Texas Sized Cruising Coming to Galveston

Carnival Cruise Line recently announced it is expanding its offerings with a fourth ship in Galveston, Texas.

The Carnival Miracle arrival will Texas-size sailings beginning in the fall of 2024 through the spring of 2025.

“We have always offered a great variety of cruises from Galveston, but by adding a fourth Carnival ship to homeport in Galveston and sailing these longer itineraries, we are giving our guests great new choices, especially for those who want to experience a wider variety of beautiful ports of call and more time to enjoy their time at sea,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, in a press release on March 2, 2023.

Carnival Miracle will reposition from San Francisco to Galveston in October 2024 and operate a spectacular Carnival Journeys voyage that visits Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Cartagena, Colombia; and a Panama Canal transit.

Carnival Miracle will further diversify Carnival’s deployment from Galveston by joining: 

• Carnival Breeze, which offers four- and five-day cruises;
• Carnival Dream, which sails primarily six- and eight-day cruises, and
• Carnival Jubilee features a rollercoaster, which arrives this December to begin week-long Western Caribbean sailings.

From a health perspective, while the COVID-19 pandemic has faded away in Texas, many cruise ship passengers should remain vigilant about noroviruses.

Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

In the United States, cases of norovirus occur most frequently during late fall, winter, and early spring. 

One of the best ways to prevent the spread of norovirus is by practicing good hand hygiene.

The Norovirus Outbreak Map of confirmed outbreaks in the U.S. was updated in February 2023. And the Vessel Sanitation Program identifies various norovirus outbreaks onboard cruise ships.

Unfortunately, U.S. Food and Drug Administration had not approved a norovirus vaccine as of March 5, 2023.