Carnival Cruise Line Opens Itineraries From Two Southern Homeports

Cruisers looking for a vacation from two popular drive-to ports in the Southern US can choose from an impressive mix of Carnival Cruise Line itineraries in 2026-27.

The sailings from Tampa, Florida, and Mobile, Alabama, are open for sale with departures to the Caribbean, Bahamas, and the Panama Canal.

The 2,000-guest Carnival Paradise, a Fantasy-class ship that launched in 1998, already is deployed year-round at Tampa while Carnival Legend will offer a 2026-27 winter season series. The ship, a Spirit-class vessel that debuted in 2001, accommodates 2,124 guests.

The 2,124-guest Carnival Spirit, the first in the line’s Spirit class, is seasonally based in Mobile and will continue to lure area cruisers to the Gulf of Mexico departure port in winter 2026-27. The ship, which launched in 2000, is currently nearing the end of her summer Alaska series from Seattle.

All three ships will feature visits to Celebration Key, Carnival Cruise Line’s new private destination on Grand Bahama Island that is set to open in July 2025. They also will call at Half Moon Cay and/or Princess Cays, the private island experiences in the Bahamas owned by parent company Carnival Corporation.

“As America’s cruise line, we continue to sail from more U.S. homeports than any other line and our 2026/27 offerings from Tampa and Mobile are great examples of that commitment to provide our guests with the convenience of sailing from homeports that are a short drive away,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. 

“With a variety of itineraries, many of which feature our own unique destinations Celebration Key and Half Moon Cay, our guests will have plenty of great vacation options, and our travel advisor partners will have some unique experiences to offer their clients,” added Duffy.

Carnival Spirit’s deployments in 2026-27 will mirror her current offerings, with Alaska sailings in summer 2026 followed by a repositioning to Mobile in the fall. Her winter series will kick off with an open-jaw cruise from Seattle to Mobile on October 8, 2026.

The Carnival Journeys voyage will call at ports in Mexico and Colombia before transiting the Panama Canal and sailing through the Caribbean to Mobile.

Her winter series offers a choice of 6- to 8-day Bahamas sailings, with all cruises calling at Celebration Key. Six-day cruises call at either Nassau, Bimini or Princess Cays, depending on departure. The longer voyages will visit either Half Moon Cay or Princess Cays, along with Key West and Nassau.

Carnival’s Wide Selection of Voyages From Tampa

Tampa has been a homeport for Carnival Cruise Line for 30 years, and its commitment to the port continues with the year-round operations of Carnival Paradise and the seasonal program of Carnival Legend in 2026-27.

Carnival Paradise will offer guests a choice of 4- to 6-day Western Caribbean itineraries that call at ports such as Cozumel, Mexico; Mahogany Bay, Belize; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Nassau, Bahamas, and the private destinations of Celebration Key, Princess Cays.

The ship will offer Bahamas voyages from Tampa, also from 4 to 6 days, as well.

Onboard Carnival Legend from November 2026 through March 2027, guests can enjoy a wider choice of itinerary lengths, from 6 to 13 days. The longest sailing, a 13-day Carnival Journeys cruise to Panama calls at Aruba; Curacao; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; and Colon, Panama.

Read Also: Tampa Cruise Port – Terminals, Transportation, What’s Nearby

Six- and 7-day options include Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Costa Maya, Mexico; Belize; Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, Jamaica; Nassau; Mahogany Bay; plus the private destinations of Celebration Key, Half Moon Cay, and Nassau.

Tampa is a growing port and was in the news recently when upmarket line Oceania Cruises announced it would base its first ship at the port in February 2026. The 670-guest Insignia will offer 7- to 20-night voyages to the Caribbean and Panama Canal.