Carnival Panorama to be Based in Long Beach in 2019

from john heald facebook page:

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE SIGNIFICANTLY EXPANDS

ITS WEST COAST PRESENCE AND OFFERINGS New 133,500-ton Carnival Panorama to be Based in Long Beach in 2019,

First Brand New Carnival Ship Deployed to Southern California in 20 Years

Enhancements to Long Beach Cruise Terminal Dramatically

Enhance Overall Passenger Experience and Operational Flow

 

Multi-Million-Dollar Ensenada Port Development Project to Provide One-of-a-Kind Experiences Ashore on Short Cruises to Mexico from Long Beach

 

MIAMI (Feb. 10, 2018) – Carnival Cruise Line today announced several significant initiatives designed to further bolster its leadership position on the West Coast: the deployment of Carnival Panorama to Long Beach in 2019 – the first new Carnival ship based in Southern California in 20 years; the grand re-opening of its 146,000-square-foot state-of-the-art Long Beach Cruise Terminal, and a multi-million-dollar port development project in Ensenada, Mexico, that will provide guests with one-of-a-kind experiences ashore.

The announcement was made by Carnival President Christine Duffy in Long Beach, California at a VIP ceremony officially unveiling the enhancements to the newly upgraded cruise terminal with travel agents, port officials, local dignitaries and media in attendance.

“This is a momentous occasion for both Carnival and the City of Long Beach – not only are we celebrating the grand re-opening of this magnificent cruise terminal, but also demonstrating our commitment to the West Coast with the deployment of the spectacular new Carnival Panorama in 2019 and the announcement of an exciting new port development project in Ensenada,” said Duffy. “The West Coast is an important market with vast growth potential and these initiatives further demonstrate the confidence in our future success in Long Beach. We are very much looking forward to having Carnival Panorama homeported here beginning next year.”

“The expansion of the terminal and arrival of this exciting new ship is great news for the city of Long Beach, underscoring Carnival’s longstanding commitment to our community while adding additional opportunities for growing our economy and promoting all that our wonderful city has to offer,” said Robert Garcia, mayor of Long Beach. “Carnival has been an excellent partner for 15 years and we look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

Carnival Panorama to the West Coast

In 2019, Carnival will make history when it deploys its third Vista-class ship, the 3,960-passenger Carnival Panorama, on seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises from Long Beach, providing an exciting new seagoing vacation option to this vital and fast-growing market.

Like its name implies, Carnival Panorama will include venues offering both indoor and al fresco experiences, including the Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse, Library Bar, and Bonsai Sushi, along with open-air attractions like the groundbreaking bike-ride-in-the-sky attraction SkyRide, a massive WaterWorks aqua park, and the SportSquare recreation area.

Also featured will be a vibrant Havana section with tropics-inspired staterooms and its own Cuban-themed bar and pool, Family Harbor featuring extra-roomy accommodations, the Family Harbor Lounge, and Ocean Plaza, a spacious dining and entertainment venue with indoor and outdoor seating. Other innovations unique to Carnival Panorama will be announced in the near future.

Reservations for Carnival Panorama are expected to open in late March 2018. Additional information on Carnival Panorama is available at www.carnival.com/carnivalpanorama.

Expanded and Redesigned New Long Beach Cruise Terminal

Carnival’s Long Beach Cruise Terminal – the busiest in North America with ships docking five days a week representing a 70% utilization rate – has been operated by Carnival since 2003 and encompasses the world’s largest, free-span geodesic dome originally built to house also Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose plane and served as the location for many famous Hollywood movies.

With the expansion, Carnival is now utilizing 100% of the dome, up from a portion, for its operations. The renovation of the Long Beach Cruise Terminal more than doubles the size of the facility’s space while dramatically enhancing the overall passenger experience and operational flow. It also includes the expansion of portside shore power to enable larger ships to plug into the local electric grid, reducing exhaust emissions while docked.

The terminal’s striking design features California’s recognizable landmarks, bringing indoors the state’s iconic natural elements, including a backdrop of the majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range. In a nod to the dome’s former tenant, a replica of the Spruce Goose hangs from above, as well as the original model of the plane used in the 2004 movie, “The Aviator.” The dome also includes the cruise industry’s first 1980s-style arcade which is available for families to enjoy.

“This project is many years in the making and Carnival’s Long Beach Cruise Terminal is one of the most visually striking and efficient facilities of its kind, providing a seamless embarkation for our guests while making a tremendous economic impact on the Southern California region,” said Carlos Torres de Navarra, Carnival’s vice president, strategic and commercial port development.

Arrival of Carnival Splendor to Long Beach

The grand re-opening of the terminal coincides with the arrival of Carnival Splendor to Long Beach, which operates seven-day cruises to Mexico and longer-length voyages to Alaska and Hawaii, representing a 40 percent capacity increase on this route.

The 113,300-ton Carnival Splendor is currently the largest ship based year-round in Southern California and offers a variety of onboard amenities, including a 22,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa, a reservations-only steakhouse serving prime dry-aged beef and other gourmet fare, a sliding magrodome covering the main pool area, and nearly 600 balcony staterooms.

Carnival Splendor joins Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration which sail three- and four-day cruises to Ensenada and Catalina Island. Together, these three ships carry approximately 600,000 guests annually from Southern California on more than 250 three- to 14-day cruises, offering an unbeatable mix of destinations that appeal to a broad range of consumers, including families seeking an attractive and affordable vacation option.

Exciting Port Development Project in Ensenada

Carnival officials also announced a major port development project in Ensenada, Mexico, currently featured on the line’s three- and four-day cruises from Long Beach. The project will provide guests visiting the destination with an unparalleled, one-of-a-kind dining and retail experiences ashore, along with unique attractions for guests of all ages to enjoy. Details about the development will be announced at a later date.

