Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Largest Carnival ship sets sail from PortMiami
Carnival Vista — the newest and largest ship for Carnival Cruise Line — has begun sailings from PortMiami, its permanent year-round home.
The ship, which can accommodate 3,954 passengers at double occupancy, arrived early Sunday from New York and departed that same day on its inaugural six-day cruise from Miami to Grand Turk Island; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Nassau, Bahamas, Carnival said.
“The arrival of new and innovative cruise ships such as Carnival Vista helps solidify our place as a global hub for travel and tourism, vital to the continual growth and development of our community,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, in a news release Monday.
The cruise line’s decision to base
“It’s an exciting day at PortMiami.” Juan Kuryla, CEO and director of the port
its newest and biggest ship in Miami “speaks volumes about our confidence in growing this important market,” noted Carnival President Christine Duffy.
Carnival Vista, which the Miami-based cruise line calls its most innovative ship, features a variety of first-time offerings including a suspended, open-air cycling experience dubbed SkyRide. Here, cruisers can “pedal hanging recumbent-like cycles at speeds of up to 18 miles an hour across an elevated 800-foot-long track,” the cruise line said.
“It’s one of our most popular attractions on the ship,” said John Heald, Carnival’s senior cruise director, during a ship tour Sunday. “Each and every day, there are people waiting to pedal around. The views are extraordinary.”
The cruise ship also boasts the first IMAX Theatre on a ship; the Kaleid-O-Slide, the line’s first water-tube slide; and the RedFrog Pub & Brewery, the first craft-beer brewery on a North American-based cruise ship, Carnival said.
Carnival Vista is also the first Carnival ship to offer a Family Harbor lodging area with nearly 100 cabins, including suites with two bathrooms and room for five people.
The 133,500-ton cruise ship first launched in Europe in May. The last new ship Carnival debuted was the Carnival Breeze in 2012.
Year-round Carnival Vista will offer a series of six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises from Miami, starting Saturday. It will also offer one-time itineraries, including a five-day cruise departing Dec. 11 and seven-day voyages departing Dec. 17 and 24, Carnival said.
“It’s an exciting day at PortMiami,” said Juan Kuryla, the port’s director and CEO. “There’s no doubt that the arrival of the Carnival Vista ... represents a new vacation option for passengers sailing out of the ‘Cruise Capital of the World.’”