Carnival Cruise Line has announced plans to resume regular calls to Grand Bahama just over one month after Hurricane Dorian made landfall on the Bahamas' northernmost island.
Carnival Pride, which departed Baltimore with nearly 2,400 guests this past weekend, is scheduled to dock in Freeport this Friday, October 11. Carnival Elation will arrive two days later on Sunday, October 13, followed by Carnival Freedom on Tuesday, October 15.
Carnival Ecstasy also arrived in Freeport on Monday to undergo an extensive 12-day dry dock at the Grand Bahama Shipyard, Carnival confirmed, making it the first cruise ship to utilize the facility since Hurricane Dorian.
"Carnival Cruise Line is proud to be such a big year-round supporter for cruise tourism to Freeport so we are very excited to provide our guests the opportunity to again visit this popular destination," said Terry Thornton, Carnival's senior vice president of nautical and port operations, in a statement. "Cruise ship visits are important to the local economy and our shore excursion team has been working closely with local tour operators and has confirmed a variety of attractive onshore excursions for our guests."
Guests can choose from more than 15 shore excursions, including The All-Inclusive Beach Club, A Select Retreat with Beach and Water Toys and the VIP Luxury Sail, among others.
Carnival expects to host 39 calls in Freeport now through the end of 2019, bringing more than 100,000 visitors to the destination and delivering a much-needed boost to the local economy. For the entire year, more than 400,000 guests will visit Grand Bahama on a Carnival cruise vacation, the cruise line said.
Carnival resumed regular calls to Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays last month.
"The rebuilding of Grand Bahama has begun. We welcome the return of Carnival Cruise Line back to Grand Bahama after Hurricane Dorian," said Senator James Kwasi Malik Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama, in a statement. "Carnival is an incredible partner for the Bahamas and Grand Bahama."
In addition to assisting with relief shipments and a $2 million pledge from Carnival Corporation and the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation, Carnival employees and guests have combined to donate over $500,000 through online giving tools and collections on embarkation day and onboard in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.
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