Carnival Cruise Line has officially set sail from the Port of Baltimore once again, with Carnival Pride leaving on her very special 14-night sailing to Greenland on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
It has been a long two months since the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that closed the port to marine traffic, but now the Port of Baltimore is back with passenger cruising.
This particular sailing of Carnival Pride is significant as it is a highly-anticipated Carnival Journeys cruise, a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket-list voyage for many travelers. Carnival Cruise Line did reach out to booked guests recently, confirming the Baltimore departure and ensuring that everyone is aware of the challenges visiting Greenland can have.
It was a picture perfect morning as Carnival Pride pulled in to Port of Baltimore on Sunday, with both passengers and crew eager to return to the ship’s planned homeport. The port view does look different, however, without the iconic bridge in the background.
Port of Baltimore celebrated Carnival Pride‘s return, welcoming the ship back to her year-round homeport with live music and local authorities to greet guests.
“Baltimore loves a good Carnival and today a special one came into town!” the port announced on social media. “The Port of Baltimore’s Deputy Director of Business Development & Cruise, Cynthia Burman, welcomed Carnival Cruise Line’s Pride back to our Cruise Maryland terminal for the first time since the Key Bridge collapse.”
The 87,071-gross-ton, Spirit-class Carnival Pride entered service in2002 and can welcome 2,124 guests at double occupancy, and is also home to more than 900 international team members proud to ensure everyone aboard has an amazing cruise vacation.
The ship is homeported year-round from Baltimore, offering Eastern Caribbean, Bermuda, and Bahamas 7-night sailings. The ship also offers select departures to Canada and Greenland, especially in the spring and fall, when the region’s natural beauty is an amazing tourism draw.
Carnival Pride also offers the occasional Panama Canal cruise, with the next one departing on January 12, 2025 with calls to Half Moon Cay, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama, and Grand Turk.
Similarly, some Southern Caribbean sailings are on offer, including visits to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Aruba, and Curacao. Carnival Pride‘s next Southern Caribbean sailing departs on November 3, 2024.
For the past two months, Carnival Pride has managed to maintain her itineraries, but temporarily departing from Norfolk, Virginia instead. Carnival Cruise Line has provided complimentary bus service for guests between Baltimore and Norfolk in the meantime. On her May 19 departure, the ship left from Norfolk but returned to Baltimore to finish the cruise on May 26.
Not the Only Cruise Line
While the cruise port is happy to see Carnival Cruise Line back at the Cruise Maryland terminal, Carnival Pride is not the only ship that has returned to Baltimore.
Royal Caribbean International’s Vision of the Seas resumed sailing from Port of Baltimore one day earlier, on May 25, 2024. The first sailing of the 78,717-gross-ton ship is a 5-night Bermuda itinerary. The ship also offers 9-night Bermuda cruises that include calls to Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas.
Also on Vision of the Seas‘ upcoming schedule are Canada and New England cruises in the autumn, select Southern Caribbean itineraries, and unique Southeast Coast/Bahamas cruises that will visit Port Canaveral and Charleston, depending on departure date.
As with Carnival Pride, Vision of the Seas is also homeported year-round from the Port of Baltimore. The Port of Baltimore is also frequently a homeport for American Cruise Lines smaller, regional ships that offer Chesapeake Bay sailings in different sailings.
