If you’re one of the roughly one million people that sail from the Port of Galveston each year, then Carnival Cruise Line is bringing you some great news.
For years Carnival has been a major player in cruising from Texas, and has consistently increased its offerings from the island with larger and newer ships. Nowhere is that more evident than with the upcoming homeporting of Carnival Jubilee in Galveston later this year. That ship is the cruise line’s newest vessel, as well as the largest Carnival ship to ever call Texas home.
But no matter which ship Carnival (or any other cruise line) sails from the island, there is one major problem. Given the Galveston’s location on the western side of the Gulf of Mexico, the ports that can be reached within a typical 5-7 day cruise are limited.
That means most itineraries visit ports like Cozumel, Progreso, Roatan, and Belize before having to turn around and return. For those that live in the area, the appeal of cruising from Galveston over and over again may be limited when the ship seems to visit seemingly the same ports each time.
Now Carnival is looking to address the problem.
Fourth Ship Coming to the Island With Longer Cruises (Meaning New Ports)
The cruise line just announced that it is adding a fourth ship to the island’s rotation. Carnival Miracle will join Carnival Breeze, Carnival Dream, and Carnival Jubilee when the ship arrives in Galveston in October 2024.
It’s definitely noteworthy that the cruise line is adding another ship to a port that’s expanded rapidly in recent years. But what’s more interesting is that Carnival will sail the ship on unique itineraries that run from 9-13 days.
Those longer cruises will open up a number of new port options for Texas cruise passengers.
“We have always offered a great variety of cruises from Galveston, but by adding a fourth Carnival ship to homeport in Galveston and sailing these longer itineraries, we are giving our guests great new choices, especially for those who want to experience a wider variety of beautiful ports of call and more time to enjoy their time at sea,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
Just a few of the options now open for sale include:
- 9-day cruise with stops in Key West, Freeport (The Bahamas), Half Moon Cay, and Grand Turk
- 10-day cruise with stops in Cozumel, Limon (Costa Rica), Colon (Panama), and Honduras
- 12-day cruise with stops in Grand Cayman, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, and Ocho Rios
Given the distance, many of these ports simply aren’t available on other cruises departing Texas, making Carnival Miracle’s itineraries unique.
Right now the ship is slated to be in Galveston with these new itineraries from October 2024 to April 2025.
For passengers that have sailed regularly from the island for years, this announcement should be exciting. It’s a chance to see new ports of call while also not having to travel to distant embarkation ports like Miami to do so.
You can see more about these cruises on Carnival’s website.
