The summer Alaska cruise season is drawing to a close and Carnival Cruise Line has begun repositioning its ships as Carnival Splendor departs Seattle en route to Sydney, Australia. The ship will be the first Carnival vessel to offer voyages Down Under since the cruise restart.
Carnival Splendor Leaves Seattle
The Concordia-class Carnival Splendor had a festive sendoff from Seattle on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, as it officially left the region at the close of the Alaska season. The ship began sailing Alaskan itineraries on May 2, and was the last of the Fun Ships to resume service after the pandemic shutdown.
Now, Carnival Splendor is sailing a 23-night epic transpacific itinerary to return to Australia, with four ports of call in Hawaii and two in Fiji along the way, as well as 18 days at sea for guests to thoroughly enjoy and explore all the 113,300-gross-ton ship has to offer.
The ship’s onboard schedule is packed with unique activities for this once-in-a-lifetime sailing, including a caricaturist, naturalist, knitting classes, comedy workshops, cooking demonstrations, ukulele classes, and three formal nights.
The vessel will arrive in Sydney on September 30, 2022, the first Carnival cruise ship to welcome guests in Australian waters in nearly 1,000 days.
Amazing Australian Itineraries
Once back at her homeport in Sydney, Carnival Splendor will begin offering a variety of itinerary options from October 1, 2022 – a date that coincides with Carnival’s 10th year of operations in Australia. Sailings range from 3-12 nights, giving guests plenty of opportunities for quick getaways as well as longer, more immersive voyages.
The shortest getaways are typically cruises to nowhere, offering the ultimate in relaxation onboard the ship.
Depending on the itinerary, ports of call on longer sailings include Moreton Island, Cairns, Port Douglas, Port Arthur, Dunedin, Mare Island, and many more amazing destinations in Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Vanuatu, and other top ports.
Carnival Splendor is scheduled to remain year-round in Australia, at least through June 2024. Future deployments beyond that date are yet to be announced.
Another Fun Ship to Australia
Carnival Splendor will not be the only Carnival Cruise Line ship to be sailing in Australian waters in the near future.
The soon-to-be-rebranded Carnival Luminosa will deploy to Brisbane in November, offering a different selection of 3-11 night Australian itineraries and a new experience for cruisers to enjoy, visiting popular ports in New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and New Zealand.
Carnival Luminosa is scheduled to deploy to Alaska in 2023 with various 6-8 night sailings from Seattle, while Carnival Splendor will remain in Australia year-round.
Alaska Season Ending for Carnival
Though Carnival Splendor has already left Alaskan waters, two Fun Ships still remain – for now. The two other Carnival ships sailing in Alaska this summer – part of the cruise line’s largest deployment ever in the Last Frontier – are Carnival Miracle and Carnival Spirit.
Carnival Miracle has been sailing longer Alaskan offerings from San Francisco, California, and her last Alaskan itinerary is already underway, having departed on Monday, September 5. After that cruise ends, the ship will offer one amazing voyage to Hawaii before repositioning to Los Angeles to spend the winter offering Mexican Riviera voyages and select Hawaiian sailings.
Carnival Spirit has just one Alaskan sailing left, a 7-night itinerary roundtrip from Seattle that will depart on Tuesday, September 13, to close out the season for Carnival Cruise Line. On September 20, the ship will reposition to Miami to spend the winter offering Caribbean itineraries.
Both Carnival Miracle and Carnival Spirit will be offering Alaska sailings for the 2023 season, beginning in early May.
