Travelers from Texas and Northern Florida are getting more opportunities to sail with Carnival Cruise Line. Revealing new itineraries that extend through spring 2027, Carnival is offering its expanded Carnival Journeys and a broader selection of voyages from Galveston and Jacksonville.
“We’re always looking for ways to give our guests more vacation options, and extending sailings from Galveston and Jacksonville is a big part of that effort,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
Cruises from Jacksonville, Florida, in 2026 and early 2027 will continue on the 2,052-passenger Carnival Elation, currently offering year-round service from the northeast city port.
The 70,367-gross-ton vessel will feature a mix of 4- and 5-day cruises with Thursday and Saturday departures.
Guests on the 4-day itinerary can enjoy calls in the much-anticipated Celebration Key, Carnival Cruise Line’s new private destination in the Bahamas scheduled to open in 2025, as well as the island nation’s capital, Nassau. Select itineraries will also include Bimini in the westernmost part of the islands.
For 5-day sailings, Carnival Elation will also visit Carnival Cruise Line’s private Half Moon Cay or Princess Cays, both in the Bahamas.
Meanwhile, the 2,124-passenger Carnival Miracle will be repositioned to Galveston for a second season in 2026, maintaining the cruise line’s four-ship presence in Texas’s busiest cruise port.
Wrapping up its season in Alaska before the repositioning, Carnival Miracle will embark on a special 16-day Panama Canal cruise on September 26, 2026, as part of the Carnival Journeys program.
These longer sailings range from 9 to 16 days, call on more exotic destinations, and include enrichment activities and more immersive programming.
Once in Galveston, guests can expect a mix of short and long sailings for the 88,500-gross-ton ship, including 4-day Western Caribbean cruises to Cozumel for a quick weekend getaway. Five-day voyages will travel to Progreso, Mexico.
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Additional extended vacations include 10-day Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries featuring stops at Celebration Key, Half Moon Cay, and other notable ports such as Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos, Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic, and Belize City in Belize.
Some sailings also include visits to Costa Rica and Panama, with shore excursions available to visit the Panama Canal.
“These new itineraries offer something for every traveler, whether they’re seeking a quick getaway or a longer adventure,” said Duffy.
Familiar Routes with a New Celebration to Come
Carnival Elation’s and Carnival Miracle’s itineraries may sound somewhat familiar because the ships are already operating Bahamian and Caribbean routes.
In Jacksonville, Carnival Elation is currently and routinely taking guests on 4- and 5-night voyages to the Bahamas, while Carnival Miracle is about to move into its first Galveston season on October 16, 2024.
Currently wrapping up a Hawaii voyage and repositioning via California, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Colombia, the ship’s inaugural season in Texas will begin with a journey to Montego Bay, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Roatan, Honduras; Belize City; and Cozumel, Mexico.
Its schedule will also include calls to Key West, Florida, and multiple stops in the Bahamas for shorter Eastern Caribbean sailings. Longer cruises will visit Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, and Jamaica on Southern Caribbean itineraries.
The changes to the current offerings on both ships will come when Celebration Key opens in July 2025.
Located on Grand Bahama Island, the $500-million destination will welcome up to four ships at a time, with 12 Carnival Cruise Line ships already scheduling the new resort as part of a heavy rotation of calls in 2025 and 2026.
Demand for Celebration Key is anticipated to be so strong that Carnival Cruise Line already has plans to expand it to accommodate two more ships simultaneously by 2026.
