Carnival Cruise Line has returned to Dover, England, for the first time in almost ten years with the Carnival Pride cruise ship. It’s also the first departure from the British port for the Spirit-class vessel.
Carnival Pride From Dover
After almost a decade’s absence from one of the busiest ports in the UK, Carnival Cruise Line has returned with the Carnival Pride cruise ship. The cruise line last sailed from the port in 2013.
The vessel has already spent some time in Europe out of Barcelona, Spain, but now the UK will become the home base for eight sailings.
“We are immensely proud to be welcoming Carnival Cruise Line back to Dover and honoured to be part of Carnival’s 50th Birthday celebration with the kickoff of nine fantastic turnaround calls starting today,” said Sonia Limbrick, Head of Cruise, Port of Dover.
Carnival Pride departed on Friday on her inaugural voyage from the Port of Dover on a nine-night European itinerary. It comes at a good time for the British cruise market after demand increases due to hundreds of flight cancellations.
To celebrate the special departure, there were performances by brass band quintet Premium Brass and pianist Nick Bosworth. As tradition and often seen for inaugural visits and sailings, there was a water cannon salute from two local tug boats.
Limbrick also added: “Together, with our strong transport links, beautiful surrounding towns, and famous cultural sites, as well as our important sustainability credentials, the collective pride of our service and location should make Carnival Pride feel right at home.”
The inaugural voyage includes six different calls in Norway, including Stavanger, Skjolden, Alesund, Molde, Olden, and Bergen. The ship will return to Dover on June 19.
Carnival Pride will sail a total of eight cruises from Dover this summer with a variety of nine- and 12-day itineraries featuring popular European ports of call. Some sailings will even be focused around the British Isles.
The Carnival Pride is a Spirit-class vessel at 88,500 gross tons. She has a passenger capacity of 2,124 at double occupancy and 930 international crew members.
Guests onboard have to be fully vaccinated, and guests six months past their last dose of the initial vaccine series must have a booster to be allowed to sail. The current protocols apply to all Carnival Pride departures in 2022.
