Those who follow Carnival Cruise Line and the cruise industry, in general, will be excited to know that two cruise ships operated by Carnival Cruise Line will arrive in Galveston, Texas this Sunday, May 2, 2021.
There has been a lot of anticipation for the two vessels which will arrive on the same day for the very first time since Carnival has been on hold for more than a year ago.
Carnival Cruise Ships Arriving in Galveston
Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze will arrive in the Port of Galveston to refuel and take on supplies. The cruise line’s Ambassador, John Heald, has already confirmed that they will arrive at around noon on Sunday afternoon.
According to the Cruise Ship Tracker, both Carnival vessels are currently approaching the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and heading directly to the port.
Apparently, hundreds of people are expected to welcome the two ships and there is even the possibility of sounding the ship horns once approval is given by the port.
It will be an important day for the cruise line as president Christine Duffy will also be there to welcome the two ships. She has also confirmed to Heald that the ships will even have a light show with some music. Duffy has recently visited the Carnival Sunshine while docked in Miami, it was her first visit since suspension first started in March 2020.
It comes as there have been no passenger cruises from the port since March 2020. A sad sight for the fourth busiest cruise port in North America. Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves port director, and CEO said, “while ports that rely solely on cruising have been hit hard by the suspension, the Port of Galveston is fortunate to have a more diverse business mix, including cargo and commercial operations.”
Despite no cruise operations, the port continues to do well with port operations that have helped it ride through the difficult times. Rees continued to say, “we’re also fortunate to have a great staff, who have worked together to hustle for business and manage expenses. By going after more lay ship business last year, the port collected $6.1 million, a new record for the port. Cargo was another bright spot. Despite the pandemic, port staff and our port partners, including the International Longshoremen’s Association, moved 4.3 million tons of cargo through the port, generating $11.4 million in port revenues.”
The popular cruise port is set to be ready if cruises do eventually resume operations in July 2021. $100,000 has been invested in health and safety upgrades across the cruise terminals.
Carnival Vista Cruise Ship: Overview and Things to Do
Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze were based out of Galveston before the pandemic hit, and now with more hopefully news from the CDC that cruises can resume in July, it’s all go for preparations across the fleet.
