Starting Sept 2009!!!!!

Airfare from here to Baltimore is CHEAP!!!

yea!!!

What itinerary is she going to do?

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES TO INTRODUCE BALTIMORE’S FIRST YEAR-ROUND CRUISE PROGRAM IN SEPTEMBER 2009

MIAMI (June 5, 2008 ) — Carnival Cruise Lines, the world’s largest cruise operator, will launch the first year-round cruise program from the Port of Baltimore with seven-day cruises aboard the 2,124-passenger Carnival Pride beginning in fall 2009.

The new program kicks off September 13, 2009, and encompasses two different weeklong itineraries departing Sundays from the historic Maryland port.

Baltimore’s first year-round cruise program will feature a variety of interesting ports on two distinctly different seven-day itineraries. Exotic Eastern Caribbean departures will call at Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay; and Freeport, The Bahamas; while Bahamas/Florida departures visit Port Canaveral, Fla.; and Nassau and Freeport, The Bahamas.

It is expected that the Carnival Pride will carry more than 115,000 guests annually from the Port of Baltimore. Including its new Baltimore-based program, Carnival Cruise Lines will operate from 17 North American departure points, including 11 year-round homeports – the most of any cruise operator.

“We’re thrilled to introduce the first year-round cruise program from Baltimore aboard the Carnival Pride, a truly magnificent ‘Fun Ship’ that will visit a wide range of tropical destinations from one of America’s most historic cities,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival’s president and CEO.

“Today’s consumers are more value-conscious than ever and considering that Baltimore is within a day’s drive for millions of Northeastern U.S. residents, these new seven-day voyages provide a convenient and affordable vacation option,” he added.

“This is tremendous news for the Port of Baltimore and our State,” said Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. “Year-round cruising will allow the 40 million people that live within a six-hour drive of Baltimore to look beyond the traditional cruising seasons and sail throughout the year. Carnival Cruise Lines is internationally recognized as one of the finest cruise ship operators in the industry and we are happy to welcome their ‘Fun Ship’ to Maryland.”

Year-Round Cruising From Baltimore


Carnival Pride’s year-round seven-day cruises from Baltimore will visit popular destinations in the Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida.

Carnival Pride’s Exotic Eastern Caribbean cruises from Baltimore feature Grand Turk, a 10.5-square-mile island paradise which, in addition to a rich history, offers crystal-clear waters that attract snorkelers and divers the world over. Ships dock at the Grand Turk Cruise Center, a modern facility offering an 800-foot-long private beach, a Margaritaville-themed restaurant and a variety of retail shops. Also featured is Half Moon Cay, a crescent-shaped private island offering beautiful beaches and a diversity of watersports opportunities, along with a children’s aqua park and beachside cabanas. The third destination on this itinerary, Freeport, The Bahamas, is the island chain’s second largest city with excellent shopping at the International Bazaar and the Port Lucaya Marketplace, along with stunning beaches and exciting golf opportunities.

Seven-day Bahamas/Florida cruises call at Port Canaveral, located on Florida’s Space Coast and in close proximity to Orlando-area theme parks and attractions, as well as the world famous Kennedy Space Center. Visitors also enjoy the area’s gorgeous white-sand beaches and crystal clear waters. Other ports include Nassau, the historic Bahamian capital known for its outstanding duty-free bargains, beautiful beaches and laid-back atmosphere. During their visit in Nassau, guests can tour a variety of historical sites, including centuries-old forts. A daylong visit to Freeport rounds out this itinerary.

Special Six-Day Voyage from Baltimore

Prior to the start-up of year-round seven-day cruises, Carnival Pride will operate a special one-time six-day departure round-trip from Baltimore September 7-13, 2009. Featured ports on this voyage include Freeport and Port Canaveral.

‘Fun Ship’ Carnival Pride

The 88,500-ton Carnival Pride offers a host of facilities and features, including indoor and outdoor promenades, a wedding chapel, and an elegant reservations-only supper club located at the top of a soaring nine-deck-high atrium and accessible by a glass staircase, just one of several different dining venues on board.

Other features include a ship-long promenade with a variety of lounges, bars and nightspots, including a multi-level theater showcasing lavish production revues. Family friendly amenities include organized programs for three different age groups – “Camp Carnival” for younger kids, “Circle C” for 12- to 14-year-olds, and “Club O2” for older teens – with supervised activities and expansive facilities for each.

Carnival Pride also offers a variety of accommodations including a wide selection of balcony staterooms and suites – perfect for scenic cruising. All Carnival Pride accommodations feature the Carnival Comfort Bed sleep system with plush mattresses, luxurious duvets and high quality linens and pillows.

