Carnival Cruise Line recently expanded its homeport operations in Texas and was awarded the National Economic Impact Award by the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce. The award acknowledges the pivotal role that Carnival Cruise Line has in boosting Galveston’s local economy.
“Carnival was the first cruise line to offer year-round cruising from Galveston in 2001, and we have continued to grow our operations here recently, debuting our flagship Carnival Jubilee, the first brand new ship to homeport here,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We will have four ships sailing from Galveston when Carnival Miracle repositions this fall. We appreciate the recognition of our positive economic impact on the community by the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce.”
Currently homeporting at Galveston is the 5,282 guest Carnival Jubilee, the 3,690 guest Carnival Breeze and Carnival Dream and will welcome the 2,124 guest Carnival Miracle later this year. The cruise line brings about 13,000 guests to the city on a weekly basis and will grow to more than 15,000 with the arrival of Carnival Miracle in the fall. These guests spend millions of dollars to boost the local economy.
The Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce recognized Carnival’s economic contribution and community partnership and called Carnival “a catalyst that stimulates growth and fosters business opportunities” in the Galveston area.
“Carnival Cruise Line’s exceptional commitment to national economic advancement and local community enrichment truly embodies the essence of this accolade. Their dedication to fostering economic growth, coupled with their significant positive impact within Galveston, makes them an unequivocal recipient of our National Economic Impact Award,” said Gina M. Spagnola, president and CEO of the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, Carnival Jubilee, has played a significant part in the economic impact in Galveston. Her debut brought new technologies to the area by being the first ships to use LNG fuel in Galveston. This also generated a $53 million investment in improvements to Terminal 25.
Currently, Carnival Jubilee is sailing 7-day cruises to the Western Caribbean, while Carnival Breeze is sailing 4- and 5-night cruises to Cozumel and Progreso. Carnival Dream is sailing a 14-night Panama Canal cruise and will then sail 6-night Western Caribbean and 8-night Eastern Caribbean cruises. When Carnival Miracle arrives in Galveston at the end of October, she will offer 9-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.