Carnival To Enhance Leadership Position In Long Beach With Addition Of Newer, Larger Carnival Splendor In 2018

3,006-Passenger Ship to Operate Seven-Day Mexican Riviera Cruises From Long Beach Beginning in 2018

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Nov 03, 2016, 11:46 ET

MIAMI, Nov. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Cruise Line will increase capacity in Southern California when Carnival Splendor launches week-long Mexican Riviera cruises from Long Beach, Calif., beginning in 2018.

With this capacity expansion, Carnival is further bolstering its leadership position in a popular and convenient homeport, adding a newer, larger vessel on the West Coast with Carnival Splendor.

Carnival recently announced that it had signed an agreement with landlord Urban Commons and the City of Long Beach to expand the Long Beach Cruise Terminal facility to accommodate larger ships like Carnival Splendor and enhance its terminal operations. Carnival has operated the Long Beach Cruise Terminal since 2003 using a partial area of the Geodesic Dome that was the former museum housing Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose" attraction. The agreement gives Carnival 100 percent use of the Dome, nearly tripling the size of its current terminal facility. Construction is slated to be completed in late 2017.

Prior to launching service from Long Beach, Carnival Splendor will offer a 13-day Panama Canal cruise in January 2018 that will feature a variety of spectacular ports throughout the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. Carnival Splendor will also operate unique 14-day Hawaii cruises round-trip from Long Beach.

"Long Beach is a highly convenient and popular homeport and we're delighted to provide our guests with exciting new year-round cruise vacation choices aboard a newer, larger ship in this market," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. "At the same time, we're also very pleased that we're able to expand our terminal facilities in Long Beach with full utilization of the dome which will ensure we can provide our guests with a high quality and efficient experience at the port."

Week-Long Mexican Riviera Cruises Aboard Carnival Splendor
The 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendor will launch a year-round schedule of seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises from Long Beach, beginning Jan. 27, 2018, replacing Carnival Miracle and representing a 41 percent capacity increase on the line's week-long cruises from the West Coast.

Three different itineraries will be offered, each featuring stunning destinations along the Mexican Riviera. One itinerary visits Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta, another spends two days at Cabo San Lucas and a full day in Puerto Vallarta, and a third overnights in Puerto Vallarta with a day-long call in Cabo San Lucas, as well. On these cruises, guests can relax on beautiful beaches, visit centuries-old historical sites and enjoy unforgettable dining and shopping experiences.

Carnival Splendor will join Carnival Inspiration and Carnival Imagination which both offer three- and four-day Baja cruises from Long Beach. With the addition of Carnival Splendor, the line will carry upwards of 700,000 guests annually from Southern California, operating nearly 250 three- to 14-day cruises a year.

Exciting Panama Canal and Hawaii Cruises
Prior to its repositioning to Long Beach, Carnival Splendor will also offer a special 13-day Panama Canal cruise departing Miami Jan. 14, and arriving in Long Beach Jan. 27, 2018, [becoming the first Carnival ship to transit the newly opened Panama Canal locks] and providing guests the opportunity to experience this engineering marvel firsthand. The cruise will visit Cartagena prior to the Panama Canal transit, then call at Puntarenas, Puerto Quetzal and Cabo San Lucas.

Additionally, Carnival Splendor will operate two 14-day Carnival Journeys cruises to Hawaii round-trip from Long Beach – one departing Oct. 13, 2018, and the other Dec. 1, 2018. In addition to visiting four breathtaking Hawaiian destinations – Maui, Honolulu, Kona and Hilo – and a call at Ensenada, Mexico, guests sailing on these Carnival Journeys cruises will enjoy unique local dining and entertainment experiences and a number of shipboard enrichment activities.

Additional Information and Reservations
For additional information and reservations on Carnival Cruise Line, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit www.carnival.com.

Carnival can also be found on:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/carnivalcruise
Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/carnival
YouTube: www.youtube.com/carnival
Instagram: www.instagram.com/carnival

Journalists also can visit Carnival's media site, www.carnival-news.com or follow the line's PR department on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CarnivalPR.

About Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival, a unit 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, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The 133,500-ton Carnival Horizon is currently under construction and set to debut in 2018. Additionally, two new 180,000-ton ships are scheduled to enter service in 2020 and 2022.