MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – The cruise terminal may be empty now, but plans are already underway to welcome not only the Carnival Spirit back to the port city, but another cruise ship as well. The city says it will be a port of call for American Cruise Lines starting in 2026.
“These passengers are paying anywhere from $4,000-$9,000 a piece for the cruise so they’re a group that really love the arts, the culture and the culinary so this is a whole other game changer,” said Visit Mobile President & CEO David Clark.
Visit Mobile President & CEO David Clark says the first cruise will leave from New Orleans and have six port of calls between there and Pensacola. At each stop, passengers will be able to get off the ship and explore everything the city has to offer for about 12 hours. Clark says he’s hopeful this could lead to further cruise expansion in Mobile.
The city is also preparing for year-round cruises with Carnival in 2027. That’s why Mobile invested almost $5 million to replace this 15-year-old gangway with a new one that will allow two rows of passengers to board at the same time.
“One of the expectations that we have for this cruise terminal is that we want to make sure we have superior service, and you’ve got to have great equipment, great facilities and a great team in order to do that,” said Mayor Sandy Stimpson.
The ability to board the ship faster will hopefully enhance customer satisfaction and help build off what visit mobile says was a successful seasonal run with the Carnival Spirit.
“They said Mobile had its best ever itinerary gross profit ever. That’s kind of how they measure how successful you are,” said Clark. “Last year, 24 million eyes saw cruising from Mobile served to them throughout the region.”
With American Cruise lines now on board, even more eyes will be on Mobile
“When you add another vendor here, another cruise company that’s going to kind of ignite a whole lot of other interest, so new business attracts other new business,” said Clark.
Clark says American Cruise Lines will be here four times, and the first ship will leave from New Orleans on March 1st and make a stop here in Mobile. Meanwhile the Carnival Spirit is scheduled to be back here for six months starting in October and will feature new 14- and 16-day trips.
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