Carnival Pride also houses an Internet Café, along with ship-wide Wi-Fi access and cell phone service.

Reservations


Reservations are currently being accepted for the Carnival Pride’s new departures from Baltimore. Special rates for third and fourth guests sailing in the same stateroom, along with round-trip air supplements from a variety of North American gateways and pre- and post-cruise Baltimore land stays, are also available.

For additional information and reservations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

Day Port of Call
SUN BALTIMORE, MD
MON FUN DAY AT SEA
TUE FUN DAY AT SEA
WED GRAND TURK
THU HALF MOON CAY, BAHAMAS
FRI FREEPORT, BAHAMAS
SAT FUN DAY AT SEA
SUN BALTIMORE, MD

and alternating with

SUN BALTIMORE, MD
MON FUN DAY AT SEA
TUE FUN DAY AT SEA
WED PORT CANAVERAL (ORLANDO), FL
THU NASSAU, BAHAMAS
FRI FREEPORT, BAHAMAS
SAT FUN DAY AT SEA
SUN BALTIMORE, MD

Hmmm. Other than the private island stop, those are not very interesting itineraries. I do like the number of at-sea days though. But this will be nice for those close to Baltimore. Looks like more fallout from the airline woes and the need to increase the number of homeports.

gosh i was excited since baltimore is only 4 hrs away until I read the ports. Nothing exciting about the bahamas. been there done that

quote:

Nothing exciting about the bahamas.

I know. That is my feeling too. But I guess when you are leaving from Baltimore there are not many choices for ports.

Sorry, I forgot to add John's link when I posted.

This is indeed great news for the millions of folks now within driving distance!!!

And yes, I do believe it is directly related not only to the cost of flying but the absolute ZOO that flying is today!!

Perhaps this is a sign of things to come...
more local ports!!!!

I guess I need to look at my own example. I'll cruise out of Mobile no matter what the ship is, or where it is going. Just having a cruise ship within a few hours drive is enough motivation for me to book it.

This will be a great thing for those in the mid-Atlantic region.

since it is my sister and I that cruise (our wonderful hubbys have no desire to cruise and have no problem with us cruising) we will go out of Mobile anytime and any ship also. My sister lives in Pensicola so it is right down the road for her. Then it is only one of us (me) that is doing the flying. I do wish they would do a longer cruise out of Mobile, 5 days are just not enough.
But we are trying a 7 day for the first time in Sept on the Legend. But it would be out of mobile if they offered a 7 day cruise.

There have been ships sailing out of Baltimore for several years, but only during the Bermuda season. They've been going to Bermuda on one itinerary, and to the Caribbean on another. This will be the first time a ship will be leaving from Baltimore all year 'round.

The ports visited are limited to the ones the ship can reach from Baltimore on a 7-day itinerary.

Sandy

quote:

Perhaps this is a sign of things to come...
more local ports!!!!

This is great news for that area, and they couldn't have asked for a better ship!

I hope some day we get a year round one in Charleston or Wilmington.

Dwayne

I bet the cruises during the dead of winter will be ultra-cheap! Hard to imagine a day at sea with snow!

quote:

Hard to imagine a day at sea with snow!

Some cruise lines have had all year cruises out of New York. The first and last couple of days onboard are days at sea, and they can be rather nippy! But only if you go outside, and with so much to do inside, it's not really necessary to spend a long time outside. And still you find a lot of walkers and joggers, and people sitting on deck chairs in warm clothing.

Sandy

I'm absolutely thrilled about this. I detest flying, so we've been trying to take cruises out of NJ and NY so we can drive from Michigan. Baltimore would be nice for us, and I love Carnival. I think we're doing Pride 2010, baby!

P.S. For those of you who have been on the Pride, how is it? What's it like/how does it compare to other Carnival ships? Pros/cons? What year was it built, and what condition is it in?

I see that it's a Spirit class ship...I've been on the Miracle, another Spirit class ship, and that was my favorite ship so far.

Cortney..My wife and I sailed on it 2 years ago and we loved it. We liked it over the Conquest. Great ship and we had great service and good food.
Mike

The Spirit class ships are far and away the best ones in the Carnival fleet. I am speaking purely from a design standpoint.

Sounds like a cruise to no place.....but any cruise is better than none at all...and if this gets more people on the ship..GREAT....Happy cruising to one and all...

Bob E

This is great news - I just did a road trip from my home in Waterloo ON Canada (1 hour west of Toronto) to Washington DC. We stopped in Pittsburg for the night both ways. The drive was quite nice. I will definitly look into this itinerary for next year.