“This project will provide our guests with a truly unique shoreside experience while making our short cruises from Long Beach even more attractive to consumers,” said Torres de Navarra. “This port development project will make Ensenada one of the West Coast’s premier destinations.”

Additional Information and Reservations

For additional information and reservations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com. Carnival also can be found on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Journalists also can visit Carnival’s media site, carnival-news.com or follow the line’s PR department on Twitter at twitter.com/CarnivalPR.

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About Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is "The World's Most Popular Cruise Line®" with 25 ships operating three- to 16-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe, Cuba, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Two 133,500-ton Vista-class ships are currently scheduled for delivery - Carnival Horizon in 2018 and Carnival Panorama in 2019. Additionally, two new 180,000-ton ships are scheduled to enter service in 2020 and 2022.

Well, I wasn’t expecting that.

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Thanks for sharing, wonder if the TA will end in NYC or Miami and if she will do a series of cruises before the trip through the Panama Canal. Looking forward to more details.

Personally the Mexican Riviera is one of Carnival's worst itineraries. Now if they were doing Hawaii or trans Canals it would be much better.

I am beginning to think the senior team is in need of a check up from the neck up. Either that or really short memories on how they could not give cabins away on the Splendor.

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Great news for us who fly to ports and consider LB “home.” Also multimillion dollar improvements to Ensenada coming. Looking forward to the transatlantic booking to open up. Good for Long Beach. It’s a great city.

With Norwegian Bliss doing Mexican Riviera sailngs and now Panorama, the west coast is getting some love, with brand new ships.

Such good news for us West Coast cruisers! While I prefer the Caribbean, it's nice to be able to drive to the port of departure. I don't care for Cabo much, but love Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.

Super excited! I’m super surprised they’re finally sending us a brand new ship, can’t wait to sail on her!! ...Now let some of the negative comments begin lol! [emoji849]

Thanks for sharing, wonder if the TA will end in NYC or Miami and if she will do a series of cruises before the trip through the Panama Canal. Looking forward to more details.

The last I read, Panorama was due from Fincantieri in October 31, 2019. Most of the newer press releases now just say November 2019. Assuming she departs from Barcelona a few days later, it would still be close to a month before she has crossed the Atlantic and the Panama Canal. I don’t see much room for Mediterranean cruises or even much of a pit stop in the Caribbean.

Hooray!

Wow!!! Was just getting bummed out over Splendor only being here for a short time. nice to get some new bells and whistles!!

Wow this is from the above CC sticky, Transatlantic and Panama Canal and inaugural all rolled into one

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2597489

Carnival Cruise Line's third Vista-class ship, Carnival Panorama, will be based out of Long Beach, California when it launches in 2019. It will go straight to its homeport from the shipyard without doing a European season of cruises.

Happiness! Yahoo!

Looks like she will be home by Christmas 2019!

Didn’t have anything planned for 2019, so possibly a B2B or just the canal sounds appealing, especially ending on Westcoast. It’s a quick flight home.

It does stink it's the same 7 day Mexican Riviera cruises. Why not bring back the longer cruises down to Acapulco, Ixtapa, Manzanillo?

It does stink it's the same 7 day Mexican Riviera cruises. Why not bring back the longer cruises down to Acapulco, Ixtapa, Manzanillo?

It could be decades before carnival returns to Acapulco, if ever. The 9 day cruises sure were nice and they could do those again without a stop in Acapulco and I hope they do. For every 9 day cruise there could be a 5 day cruise to Cabo and Ensenada to complete the two week cycle.

I am beginning to think the senior team is in need of a check up from the neck up. Either that or really short memories on how they could not give cabins away on the Splendor.

 

 

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The current senior team wasn't in place at that time, was it? Maybe they have a better plan in place, or maybe they just have to find out for themselves?

Bad omen? Christine couldn't get her bottle to shoot it's load. LOL.

https://www.facebook.com/MaritimeMatters/videos/10155069250822056/?hc_ref=ARQt8LSDzQU9oi7Z6Jx35LjdfSiGJYR0i8gscghysJHFm4s192EJgBj2FLTetWy8uIw&fref=gs&dti=307269796105317&hc_location=group

I think the comments about the Splendor not filling cabins back in the late 2000s, early 2010s don't take into consideration that the entire country was having terrible economic times, California and Nevada especially were hit hard. Hard to justify a cruise when unemployment was in the double digits. From my understanding these routes are doing quite well now, especially with little competition. The fact that the Bliss is also on the west coast says that this route is much more popular than before. Personally, coming from Reno having these types of options on the West Coast are AWESOME. While I am not a fan of Cabo, I do enjoy PV and haven't even yet been to Mazatlan. I hope they can get more options, maybe La Paz or Ixtapa in the future?

Exciting news for the West Coast!

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The current senior team wasn't in place at that time, was it? Maybe they have a better plan in place, or maybe they just have to find out for themselves?

It was Jerry

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I think the comments about the Splendor not filling cabins back in the late 2000s, early 2010s don't take into consideration that the entire country was having terrible economic times, California and Nevada especially were hit hard. Hard to justify a cruise when unemployment was in the double digits. From my understanding these routes are doing quite well now, especially with little competition. The fact that the Bliss is also on the west coast says that this route is much more popular than before. Personally, coming from Reno having these types of options on the West Coast are AWESOME. While I am not a fan of Cabo, I do enjoy PV and haven't even yet been to Mazatlan. I hope they can get more options, maybe La Paz or Ixtapa in the future?

The rest of the ships did just fine.

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It will be so nice to have a new ship for the west coast.