Carnival Plans Longer Cruises Between Galveston & San Juan in 2015-16

Cruises from Galveston, Texas usually follow a familiar route to nearby ports of call in Mexico, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman, which can become monotonous for repeat passengers who prefer to sail from that homeport. To mix things up and add variety to their itineraries, Carnival Cruise Lines is offering 10- and 11-day cruises between Galveston and San Juan featuring visits to six different Caribbean destinations on one itinerary. Two 11-day cruises sail from Galveston to San Juan Oct. 24, 2015, and Jan. 16, 2016, and two 10-day cruises from San Juan to Galveston depart Nov. 4, 2015, and Jan. 27, 2016.

These longer-length tropical itineraries feature an array of interesting Caribbean ports and are a first in terms of Carnival’s Texas-based cruise program, which also includes year-round 4-and 5-day Mexico cruises and 7-day Caribbean itineraries. A number of the ports featured on the 10- and 11-day voyages are among the most pristine, unique, and less visited islands in the Caribbean. Those are combined with several of the region’s most popular destinations to create attractive and diverse itineraries that provide the opportunity to enjoy a multitude of islands featuring gorgeous beaches, turquoise waters, and endless sightseeing, shopping, and water sports activities.

Also offered for the first time on a Carnival itinerary is Bonaire, which is featured on 11-day cruises. An island nestled in the Dutch Antilles, Bonaire is known for its brightly colored scenery and some of the best diving in the world. Other islands on these new itineraries rarely visited by Carnival ships include Antigua, Grenada, and Martinique—all known for stunning scenery and a relaxing Caribbean ambiance.

“These 10- and 11-day cruises on Carnival Triumph provide vacationers even more opportunities to explore tropical destinations, relax on beautiful white-sand beaches and enjoy world-class snorkeling, scuba diving and watersports,” said Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill. “Plus, at our Carnival Conversations events travel agents have indicated that they would like to see a greater variety of itinerary choices, particularly longer cruises from the Gulf region, so these new voyages from Galveston are a great new option for agents to market to their clients,” he added.

The 11-day voyages on Carnival Triumph originate in Galveston and include stops at Grand Cayman, Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada, Martinique, and St. Maarten with the voyage ending in San Juan.

The 10-day San Juan-to-Galveston itinerary calls at St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Antigua, Grand Turk, and the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay.

With non-repeating ports on the two different itineraries, guests who wish to take an even longer Carnival getaway can book back-to-back cruises and experience a memorable three-week voyage roundtrip from Galveston that visits all of these magnificent destinations. For more information, visit Carnival.com.