Carnival to Launch Year-Round Cruises from Charleston, S.C.

Carnival Cruise Lines will introduce the first year-round cruise schedule from Charleston, S.C., with the deployment of the 2,056-passenger Carnival Fantasy in May. Carnival Fantasy will operate five-, six- and seven-day voyages to the Bahamas and Key West from the Passenger Terminal in historic downtown Charleston beginning May 18.

Carnival expects to carry more than 140,000 passengers annually from the port. Including Charleston, Carnival will operate from 20 North American homeports in 2010, with 12 year-round departure points.

The new year-round departures from Charleston dramatically expand upon Carnival’s decade-long relationship with the port. Previously, Carnival has operated seasonal voyages from Charleston, including two five-day departures on the Carnival TRIUmph this year and two on the Carnival Glory next year.

Five-day voyages departing Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays will call at Nassau and Freeport. Six-day voyages departing Saturdays will visit Freeport, Nassau and Key West. Seven-day voyages depart Saturdays and will feature Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau.

Carnival Fantasy is currently based in New Orleans and is scheduled to transfer to Mobile for a program of four- and five-day cruises that will operate from that port from Nov. 10 through May 10. Replacing the Carnival Fantasy in Mobile will be its sister ship, the 2,052-passenger Carnival Elation, which will reposition from San Diego to launch year-round service from that port May 15.

In addition to four- and five-day cruises from Mobile, Carnival Elation will operate a series of seven-day Western Caribbean voyages in spring, summer and fall 2010. Prior to the start-up of its new Mobile-based program, Carnival Elation will sail on a 15-day Panama Canal cruise departing from San Diego April 30.

Guests will have the option of debarking the vessel in Tampa on May 14 or in Mobile on May 15. Featured ports will include Cabo San Lucas and Acapulco, Mexico; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Cartagena, Colombia; and George Town, Grand Cayman.