Carnival Cruise Line Hints at Possible World Cruise

Carnival Cruise Line might be considering a world cruise itinerary in the future, according to a hint dropped by the cruise line’s brand ambassador, John Heald.

While such a cruise would likely be several years away, it could prove to be a very popular sailing and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Carnival cruise fans.

Will Carnival Sail a World Cruise?

On his popular Facebook page, Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald has brought up the idea of a possible world cruise in the works, with great response from his followers and Carnival cruise fans.

“I wonder if it’s time for us to consider doing a world cruise? 150 days,” Heald asked. “Could anyone, would anyone do this with us?”

A world cruise is a lengthy itinerary for a single ship, often following a route that either circumnavigates the globe or else does a very extensive region, such as completely covering both North and South America, for example.

Longer world cruises are often segmented, permitting embarkations and debarkations for shorter portions of the cruise in order to not only ensure the ship is sailing close to full capacity, but also to give more travelers the opportunity to enjoy the unique itinerary even if they cannot commit to a complete sailing.

A 150-day itinerary would be the longest ever in Carnival Cruise Line’s history, and is certainly extensive enough to permit a complete global circumnavigation, visiting both North and South America, Australia, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

While no itinerary hints have been given, it is likely that such a cruise could depart from PortMiami, one of the world’s busiest passenger cruise ports. As Miami is a convenient city for guests to fly in to join the ship, this also makes sense as convenient for travelers.

Furthermore, Miami is home to Carnival Cruise Line’s shoreside headquarters, making this a great starting point to give the voyage a spectacular send off.

Spirit-Class Ship Hinted for Possible Carnival World Cruise

Heald also hinted that a Spirit-class ship might be the best candidate for a Carnival Cruise Line world cruise, if such a voyage were to be crafted. The 88,500-gross-ton vessels in the class are some of the cruise line’s most popular vessels and are a fan favorite for frequent Carnival cruisers.

“I wonder if we could fill a Spirit Class ship?” Heald asked.

Carnival Cruise Line operates four Spirit-class ships: Carnival Spirit was the lead ship in the class and debuted in 2001, followed by Carnival Pride (2002), Carnival Legend (2002), and Carnival Miracle (2004).

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Each Spirit-class ship can welcome 2,124 guests at double occupancy, or up to 2,680 travelers when fully booked with all berths filled. These ships are also sturdily built to handle harsher sailing conditions, and are frequently tapped for Greenland itineraries, Panama Canal transits, and long-haul repositionings such as between Australia and Alaska.

Carnival Luminosa is also classified as a Spirit-class ship but is significantly different than others in the class, with a gross tonnage of 92,600 and a guest capacity of 2,260 at double occupancy (2,826 passengers when fully booked). The ship joined Carnival Cruise Line from Costa Cruises in September 2022, and does not yet have all the characteristic Fun Ship features.

Competing With Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise

It is not a surprise that the idea of a world cruise is being hinted at by Carnival Cruise Line, given that their top competitor – Royal Caribbean International – has received a great deal of publicity and attention from their Ultimate World Cruise.

The 274-night voyage, which began on December 10, 2023, was originally scheduled to visit all seven continents and more than 150 ports of call in 65 countries. As is to be expected, there have been several changes to the itinerary already due to weather, as well as a significant deviation due to the Red Sea tensions.

The Ultimate World Cruise is aboard the 90,090-gross-ton, Radiance-class Serenade of the Seas. Coincidentally, Royal Caribbean’s Radiance-class ships are the closest comparable size and capacity to Carnival Cruise Line’s Spirit-class vessels.

Guest Reaction

Responses to Heald’s world cruise hints have been spectacular, with great enthusiasm being expressed for such an opportunity. While some travelers note they’d need to retire before setting sail, there is a lot of positive response.

“Sounds amazing!” “It’s a bucket list item for us.” “I would be on it!!” “YES!!!! Sign me up!” “Let’s do this!” “This would be very tempting.” and “In a heartbeat.” are just a few of the comments on Heald’s questions.

Would you set sail on a world cruise with Carnival Cruise Line? Share your thoughts, dream itinerary options, and preferred ship on the Cruise Hive boards!