Carnival Cruise Lines and the Port of Baltimore today announced that the cruise line will resume year-round departures from Baltimore when the 2,124-passenger Carnival Pride begins seven-day cruises in spring 2015.

Carnival Pride is currently based in Baltimore where it will remain through October 2014 then reposition to Tampa for a winter cruise schedule before returning to Baltimore for year-round service in March 2015, hosting nearly 120,000 guests annually.

In anticipation of Carnival Pride’s return to Baltimore, the ship will undergo an extensive multi-million-dollar makeover in fall 2014 that will add a host of dining, bar and entertainment innovations that are part of the line’s $500 million Fun Ship 2.0 product enhancement program.

In addition to the new on-board features, Carnival Pride is one of several Carnival Cruise Lines ships that will be outfitted with exhaust gas cleaning technology – known as scrubbers –designed to reduce air emissions from cruise ships and large marine vessels. Scrubber technology will be installed on Carnival Pride prior to its Baltimore deployment in spring 2015. This new technology will enable the Carnival Pride to exceed the stricter air emission standards established for operation within the North American Emission Control Area (ECA).

“Baltimore is a convenient mid-Atlantic embarkation point for ‘Fun Ship’ cruising and we’re pleased to resume these attractive year-round departures which offer our guests an opportunity to visit a variety of beautiful, tropical destinations,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival’s president and CEO. “We would like to extend our thanks to officials from the port and the state of Maryland for their outstanding support in our efforts to resume year-round cruising from Baltimore,” he added.

“We are pleased to welcome Carnival Cruise Lines back to Maryland and the Carnival Pride cruise ship back to the Port of Baltimore,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “Our Administration has a proven track record of advocating for a strong, healthy environment and fighting for high-quality jobs for Maryland families. I’m pleased Carnival and the Environmental Protection Agency and Coast Guard have agreed on a plan that will keep family-supporting jobs in Maryland and allow a cleaner and even greener Carnival Pride to return to this thriving cruise market.”

On its year-round deployment from Baltimore, Carnival Pride will offer two distinctly different itineraries with voyages departing every Sunday beginning March 29, 2015. Week-long exotic eastern Caribbean cruises will visit Grand Turk, the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay and Freeport, The Bahamas, while a Florida/Bahamas schedule will feature Port Canaveral, Fla. (Orlando), and Nassau and Freeport, The Bahamas.

During these cruises, guests can relax on beautiful white-sand beaches, participate in fun watersports activities and visit popular landmarks and attractions throughout the Caribbean, Bahamas and Central Florida.

Carnival Pride will undergo a three-week dry dock from October 19 to November 9, 2014, during which it will be outfitted with a variety of Fun Ship 2.0 innovations, including:

• Guy’s Burger Joint, a free-of-charge poolside venue developed in partnership with Food Network personality Guy Fieri serving hand-crafted burgers and fresh-cut fries in an atmosphere that celebrates the chef’s California roots and love of car culture

• BlueIguana Cantina, a complimentary poolside Mexican eatery where guests can enjoy authentic, freshly made burritos and tacos on homemade tortillas that can be personalized with a variety of salsas and toppings

• Bonsai Sushi, a full-service sushi restaurant offering delicious Asian-inspired delicacies – sushi, sashimi, rolls and more – all enjoyed amidst a contemporary Far East décor

• WaterWorks, highlighted by Green Thunder, the steepest and fastest water slide at sea, as well as the line’s signature Twister slide full of exhilarating twists and turns and a spray park

• Hasbro, The Game Show, where guests are part of the show through a series of larger-than-life productions and entertainment activities based on the company’s iconic and popular games

• Playlist Productions, builds upon Carnival’s reputation for high quality entertainment, combining captivating live performances and high-tech special effects, all set to popular and recognizable songs

• EA SPORTS Bar, a sports and video game lovers’ paradise where guests can catch live sporting events, check out scores on the real-time 24/7 sports ticker, and play the latest EA SPORTS games on a 16-screen video wall

• BlueIguana Tequila Bar, a fun and festive outdoor watering hole offering a laid-back Mexican-themed atmosphere and tequila-based frozen drinks and beers, perfect for chillin’ by the pool

• Alchemy Bar, a vintage-themed cocktail “pharmacy” that’s the go-to spot for guests seeking a unique experience with mixologists who “prescribe” concoctions from different elixirs and ingredients or guests’ own custom-created cocktails

• RedFrog Pub where guests can enjoy the Caribbean’s best rums and beers – along with Carnival’s own ThirstyFrog Red private label draft brew – and island-inspired pub fare while soaking up the distinct British-West-Indies-meets-Key-West ambiance

• RedFrog Rum Bar, a poolside adaptation of the RedFrog Pub offering the quintessential Caribbean vacation vibe with refreshing Caribbean rum-based frozen drinks and beers, including Carnival’s own ThirstyFrog Red

• The Library Bar, a warm and cozy venue offering self-serve wine dispensers and full bar service for those seeking a more intimate spot for before- or after-dinner drinks

• Cherry On Top, which celebrates the joys of simple indulgences with bins of bulk candy, fun fanciful gifts and novelties, custom apparel and more

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Originally posted by steeplechase:
When will they be doing the Funship upgrades and where?

