During a “Back to Fun” event at the Port of Mobile, Alabama, Carnival Cruise Line announces that Carnival Spirit will be based from the port starting in fall 2023. This news comes as Carnival Ecstasy resumes sailings from Mobile for the first time in two years.
Carnival Spirit from Mobile, Alabama
On Saturday, it was a special day at the Port of Mobile, Alabama, when Carnival Ecstasy resumed operations and kickstarted Carnival’s service from the city after a two-year absence. During the event, the cruise line also announced its future plans on sailings from Mobile.
The cruise line will introduce a new seasonal six- and eight-day cruise program with the Carnival Spirit. The vessel will begin the new offering from October 6, 2023, through March 30, 2024.
The Spirit-class ship will sail the eastern and western Caribbean, including visits to Bimini, Half Moon Cay, and Mahogany Bay, along with more ports of call. The sailings will open for booking on March 9, 2022.
“We are committed to our continued relationship with Mobile, which is why we are excited to be back to the fun with Carnival Ecstasy and we look forward to Carnival Spirit’s arrival in 2023,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Aside from Carnival Spirit being a newer and larger ship for Mobile – meaning even more fun to be had on board – Spirit’s new itineraries will give our guests the opportunity to visit new beautiful destinations.”
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It was previously unclear which ship would operate from the port in the future, but Carnival Cruise Line and Mobile will continue the partnership, which first started in 2002.
“For more than a decade, cruises out of Mobile have brought countless visitors to our city from across the Southeast — providing a boost to our hotels, restaurants, attractions and dozens of other local businesses in the surrounding region,” Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. “Simply put, Mobile’s economy is not operating to its full potential without a cruise ship in its harbor. We are fortunate to have had a great partnership with Carnival Cruise Line for several years, and as we celebrate Ecstasy’s departure today, we look forward to many more.”
Cruises Resume from Mobile
The details of the future plan for Carnival cruises out of Mobile were announced during a special “Back to Fun” and 50th Birthday kickoff event as Carnival Ecstasy resumes service for the first time in two years and restarts operations from the port.
The Fantasy-class cruise ship departed on Saturday from Mobile on a five-day Western Caribbean voyage that includes a call at Cozumel, Mexico. To commemorate the restart and the sailabration voyage to start Carnival Cruise Line’s 50th Birthday festivities, Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy and Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony which officially welcomes the first guests back on board.
“We have certainly missed seeing that iconic funnel in our downtown skyline and welcoming cruisers from across the country to Mobile these past two years, so we are so ready to get Back to Fun as our partner, Carnival Cruise Line, returns to the Port of Mobile,” added David Clark, president and CEO of Visit Mobile.
Carnival Ecstasy offers four- and five-day Western Caribbean itineraries from the port through October 10, 2022. The four-day voyages visit Cozumel, and the five-day voyages include Cozumel along with Costa Maya or Progreso.
There will also be a one-time 10-day Carnival Journeys cruise that departs on September 10, 2022. The sailing features Key West, Grand Turk, Amber Cove, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.
Following service from Mobile, Carnival Ecstasy will sadly leave the fleet in October. The ship’s fate is not yet known, but the hope is that she is sold to another operator rather than following her sister’s ships that have already been scrapped.
It’s an important time for Carnival Cruise Line as the festivities for its 50th birthday have kicked off. During Carnival Ecstasy’s first sailing back, there will be a special ship meetup on March 7 with six other ships in the fleet between Cozumel and Costa Maya.
Carnival has been moving forward with its resumption of operations and, on March 7, will have all its year-round US homeports back in action. The entire fleet will be back sailing by this summer.
