Carnival Cruise Line and the Port of Baltimore celebrated a historic milestone with a “Decade of Fun” celebration aboard Carnival Pride to mark the 10-year anniversary of Carnival’s year-round cruising from the port.
Carnival launched Baltimore’s first year-round cruise program in 2009 and over the past decade the line as carried more than 1 million guests.
The festivities were highlighted by a reciprocal exchange of maritime gifts with Carnival President Christine Duffy presenting the Cruise Maryland’s General Manager Cynthia Burman with a ship’s bell while Burman presented Duffy with a maritime international clock.
Carnival Pride offers a wide range of attractive cruise options from Baltimore including week-long voyages to tropical ports throughout the Bahamas and Bermuda as well as 14-day Carnival Journeys cruises visiting Caribbean destinations and partial Panama Canal transits.
Guests sailing aboard Carnival Pride enjoy a variety of features, including a Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub, Bonsai Sushi serving authentic Asian delicacies, and Guy’s Burger Joint developed in tandem with Food Network star and longtime Carnival partner Guy Fieri. The ship also boasts nearly 700 balcony staterooms – perfect for viewing the passing scenery – as well as a massive water park highlighted by Green Thunder, a drop-down slide that’s among the fastest and steepest at sea.
“Baltimore is an important part of our homeport deployment strategy and the port has been a great partner for the past 10 years,” Duffy said “Our cruises from Baltimore on board Carnival Pride continuously earn high marks from guests who appreciate the ease of sailing from this convenient and centrally located port,” she added.
“We are very proud to recognize 10 years of year-round cruising with Carnival Cruise Line,” said Maryland Port Administration Executive Director James J. White. “Many Maryland families and those in other states have sailed from the Port of Baltimore on Carnival Pride and have had the vacation of their lifetimes. We are very happy to have Carnival here in Maryland and look forward to many more years of seeing their beautiful ship at our port.”
Baltimore is an integral component of Carnival’s ship deployment strategy in which the line positions ships near large U.S. population bases along the East and West Coasts and the Gulf of Mexico. Including Baltimore, Carnival sails from 20 different North American homeports providing a cost-effective means for guests to get to and from their cruise. It’s estimated that roughly half of the U.S. population is within a day’s drive of a Carnival homeport.
Carnival launched Baltimore’s first year-round cruise program in 2010 and the departures attract guests from across the Northeast and other regions. Carnival and other cruise operators generate $204 million in direct expenditures and account for more than 3,100 jobs and $175 million in wages toward the Maryland economy.