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Carnival official on the world's largest cruise line's love affair with Charm City

February 07, 2014|By Kevin Rector, The Baltimore Sun

When Carnival Cruise Lines decided to leave Baltimore last summer, saying the port had become too expensive because of environmental regulations, it was with substantial regret.

The world's largest cruise line regularly filled its Carnival Pride cruise ship at the port of Baltimore with affluent first-time cruisers who found the Mid-Atlantic jumping-off point convenient.

Meanwhile, Maryland saw about $50 million a year in economic value from the ship. After hearing the Pride would be heading to Florida to cut costs, state officials immediately began trying to salvage the relationship.

So it was with smiles that Gov. Martin O'Malley and Terry Thornton, Carnival's senior vice president for revenue management and deployment, announced last month that a course had been plotted for the Pride to return to Baltimore.

Carnival decided to leave because of new regulations restricting fuel emissions in U.S. coastal waters. The changes increased the cost for cruise ships out of Baltimore, which must travel up and down the Chesapeake Bay. Ships leaving from Florida spend a fraction of the time in U.S. coastal waters.

Carnival officials now say they've found a way to reduce emissions but keep costs low. Federal regulators approved Carnival's plan to add the new technology to its ships.

The Pride still will depart for Florida in October as planned, but only for a few months. Part of that time will be spent in dry dock, where the ship will be upgraded with the emissions controls and new amenities. The ship will return to Baltimore by March 2015.

O'Malley said the deal will "keep family-supporting jobs in Maryland." Thornton said Carnival is "excited that things worked out."

Thornton also answered a few questions about how Carnival upped its environmental game to stay in the lucrative Baltimore market.

Q. You've said Pride is going to be among the first cruise ships ever equipped with the new fuel-cleaning technology you're installing. Can you describe the technology and how it works?

A. Scrubber technology combines the removal of sulfur with the substantial reduction of particulate matter and black carbon to allow ships to sail within [Emission Control Area] guidelines. Carnival's design combines two established technologies, which have been successfully used in power plants, factories and vehicles to clean — or scrub — the exhaust from high-sulfur fuel. For the first time, this combination is being developed to accommodate restricted spaces on existing ships. The International Maritime Organization's MARPOL Annex VI places a cap on sulfur within ECAs at 1 percent, which took effect in North America in 2012. In 2015, the limit will be 0.1 percent.

Q. Can you explain how Carnival balances environmental considerations with the need to remain profitable?

A. The first phase of ECA went into effect in August 2012. The second phase of ECA goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2015. Both of these events represent a significant increase in fuel costs for Carnival. The new exhaust gas cleaning technology [scrubbers] that Carnival has now developed will allow us to operate with emission levels that exceed the ECA standards and to mitigate these escalating fuel cost impacts.

Q. Carnival Pride also is getting other enhancements. How do guest preferences and feedback play a role in what onboard upgrades you make?

A. We carefully monitor and often solicit feedback from our guests on all aspects of our product experience. The significant enhancements that will be added on the Carnival Pride are part of our $500 million Fun Ship 2.0 fleet-wide product enhancement initiative. With extensive input and feedback from our guests, we are focusing this initiative on the addition of a wide range of dining, bar and entertainment innovations. These new features and amenities have proven to be a huge success with our guests on the ships where the Fun Ship 2.0 initiative has already been completed.

Q. Where are passengers on Baltimore cruises coming from, and how does that affect ticket pricing and cruise schedules?

A. Guests for the Carnival Pride cruises from Baltimore generally reside within a five-hour driving range from the port of Baltimore. We know from our guests that the convenience and affordability of cruising from the port of Baltimore is an important factor in their choice of vacation. Our cruises from Baltimore that began in 2009 have performed very favorably and generated strong guest satisfaction. In fact, we've carried nearly half a million satisfied guests from Baltimore since we launched service five years ago. We have also been very pleased with the number of first-time cruisers that our Baltimore cruises attract. The combination of a great Carnival vacation experience and the opportunity to cruise from Baltimore makes this an exceptional vacation value.

Q. Cruises aside, what's your idea of a perfect vacation?

A. I may be a little biased, but cruising is the perfect vacation. It is by far the best vacation value. There are really no land-based vacation options that can match all that a cruise vacation provides. Plus, cruises include the opportunity to visit a wide variety of exciting destinations throughout the world. The ships that are being introduced by the cruise industry today provide consumers with highly innovative new features and amenities. Carnival features 10 different brands — and 102 ships — that offer the industry-leading variety of cruises that are perfect for consumers with all different lifestyles and interests.

...full article

[ 02-10-2014: Message edited by: joe at travelpage ]