The Carnival Cruise Line has had a rough period of 2020 and 2021 so far.
Here are the main moves that have taken place for the Miami-based cruise line since the pandemic began:
Discarded fantasy and inspiration
In July, Carnival sold two of the oldest ships, Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Inspiration. Although the buyer was not initially named, the two ships were scrapped a few weeks later.
At the same time, the cruise line has taken two other ships, Carnival Imagination and Carnival Fascination, to long-term storage status.
Both moves also meant several deployment changes, with homeport adjustments and more. The most important change was the cruise line abandoning its itineraries from San Juan and Barbados in favor of focusing on the continent’s vehicle markets in the United States
Radiance Delayed
Scheduled for March 2020, Carnivals Victory’s $ 200 million drydock was affected by the pandemic. The major renovation, which included renaming the Carnival Radiance ship, was originally scheduled to take place in Spain and last 38 days.
At the time, the worsening conditions in Europe led the work to a complete suspension. After postponing the renovation a few times, Carnival plans to finish it in September. From November 2021, Radiance will replace Carnival Inspiration and Carnival Imagination on the West Coast.
Destroyed imagination and fascination sold
After moving to a long-term lay-up state, both Carnival Imagination and Carnival Fascination ended up being sold.
Imagination was the first to leave, leaving the fleet in September. The vessel built in 1995 went directly to Aliaga, Turkey, where it is being demolished.
Fascination was sold for more service. The vessel left the fleet in October, heading for the Asian start up.
Mardi Gras Delivered
In December, Carnival received the new Mardi Gras from the Meyer Turku shipyard. The LNG-powered vessel joined the brand’s fleet in Finland, before its debut in the United States.
After being delayed a few times, the inaugural Mardi Gras cruise is scheduled for May 29 from Port Canaveral.
Back to Service Plans and Dry Docks
Carnival is currently planning to resume service on May 1, 2021. Some of the vessels, however, will remain out of service due to the delay in the drydock.
Additional cancellations affect Norfolk, Tampa and New Orleans cruises with Carnival Magic, Carnival Valor and Carnival Paradise until October 31, 2021.
Carnival Splendor, Carnival Spirit, Carnival Legend and Carnival Radiance also have different return times, for different reasons.
COVID-19 Policy
Details on Carnival’s COVID policies are available here.
By the numbers:
Ships:
- Ship building: 4
- Ships added: 1
Result: – 3 ships
Cribs:
- Cradle shed: 8,160
- Cots added: 5,200
Result: – 2,920 bunks