Summary
Carnival Spirit is a Spirit-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Built in Helsinki by Kværner Masa-Yards, she was the first Spirit-class cruise ship to join Carnival's fleet after she was delivered in 2001.
 Carnival Spirit in Sydney, 2014
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Bahamas | |
| Name | Carnival Spirit |
| Owner | Carnival Corporation & plc |
| Operator | Carnival Cruise Line |
| Port of registry | |
| Builder | |
| Cost | US$375 million |
| Yard number | 499 |
| Launched | 7 July 2000 |
| Sponsored by | Elizabeth Dole |
| Christened | 27 April 2001 |
| Completed | 11 April 2001 |
| Maiden voyage | 29 April 2001 |
| In service | 2001–present |
| Identification |
|
| Status | in active service |
| Notes | [2][3][4] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Spirit-class cruise ship |
| Tonnage | 88,500 GT |
| Length | 963 ft (293.52 m) |
| Beam | 106 ft (32.31 m) |
| Draft | 25.5 ft (7.77 m) |
| Decks | 12 decks |
| Installed power | 62,370 kW (83,640 hp) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Capacity | 2,124 passengers |
| Crew | 930 |
| Notes | [2] |
Construction edit
Built by Kværner Masa-Yards at its Helsinki New Shipyard in Helsinki, Carnival Spirit was launched on 7 July 2000 and completed on 11 April 2001.[5] She was formally named by American politician Elizabeth Dole in Miami on 27 April 2001.[6][7][3]
Service history edit
Previously in the northern fall and winter seasons, Carnival Spirit sailed cruises from San Diego and Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera. After Carnival Spirit's repositioning out of San Diego in April 2012, Carnival ceased operations with that port. During the period from mid-May and ending in September (northern summer), Carnival Spirit sailed the waters alongside the Alaskan Inside Passage on alternating one-week northbound and southbound voyages calling in Vancouver and Seattle. In December 2011, Carnival Spirit sailed to the Hawaiian Islands.[8]
After Carnival Spirit finished her Alaskan and Hawaii cruises, she embarked on a transpacific crossing, calling in Tahiti and Fiji to reposition to Sydney, arriving on 16 October 2012. It marked the first time Carnival based a ship permanently outside North America. She had undergone a dry dock in San Francisco nine months prior to prepare her for the Australian deployment, which included installing Australian-style power points, as well as changing the on-board currency to the Australian dollar. The total cost of the renovations was estimated to total US$7 million.[9] She sailed her first voyage from Sydney, to the South Pacific and New Zealand, from 20 October 2012.[10]
In May 2016, Carnival announced the ship would sail seasonally from Shanghai beginning in the Australian winter of 2018, making her the first Carnival ship to be based in China.[11] In late-2016, Carnival subsequently reversed this decision and Carnival Spirit continued to sail from Sydney, and explained the Australian market continued to be strong, which did not make the move economically viable in the long term.[12]
In summer 2018, Carnival announced that Carnival Spirit would become the company's first ship to sail from Brisbane from 2020.[13] However, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on tourism, she never debuted in Brisbane during the cruise industry's pause in operations.[14] She was also the last Cruise Ship to sail from sydney in 2020, before the Australian Cruising Shutdown In February 2022, Carnival announced she would be redeployed to Jacksonville, Florida and begin operating four-to-five-day itineraries to the Bahamas on 7 March, replacing voyages originally slated for Carnival Ecstasy. It marked a decade since the ship last operated permanently in North America.[15] She is scheduled to move to Seattle to sail in Alaska in summer 2022 and Caribbean from Miami afterwards from 2022 to 2023, replacing sailings planned for Carnival Freedom[16][17] and has been deployed to begin sailing from Mobile, Alabama in October 2023 following another Alaskan season in Summer 2023.[18]
References edit
Notes edit
- ^ Kalosh, Anne (29 October 2021). "Carnival reflags more ships to Bahamas, Mardi Gras welcomes prime minister". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- ^ a b Ward, Douglas (2005). Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. Singapore: Berlitz. ISBN 978-9812467393.
- ^ a b Smith 2010, p. 49.
- ^ "Carnival Spirit". vesseltracker.com. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- ^ "Carnival Spirit Ship Stats & Information- Carnival Cruise Line Carnival Spirit Cruises: Travel Weekly". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Elizabeth Dole to name Carnival Spirit". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Elizabeth Dole To Serve as Carnival Spirit's Godmother". MarineLink. 5 April 2001. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES TO BRING 'SPIRIT' CRUISE SHIP TO PORT OF LOS ANGELES IN 2011 FOR VOYAGES TO MEXICO, HAWAII | Port of Los Angeles". www.portoflosangeles.org. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ Goldsbury, Louise (16 October 2012). "A carnival cruises in". WAToday. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- ^ Sloan, Gene (11 January 2011). "Industry giant Carnival Cruise Lines is heading to Australia". USA Today. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- ^ "Carnival Spirit to Offer Winter Season in Shanghai for Carnival's First China Cruises". Cruise Critic. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- ^ Wood, Donald (28 October 2016). "Carnival Spirit Switches 2018 Plans from China to Australia". TravelPulse. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ "Carnival Cruise Line Sailing from New Port in 2020". cruisefever.net. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ Clark, Laine (4 February 2022). "Carnival exit hits Aussie cruise industry". Inner West Review. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ "Carnival Ship Shuffle as Spirit Comes to U.S. In Place of Australia". Cruise Industry News. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ "Carnival: Biggest Alaska Season Ever with 3 Ships". Cruise Industry News. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ "Carnival Cruise Line Announces Updated Deployment Plans". Cruise Industry News. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ "Carnival Spirit to Mobile in 2023". Cruise Industry News. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
Bibliography edit
- Smith, Peter C. (2010). Cruise Ships: The World's Most Luxurious Vessels. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword Maritime. ISBN 9781848842182.
External links edit
- Official website