Two Carnival Cruise Ships to Begin Unique Journeys

Two Carnival cruise ships are poised to set off on lengthy repositioning cruises on the same day to bring them to entirely different regions for new sailing seasons.

On Thursday, April 13, 2023, Carnival Pride will depart for a transatlantic cruise, while her fleet mate, the new Carnival Luminosa, will begin a transpacific voyage.

Carnival Pride Moving to Europe

On Thursday, April 13, Carnival Pride will begin a transatlantic crossing, a 13-night cruise from Tampa, Florida to Barcelona, Spain. While the ship will not be homeported from Barcelona, this sailing does bring her to Europe for the summer season.

On the 13-night transatlantic cruise, the ship will visit just three ports of call – Ponta Delgada in the Azores as well as both Malaga and Valencia in Spain. This means nine full days will be spent at sea, giving guests an amazing time to fully immerse themselves in all the ship has to offer.

Onboard will be 1,825 guests of the Spirit-class ship’s typical capacity of 2,124, with guests from many different countries enjoying the journey.

Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald recently interviewed Carnival Pride‘s master, Captain Vito, who has been with Carnival since 1990, about what it’s like to sail a transatlantic cruise with so many days at sea, so far from other ports of call.

“No matter how many times we have done it, is always a very sobering and a moment of reflection being so far from everyone and at the same time so close to many on board,” Captain Vito said. “This is the moment that guests and crew become one….the so-called “Ship Company!”

After arriving in Spain, Carnival Pride will sail from Barcelona to Dover, stopping at ports in Portugal, Spain, France, and Belgium before arriving in England. She will remain homeported from Dover for the summer season, offering 9- and 12- night European sailings, before moving to Rome in September to spend several weeks offering additional itineraries from Italy.

In late October, the ship will return to Tampa via another 15-night transatlantic crossing, returning to her Caribbean home for the winter season.

Carnival Luminosa Setting Sail for Alaska

At the same time, Carnival Pride sets sail for Europe, the newest ship in the Carnival fleet, Carnival Luminosa, will depart her first homeport to reposition via a transpacific cruise to Alaska.

The renovated and rebranded ship, formerly Costa Luminosa, debuted with Carnival homeported from Brisbane, but on April 13, she will begin moving north to Seattle. The transpacific sailing is an epic 21-night journey with amazing ports of call in New Caledonia, Fiji, French Polynesia, and Hawaii, before arriving in Seattle on May 4.

During the sailing, Carnival Luminosa will cross the International Date Line, always a special event for both crew and guests, no matter how many times they may have passed that marker.

A full 15 days will be spent at sea during the cruise, giving guests ample time to enjoy everything unique and distinctive about Carnival Luminosa and her Italian flair.

For the summer, the ship will offer 7-night roundtrip sailings from Seattle, visiting top Alaskan ports such as Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, as well as scenic cruising along the dramatic Inside Passage.

When Carnival Luminosa returns to Brisbane in the fall, the transpacific crossing will be an even more astonishing 31-night cruise, first heading north to Alaskan ports and then moving south to ports in Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia. That sailing departs Seattle on September 14, and arrives in Brisbane on October 15.

About Transoceanic Cruises

Transoceanic cruises are one-way journeys across oceans that reposition ships to new markets in distant regions. In some cases, cruise lines rotate ships to new homeports to drive local interest and attract new travelers who may have already cruised frequently on the same homeported ship.

In other instances, transoceanic cruises are seasonal movements to take ships to different areas of the world with more limited cruise seasons. This can bring vessels to popular markets during vacation periods or times when weather cycles are more clement for comfortable, amazing cruises.

Some cruise ships may make transoceanic crossings multiple times a year while other ships only make these monumental journeys infrequently, but no matter when they sail, which ocean they cross, or where they are going, the sailings are amazing experiences for every traveler.

More Repositionings to Come

While these two ships are setting sail on very special journeys on the same day, they aren’t the only repositioning cruises coming up this week. On Sunday, April 16, Carnival Spirit will leave her Miami homeport for a Panama Canal sailing that will take her to Seattle for the Alaska season, where she will arrive two days before Carnival Luminosa.

Have you ever cruised across an entire ocean? Share your experiences on the Cruise Hive boards!