Cruise: Baltimore, Canaveral

Baltimore: Port Administration Signs Royal Caribbean International through June 2020  

The Maryland Port Administration (MPA) on April 21 announced a new contract with Royal Caribbean International that will extend the cruise line’s year-round departures from the Port of Baltimore through June 2020. Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas will continue to offer cruise itineraries from Maryland to the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and New England/Canada.   

The Grandeur of the Seas will continue offering five-, nine- and 12-night roundtrip itineraries from Baltimore, including a new nine-night voyage to Nassau. The ship received a $48-million renovation three years ago that included six new specialty dining options, technological upgrades, and new entertainment features.  Onboard staterooms also were renovated.     

"Royal Caribbean is pleased to renew our contract with the Port of Baltimore," said Michael Bayley, president and chief executive officer for Royal Caribbean International. "Baltimore is a fantastic departure point for our guests who live in the Mid-Atlantic States, the northeast and beyond, and the city continuously provides our guests with a wonderful start to their cruise vacation."

In 2015, nearly 200,000 passengers sailed on 90 cruises from the Port of Baltimore. Cruise activities generate about 500 jobs in Maryland, including 220 direct jobs at the port. Additionally, Maryland benefits from a $90 million economic boost from cruise activity. 

Grandeur of the Seas at the MPA’s Cruise Maryland Terminal in the Port of Baltimore
Photo/Maryland Port Administration

Port Canaveral’s Honors Its Newest Cruise Ship Carnival Magic

The Canaveral Port Authority and Carnival Cruise Line on April 20 celebrated the arrival of the Florida port’s newest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic, and marked the official grand opening of the ship’s new Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse designed by Food Network star Guy Fieri.

The invitation-only event was highlighted by the carving of a massive, six-foot-long pulled pork sandwich by officials from Carnival and the port to commemorate the debut of Fieri’s BBQ venue which was installed during a multi-million-dollar dry dock last month.

The event also included a traditional maritime plaque exchange between Carnival Magic Captain Antonio Marchetti, Carnival’s Vice President of Commercial Port Operations Carlos Torres de Navarra and Captain John Murray, chief executive officer of the Canaveral Port Authority.

Carnival Magic is the newest Carnival ship to sail from Port Canaveral, joining Carnival Victory and Carnival Valor on year-round departures from the Space Coast. Together, these three ships will carry more than 650,000 guests annually from Port Canaveral – the most of any cruise operator. Carnival sails more than 200 three- to eight-day cruises annually from Port Canaveral.

"Port Canaveral is one of our most popular and fastest-growing homeports and we now have three exceptional ships based there offering our most highly-rated guest features, a huge array of staterooms and suites with private balconies and a wide variety of itinerary choices," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
This year marks the 26th year that Carnival has homeported a ship at Port Canaveral, the longest of any other cruise line," said Mr. Murray.  "We are proud to be one of Carnival’s most popular homeports serving their guests from our easy cruise gateway in Central Florida."

The Fieri-designed BBQ venue was among the many features added during an extensive makeover that also incorporated the new cocktail pharmacy-themed Alchemy Bar, the RedFrog Rum Bar, BlueIguana Tequila Bar, BlueIguana Cantina Mexican eatery and Guy’s Burger Joint, also designed by Fieri.
 
Carnival Magic departed that afternoon on its inaugural cruise, a three-day voyage to Nassau. Starting April 23, Carnival Magic will sail two different week-long itineraries from Port Canaveral – a western Caribbean route featuring Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay (Isla Roatan) and Costa Maya, and an eastern Caribbean option calling at St. Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk and Nassau or Amber Cove.