Staying aboard just a little bit longer
Don’t overlook Carnival when researching companies that offer extended cruises
When it comes to searching for a longer and more exotic cruise, Carnival Cruise Line (cruise. center/carnival) might not be the first line that comes to mind. But Carnival offers some pretty spectacular longer voyages that are worth a look.
For example, Carnival offers Panama Canal journeys next year from diverse ports of call that include New York, Tampa and Mobile, Alabama. Ranging in length from 10 to 13 days, these journeys are also combined with a number of popular Caribbean ports of call and take place on three very different ships: Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Legend and Carnival Sunrise.
One voyage that is particularly noteworthy is Carnival’s 10-day journey from Hawaii to Vancouver on April 10, 2020. Starting in Honolulu, this cruise aboard Carnival Spirit — a fantastic ship that’s not too big and not too small — visits Maui, Hilo, Kona and Kauai before heading across the Pacific to Vancouver.
These one-way Hawaii voyages always sell out in advance, and Carnival prices them so reasonably that most cruisers jump at the chance to hop aboard.
Carnival is also returning to Europe in 2021 and is offering two special Transatlantic Crossings that year.
The first, on March 26, 2021, sails from Tampa to Barcelona, stopping in Nassau, Bermuda, Ponta Delgada, Malaga and Valencia. The return journey, from Barcelona on Oct. 31, 2021, includes ports of call in Cartagena, Cadiz (for Seville), Funchal, Ponta Delgada, and the Azores before concluding in Baltimore.
Carnival also offers longer sailings in Alaska, the Caribbean, and Europe.
These sailings are all part of what Carnival calls its Carnival Journeys program: longer sailings that offer more enrichment activities, special features, and fun diversions like Carnival’s own “Throwback Sea Day” that winds the clock back to the 1980s for a day, right down to the look of the daily program and the obligatory Baked Alaska parade.
Of course, each voyage packs in Carnival’s own Funship fun — a casual ambience filled with activities from dawn until dusk, and then some. Boredom simply isn’t an option on Carnival. Yet the line offers its own dose of whimsy and tradition, from the towel animals that are placed by the dozens out on the pool deck one morning of every cruise to the high quality of the on-board service and wide array of cuisines.
Before I started sailing with Carnival in 2014, I’d avoided the line. I heard the old stereotypes — that the party-hard atmosphere was alive and well. And that certainly is the case on the line’s shorter voyages, which appeal to the weekend getaway crowd.
Longer Carnival voyages, however, attract cruisers that have been on lines like Royal Caribbean, Princess and MSC. They tend to be quieter and a little more oriented to couples (though families do come out in full force for these unique sailings).
But I missed a lot by only discovering Carnival so late. The line has become one of my favourites: a casual cruise experience that’s well-priced and offers an amazing amount of value. Carnival’s shipboard crews are some of the best at sea, and the line offers a number of nifty features and dining options that will surprise and delight even jaded vacationers. They even brew their own special brand of beer which is available across the fleet in the Redfrog Pub.
If all of this sounds enticing, the best part about these longer Carnival Journeys voyages is how reasonably priced they are. In some cases, these longer voyages go for the same amount as a weeklong cruise, offering more value for your dollar.
Happy cruising.
Visit portsandbows.com, sponsored by Expedia Cruiseshipcenters, 1-800-707-7327, www.cruiseshipcenters.com, for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information.
Aaron Saunders may be contacted directly at portsandbowsaaron@ gmail.com