Carnival Cruise Line will increase capacity in Southern California when Carnival Splendor launches week-long Mexican Riviera cruises from Long Beach, California, 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.”
