Carnival Pride became the latest Carnival Cruise Line ship to return to service as it sailed from the Port of Tampa Bay, FL, over the weekend. The ship is now operating a seven-day cruise to the western Caribbean with calls in the Mexican ports of Costa Maya and Cozumel, as well as Belize and Mahogany Bay in Roatan, Honduras.
Carnival Pride’s offerings from Tampa will include six-, seven- and eight-day western Caribbean sailings. In March 22, a second ship, Carnival Paradise, will also begin sailing from Tampa.
Celebratory Event
Cutting a ceremonial ribbon during a “Back to Fun” event at the Port of Tampa Bay were: Sarah Beth Reno, Carnival’s vice president of guest operations; Rino Costanzo, captain of Carnival Pride; and Raul Alfonso, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Port of Tampa Bay.
"We have been a proud member of the Tampa community for more than 25 years, having been the first cruise line to sail from Tampa in 1994, so we’re absolutely thrilled to provide our guests an opportunity to get 'Back to Fun' from the port while supporting the local economy,” noted Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
From the port's perspective, "the return of cruising has a far-reaching impact on our region, with many local businesses standing to benefit," acknowledged Alfonso, who estimated that a ship such as Carnival Pride generates an average of $334,000 in passenger and crew onshore spending per call.
Carnival Cruise Line launched the first year-round cruise program from Tampa in 1994 on the since-retired Tropicale, which carried 28,000 passengers annually. Since then, the line has increased its passenger capacity at the port nine-fold.
Cruise operations from Tampa are part of Carnival’s close-to-home ship deployment strategy which positions ships near large U.S. population centers along the East and West Coasts and the Gulf of Mexico to make cruising convenient for much of the U.S. population. Carnival has returned more than half of its U.S. fleet to guest operations, with additional ships restarting service in the coming weeks and months. All 22 of the line's U.S.-based ships will be back sailing with guests by March 2022.
For additional information, visit www.carnival.com.
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