Cruise travelers in the northeastern United States will be thrilled to know that Carnival Cruise Line will be offering diverse sailings from Baltimore, Maryland for at least five more years, following a new contract with the Port of Baltimore.
Carnival has been offering sailings from Charm City for 20 years, with a variety of vessels over the years offering exceptional departures. At the moment, Carnival Pride is offering 5- to 14-night sailings to top destinations such as Bermuda, the Bahamas, and both Eastern Caribbean and Southern Caribbean ports of call.
“We’re truly proud of our long history of sailing from Baltimore, and grateful for the strong partnership with the port and its great city and state.” said Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy. “We’re looking forward to building on our partnership over the next five years and couldn’t be happier to continue providing cruise vacations from Baltimore.”
In fact, the 80,071-gross-ton, Spirit class Carnival Pride is the first cruise ship to have begun offering year-round sailings from Baltimore when she initially joined the homeport in 2009. The ship is scheduled to remain homeported from the city through at least April 2027.
To be clear, Carnival Pride has not been homeported from Baltimore for 15 years, but the ship does have a significant history with the homeport.
“The international cruise industry recognizes Baltimore as one of the top cruise markets in our nation. We are delighted to have Carnival Cruise Line continue serving Maryland for another five years,” said Maryland Governor Wes Moore. “Carnival is a longtime partner and supporter of the Port of Baltimore and we are very happy to continue that relationship.”
The new agreement takes effect on January 1, 2025, and includes a renewal option for a further five years in the future. This will ensure a long-standing partnership that will bring amazing cruise travel options to Carnival fans not only in Baltimore, but throughout the northeast for years to come.
With the cruise terminal just 10 miles from BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and right off Interstate 95 makes it easy for travelers to access, drawing cruise fans from throughout the region for easy, convenient sailings.
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In addition to Carnival Cruise Line, other cruise lines both homeport from Baltimore as well as visit the city as a day stop. Vessels from Royal Caribbean, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Azamara Cruises, and others include Baltimore on their itineraries.
The local operator American Cruise Lines also frequently visits the Port of Baltimore on regular coastal sailings.
Cruising’s Impact on Baltimore
Cruise travel can bring great economic benefits to a region. In 2023, the Port of Baltimore welcomed more than 444,000 travelers – the highest number the port has served since 2012.
The port itself supports 220 jobs and hundreds of other jobs are generated by cruise activity, including tour guides, hotel operations, local transportation, retailers, and more.
Overall, cruising is estimated to bring approximately $1 million per sailing in economic impact to the state of Maryland. This includes not only direct cruise taxes and fees, but also parking options, hotel use, restaurants, and pre- and post-cruise entertainment for travelers.
While 2024 numbers have not yet been released, it would not be surprising for the port to have had significantly less traffic following the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in late March.
Due to the accident and closure of river channel to all marine traffic for weeks, Carnival Cruise Line (along with Royal Caribbean) had to temporarily relocate operations to Norfolk, Virginia.
Carnival Pride was the first Carnival cruise ship to return to Baltimore almost two months after the accident.
