Carnival announces more cruise ships for vaccinated guests that will restart this summer

Carnival Cruise Line announced more ships that will restart sailings, including its newest cruise ship.

Following up on Carnival's previously announced restart plans from Seattle and Galveston, the cruise line revealed its next phase of restart, including the first cruise for Mardi Gras and the return of additional ships in August.  

Here is a breakdown of which ships will sail and when:

• Carnival Mardi Gras will begin sailing for the first time from Port Canaveral, when she begins sailing on July 31, with pre-inaugural sailings to the eastern and western Caribbean. 
• Carnival Magic will emerge from dry dock and also sail from Port Canaveral to offer four- and five-night cruises to The Bahamas and Caribbean that were previously scheduled for Carnival Elation, effective Aug. 7 through Oct. 7.
  • Guests already booked on Carnival Elation will be re-accommodated on Carnival Magic, and because she is a larger ship, additional stateroom inventory is being made available on Carnival.com and other sales channels. 
  • Carnival Magic will also operate three new six-day cruises and one new eight-day cruise from Port Canaveral between Oct. 11-31.
• Carnival Sunrise will begin sailing from Miami on August 14, and offer 4- and 5-night cruises to The Bahamas and Caribbean.
• Carnival Panorama will sail from Long Beach, California on August 21 and offer 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises.

Carnival will continue offering cruises through August on Carnival Vista and Breeze (from Galveston), Carnival Horizon (from Miami) and Carnival Miracle (from Seattle to Alaska).

Carnival plans to operate these August sailings with vaccinated guests.

While some ships are scheduled to restart, others will remain out of service, and as a result, more cancellations have ben announced.

Carnival has extended its pause for other ships through Aug. 31, 2021, as follows:

• Carnival Pride (Baltimore)
• Carnival Sunshine (Charleston)
• Carnival Dream (Galveston)
• Carnival Ecstasy (Jacksonville)
• Carnival Liberty (Port Canaveral)
• Carnival Conquest (Miami)
• Carnival Sensation (Mobile)
• Carnival Glory (New Orleans)

Carnival says it will announce its own set of protocols next week.

"We are very excited to finally welcome guests on Mardi Gras," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

"With our desire to preserve summer vacations for our Mardi Gras guests, we are going to find a later date to formally christen her so that we can operate these pre-inaugural sailings just as soon as we can."

Carnival promised to continue bringing ships back into service in September and beyond.

"Our focus remains on the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we serve and visit," said Duffy.  "We are taking a deliberate approach so we can execute with excellence and deliver a fun experience to our guests, who have been tremendously patient and supportive throughout this pause."