As part of Carnival Cruise Line’s return to guest operations, Carnival Freedom arrived in St. Thomas Wednesday, tying up at the West Indian Company dock for the first time since the industry-wide pause in operations a year and a half ago.
Carnival Freedom became the fourth Carnival ship to resume operations from Miami when it departed on Oct. 9 on an eight-day Eastern Caribbean cruise. St. Thomas is the ship’s second port of call, and the next featured ports will include San Juan and Amber Cove.
“We are delighted to return to St. Thomas and offer guests an opportunity to experience all of the beauty and charm of the island while providing a much-needed boost to the local economy,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “On behalf of Carnival, I would like to thank our partners in St. Thomas for working with us to bring safe cruising and our guests back to the port.”
The Celebrity Edge was the first cruise to return, docking at St. Thomas at the V.I. Port Authority’s Crown Bay pier in July. St. Croix’s first returning ship was the Celebrity Edge in August. The West Indian Company cruise pier on St. Thomas received its first return call in September.
With more than half of its U.S. fleet already in guest operations, additional ships will resume service in the coming weeks and months as Carnival’s restart of operations continues.
Carnival Cruise Line has 24 ships sailing from 14 U.S. homeports and employing more than 40,000 team members from 120 nationalities, according to the company.
The line resumed cruise operations July 3, while its newest ship, Mardi Gras, featuring the first roller coaster at sea and the first in the Americas powered by eco-friendly Liquefied Natural Gas, sailed from Port Canaveral, Fla., July 31. Carnival Celebration, sister ship to Mardi Gras, is scheduled to debut in late 2022 from PortMiami, as well as a third as-yet-unnamed XL-class ship in 2023.
For additional information on Carnival Cruise Line or to book a cruise vacation, call 1-800-CARNIVAL, visit www.carnival.com, or contact your favorite travel advisor or online travel site.
