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| Carnival Glory on October 18, 2013, in Norfolk when we returned from a cruise to The Bahamas |
The boyfriend and I enjoy cruises - as do a lot of our gay friends and some of my fellow LGBT bloggers - and we have sailed on Carnival out of Norfolk twice and had a wonderful time at very reasonable cost since no air travel has been required. We were most disappointed when Carnival announced it would not have a ship home ported in Norfolk in 2014. Thankfully, as announced by Gov. McAuliffe today to the General Assembly, Carnival is returning to Norfolk in 2015. For those who have never cruised before, mark your calendars for 2015 and check it out. Here are details from the Virginian Pilot:
Carnival Cruise Lines is returning to Norfolk next year, Gov. Terry McAuliffe told the General Assembly on Monday night. The world’s largest cruise line intends to resume sailing from Norfolk in the spring and fall of 2015, McAuliffe announced.
“This renewed activity in Hampton Roads will not only generate important tourism dollars for the commonwealth, but will also be a catalyst for job growth,” he said in his first address to General Assembly members.
“I am delighted to welcome Carnival back to Virginia next year, but my administration’s goal is to encourage them to bring more ship calls and ultimately, regular homeport service to downtown Norfolk, and to continue to grow our tourism economy across the commonwealth.”
The announcement comes 2½ months after the Carnival Glory pulled out of Norfolk for Miami, leaving the city’s nearly 7-year-old, $37.4 million Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center without a ship that calls it home.
“I can confirm that Carnival Cruise Lines is returning to Norfolk in 2015 to operate a series of cruises in the spring and fall,” Jennifer de la Cruz, a spokeswoman for the Miami-based cruise line, wrote in an email to The Virginian-Pilot on Monday.
“Specific ship, date and itinerary information is still being finalized and more specific details are expected to be announced this spring. We would like to thank the port, and local and state leadership, for their continued partnership and we greatly look forward to returning to Norfolk next year.”
Norfolk officials said they expect Carnival to offer 10 to 12 cruise departures in 2015, with Caribbean ports being the likely destinations.
Fraim said that while the city had not offered any Carnival any incentives to come back, he suggested that the state might. “We live in a very competitive environment with cruise ships,” he said. “And we know that both Maryland and South Carolina, their states provide marketing dollars to aid the sale of tickets. And we hope that the commonwealth will do the same.”
Fraim said McAuliffe, whom he praised for helping win back Carnival, is committed to doing everything possible to have a ship homeported in Norfolk year-round.
“He gets it; he acts quickly,” Fraim said. “The one thing about Gov. McAuliffe is he knows most captains of industry well. He is able to make phone calls returned quickly and he has been of great assistance in this regard.”
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