MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - For the first time since COVID shut everything down, Carnival Cruise Line is making Mobile a main port of call.
Carnival Cruise Line is making a big commitment to Mobile, announcing that in 2027 it will offer cruises from the Port City year-round once again with a bigger class ship.
The Carnival Valor, now based in New Orleans, is expected to embark from Mobile on May 15, 2027. The ship will offer six- to eight-day sailings with extended destinations including Jamaica, Colombia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This will extend Mobile’s cruise season by six months. That means more options for travelers and a boost to the local economy.
“The impact is very large, when you look at a full time 12 months and when you look at a bigger ship. This ship holds 3,000 passengers. It is a Conquest Class ship, so the impact is right now about 50,000 cruise passengers a year, and now we’ll have 140,000. So the impact is very large...hotels and restaurants,” said David Clark with Visit Mobile.
The Valor will finish its last cruise from New Orleans on May 10, 2027. Then it moves to Mobile. There will be a five-week period between early April and mid-May of 2027 when Mobile will not have any cruises.
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Though 2027 seems far off, one popular travel agent in Mobile said she’s already busy booking customers for Carnival Valor.
“It’s open. People are booking it,” said Andrea Miller. “I actually made quite a few this morning. I was up this morning at 4:15 blocking group space on the valor sailing from Mobile because I knew people were gonna be excited. Mobile is an easy port. It’s a smaller port. It’s a friendly port with friendly port workers.”
Mobile hasn’t offered year-round cruises since before COVID. So this is exciting news for many.
“You’ll have more options, especially with growth downtown as far as the businesses,” said Tiffany Dotson, a Mobile resident and hotel concierge. “We’ve got a lot of phone calls about people wanting to know about cruise packages and parking, so yeah, we can see the interest.”
The return of year-round cruises in Mobile, marks a significant milestone for both Carnival Cruise Line and the city. Mobile officials hope this will reestablish Mobile as a premier cruise departure port.
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