival Norwegian Cruise Lines Announce Plans To Sail From Galveston
Cruise lines announce sail dates from Galveston
FOX 26 Consumer Reporter Heather Sullivan has more on when two cruise lines will depart from Galveston.
HOUSTONCarnival Cruise Lines hopes to launch what could be the first cruise from the U.S. since the pandemic started in Galveston on July 3rd. And Norwegian Cruise Lines will start sailing from Galveston next year. ;
Many vacationers and workers are rejoicing that some cruises and jobs are coming back to the Port of Galveston.
The Port of Galveston confirms Norwegian Cruise Lines will sail from Galveston for the first time ever, in the Fall of 2022, as it debuts its new ship Prima in several major ports.
Norwegian is coming out with what theyre calling the Leonardo Class ship, said Port of Galveston CEO Rodger Rees.
Rees says the 3200-passenger Prima will set sail on a 3-day cruise from Galveston on October 27th, and a 4-day cruise from the port on October 31. And Galveston may see more of Norwegian after that.
We are talking. They are looking to come in here in 2023 with a new ship, I can tell you that. That will be the second Leonardo Class to be delivered, said Rees.
Meantime, Carnival Cruise Lines confirms to FOX26 that it hopes its ship Carnival Vista will launch from Galveston on July 3rd, and Carnival Breeze will sail from Galveston on July 15th. ;
And he expects more cruise lines to return soon. ;
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The Return Of Cruising
I wasn’t at all surprised to see Harry Sommer enjoying the cruise with his family, as I knew he was aboard the Encore to celebrate the comeback cruise. I even had a chance to sit down with him for a few minutes where he shared his excitement about returning to cruising. Sommer had already sailed with the Greek cruise comeback, but his wife insisted they enjoy the Alaska cruise, too.
Are Masks Required On Board Norwegian Cruise Line
At no point aboard the ship are passengers required to wear masks. The vaccination and testing requirement combined means guests can enjoy all parts of the ship without social distancing or wearing a mask.
However, when visiting ports of call, passengers will need to follow local health guidelines, including mask mandates where applicable.;
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History Of Hosting Cruise Ships At The Port
In the 1970s, ocean cruises enjoyed a surge of popularity with American vacationers.;The Love Boat, a silly, romantic television sitcom that aired from 1977 to 1986, undoubtedly fueled travelers newfound interest in cruising. In 1974, the Port of Galveston began hosting its first cruise ship year-round, and in 2001 a second Carnival ship began docking there permanently. The Ports 100,000th passenger sailed from the Port that same year.
The Port of Galveston is proud to be the year-round homeport to two Carnival Cruise Line vessels and one Royal Caribbean Cruise Line vessel. In 2003, Princess Cruises announced it would begin seven-day sailings from the Port of Galveston with the maiden voyage of the Grand Princess the following year. The Port also hosted Celebrity Cruise Lines for a time.
Will Norwegian Cruise Lines Require A Covid Vaccine
Yes, Norwegian Cruise Line is sailing with a 100% vaccination requirement for crew and guests, no exceptions. While that means younger kids who don’t yet qualify for vaccination aren’t able to sail quite yet, it does mean guests are assured that all fellow passengers are completely vaccinated.;
Ships have also been fitted with medical-grade air filtration systems and are constantly cleaned and sanitized. A dedicated Public Health Officer oversees each sailing to ensure no suspicious sniffle goes undiagnosed.;;
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Carnival Cruise Lines From Galveston Texas
On a Carnival cruises out of Galveston, its not hard to take it easy. Whether youre a family of performers, a calm-loving couple, or a bunch of water lovers, on a Carnival cruise youve already arrived at your perfect destination. In fact, the toughest part is choosing whether to lie back in a hammock, spread out on a deck chair, or curl up in one of our many pods with a loved one and a cocktail or two.;Carnival Cruise Lines brings you outstanding value for the money in addition to an extraordinary experience where its Fun for All, All for Fun. Adults, kids, grandparents, theres always something for everyone onboard Carnival;Cruise Lines.
Carnivals;ships are known for their Las Vegas-style decor and entertainment. A Fun Ship cruise features means day and nighttime entertainment from traditional napkin-folding classes, Vegas-style revues and kitchen tours to belly-flop pool contests, stage shows, musical performances, casinos as well as water slide races. All of Carnival;ships also offer size-appropriate spa and fitness facilities and have multiple pool areas. Most of all, Carnival Cruise Lines will put a smile on your face and leave you with countless memories.