Carnival Cruise Line Kicks Off First Cruise from the U.S.

To celebrate Carnival Cruise Line's resumption of guest cruises from the U.S., Carnival President Christine Duffy, Carnival Vista Captain Andrea Catalani and local officials led a "Back to Fun" ribbon-cutting ceremony officially welcoming guests back on board.

"Seeing our guests board the ship for the first time in over 15 months was a welcome and emotional sight. The excitement our guests have for Carnival cruising knows no bounds and it's great to be able to have them enjoy our unique vacation experience and of course see our amazing crew once again," said Duffy.

Carnival Vista set sail on July 3 for a weeklong cruise with stops in Mahogany Bay (Isla Roatan), Cozumel and Belize City.

In addition to Carnival Vista's departure, Carnival Horizon begins sailing from PortMiami tomorrow, July 4, as well as Carnival Breeze from Galveston July 15 while Carnival Miracle kicks off the line's Alaska season from Seattle July 27. Mardi Gras, the line's newest ship, sets sail from Port Canaveral July 31.  Other ships in the Carnival fleet will begin service in August.

Carnival Cruise Line was the first cruise line to recognize the incredible potential of Galveston as a homeport, launching the port's first year-round cruises in 2000.

Today, Carnival is the number one cruise operator from Galveston and the only cruise operator with three year-round ships at the port. Carnival Vista, Carnival Breeze and Carnival Dream operate 150 voyages annually from Galveston, carrying an estimated 750,000 passengers a year.

Proudly sailing as America's Cruise Line, Carnival operates from 14 U.S. homeports – the most in cruising – providing consumers with a convenient and affordable way of getting to and from their cruise.  Roughly half of the U.S. population is within a day's drive of a Carnival homeport.