Carnival Cruise Lines, the world’s largest cruise operator, will launch the first year-round cruise program from the Port of Mobile when the 1,452-passenger Holiday begins four- and five-day western Caribbean cruises in October 2004.On this new program, the 46,052-ton “Fun Ship,” which operated a series of voyages from Mobile in spring 2002, will sail on four-day cruises to Cozumel and five-day cruises to Cozumel and Calica/Playa del Carmen or Costa Maya beginning Oct. 16, 2004. Including the Holiday’s new schedule from Mobile, Carnival will operate from 19 different North American homeports - the most in the cruise industry.“When we inaugurated ‘Fun Ship’ cruising from Mobile aboard the Holiday in 2002, the response was simply overwhelming. We anticipate the same level of success when the Holiday returns to Mobile to operate the port’s first year- round cruise program,” said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president and CEO.“The Port of Mobile is an ideal cruise departure point, offering a convenient location that is within a day’s drive of thousands of southeastern U.S. residents. That, combined with the tremendous support and enthusiasm from port, city and community officials, particularly Mayor Mike Dow, Director of Waterfront, Cruise Development and Special Projects Al St. Clair, Chairman of the Cruise Task Force Mike Lee, and Retirement Systems of Alabama CEO Dr. David Bronner, solidified our decision to deploy the Holiday from Mobile,” he added.
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